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Saturn Losing Its Phenomenal Rings

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Saturn src: nasa The second largest planet of our solar system, Saturn , is reportedly losing its charismatic rings. The rings which have made it the most distinguishable planet among all have started disappearing and are expected to vanish in the near future according to a recent study. What is ring rain and assumptions for life of rings. The Saturn like every other planet in the solar system has a magnetic field and gravitational field of itself. But this field is so strong that it is pulling the phenomenal rings of the planet towards the surface and tearing them apart. This leads to the breaking of the ring and the disintegration of the water ice particles into much fine size. This looks alike the rain on Earth hence is termed as ring rain and have the ability to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in half an hour. Image depicting ring rain src: nasa According to the study conducted on the data collected by the Voyager 1 and 2 missions, the rate of diminishing of t...
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India launches GSAT 29 successfully

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ISRO , the space research organisation of India, has launched and successfully placed its GSAT 29 satellite in the geosynchronous orbit. The satellite was onboard the heavy GSLV MkIII rocket developed and manufactured in India. The GSAT 29 satellite is a communication satellite being used to provide high throughput services, i.e., mainly for communication in Jammu and Kashmir and North East states of India. The satellite is a multibeam and multiband ( Ka / Ku bands) one which has the role to improve the connectivity in the hilly regions such as that of Jammu and Kashmir and North East states. The satellite has a high resolution camera installed on it to provide a better view of the terrain. The satellite GSAT 29 is also the heaviest satellite launched by India so far.  #ISROMissions Mission Accomplished! 🇮🇳 Here's a stunning capture by SDSC SHAR crew of #GSLVMkIIID2 roaring away to its destination carrying #GSAT29 under the watchful eyes of Moon. The...
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An Unlucky Week for NASA as Two Space Probes Power Down

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NASA, the glittering name in the field of astronomy and space science, suffered two set backs this week as its Kepler and Dawn space missions come to an end. The end of the two space missions has lead to the creation of a vacuum in the field of astronomy. Kepler Mission Kepler Spacecraft src: nasa The Kepler mission was launched on 7 March, 2009 to observe the Cynus and Lyra constellation. The basic aim of the mission was to search for planets similar to Earth where life could be sustained. Kepler worked on the principle that there was a decrease in the intensity of light received by the Kepler when a planet orbiting the star under observation came in front of it. Kepler worked well and good till 2013 when two of the four reaction wheels, responsible for fixing the view of the lens towards the Cynus and Lyra constellation, broke. This left the space probe almost paralyzed and forced the scientists to search for ways to rejuvenate it. The Kepler then was reborn as K2 miss...
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China On the Way to Launch Its Own Moon

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src: wiki The Chinese have planned to make use of their own Moon to light up the streets. China has planned to launch an artificial satellite in the Earth's atmosphere as a source of light to complement the Moon's light. This step has been taken to cut-down the expenditure on the streetlights being used. The artificial Moon will replicate the light of the streetlamps and work in tandem with the natural satellite. The artificial Moon is expected to be eight times brighter than the natural one. The project will focus on the urban areas of the country and be really helpful in the hour of natural disaster when there is a total powercut. China has actually proposed to launch the project by 2020 over Chengdu , a city in southwestern Sichuan province.The project comprises of the launch of a testing satellite over Chengdu in 2020 followed by a set of two more satellites in 2022 which "will be the real deal with great civic and commercial potential", said Wu Chu...
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NASA's Voyager 2 to Reach Interstellar World

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Voyager 2 src: nasa NASA's Voyager 2 is to become the second probe after Voyager 1 to reach interstellar space. NASA has recently released a statement regarding the probe that it may be reaching the interstellar space in the near future. This is because the scientists down here on Earth have noted a considerable increase in the amount of the cosmic rays being received by the probe. Depiction of the Heliosphere src: nasa An increase of radiations of about 5% has been noted by the scientists. This rate is much similar to the radiations that were received by the Voyager 1 spacecraft during its interstellar drive. The Voyager 1 had made an exit from the solar system after about 3 months from the day the increase in the rate of incident cosmic rays was observed. Though it is not sure that the Voyager 2 will also take the same time to leave the heliosphere(the bubble-like region extending beyond Pluto dominated by the Sun) as its former version due to the different paths o...
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Parker Solar Probe Sends First Set of Images

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NASA's exclusive mission for the exploration of the Sun, the Parker Solar Probe , has sent some images from its path. The images sent by the probe have excited the scientists for the future results of the mission. These images depict the proper working of the different instruments connected to the probe. src: nasa NASA had launched a space probe with some unmatched properties to disclose the hidden secrets of the Sun. The Parker Solar Probe was launched on 12 August, 2018 with an aim to reveal the cause of the formation of the solar wind and the corona. The high quality images sent by the probe were a basic testing done before the actual exam of the probe when it reaches the Sun. These images show the proper working of all the equipments onboard the probe. "All instruments returned data that not only serves for calibration,but also captures glimpses of what we expect them to measure near the Sun to solve the mysteries of the solar atmosphere, the corona.", said ...
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The Immortal Hubble Telescope

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src: nasa NASA, the state space agency of America, has been known worldwide for the awe-striking missions undertaken by it. From exploring planets nearby to the galaxies in the different parts of the universe, nothing's left unexplored by this space giant. NASA has been always striving to push the limits and and set standards in astronomical works. And one among these is the Hubble Space Telescope . Hubble Space Telescope src: nasa Hubble Space Telescope is the most prestigious project NASA has ever delivered. The Hubble telescope was launched on 24 April, 1990 with an aim to have a better look of the outside world. Hubble had cost around $1.5 billion but various repair missions have increased the mission's cost to about $2.87 billion. The Hubble Space Telescope has a long history. Its foundation lies back in 1923 when German scientist Hermann Oberth proposed the need of a telescope in the Earth's orbits. But the time didn't support this ides due to th...
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