#universe

Our greatest window into the #universe is nearing completion. This soon-to-be #telescope is located at the top of Cerro #Armazones, the mountain that casts a triangular shadow. At 3046 metres above sea level, and with very dry conditions, the #ELT is in the perfect location for astronomical observations under one of the most pristine skies on Earth. Its dome, planned to be fully completed in 2027, protects the telescope and its sensitive components from the extreme desert environment, and from the Sun during daytime. At night, its two massive sliding doors will open to allow the telescope to observe the night sky, while still protecting it from the wind. #astronomy https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2617a/

The White House announced a plan to cancel over 50 #space missions as part of a devastating 46% cut to #NASA #science.

The proposal would likely eliminate thousands of jobs at an agency that has just launched astronauts to the #Moon for the first time in decades, and dozens of other space missions would see their operations reduced or slowly wound down to a halt.

The following missions are to be cancelled:

1. The Habitable Worlds Observatory being built to search for #life on dozens of Earth-like planets beyond our Solar System while addressing fundamental questions about our #Universe.

2. OSIRIS-APEX capitalizes on the exceptionally rare 2029 Earth flyby of the potentially hazardous #asteroid #Apophis to advance planetary defense strategies and reveal how Earth’s #gravity alters an asteroid’s surface and interior.

3. The ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover will deliberately search for signs of life on #Mars by analyzing the composition of samples collected from as deep as 2 meters below the surface.

4. The DAVINCI mission is an atmospheric probe that will be deployed to our sister planet, #Venus, and provide the first detailed measurements of the composition and chemistry of its #atmosphere.

5. Initially focusing on #Jupiter’s interior, atmosphere, and aurora, #Juno is already orbiting Jupiter and has expanded during its extended mission to be a full system explorer capable of investigating the Galilean satellites, rings, inner moons, radiation belts, and boundaries of Jupiter’s magnetosphere.

6. VERITAS will create unprecedented, global, high-resolution datasets of Venus designed to answer a fundamental question for rocky #planets: how did Earth and her twin Venus evolve into two entirely different examples of planetary #habitability?

https://www.planetary.org/articles/meet-the-people-behind-nasas-endangered-missions

Over 70% complete, our ELT is glowing in the #sunset light of the Atacama Desert in #Chile, surrounded by massive cranes hard at work to get this telescope up and running. With the first light planned for the end of the decade, the ELT and its groundbreaking 39-metre main mirror will take on some of the biggest challenges in #astronomy and, ultimately, help us understand our place in the #Universe. Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2617a/ 📷 ESO/G. Vecchia #astrodon #astrophysics #space #science

Supermassive black holes might trace back to huge, ancient stars https://www.snexplores.org/article/supermassive-black-holes-ancient-stars?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=Econopass%2Fmagazine%2FFLIPBOARD+EXCHANGE+FEED+%F0%9F%97%9E%EF%B8%8F Khushi Karthikeyan, 18, has been fascinated by black holes since childhood. “Part of that fascination lies in the mystery,” Khushi says. “We don’t … #science #blackhole #universe

Astronomers discover how some planets create their own oceans. New research reveals that sub-Neptune exoplanets can form vast amounts of water internally. news-cafe.eu/?go=news&n=13799 #neptune #astronomy #space #cosmos #universe #science #research #nasa #kepler #planets #stars