The first images from the James Webb telescope, the Artemis mission around the Moon, an asteroid deviated from its trajectory… the year 2022 has been rich in astronomical advances. Retrospective.
We have never seen so far thanks to the James Webb telescope, we know what the black hole which is at the center of our galaxy looks like, NASA is preparing the return of Man to the Moon and manages to deviate the trajectory of a asteroid, China conquers space… The year 2022 will have been marked by major space events.
The first image of the black hole at the center of our galaxy
An international collaboration of astronomers proved, on May 12, in images, the presence of a supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy, regarding 27,000 light-years from Earth. Sagittarius A* was detected thanks to the movement of stars orbiting around it. The environment is the most extreme in the Universe, “with gases heated to billions of degrees, powerful magnetic currents and matter circulating at a speed close to light”, explained Prof. Heino Falcke , former head of the scientific council of the EHT.
#dailySpaceFact #9:
Sagittarius A* is the black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. In 2022, following 5 years of putting the data together it was the 2nd image of a black hole ever released.
Distance from Earth: 26,000 light-years
Size: 4.6 million times the mass of the Sun pic.twitter.com/VjhYUPfoyq— ?Ceejtanku2694ufe0f (@CeejTankGaming) December 28, 2022
The James Webb Telescope reveals the most distant images of the universe
After more than twenty-five years of waiting and disbursing billions of dollars, the space telescope James Webb unveiled his first images on July 12, 2022. You can discover galaxies 13 billion light-years away. In October, the pictures of the Tarantula Nebula taken by telescope show stars forming in stunning detail. “Each image is a new discovery and gives humanity a view of the Universe that we have never seen before,” NASA chief Bill Nelson said.
NASA succeeds in deflecting the trajectory of an asteroid
On September 26, 2022, a NASA spacecraft deliberately crashed into an asteroid located 11 million kilometers from Earth, with the aim of diverting its trajectory. The Dart mission machine, smaller than a car, drove at a speed of more than 20,000 km / h on its target, reached at the scheduled time. “We are embarking on a new era, where we potentially have the ability to shield ourselves from a dangerous asteroid impact,” said Lori Glaze, director of planetary sciences at NASA.
The Chinese space station is completed
On October 31, China put the finishing touches on its space station, following the successful launch of its last module the day before. Tiangong, which means Heavenly Palace, similar in size to the defunct Russian-Soviet Mir station, is expected to have a lifespan of at least 10 years. It must enable China to maintain a long-term human presence in space. “China is now playing on equal terms with the United States, Russia and Europe in space, which also gives it significant political influence,” said Monday’s launch is “very important,” stressed. Chen Lan, analyst at Go-Taikonauts.com.
[ud83dudd34China’s 48th launch in 2022] At UTC 07:37 Oct 31, Mengtian(梦天/HeavenlyDream) laboratory cabin module was successfully launched by CZ5B Y4 rocket to Tiangong Space Station (CSS) from Wenchang, Hainan. It’s also the 446th launch of Long March family. HD:https://t.co/4KwAKMCYTG pic.twitter.com/QX8P5Mibwg
— CNSA Watcher (@CNSAWatcher) October 31, 2022
Man prepares for his return to the Moon
After spending just over 25 days in space and traveling around the Moon, NASA’s Orion spacecraft landed on December 12 last in the Pacific Ocean. The last step of a successful mission, which foreshadows the return of humans to the Moon in the coming years. “I don’t think any of us might have imagined a more successful mission,” said Mike Sarafin, in charge at NASA of this Artemis 1 mission. “We now have a means of transport to deep space “.
#Artemis I, Flight Day 5. Orion spacecraft takes a selfie while approaching the Moon ahead of the outbound powered flyby – a burn of Orion’s main engine on the @ESA service module. During this maneuver Orion came within 81 miles of the lunar surface. pic.twitter.com/93GkJ7Ubry
— Orion Spacecraft (@NASA_Orion) November 22, 2022