PrimaLuceLab’s Post

The UK is ready to build the world’s largest ground-based optical telescope: Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). As per the recent announcement, the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) is set to begin developing the first instrument to be outfitted on this cutting-edge telescope. This Roman Colosseum-sized telescope will be based at 3000 meters above sea level in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The European Southern Observatory (ESO), which also operates a Very Large Telescope (VLT) in this desert, is leading its construction. The high location provides ideal, dry conditions to conduct celestial observations. The first approved instrument is the Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (METIS). It recently passed the final design review and is now ready to be manufactured. The METIS consortium comprises ten astronomical research institutes, including the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA) and Leiden University. “The METIS instrument will be invaluable to ensure that the ELT can look more precisely than ever before at mid-infrared light, in a bid to change our understanding of our place in the Universe,” said Gillian Wright, Director at the STFC UK ATC, in the press release. Astronomers will use the instrument’s mid-infrared vision to view planet-forming disks filled with gas and dust. Dust particles frequently absorb visible light. Therefore, mid-infrared imaging is essential for studying these locations. The insights may shape our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. Among the other set scientific goals, METIS will search for nearby exoplanets, explore the origins of our solar system, and study the core of galaxies, where the supermassive black holes lurk. Interestingly, this key telescope instrument will be able to look for potential habitable worlds. This is because some cooler planets produce light in the mid-infrared band. #ELT #ESO #METIS

Australian astronomers get a clearer picture of the high energy universe via eROSITA’s first all-sky survey! Data from the first all-sky survey by the X-ray imaging telescope eROSITA has been released, yielding the largest X-ray catalogue ever published. A series of scientific papers were also released along with the data, including two led by Australian researchers Dr Adelle Goodwin and PhD student Silvia Mantovanini from ICRAR (International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research), Curtin University. Lead investigators Dr Goodwin and Mantovanini combined the X-ray data from eROSITA with radio data from Australian surveys to get deeper insights into high energy cosmic phenomena. See more about the story here: https://lnkd.in/g_rbrR6y #eROSITA #astronomy #xray #radio #research #science Image: This image shows half of the X-ray sky, projected onto a circle (so-called Zenit Equal Area projection) with the centre of the Milky Way on the left and the galactic plane running horizontally. Photons have been colour-coded according to their energy (red for energies 0.3-0.6 keV, green for 0.6-1 keV, blue for 1-2.3 keV). Credit: MPE, J. Sanders for the eROSITA consortium.

🌌🔭 Integrating Technology: Building Remote Observatories with ASCOM at Noe-Sternwarte! 🚀✨ As someone passionate about astronomy and technology, I am thrilled to share how we are advancing our remote observatories at Noe-Sternwarte using the ASCOM standards (https://lnkd.in/ePZ_bXaH). ASCOM provides a universal standard for connecting various astronomical devices and software, allowing us to: • Seamlessly integrate diverse equipment • Automate complex observational tasks • Enhance remote control capabilities • Improve data collection and analysis These standards enable us to build highly efficient and reliable remote observatories, making astronomical observations more accessible and precise. 🌠🔭 Discover more about our innovative approach and the technologies we use at https://lnkd.in/ejwEiNaa #Astronomy #RemoteObservatories #ASCOM #NoeSternwarte #Automation #SpaceExploration

https://lnkd.in/dChii_Bj Scientists at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research based at the University of Western Australia. They are working on an infrared laser base-station network for satellites to avoid the data chokepoint at low-earth orbit level. The team did a successful demo last month. University of Western Australia, Perth, with the help of other major facilities located in Australia and New Zealand. To provide a more efficient method for the transmission of data compared to the existing use of radio and microwave frequencies, which are already at the edge of their capacity. Development of ground and mobile stations using off-the-shelf technology and incorporating optical telescopes for infrared laser data transmission and receiving. This advancement promises to revolutionize space communications by providing faster and more reliable data transmission. By enabling higher data throughput and reducing reliance on limited radio frequencies, it will support the growing demand for satellite services, enhance global connectivity, and facilitate advancements in various fields such as remote sensing, weather forecasting, and space research. The scalable and cost-effective nature of this technology could democratize access to space communications, benefiting both developed and developing regions worldwide. what do you say.

Researchers spying for signs of life among exoplanet atmospheres, Columbus OH (SPX) Feb 02, 2024 The next generation of advanced telescopes could sharpen the hunt for potential extraterrestrial life by closely scrutinizing the atmospheres of nearby exoplanets, new research suggests. The next generation of advanced telescopes could sharpen the hunt for potential extraterrestrial life by closely scrutinizing the atmospheres of nearby exoplanets, new research suggests. A new paper publis, : Columbus OH (SPX)

Here is a new statistic for you: The SETI Institute #COSMIC system on the National Radio Astronomy Observatory #VLA has the same amount of storage currently that 59, 062 (32GB) cell phones would have. A modern cell phone can hold about 16,000 photos in its memory. This means #COSMIC could store a lot of selfies. #supercomputing #astronomy #bigdata

#Photonics are helping to bring down the cost of space-based astronomy. To study the habitability of exoplanets, researchers at the National Research Council Canada / Conseil national de recherches Canada built and tested a #CubeSat prototype with an integrated photonic chip, which proved itself capable of detecting the absorption signatures of carbon dioxide in incoming light. In a real-life mission, a CubeSat would be able to observe a star for days to weeks, and look for slight changes in its spectrum when a planet absorbs its light during a transit—tell-tale evidence of gases of a biological origin. As CubeSats are becoming increasingly adopted for deploying small instrument payloads into #space, the compact nature of photonic chips is critical for reducing the size, weight and cost of components. In the researchers’ own words—‘enabling smaller space telescopes to do big science’. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gEd839KC

Now that the world's largest digital camera, constructed at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is ready, how does it get to Rubin Observatory on a mountaintop in Chile? Read more about the forthcoming journey in this excellent story by Rahul Rao in Scientific American. #LSST #astronomy #astrophysics #cosmology #capturethecosmos

The saying goes "Shoot for the Moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" - but what if you're shooting for all the above? 🌌 Learn more about the 30th anniversary of the "First Light" images taken by our 3.5-meter telescope at the Starfire Optical Range and how it's pushed the fold for modern astronomy below. #AFResearchLab | #AFRLSpace | #StarfireOpticalRange

Finally I see magneto hydrodynamics being discussed! All those lines create magnetic Fractal structures throughout the universe. every magnetic field, even the ones inside us, are all part of the universes magnetic moment evolution. The next step, which I'm waiting for now, is to link this with the theories I've all linked together.