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Space News
Space
NASA warns of solar storm hitting Earth today amid increased activity, fiery eruptions on Sun
The Sun is experiencing a sudden surge in activity with a significant rise in the number of sunspots which are sending plumes of hot plasma out into space, the impact of which is expected to be felt by Earth in the form of geomagnetic storms triggered radio blackouts, reported Newsweek citing a NASA model. The Sun’s surface is covered with dark spots which are called sunspots where the magnetic field is very strong and in the last week or so, the number of these black pockmarks has increased tenfold and are said to be spewing out several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) every day. A report by Newsweek citing NASA model said that one of these CMEs – large expulsions of clouds of plasma from the Sun’s corona at high speeds – is expected to hit our magnetic field and atmosphere late on November 25. The Sun may also send out solar flares which are bright bursts of electromagnetic energy. “Solar flares and CME are both caused by the sun through its magnetic field being twisted and stressed through motions in the sun,” Daniel Brown, an associate professor in astronomy and science communication at Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom, told Newsweek. He added, “However, a solar flare is the immense release of light triggered by the snapping and rearranging of the magnetic fields on the sun. That will go hand in hand typically with the release of a CME. But it will take a day or more for the particles to arrive while the light and radiation reaches us in just over 8 minutes.” A report by Spaceweather.com said that the rise in sunspots began on November 18 when AR3490, the first sunspot group, emerged on the Sun’s northeastern side. Subsequently, another sunspot group, AR3491 emerged and is said to have formed a trail behind it.
Space
Europe’s Ariane 6 launcher passes key engine firing test: European Space Agency
ESA officials earlier reported a “light anomaly” during the test in French Guiana, which involved igniting the core-stage Vulcain 2.1 engine. Europe’s Ariane 6 launcher passed an eagerly awaited rehearsal on Thursday, the European Space Agency said - part of efforts to bring the delayed rocket to the launchpad in 2024. ESA officials earlier reported a “light anomaly” during the test in French Guiana, which involved igniting the core-stage Vulcain 2.1 engine followed by seven minutes of operation without a lift-off. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said last month there was light at the end of tunnel for the delayed launcher and indicated a window for an inaugural launch in 2024 would be established following the long-duration firing test.
Space
Two Spacewalkers Exit Station for Communications, Solar Array Work
Moghbeli, designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV1), is wearing a suit with red stripes. O’Hara, designated extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2), is in an unmarked suit. Coverage of the spacewalk continues on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
Space
The webs we weave: How Spidey science holds up in the real world
What would happen if a genetically engineered spider bit a human being? Could Spider-Man really do everything a spider can? The science isn’t all baloney. Spider silk is truly one of the world’s most impressive biomaterials. It’s a protein made from compounds secreted by up to seven different glands, with the average spider having at least three. Each strand is made up thousands of nanostrands, making spider silk five times stronger than steel of the same width, researchers from the US’s College of William and Mary have found. Their study was published in the journal ACS Macro Letters in 2018.
Space
Iron-Rich Meteoritic and Volcanic Particles May Have Promoted Origin of Life Reactions on Early Earth
“The formation of reactive organic molecules to form the building blocks of life on the nascent Earth is one of the prerequisites for abiogenesis,” Professor Trapp and colleagues said. “The emergence of a stable continental crust and liquid water on the Earth at 4.4 billion years ago, and the earliest biogenic carbon isotope signatures at 3.8-4.1 billion years ago suggest that life originated only 400-700 million years after the formation of the Earth.” “This relatively short time span indicates that the major part of organic precursors has been already formed on the Hadean Earth as early as 4.4 billion years ago.”
