What a wonderful year! There have been many exhilarating parasol events this year, such as Tonight's Comet Leonard. We also witnessed the largest ever aurora eruption during the 25th solar cycle's rise, once again breaking the record. This year, the field of science also made a huge leap forward. So, now follow in our footsteps to review the top ten astronomical events that will take place in 2021.
#10 — Farfarout became the farthest object in the Solar System to date
In January 2018, astronomers detected a distant fuzzy object in the solar system and named it a "distant star." A few years later, astronomers probed it again, and on February 10, 2021, announced that the AG37 object, which was officially named in 2018, was the farthest object ever in the solar system.
Pictured: The "distant star" in the artist's eyes (lower right corner). Distant stars in the solar system's marginal region are projected to be 250 miles (400 kilometers) in diameter, about 132 times the distance from the Sun. In this simulation, the Sun is located in the upper left corner. The Galactic Bear diagonal spans the background.
#9 — Walk with Juno
The Juno space probe completed its overflight mission around Saturn on June 8, 2021. Juno had previously completed the mission of the near-Ganimides (a large moon of Saturn), the closest flight to Ganemides in 20 years. Juno then reached the closest point to Saturn, or jupiter 34, on mission 34. On July 14, NASA released the video. In the video, we follow Juno's lens through the scenes as we fly past Ganimods and Saturn.
#8 — Studies have shown that climate changes the Axis of the Earth
On March 22, 2021, a new study suggests that melting glaciers caused by a warming climate may be responsible for changes in the Earth's axis since the 1990s. In the mid-1990s, melting glaciers created abundant water resources, and the reflow triggered a change in the direction of the Earth's axis and accelerated its shift to the east.
Figure: Clouds cover a large area of the Earth's northern latitude. The image was taken by 15 satellites and shows the tropics as well as the northern latitudes.
#7 — Interstellar visitor Borisov has the potential to become the first primordial comet visible
We currently know that only two transstellar visitors (i.e., entering another star system from other star systems) have visited the solar system, Omuamua and Borisov. Due to its peculiar shape and possible origin from planets outside the solar system, Oumuamua has received widespread coverage and attention. The relatively low profile of Borisov is clearer , and the comet may have originated from a near-red dwarf. Its chemical composition suggests that the comet may never have intersected with other stars before. Armagh Observatory and Planetarium in Northern Ireland, UK, Stefano. Bagnulo said: "If so, then Borisov may be the first transstellar primordial comet to be observed." ”
#6 — There may be signs of life in the clouds of Venus
In late 2020, scientists studying Venus's atmosphere announced a shocking and controversial discovery of the detection of phosphine in Venus' clouds. On Earth, this chemical is basically metabolized by life. Cardiff University of Wales. Griffith and her colleagues have questioned whether phosphine could be a signal of microbes in Venus' atmosphere. Other scientists have reported that it is possible, but phosphine itself is not evidence of its existence, and subsequent studies have further questioned that it may have been phosphine in the past. March 2021, Laksh of Cal Poly Pomona, California. A study by Tycoon confirmed the discovery of phosphine, and on this basis further proposed that other related biochemical materials in Venus's atmosphere are in an unbalanced state: another sign of life.
Pictured: Large probes launch small probes near The clouds of Venus
A hypothetical map of the Pioneer Mission to Explore Venus. The image shows the Pioneer probe firing four small probes into the atmosphere of Venus in 1978. By reanalyzing the data collected by the mission, the study confirmed previously proposed ideas about phosphine and other findings of biochemical components in Venus's atmosphere that show signs of life.
#5 — The planet Heysen could become a habitable marine world
Is there life beyond Earth? It seems highly probable, although we have yet to find sufficient evidence. However, on July 26, 2021, astronomers said they had discovered a new class of exoplanets, greatly advancing the study of life. They made it the Heyssen World, the union of hydrogen and the ocean. Such planets have vast oceans and hydrogen-rich atmospheres that cover the entire planet. The researchers say they may be suitable for living.
Pictured: Heisson World: The big orange sun rises from the ocean with the mist.
A hypothetical image of the planet Heissen, whose surface is covered by oceans and hydrogen layers.
#4 — New Planet Next Door?
Astronomers scanned an image of some material near Alpha Centauri, a star system about 4.4 light-years from our sun. Could this material be an asteroid? Stardust? Or just an image glitch... Or a planet? If it were a planet, it would be the first known planet to be located in the habitable region of a star drawn by the picture. In this region, flowing water can exist, and life as we know it will also be produced.
Pictured: A dense field of stars near Alpha Centauri, with two vague bright spots.
Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to the Sun. The small image shows two underlying stars, A and B (a third-magnitude star, slightly farther apart). A new study suggests that there may be planets in the habitable region of Alpha Centauri.
#3 — Super solar flares hit Earth several times
A superstorm struck Earth in 774-775 AD. In 2012, scientists revealed the event by analyzing the surge in carbon-14 in tree rings. The global spike in tree carbon-14 provides evidence for this inference and suggests that the event had a global impact at the time. Last month, the scientists claimed that after studying 1/6 of the annual ring data, they found evidence of two other events, which occurred in 5259 BC and 7176 BC.
Photo: Super Solar Flare: A filtered view of the sun with a bright white spot on the right edge of the sun.
On September 10, 2017, a solar flare erupted. In contrast to other solar flares, this flare dwarfs that of others.
#2 — Mysterious cabin on the far side of the moon
Since January 3, 2019 landed on the far side of the moon, von. Since The Carmen Crater, the Chinese Yutu 2 probe has been working smoothly on the lunar surface. On December 3, 2021, it recorded a strange exercise log. It found a square object on the horizon and named it the Mystery Lodge. Our Space, the official website of the China Aerospace Administration, published the log.
Pictured: Inside the red box is a small square at a distance on the lunar horizon
This object is a square object or mysterious hut that appears on the lunar horizon. What is the mysterious hut mentioned by Jade Rabbit 2?
#1 — The First Sign of Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life?
On October 11, 2017, scientists tracked a strange interstellar object through the solar system. Since then, most astronomers have come to believe that Oumuamua as we know it is a natural object. But Harvard physicist Avi. Loeb still thinks it may be the first alien relic, made by aliens that came to our galaxy from another star system. Loeb's new book, Alien Visitors: The First Sign of Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life, Omomo, exposes this possibility.
Pictured: A person standing under the Milky Way looking at the starry sky
Physicist Avi. Part of Loeb's new book, The Alien, the first sign of extraterrestrial intelligent life.
Bottom line: The top ten events of 2021 are our review of the past year on the Earth and the universe in which we live.
BY: Kelly Kizer Whitt
FY: Autumn
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3. Original from: https://earthsky.org/space/top-10-stories-of-2021/
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The vast universe is infinitely vast And the beauty of the dome can be seen from the bottom of the sky