Categories: Science

Nasa: NEOWISE telescope captures last image as Nasa ends 11-Year asteroid search


Nasa’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) has concluded its mission, marking the end of a journey spanned over a decade. The telescope, which began as the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), captured its final image of the Fornax constellation in Southern California, a snapshot that is more than just a beautiful view, according to the New York Times.
To the casual observer, the image of Fornax might seem unremarkable, but for the scientists and engineers gathered, it symbolised the culmination of NEOWISE’s extraordinary mission. Launched in 2009, WISE originally aimed to explore the universe’s farthest reaches, observing distant galaxies, supermassive black holes, and more. It was not initially designed for near-Earth observations, but scientists soon realised its potential for asteroid detection.
“This was the little space telescope that could,” said Amy Mainzer, an astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles, and principal investigator for NEOWISE. “We were really lucky to get to do this work.”
In its early days, WISE made significant discoveries, including the first asteroid sharing Earth’s orbit, known as a Trojan. It also observed the asteroid Dinkinesh, providing important data for a subsequent Nasa flyby.
Following its initial mission, the telescope’s focus shifted to asteroid detection, rebranded as NEOWISE. After a break, Nasa revived the spacecraft in 2013 for a dedicated planetary defence mission. Over the next 11 years, NEOWISE catalogued more than 44,000 solar system objects, including a comet named after the spacecraft that dazzled night skies in 2021.
However, increasing solar activity led to NEOWISE’s orbital degradation. Previously orbiting at 310 miles above Earth, it now resides at just 217 miles. On July 31, the scientific survey concluded, and by August 8, the team shut down the data transmitter for the final time. NEOWISE is expected to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere by end of the year.
Despite the end of NEOWISE’s operational life, the scientific team’s work continues. “For us on the science team, our mission is far from over,” Dr. Mainzer noted. The final data set is due for release in the fall, with several scientific papers to follow.
Dr. Mainzer, who has been with the mission for over two decades, showed optimism about the future. While NEOWISE’s mission has ended, it paves the way for Nasa’s next-generation planetary defender, the Near-Earth Object Surveyor, slated for launch no earlier than 2027. “It’s the end of an era,” she said, “but the beginning of a new one.”

!(function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) { function loadFBEvents(isFBCampaignActive) { if (!isFBCampaignActive) { return; } (function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) { if (f.fbq) return; n = f.fbq = function() { n.callMethod ? n.callMethod(...arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments); }; if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded = !0; n.version = '2.0'; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement(e); t.async = !0; t.defer = !0; t.src = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s); })(f, b, e, 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js', n, t, s); fbq('init', '593671331875494'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); };

function loadGtagEvents(isGoogleCampaignActive) { if (!isGoogleCampaignActive) { return; } var id = document.getElementById('toi-plus-google-campaign'); if (id) { return; } (function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) { t = b.createElement(e); t.async = !0; t.defer = !0; t.src = v; t.id = 'toi-plus-google-campaign'; s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s); })(f, b, e, 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-877820074', n, t, s); };

function loadSurvicateJs(allowedSurvicateSections = []){ const section = window.location.pathname.split('/')[1] const isHomePageAllowed = window.location.pathname === '/' && allowedSurvicateSections.includes('homepage')

if(allowedSurvicateSections.includes(section) || isHomePageAllowed){ (function(w) {

function setAttributes() { var prime_user_status = window.isPrime ? 'paid' : 'free' ; var viwedVariant = window.isAbPrimeHP_B ? 'B' : 'A'; w._sva.setVisitorTraits({ toi_user_subscription_status : prime_user_status, toi_homepage_variant_status: viwedVariant }); }

if (w._sva && w._sva.setVisitorTraits) { setAttributes(); } else { w.addEventListener("SurvicateReady", setAttributes); }

var s = document.createElement('script'); s.src="https://survey.survicate.com/workspaces/0be6ae9845d14a7c8ff08a7a00bd9b21/web_surveys.js"; s.async = true; var e = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; e.parentNode.insertBefore(s, e); })(window); }

}

window.TimesApps = window.TimesApps || {}; var TimesApps = window.TimesApps; TimesApps.toiPlusEvents = function(config) { var isConfigAvailable = "toiplus_site_settings" in f && "isFBCampaignActive" in f.toiplus_site_settings && "isGoogleCampaignActive" in f.toiplus_site_settings; var isPrimeUser = window.isPrime; var isPrimeUserLayout = window.isPrimeUserLayout; if (isConfigAvailable && !isPrimeUser) { loadGtagEvents(f.toiplus_site_settings.isGoogleCampaignActive); loadFBEvents(f.toiplus_site_settings.isFBCampaignActive); loadSurvicateJs(f.toiplus_site_settings.allowedSurvicateSections); } else { var JarvisUrl="https://jarvis.indiatimes.com/v1/feeds/toi_plus/site_settings/643526e21443833f0c454615?db_env=published"; window.getFromClient(JarvisUrl, function(config){ if (config) { const allowedSectionSuricate = (isPrimeUserLayout) ? config?.allowedSurvicatePrimeSections : config?.allowedSurvicateSections loadGtagEvents(config?.isGoogleCampaignActive); loadFBEvents(config?.isFBCampaignActive); loadSurvicateJs(allowedSectionSuricate); } }) } }; })( window, document, 'script', );

Source link

jaghit

Share
Published by
jaghit

Recent Posts

'मुख्यमंत्री कोविड-19 बाल सेवा योजना' के लिए नहीं है बजट? अब मंत्री नरेंद्र पटेल ने किया ये दावा

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Madhya Pradesh News Today:</strong> भारत सहित पूरी दुनिया ने 3 साल वैश्विक महामारी…

1 week ago

Inside Hina Khan’s Pre-Birthday Celebrations With Rocky Jaiswal And Mother In Goa

Hina Khan’s birthday is on October 2. (Photo Credits: Instagram)From a stunning view of her…

1 week ago

Swiggy IPO Gets Sebi Approval: All You Need to Know About Rs 11,000-Crore Issue

Food and grocery delivery major Swiggy has received markets regulator Sebi’s clearance to launch its…

1 week ago

‘Imprints of Make in India visible everywhere’: PM Modi lauds 10 years of flagship initiative | India News

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded the efforts of each and every…

1 week ago

Waqf Amendment Bill JPC 1 Crore Emails Nishikant Dubey VHP Vinod Bansal Said it Email Jihad | वक्फ बिल पर 1 करोड़ से ज्यादा सुझाव: VHP बोली

Waqf Amendment Bill Email: वक्फ संशोधन बिल पर संयुक्त संसदीय समिति (जेपीसी) को सुझाव के लिए…

1 week ago

Georgia Meloni and Elon Musk date truth behind the viral photos

Meloni And Musk Viral Photos : दुनिया के सबसे अमीर शख्स एलन मस्क ज्यादातर किसी…

1 week ago