Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have made a groundbreaking discovery by identifying a lensed supernova, casting doubt on the Hubble tension. This finding sheds new light on the universe’s expansion rate, a key area of research in astronomy. The team’s innovative approach using gravitational lensing to measure the Hubble constant has significant implications for our understanding of the cosmos. James Webb Space Telescope Hubble tension
What The Heck Are Earth’s Radiation Belts?
Space agencies NASA and ESA has recently achieved a milestone in space exploration with the Juice mission which is also space’s most expensive project ever. In a highrisk lunar-Earth flyby, the JENI instrument returned some of the best images ever collected of Earth’s radiation belts, showing charged particle swaths surrounding our planet in exquisite detail. The new science questions that will be answered by the advanced technology used in this mission range from planetary magnetospheres to plasmaphysics interactions. This discovery was a breakthrough and will likely yield new explorations not only at Jupiter’s moons, but also beyond. The detailed images obtained with JENI revealed the intricate processes at play in Earth’s magnetic field, revealing its deep secrets.
Digital Trends
Juice’s successful flyby and data collection by its instruments are part of a major milestone in our understanding of space environments. Information obtained regarding the plasma heating process and particle interaction was possible due to the presence of JENI and JoEE instruments that had experienced traversing through Earth’s uneven magnetosphere as well as radiation belts. By providing a comprehensive picture of planetary magnetospheres, these data will influence future missions to Jupiter and beyond. With state-of-the-art technology on five spacecraft, Juice will be the first large-class mission in ESA’s Cosmic Vision programme to investigate our Solar System and its icy satellites.
Towards New Frontiers
With Juice heading to Jupiter, the results from the Earth flyby are merely a few of many that will set the stage for future discoveries. The following Venus flyby in 2025 and additional encounters to be performed in the years of 2026 and 2029, will enhance the capability to understand cylindrical magnetospheres planetary as well as hazardous mode of space environment. Utilizing gravity assists and cutting edge tools such as JENI (Io) and JoEE (Europa), NASA and ESA are in a prime position to begin unraveling the mysteries of the world of Jupiter. The 2031 trip to Jupiter will be “unprecedented,” with a wealth of information about the gas giant moons and magnetic fields expected to provide new understanding of activities across the solar system.
