在新的模拟中，黑洞的吸积盘发出光芒

在新的模拟中，黑洞的吸积盘发出光芒

ByNASA中文

Astronomers continue to develop computer simulations to help future observatories better home in on black holes, the most elusive inhabitants of the universe. Though black holes likely exist abundantly in the universe, they are notoriously hard to see. Scientists did not capture the first radio image of a black hole until 2019, and only about four dozen black hole mergers have been detected through their signature gravitational ripples since the first detection in 2015. So scientists look to black hole simulations to gain crucial insight that will help find more mergers with future missions. Some of these simulations, created by scientists like astrophysicist Scott Noble, track supermassive black hole binary systems. That is where two monster black holes like those found in the centers of…

哈勃拍摄到一个迷人的螺旋星系

哈勃拍摄到一个迷人的螺旋星系

ByNASA中文

This image shows the spiral galaxy NGC 5037, in the constellation of Virgo. First documented by William Herschel in 1785, the galaxy lies about 150 million light-years away from Earth. Despite this distance, we can see the delicate structures of gas and dust within the galaxy in extraordinary detail. This detail is possible using Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), whose combined exposures created this image. WFC3 is a very versatile camera, as it can collect ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light, thereby providing a wealth of information about the objects it observes. WFC3 was installed on Hubble by astronauts in 2009, during Servicing Mission 4 (SM4). SM4 was Hubble’s final Space Shuttle servicing mission, expected to prolong Hubble’s life for at least another five years….

磁化线编织出壮观的银河系挂毯

磁化线编织出壮观的银河系挂毯

ByNASA中文

过热的气体和磁场在银河系的中心编织着能量的织锦。这幅新的宇宙杰作的新图像是由美国宇航局钱德拉x射线天文台和南非的MeerKAT射电望远镜的巨大数据拼接而成的。 银河系中心的新全景图是建立在之前钱德拉和其他望远镜的观测基础上的。与以前的成像活动相比，这个最新版本将钱德拉的高能视野扩展到了银河系平面的上方和下方，也就是银河系大多数恒星所在的圆盘。在我们的主图中，来自钱德拉的X射线显示为橙色、绿色、蓝色和紫色，显示不同的X射线能量，而来自MeerKAT的无线电数据则显示为淡紫色和灰色。图片中的主要特征以标注的方式显示。 有一条线特别引人注意，因为它的X射线和无线电发射交织在一起。它垂直于银河系的平面，长约20光年，，但宽度只有它的百分之一。 麻萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校（University of Massachusetts at Amherst）的Q·丹尼尔·王（Q. Daniel Wang）对这条线的X射线和射电特性进行了一项新研究，表明这些特征是由狭长磁场结合在一起的。这与之前研究的线程中观察到的情况类似。（两条线在图像中都用红色矩形标出。左下角新研究的那条G0.17-0.41，离银河系平面更远。）当磁场沿不同方向排列、碰撞并相互扭曲时，可能会形成这样的条带，这一过程被称为磁重连。这与高能粒子远离太阳的现象相似，这也是造成有时影响地球的太空天气的原因。 通过对这些线索的详细研究，我们可以了解到更多天文学家在该地区观测到的银河系太空天气。这种天气是由一些不稳定的现象造成的，比如超新星爆炸，近距离恒星喷出的热气体，以及来自人马座A*（我们银河系的特大质量黑洞）附近区域的物质爆发。 主图中还标注了从明亮的X射线源（绿色圆圈）、人马座A*周围的尘埃中反射的X射线，以及紫色圆圈和椭圆中的拱门和五角星团、DB00-58和DB00-6、1E 1743.1-28.43、冷气体云和人马座C。 除了这些线团之外，新的全景图还揭示了银河系中心的其他奇观。例如，王的论文报告了巨大的热气羽，它们在银河系平面上下延伸了大约700光年，这里看到的比以往任何时候都更详细。（它们比费米气泡小得多，费米气泡在银河系平面上下延伸约25000光年）。这些羽流可能代表了银河系规模的外流，类似于被驱离太阳的粒子。这些气体可能是由超新星爆炸和最近发生在银河系中心附近的许多磁力重联而变热。银河系中的这种重新连接事件通常不足以被X射线探测到，除了银河系中心能量最高的事件，那里的星际磁场要强得多。 磁重联事件可能在加热存在于恒星之间的气体（星际介质）方面发挥了重要作用。这个过程也可能负责加速粒子以产生像在地球上观察到的那些宇宙射线，并驱动星际介质中的湍流，引发新一代的恒星诞生。 图像显示，磁线倾向于出现在大型热气体羽流的外部边界。这表明羽流中的气体正在驱动磁场，这些磁场相互碰撞，形成了磁力线。 王的论文描述了这些结果，发表在6月的《皇家天文学会月刊》上，预印本可在网上查阅。NASA的马歇尔太空飞行中心负责管理钱德拉项目。史密森天体物理天文台的钱德拉X射线中心控制着马萨诸塞州剑桥的科学和马萨诸塞州伯灵顿的飞行操作。 图片来源：X射线：NASA/CXC/UMass/Q.D. Wang；无线电：NRF/SARAO/MeerKAT 更多信息请访问NASA钱德拉X射线天文台。 如欲了解更多钱德拉图像、多媒体及相关资料，请访问: http://www.nasa.gov/chandra

乌贼和其他研究人员正向空间站进发。是的，乌贼！

乌贼和其他研究人员正向空间站进发。是的，乌贼！

ByNASA中文

In just over a week on June 3, 2021, these tiny squids will head to space along with many other scientific experiments aboard SpaceX’s 22nd cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The squids are a part of the UMAMI study which examines the effects of spaceflight on interactions between beneficial microbes and their animal hosts. UMAMI stands for Understanding of Microgravity on Animal-Microbe Interactions. Microbes play a significant role in the normal development of animal tissues and in maintaining human health. This investigation helps determine whether spaceflight alters the mutually beneficial relationship, which could support development of protective measures and mitigation to preserve astronaut health on long-duration space missions. The work also could lead to a better understanding of the complex interactions between…

火星坚毅号表面作业经理黄宝玲

火星坚毅号表面作业经理黄宝玲

ByNASA中文

Perseverance Mars rover Strategic Mission Manager Pauline Hwang, gave remarks during the Perseverance rover initial surface checkout briefing on Feb. 19, 2021, at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Perseverance Mars rover landed on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. View the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage gallery. #AAPI #AsianAmericanPacificIslanderHeritageMonth Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls 2021年2月19日，在美国宇航局喷气推进实验室，毅力号火星车战略任务负责人黄宝玲（Pauline Hwang），在毅力号火星车初始表面检查简报会上发表讲话。毅力号火星车于2021年2月18日登陆火星。毅力号在火星上的任务的一个关键目标是天体生物学，包括寻找古代微生物生命的迹象。该探测器将描绘火星的地质特征和过去的气候，为人类探索火星铺平道路，并将成为收集和保存火星岩石和风化层的第一个任务。 查看亚裔美国人和太平洋岛民遗产画廊。 #AAPI #亚裔美国人和太平洋岛民遗产月 图片来源：NASA/Bill Ingalls

SpaceX韧性号载人龙飞船

SpaceX韧性号载人龙飞船

ByNASA中文

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience is pictured shortly before undocking from the International Space Station’s Harmony module’s space-facing international docking adapter. Resilience splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida, at 2:56 a.m. EDT May 2, 2021, returning SpaceX Crew-1 – NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi – to Earth after 168 days in space. Image Credit: NASA SpaceX韧性号载人龙飞船在与国际空间站的和谐号对接模块分离前不久拍摄了这张照片。美国东部时间2021年5月2日凌晨2点56分，韧性号在佛罗里达州巴拿马城附近的墨西哥湾降落，在经历了168天的太空飞行后，SpaceX Crew-1机组人员——NASA宇航员香农·沃克、维克多·格洛弗、迈克·霍普金斯和日本航空航天探索机构宇航员野口野口宗一返回了地球。 图片来源:美国国家航空航天局

为未来的阿耳忒弥斯月球任务启动RS-25引擎测试

为未来的阿耳忒弥斯月球任务启动RS-25引擎测试

ByNASA中文

NASA conducted its fourth RS-25 single-engine hot fire test of the year on May 20, 2021, a continuation of its seven-part test series to support development and production of engines for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future missions to the Moon. The engine was fired for more than 8 minutes (500 seconds) on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center, the same amount of time RS-25 engines need to fire for launch of the SLS rocket. As part of the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon and establish sustainable exploration in preparation for missions to Mars. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the commercial human landing system and the…

宇航员马克·凡德·黑在空间站接受眼睛检查

宇航员马克·凡德·黑在空间站接受眼睛检查

ByNASA中文

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei peers into near-infrared medical-imaging gear, or optical coherence tomography, for detailed views of his retina as part of regularly scheduled eye checks aboard the International Space Station. Astronauts periodically check their eyes because of a phenomenon known as Space-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS). Symptoms include swelling in the optic disc, which is where the optic nerve enters the retina, and flattening of the eye shape. When researchers looked back, they found certain aspects of SANS in even the earliest spaceflights. Learn more. Image Credit: NASA 作为国际空间站定期视力检查的一部分，美国宇航局宇航员马克·凡德·黑凝视着近红外医学成像装置，或光学相干断层扫描，以获得视网膜的详细视图。 宇航员定期检查他们的眼睛，因为有一种现象被称为太空相关神经-眼部综合症（SANS）。症状包括视盘肿胀(视神经进入视网膜的部位)和眼睛形状的扁平化。当研究人员回顾过去时，他们甚至在最早的太空飞行中就发现了SANS的某些方面。 了解更多。 图片来源：美国国家航空航天局

在空中和海上研究海洋涡流

在空中和海上研究海洋涡流

ByNASA中文

Using scientific instruments aboard a self-propelled ocean glider and several airplanes, this first deployment of the Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment (S-MODE) mission will deploy its suite of water- and air-borne instruments to ensure that they work together to show what’s happening just below the ocean’s surface. The full-fledged field campaign will begin in October 2021, with the aircraft based out of NASA’s Ames Research Center. The S-MODE team hopes to learn more about small-scale movements of ocean water such as eddies. These whirlpools span about 6.2 miles or ten kilometers, slowly moving ocean water in a swirling pattern. Scientists think that these eddies play an important role in moving heat from the surface to the ocean layers below, and vice versa. In addition, the eddies…

大气科学家龚杰

大气科学家龚杰

ByNASA中文

As an atmospheric scientist, Jie Gong explores ice clouds and other frozen precipitation like snow, floating snow (which is snow in the atmosphere that does not hit the ground) and graupel, or hail. “I work on developing methods to best use satellite data to understand the microphysics of all frozen water particles in the atmosphere called frozen hydrometers.” #AAPI #AsianAmericanPacificIslanderHeritageMonth Image Credit: NASA/W. Hrybyk/Text: Elizabeth M. Jarrell 作为一名大气科学家，龚杰研究冰云和其他冰冻降水，如雪、浮雪(大气中不撞击地面的雪)和霰或冰雹。“我致力于开发一种方法，最好地利用卫星数据来理解大气中所有冰冻水粒子的微物理学，这种方法被称为“冰冻比重计”。” #AAPI #AsianAmericanPacificIslanderHeritageMonth 图片来源：NASA/W. Hrybyk/文稿来源：Elizabeth M. Jarrell