Saturn rings are disappearing this way.
Soon we will have Saturn in its ring free state.
The planet Saturn has an extensive set of planetary rings in the
Solar System. These iconic rings make it easily recognizable. These rings
actually consist of numerous small dust particles that are ranging in size
from the micro meter (μm) to a few meters (m)
in size and orbit around the Saturn.
Recently, researchers have found that the rings of Saturn are
now getting smaller than the previously thought and consequently, this feature
of the planet won’t last much longer. However, these rings are less than 100
million old and still are a “new feature” of the planet that would not be
sticking around the planet longer.
Saturn rings
COMPOSITION:
The ring
components are made entirely of icy water material with a trace amount of rocky
material. The mechanism of their formation is still unknown. The theoretical
models indicate that the rings were likely to have formed early in the Solar
System’s history, but new research data from Cassini suggests that they were
formed on the order of 100 million years.
The picture was taken by “NASA’S CASSINI SPACECRAFT”, which shows the view as it would be seen by human eyes.
-Why Does Saturn have rings around it?
Galileo was the first person to observe
the rings around Saturn through his telescope in 1610. But for four centuries,
astronomers have been contemplating them, but all their efforts ended up in
vain to explain why these rings exist and orbit about the Saturn.
A closet to Satrun rings
But the answer to this question is given by Robin Canup during his
research last month. He has published a new theory of the formation of rings in
the science journal. He proposed that “the rings are icy remnants of a bygone
moon. When Saturn came into existence along with other satellites and planet in
the solar system, one of the large moons of Saturn got so close in order to
maintain a stable orbit.
The moon then started to moved spiral about Saturn inward as a conseq-uence, Saturn’s gravity ripped away from its icy outer layers and flung them into orbit to create the rings we see today. After 10,000 years, the moon’s rocky leftover crashed into Saturn and crumble.
Aggregates of Icy Particles that form
SATURN RINGS ARE VANISHING:
As we know that the Saturn consists of a
ring system that orbit around it and the rings have countless separate
particles with sizes ranging from pea-sized to giant boulders. The rings are
mainly composed of frozen water and they are actively dumping a large amount of
ice onto the planet constantly. This rain is responsible for the rings to be
disappeared within 3 million years and this rain will soon turn the Saturn to
the ring less state.
NASA Cassini reveals ring rain on Saturn.
HOW?
A new research indicates that Saturn’s iconic rings are now getting smaller as previously observed and gradually disappearing at an extremely faster rate. The researchers from NASA found that the rings are draining away to-wards the planet as a dusty rain of ice particles. Since Saturn’s ring system mostly consists of water ice that ranges in size from microscopic dust to large boulders.
The ultraviolet light from the Sun and plasma clouds from tiny meteoroids strike charge the icy dust, which then becomes bound to Saturn’s magnetic field and pulled into the planet by gravity. This material rains into the pla-net and begins to disintegrate, allowing it to reacts chemically with the elec-trically charged part of Saturn’s upper atmosphere-the ionosphere. The ions glow in infrared light as a part of this process if the rain is light, but the emissions dim if the rain is heavy.
Keck Telescope observing Saturn’s Rings.
The Instruments attached to the Keck Telescope in Hawaii observed this rate of disappearance in the ring rain study and based on these observ-ations the scientists concluded that Saturn’s rings formed less than 100 million years ago. This means Saturn was not born this way, as the planet is known to be over 4 billion years old. And when the ring rain data is comb-ined with observations made by the Voyager 1 and 2 missions, scientists from NASA’s Goddard space station are able to estimate that the rings will be gone in 300 million years. So, if this rain doesn’t go away, Saturn will be ring-less another day.
Black holes have been a
mystery for the scientists for a long time. There are many theories about black
holes as well as white holes. Before going into detail let’s first define what
the black holes really are. A black hole is a region of a
spacetime exhibiting such strong gravitational effects that nothing—not even
particles and electromagnetic radiation such as light—can escape from inside
it. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass
can deform spacetime to form a black hole, so the black hole is a region
of space-time where extremely strong gravity prevents anything,
including light escaping from. We know that matterfalling
into black holes is no different from the matter which can be found
lurking around the rest of the Universe. Black holes have a finite
lifetime due to the emission of Hawking radiation. However, for most known
astrophysical black holes, the time it would take to completely evaporate
and disappear is far longer than the current age of the universe.
Black Hole
What are wormholes?
According
to the special theory of relativity, the laws of physics are the same for
all non-accelerating observers and the speed of light within a vacuum is the
same, no matter the speed at which an observer travels, so it means
that a white hole is a hypothetical region of spacetime which
cannot be entered from the outside, although matter and light can escape from
it. In this sense, it is the reverse of a black hole, which can only be
entered from the outside and from which matter and light cannot
escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a
sufficiently compact mass can deform space-time to form a black hole.
“White holes, which are
theoretically the exact opposites
Of black holes could constitute a major portion of the
Mysterious dark matter that’s thought to make up most
Of the matter in the universe.”
What are wormholes?
A wormhole is
consistent with the general theory of relativity, but
whether wormhole actually exists remains to be seen.
A wormhole could connect extremely long distances such as a billion
light-years or more, short distances such as a few meters, different universes,
or different points in time.
Worm Hole
Now we know the
actual difference between black and white holes is that light cannot escape
from a black hole and contrary cannot enter into a white hole. Another
difference one might hope to exploit is that unlike black
holes, wormholeshave no event horizon. This means
that things could go in a wormhole and come back out again.
In fact, theorists say one variety of wormhole wraps back onto
itself, so that it leads not to another universe, but back to its own entrance. There are a couple of
theories, let’s discuss them in detail.
Theory1:
White holes, which are
theoretically the exact opposites of black holes, could constitute a major portion of the mysterious dark
matter that’s thought to make up most of the matter in the universe, a new
study finds. And some of these bizarre white holes may even predate the Big
Bang, the researchers said.
Furthermore, Black holes
possess gravitational pulls so powerful that even the light which is the
fastest thing in the universe, cannot escape them. The invisible spherical
boundary surrounding the core of a black hole that marks its point of no return
is known as its event horizon.
A black hole is one
prediction of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Another is known as a white hole, which is like a black hole in reverse: Whereas nothing can
escape from a black hole’s event horizon, nothing can enter a white hole’s
event horizon.
Previously, researchers
have suggested that black holes and white holes are connected, with matter
and energy falling into a black hole potentially emerging from a white
hole either somewhere
else in the cosmos or in another universe entirely. In 2014, Carlo
Rovelli, a theoretical physicist at Aix-Marseille University in France, and his
colleagues suggested that black holes and white holes might be connected in
another way: When black holes die, they could become white holes.
“The dark matter is
invisible; it does not emit,
Reflect or even block
light. As a result, dark
Matter can currently be tracked only through
Its gravitational effects on normal matter,
such
As that making up stars and galaxies.”
Theory2:
Black holes nowadays are thought to form when massive stars die
in giant explosions known as supernovas, which compress their corpses into the
infinitely dense points known as singularities at the hearts of black holes.
Rovelli and his colleagues previously estimated that it would take a black hole
with a mass equal to that of the sun about a quadrillion times the current age
of the universe to convert into a white hole.
However, prior work in the 1960s and 1970s suggested that black
holes also could have originated within a second after the Big Bang, due to
random fluctuations of density in the hot, rapidly expanding newborn universe.
Areas, where these fluctuations concentrated matter together, could have
collapsed to form black holes. These so-called primordial black holes would be much smaller than stellar-mass black holes, and
could have died to form white holes within the lifetime of the universe,
Rovelli and his colleagues noted.
However, even white holes with microscopic diameters could still
be quite massive, just as black holes smaller than a sand grain can weigh more
than the moon. Now, Rovelli and the co-author of research Francesca Vidotto, of
the University of the Basque Country in Spain, suggest that these microscopic
white holes could make up dark matter.
What is Dark matter?
Although dark matter is thought to make up five-sixths of all
matter in the universe, scientists do not know what it’s made of. As its name
suggests, dark matter is invisible; it does not emit, reflect or even block
light. As a result, dark matter can currently be tracked only through its
gravitational effects on normal matter, such as that making up stars and
galaxies. The nature of dark matter is currently one of the greatest mysteries
in astrophysics. The local density of dark matter, as suggested by the motion
of stars near the sun, is about 1 percent the mass of the sun per cubic parsec,
which is about 34.7 cubic light-years. To account for this density with white
holes, the scientists calculated that one tiny white hole — much smaller than a
proton and about a millionth of a gram, which is equal to about the mass of
“half an inch of a human hair,” Rovelli said — is needed per 2,400
cubic miles (10,000 cubic kilometers). These white holes would not emit any
radiation, and because they are far smaller than a wavelength of light, they
would be invisible. If a proton did happen to impact one of these white holes,
the white hole “would simply bounce away,” Rovelli said. “They
cannot swallow anything.” If a black hole were to encounter one of these
white holes, the result would be a single larger black hole, he added.
Dark matter
Theory3:
The Black holes are common in the cosmos—nearly every large
galaxy harbors a supermassive one in its nucleus, not to mention smaller
specimens. However, astronomers have yet to identify a single white hole. That
doesn’t rule out their existence entirely since it might be hard to see one: If
they effectively repel particles, there’s a small possibility they could be
lurking out there somewhere, invisible. Nevertheless, none of all the diverse
objects astronomers have observed seem to resemble what we’d expect from white
holes.
An even larger problem arises when we consider how white holes
could form. Black holes are the end result of gravitational collapse. When a
star at least 20 times the mass of the Sun exhausts its usable nuclear fuel, it
can no longer produce enough energy to balance the inward force of gravity. At
that point, the core collapses on itself, reaching ever higher densities until
its gravity is so intense that not even light can escape. That results in a
black hole with a mass comparable to a large star. Supermassive black holes,
which are millions or billions of times heavier than that, form by some
currently unknown mechanism.
In any case, they still are the result of the
gravitational collapse, whether from a huge super-star born in the early days
of the Universe, a huge cloud of gas at the heart of a primeval galaxy, or some
other phenomenon. Forming a white hole, however, would require something akin
to a gravitational sewer explosion, and it’s not clear how that sort of event
could ever occur. One possibility is that white holes might be “glued” to black
holes. In this view, a black hole and white hole are two sides of the same
thing, connected via a wormhole, a concept familiar from many science-fiction
stories, a similar principle proposed for a “warp drive”—but no evidence for such material exists.
Conclusion:
A probable conclusion of
the above discussion is that our Universe contains a multitude of black holes
but no white holes. That’s not because of a fundamental asymmetry in
time—general relativity still works just as well either way time flows—but due
to the nature of gravitational collapse: It only works one way. This
parallels the situation with the entire cosmos: There was a Big Bang, an
initial expansion of all we observe, apparently from a single point. But the
evidence points pretty strongly against the possibility of a Big Crunch, a
re-collapse of all we observe into a single point sometime in the distant
future. If current trends continue (specifically if dark energy doesn’t
drastically change its character), the Universe will continue to expand forever
at an ever-faster rate.
Just because the equations of general relativity allow white holes and big crunches, warp drives
and wormholes doesn’t mean these things actually exist in
nature. The asymmetry of time in gravity isn’t inherent but seems to arise from
the behavior of matter and energy: gravitational collapse at the end of time,
initial expansion at time’s beginning. The deep meaning of that is something
physicists are still trying to comprehend.
“When you
look at the stars and the galaxy, you feel that you are not just from any
particular piece of land, but from the solar system.” (Kalpana Chawla)
The center of our solar system is
an average star called the Sun, around it nine planets are revolving. These
planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and
Pluto. It also includes the satellites of these planets such as moon, comets,
asteroids, meteoroids, and the interplanetary medium.
Eventually, our in
charge kids’ corner Ahsan Javed conducted an art work activity in Government
boy’s high school Pakpattan. A handful of students from class 7th to 9th
participated and show their keen interest in astronomy through beautiful
drawings. A few of them are being included in the February issue.
The art work by Ali Shahzad, a student of Government MC Boy’s high school Pakpattan.
Artwork by Ali Shahzad
Ali Shahzad
The art work by Aqib,
a student of Governmant boys high school Pakpattan.
AQIB
Artwork by Shahzaib, a student of Government boy’s
high school Pakpattan.
LUNAR ECLIPSE
The lunar eclipse has been
fascinated the mankind for a long. The ancient history has filled with myths
stories about solar and lunar eclipses. A lunar eclipse happens when the
Moon passes directly behind Earth and into its shadow. This can occur only when
the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned, with Earth
between the other two.
The artwork by Usman Altaf, a
student of Government boy’s high school Pakpattan.
One of the most memorable and amazing films of the past year
was “First Man”. Directed by Damien Chazelle starring Ryan Gosling and Claire
Foy, this film explores the life of the first human to step on the moon, Neil Armstrong,
thus aptly named. The film is a spectacular feature and a great addition to the
science fiction genre. In Hollywood these days, where superhero franchises rule
the box office, this film seems to be a breath of fresh air telling the story
of a real-life hero.
After the end of World War II, the cold war continued between two giant superpowers i.e. America and The Soviet Union. One of the races was to become the first country to land on and explore the moon. The film highlights this issue in the beginning, showing the struggles and the journey of the American Space Program and their approach towards the achievem-ent of this certain goal. However, as this movie is based on the life on the life of Neil Armstrong, it starts with the depiction of his personal experien-ces that greatly affected his life. It is no surprise that it showed how the death of Neil’s daughter had a traumatic impact on his life, and afterwards, he became much soberer and more serious. He was a quiet man who had a brilliant mind, evident through his repeated selections in space programs by NASA.
Neil was selected to be in the team of the three people who
would go to the moon in the Apollo 11 Mission. The other members were Buzz
Aldrin and Michael Collins. However, this historic feat was not achieved in a
single year, rather it took many years and even lives to shape and develop a
perfect program. Neil’s competency was never argued and rejected as he performed
exceptionally well at each step. In the movie, a melancholy tone gripped the
entire plot which would surely intrigue the audience and keep them interested
till the end. It also showed the views of the Americans who were critical of
the program and NASA itself.
The script was written by Josh Singer and was based on the
book First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong by James R. Hansen. What I loved about
the film was it’s out of the world music by Justin Horowitz, the Academy award-winning
composer of films like Whiplash and La La Land. It was the fantastic tunes and melodies
that wonderfully complemented each scene and made it even more stunning. At
times it was satisfying and at times it was beautiful enough to take your
breath away. The final moments of the film showed the true compassion and
nature of Neil Armstrong, who was previously presented as a rather calm and
reserved human. One scene was so well crafted that I am sure it’ll bring tears
to the viewer’s eyes.
Moon landing
Unfortunately, the film suffered some major setbacks in the box-office
as well as the general audience in the USA due to some controversies. Some
argued that this film should’ve discussed more aspects of the Apollo mission to
the moon and should’ve included more stories and people. The major trouble was
created when people said that it was very wrong not to include the moment when
the American flag was placed on the lunar surface. Ryan Gosling, the lead
actor, said that it was not the story of the Americans but a hero who was human
and who didn’t care any less about the flag. He said that it was an achievement
for the whole humanity, and it would contradict the famous words of Neil
himself that were, “This is one small step for man, one giant leap for
mankind”. Also, this film included
several of his famous quotes including the iconic phrase, “Houston, Tranquility
Base here. The Eagle has landed”.
Rayn Gosling
The movie had amazing cinematography, direction, soundtrack
and acting among other things. Ryan and Claire Foy performed exceptionally well
and brought life to their characters. The supporting cast was also great and the
director Damien Chazelle, just like his other hit movies, proved that he would
soon stand out in the line of best directors of the century. Visually, the
efforts of the editors and visual effects artists must be appreciated as replicating
the landing wasn’t as an easy step as it sounded. Every department did their
best. Certain moments may bore those having a short attention span but can be
compensated by other stupefying bits. Neil Armstrong’s sons also applauded the
movie and it’ll be remembered in the years to come as a masterfully crafted work
of art.
It is a daunting task to portray such a hero but, in my
opinion, it was a job well done. Portraying human emotions, a historic scheme,
and a dangerous expedition needs skills and work which was aptly done by the
entire team of this film. It will certainly inspire many who like to dream big
and work hard while facing extreme personal issues. It is a lesson that if a
human possesses humility and commitment, nothing can stop from him/her from
going to the moon and back. Literally!
Who would have thought that this little newborn baby girl born in
Nashville, Tennessee would defy all odds and rise to the challenge what nobody
ever thought was possible in that era? The girl like most women in the sciences
in the mid-twentieth century would have to face the male dominance to pursue a
role in science and technology where these roles were perceived as
inappropriate for women in that time period but unlike many women discouraged
by the odds, she continued to be resilient and thus Roman’s scientific legacy
was hard-won. She emphasized on science subjects despite discouragement from
teachers and professors. And during her career, she faced gender-based
discrimination when science was largely dominated by men, but her persistence
paid off, and she became the first woman to hold an executive position at NASA
before retiring in 1979. The Roman’s crowning achievement at NASA was perhaps
the greatest gift ever given to astrophysics: the Hubble Space Telescope, the
groundbreaking satellite observatory that has helped in more than 1.2 million
observations and 14,000 research papers since its 1990 launch.
Nancy Grace Roman was born in Nashville, Tennessee on May 16,
1925, the only child of Georgia Smith Roman, a former music teacher, and Irwin
Roman, a geophysicist. Because of her father’s job, the family moved various
states around the US like Oklahoma, Texas, New Jersey, Michigan, and Nevada.
Once Roman memorized her childhood days when her mother had taken her outside
in Michigan and introduced her with the natural world and pointed out specific
birds, plants, and animals. Georgia Roman often showed her the constellations
and the northern lights in the night sky. At the same time tried his best to
provide the answers to her queries about the natural world in a precise
scientific manner that helped to grow her early interest in nature and
celestial objects.
“Who would have thought that this little newborn baby
Girl born in Nashville,
Tennessee would defy all odds
And rise to the challenge
what nobody ever thought
Was possible in that era?”
It was because of her parents’ efforts that Roman organized her own astro-nomy club at the age of 11 with her neighbors and friends, where they used to hold weekly meetings to learn about the constellations. Though her great passion for scientific subjects she very often met with resistance, if not out-ward contempt. Once she recalled her early days when her high school guidance counselor insisted that if she could take second-year algebra ins-tead of Latin? And very identical sort of reception I met with most of the way out. The only encouragement she had gotten during her graduation was by a nice teacher of hers, who told that more often she tries to discou-rage girls from majoring in physics, but she applauded Roman’s passion in science and show her confidence that she will certainly make it.”
Despite the doubts that surrounded her scientific ambitions, Roman
fought to receive secondary education in astronomy and physics. As a promising
student at Swarthmore College, Roman still had paid no attention to the warnings
from the Dean of Women education about studying science and ultimately earned
her B.A. in Astronomy in 1946.
“The idea of the Hubble
Telescope can be traced back to
1946, initially, it was
astronomer Lyman Spitzer who
Published his research
paper titled as “observatory”. But
Due to concerns over the
costs of such a telescope and
Doubts that it could even
be executed, the plan to get such
An instrument into space did not take off for
a decade.”
After graduating with a BA in astronomy in 1946, she graduated
from the University of Chicago, even though the professors clearly did not like
educating women. Moving to the University of Chicago, she earned a Ph.D. in
astronomy three years later and joined University’s Yerkes Observatory as a researcher.
However, spending six years of professional success at Yerkes, she was not
satisfied with her career achievements and future. Neither she was a permanent staff member and nor hopeful to
be in future since she could see that those positions were overwhelmingly
offering to men.
Nancy Roman
Eventually, in 1955 she met with an astronomer who needed for the
US government’s naval research laboratory in Washington, DC. She applied for
and got the job. Four years later, she was tipped off that the recently formed
NASA was looking for someone to set up its space astronomy program. She earned
that position, and finally, at NASA, she got a place where men treated her as
an equal without gender discrimination.
Hubble Telescope Program:
In fact, the idea of the Hubble Telescope can be traced back to
1946, initially, it was astronomer Lyman Spitzer who published his research
paper titled as “observatory”. But due to concerns over the costs of such a
telescope and doubts that it could even be executed, the plan to get such an
instrument into space did not take off for a decade.
In 1959 Nancy Joined NASA, just six months after the agency
opened, Roman was in-charge of developing a program of astronomy from space.
She traveled the US talking to astronomers in their various universities and
listening to their ambitions. She also went in lengthy discussions to elaborate
the advantages of observing from space, where there was no atmosphere to blur
the view and no daytime to halt the observatory’s work for half the day. In
1960, she successfully arranged meetings of around 30 astronomers and NASA
engineers to discuss the idea of a large, general-purpose space telescope that
in order to come up with something that could sense to everyone, she acted as
the interpreter for these groups of engineers and astronomers. The real hurdle
lies in a heavy budget since it cost 20 times the price of the largest
ground-based telescope.
Eventually, with her great efforts, she laid the foundation, but
it took until the 1970s for certain key technologies to be developed, like the
CCD chips that made the first digital cameras possible. Once these were
available, Roman set up the program that built the Hubble space telescope. It
was too laborious and by the time the telescope was launched in 1990, Roman got
retirement from NASA after 11 years of hard work and dedication and joined as a
consultant and an advocate for women in science.
This is because of her great
contribution, she often is called the “Mother of Hubble”. Initially,
It was Edward J. Weiler, the [then] chief astronomer of NASA who
worked with Roman at the agency first, called her ‘the mother of the Hubble
Space Telescope’. Once he paid a great tribute to Roman that “we are regretful
that history has forgotten a lot in today’s Internet age, but it was Nancy in
the old days before the Internet and before Google and e-mail and all that
stuff, who convinced the US Congress to fund such a huge project, organized the
astronomers around the country that led to the launching of Hubble Space
Telescope,
Research and Contributions:
Though many might consider Hubble to be her
greatest legacy, Roman herself once told National Geographic that she was
proudest of two things. During her time at Yerkes, Roman discovered that stars
on circular orbits with more heavy elements are younger than those with more
random orbits and fewer heavy elements. She also observed BD+67 922, a star
that would later be renamed AG Draconis. Roman’s groundbreaking research on
stars helped and motivate others to explore the evolution of the galaxy, and
the International Ultraviolet Explorer, which facilitated over a hundred
thousand observations of the stars.
Her other Work Included in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement
Series was a catalog of high-velocity stars. She documented new “spectral
types photoelectric magnitudes and colors and spectroscopic parallaxes for
about 600 high-velocity stars”. Roman also wrote a paper on the detection
of extraterrestrial planets and also discovered that stars made of hydrogen and helium move faster than stars composed of other heavier elements.
Moreover, during her early research, she found that not all stars that were
common had the same age. That was later proven by comparing hydrogen lines of
the low dispersion spectra in the stars.
Nancy Grace Roman
Legacy:
Roman’s role as an advocate was not limited
to the Hubble, she sought to inspire young people, and particularly girls, to
pursue careers in the scientific fields. After getting retired, she taught
astronomy to fifth graders in Washington. She advised to students who
interested to pursue a career in science that science or engineering can be a
great field for you only when you enjoy puzzles because scientific research and
engineering consists on a tedious series of solving puzzles. Science, like all
jobs, has its share of drudgery and boredom for many but basically, it is fun.
The universe is about 13.8 billion years old and resulted from
inflation, an unimaginably powerful expansion, called ‘the Big Bang’. The
radiation from quasars is recognized as the most energetic inhabitants of the universe,
drives from the black hole. The black holes are actually enormous gravity sink
in the core of ancient galaxies.
As the consequence of internal motions, an encounter with other
galaxies, and the evolution of stars, our Sun was born five billion years ago
and the solar system planets, asteroids, and comets condensed from its leftover
debris.
Though, a little record is available on the impression of the
early man of the heavens. Some of the ancient artifacts of comets, asteroids,
and supernova like that of Pueblo Petrograph tracked down the early human’s
interest in the astronomy but he was frightened and overwhelmed by the skies
especially from eclipses. Consequently, the motion of the heavens had a
profound influence on the daily affairs of mankind and that comes to manifest
itself in the religious interpretations of heavenly objects and phenomenon.
Later, history tells us that from five to twenty thousand years
ago, the humankind started to settle down and become civilized that eventually
led to the creation myths, the myths those had never been existing at all.
Though on the timeline of human history, the scientific inquiry is a very new
endeavor one can find the evidence of a SCIENCE TRIBE in ancient
civilizations. About 2600 years ago, with Thales of Miletus, the idea
arose that nature follows consistent natural laws that consequently replaced
the myths about origin and creation of our world and the universe.
In recent years, no more than a week goes by without the
news of a cosmic discovery or breakthrough. The international media has
successfully created an interest in the science of the universe in public that
in consequence, resulted in a slight increase in their appetite for space
sciences and astronomy. Therein western societies, a large number of
intellectuals can glimpse and understand the essence of science, it’s trying,
testing and trying again strategy and now they are widely applying it in their
everyday life.
Though at its best, the science writing weaves together for
knowledge and the moment of great insight to reveal that how science works and
why it matters to understand this vast universe. In a world growing more and
more complex, there is a serious lack of capable persons having a unique talent
such as science writing, a field that is now entering into a vibrant new age.
The science writing is the art and craft of narrating complex stories in a
simplistic manner without going out the richest in the story.
“The Scientia Magazine” provides another window to the universe not only to a lay-reader in Pakistan but to the writers equally to quench their thirst of knowing and sharing more about heaven and the universe. This is an effort to start a new era of science journalism in Pakistan to make our countryman more aware of science and its great influence in everyday life. Though, this was not as easy as it seems. The project got pended twice due to the lack of available resources and teamwork. Finally, we are bringing it to the public with some new exciting ideas and many things are still in pipeline. Our contents like News Bites, interview, and breakthrough connect the lay-reader to the international scientific and astronomers communities. Whereas, special outreach reports, astrophotography, kids’ corner, and random articles is an effort to highlight local talent on a genuine platform.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all the people who
supported us in this process. My very warm and heartfelt thanks to Ahmad Yusuf
(Dawn in paper), Suhail Yusuf (Express-News), and Fawwad Raza (ARY News) for
sharing their precious time, support, advice, and enthusiasm for this
initiative.
Stephen Hawking led an incredible life and provided an
amazing service to science. He inspired millions and made an undeniable impact
not only among the scientific community but around the world. Here are a few glimpses
of his marvelous life.
Young Stephen Hawking in 1962
This is a picture of young Stephen Hawking. He studied natural sciences at Oxford and after receiving his B.A. in 1962, he went to Cambridge for graduate studies in Physics. He initially worked with his friend on the role of singularities in general relativity and later pursed and immortalized new concepts of space and time.
Stephen Hawking in 1985, after diagnosis with ALS
Hawking in 1985. After he was diagnosed with ALS, a motor neuron
disease, he used a special electric wheelchair equipped with new technologies
for locomotion.
At Cambridge, England, with his family
Hawking, on left, pictured in 1985, with his family in
Cambridge, England. He married his first wife two years before he was diagnosed
with the disease. Here, their two children are seen enjoying a cookout.
At Cambridge, England
Professor Hawking pictured with his family arriving at Cambridge to receive an honorary degree awarded to him for his services to scientific research.
At Trinity college Lawn.
Pictured in Cambridge. Stephen Hawking is seen here in the
Trinity College Lawn.
A Brief history of time
Hawking best selling book was published in 1988 called A Brief History of Time. He brought theories
of black holes, space exploration and cosmology to a wider audience around the world.
It has sold more than ten million copies and continues to break records.
1992 with Sue Lawley in a radio show
In 1992, he appeared on the radio show called Desert Island
Discs with Sue Lawley. He talked about his scientific interests and favorite
desserts.
An episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Stephen was extremely fond of Television and movies and appeared
in many famous shows. Here, he is seen in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also made cameos in The Simpsons, The Big Bang Theory, Futurama
etc.
1995, second marriage with Elaine Meson
In 1995, Stephen Hawking married his nurse Elaine Mason, five
years after his divorce from his first wife. His second marriage continued for
11 years and they got divorced in 2006.
At White House in 1998
In 1998, Hawking was invited at the White House by the [then] President Bill Clinton, for an event in which he discussed prospects and developments in science during a live telecast.
199, at Royal society of Arts
Hawking received the Albert Medal from Prince Philip of Britain in 1999. The Royal Society of Arts awarded him for popularizing physics among the general audience. He was also awarded CBE which is one of the biggest civil honors in Britain.
2001, at free University Berlin
Hawking is seen here attending a lecture in Free University,
Berlin in the year 2001. He gave many lectures and talks around the world
throughout his life.
In 2007, while experiencing gravity in US
In 2007, Hawking experienced zero gravity in a US institute and was captured all smiles and happy. He always talked about never limiting himself because of his condition.
At NASA’s 50th anniversar
On April 21, 2008, Hawking gave a lecture for NASA on its 50th anniversary. His daughter also served as a moderator for the event.
While receiving presidential medal of freedom
President of the United States of America, presented him the Presidential
Medal of Freedom in 2009 which is a big civilian honor.
At Vatican City
He met with Pope Francis in Vatican City before a session at Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Although he was a known atheist, he still discussed the ideas of God and religion during many lectures. Stephen Hawking tries to teach POPE origins of the universe in an awkward meeting of minds.
2012, in London
Hawking is pictured
here giving a speech during the opening ceremony of Paralympics in London in
the year 2012.
2014, with Queen Elizabeth
Stephen Hawking is seen here meeting the Queen at a
disability charity in 2014.
At premier, Theory of every thing
In 2014, a film based on his life was released called The Theory of Everything. Here, he pictured with the leading stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. Stephen Hawking delighted at Redmayne’s Oscar for The Theory Of Everything.
2018, Funeral service at Great St. Mary’s Church
After an
astonishing career and life, Stephen Hawking passed away on March 14, 2018. His
funeral service was held at Great St. Mary’s Church.
Dr. Fariha Hasan is serving as the Professor of Microbiology at the Department of Microbiology in Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. She has more than 12 years of teaching and research experience in the field of Microbiology. Her research interests are Microbial Diversity of extreme habitats, polyextremophilic microorganisms, Astrobiology, microbial metabolites and biodegradation of synthetic polymers.
She is an advisor of the Astrobiology Network of Pakistan and very eager to promote this emerging field of science in her country. She has been delivering lectures on astrobiology for three years and recently two of her MPhil students have done their research on astrobiology and their research papers are in process.
Dr. Fariha Hasan while delivering a lecture on Astrobiology
Let us know about your academics? What kind of hobbies and
interests do you have?
I cleared my Masters, M. Phil, and Ph.D. from Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad and since 2004, I have been working here as teacher and researcher in microbiology. Usually, people think that only youngsters have hobbies, but unlike others of my age, I have managed to maintain a few of interesting hobbies after all these years, like book reading especially English classics, stamp collection, sketching, artwork, and photography.
What would you say has been the highlight of your career?
I started research on glaciers in 2006 and still pursuing it due to my interest. Later, I did my Postdoctoral from the UK in the same field. It has been around 10 years now and I think that has been one of the most important milestones of my career. I was very lucky to do my Postdoc there with a group whom I am still in contact and continue to collaborate by sending my Ph.D. students over to them.
Can you explain what Astrobiology is about?
The word Astrobiology is made by the combination of Astronomy
and Biology, in which we question and imagine life in space; planet or any
other celestial body. What are the past and the future and what kind of things
are possible which we can call life. But before going into depth one has to
define ‘life’. Beyond science jargons it can define ‘anything that can
reproduce, sustain, and carry on information’ or simply ‘survive and multiply’,
is life.
One can link it with Astrobiology in that, what we see and imagine in our minds about the extraterrestrial life. A common man thinks of it as something about a creature with one, eye, five hands, weird body, and vice versa. In reality, extraterrestrial life is what we haven’t seen and cannot be imagined clearly. Astrobiology is something that aspires to search and answer such queries about the possibilities of life in our solar system or beyond the universe.
At Quad e Azam University Islamabad
How did you develop an interest in Astrobiology?
In my childhood, I used to watch movies/shows like Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Space 1999 and Star Trek. Consequently, these shows helped my imagination to grow, but I just wanted to study biology. When graduated, I started working on research projects like biodegradation and the involved enzymes. Later, I decided to find a way where I can combine my interest with research in studies because then I was free.
My interest in Astrobiology was very apparent and I thought that I can pursue, but as an undergrad, you couldn’t study physics and biology together. Rather I chose microbiology and researched on extremophiles i.e. microorganisms living in extreme environments. So while teaching it, I had those concepts which I was able to take into several directions. Meanwhile, during multiple conferences organized by European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, I got a chance to meet a few of Astrobiologists who helped me to keep my interest and soon I started teaching Astrobiology. Now I have two students of M. Phil who have done their research on Astrobiology and their papers are in pipeline.
This network is a very good initiative in Pakistan. I came to
know about ABNP while I was teaching the Astrobiology course that I have been
doing for around three years now. Interestingly, when I offered that course for
the first time, a lot of students in the class sat as if they were watching a
movie. They had something else in mind; like I would take them to a fancy
fantasyland and show a movie! Actually, I did ask them to watch “The Martian” which
was released during that time. But they wanted to know what it actually is about.
So, when I started teaching them, the concepts got clear as well
as how it can relate to other branches of science like Biology to Physics,
Chemistry, and Mathematics. Until now we only have a hypothesis about
extraterrestrial life and we still do not know whether other planets are
habitable or not? Though, there is no evidence so far. I think a network like
ABNP in Pakistan will inspire others to develop and clear concepts. We should
introduce it to a larger audience, working through it step by step. I found a
great passion for youngsters when I delivered my very first lecture on Astrobiology.
I think this is a good platform which youngsters can join, as
well as experienced individuals. Everyone should be an equal contributor, share
knowledge and take it in the right direction to make this step become
successful. To quote Neil Armstrong when he stepped on the moon, “One small
step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”.
Can a person having littleexperience or background in Astrobiology be a part of it?
Yes, they can for sure! Because Astrobiology isn’t completely based on a specific subject but having a wide spectrum of different subjects. Like I am a biologist and from my perspective, I can see that Physics matters as much as Biology does. For example, we study the movement of the planets, the plasma, light, color spectrum, and things like that are important. Similarly, unless one didn’t study the organic or inorganic chemistry, he would unable to get the idea of how connected is the chemistry of the universe with the physics, since Chemistry is the basis of life. Being a Muslim we know life won’t be possible with just chemical combinations only until a Superior source adds the soul into it.
So the force that does all of this is Allah. We can try to initiate a chemical reaction in a flask, take the required elements of life like Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, Sulphur that we call CHNOPS in Astrobiology that are the building blocks of all life forms, but even after mixing all these elements, we can’t make a life.
We need a force and that force is a supernatural being (Allah). Other biological and physical factors show that almost all subjects are involved in life. Being a biologist you need to study or have an in-depth analysis, as well as basic concepts about Astrophysics, Astrochemistry, Astroecology, and Astrogeology would suffice.
At Quad e Azam University Islamabad
Can you give us a timeline of when Astrobiology was conceived as
a proper subject?
As a subject, the terminology was conceived in 1953 by a Russian astronomer Gavriil Tikhov. Originally, it was just like another subject Exobiology. Exobiology is also about the life that comes from places other than earth but Astrobiology is more suitable as Earth itself is a planet too and it has life in it. So the study of life on Earth is also a part of Astrobiology as we are also a part of the solar system and ultimately the universe. From the Astrobiology perspective, life on earth also comes within the present and future of the universe, and this isn’t explained in Exobiology so Astrobiology is a wider and more appropriate approach.
Slowly the concept came into limelight that if life can start here, it can also happen anywhere else in the universe, which led to the establishment of the concept of ‘panspermia’ which states that life is present in space, planets, and planetary bodies and spread through dust particles or other materials like comets, asteroids. Since then it has been spreading across the universe. Many questions are still awaited to be answered.
What do you think how can we bring Astrobiology into the
mainstream as an essential subject in Pakistan?
Until now certainly, there were no steps to introduce Astrobiology
in the mainstream. At most someone would occasionally deliver a lecture or two.
The Astrobiology Network of Pakistan has the potential of becoming a big
platform. Furthermore, there should be an awareness program including but not
limited to lecture series, student activities, and field trips at different
places for enthusiasts. I joined it as a forum from where we can spread more
awareness and it can blossom into a bigger tree.
I would suggest monthly visits to ABNP chapter leads or
volunteers to schools/colleges and public places. Normally people target
private schools and I think everyone should be made aware of and be given an
opportunity to excel with their interests.
This network is open for all to join regardless of their background, subject, and interests. I think there is a need to target wider and younger audience because now I see that at the undergraduate or even at M. Phil level students don’t have the basic knowledge. So we have to clear the basic concepts step by step without going through the complex concepts indirect but developing interest, in the beginning, is necessary.
Is there any advice that you would like to give to those who
wish to pursue this field?
First of all, expand your interest and imagination. One needs to
understand concepts and join community groups like ABNP which is providing a
platform, international and national researchers and other discipline-related
enthusiasts are part of, also there are experts from NASA and communication is
easily accessible.
One can find a lot of opportunities and different activities, those will eventually help to quench their thirst. If we don’t answer the questions of a student, his/her interest doesn’t develop and ultimately it will appear as discouraging. ABNP is a group of seniors and experienced professionals as well as students from different disciplines, who are eager to help and sort out the confusions. The next step would be to expand outreach so interest will develop and no one is left unsatisfied.
Here are the glimpses of space news that was the talk of the town the year 2018.
NASA’s InSight lander detects the sounds of winds of Mars
The Mars rover
One of the biggest news of
2018 was the landing of NASA’s newest Mars rover called InSight. Moreover, pretty recently, the agency’s jet
propulsion laboratory also released clips of the sounds of winds blowing on the
surface of the red planet collected during the first-week
of operations by the rover. The estimated speed was around 10 and 15mph and was the very first sound ever captured from
Mars that is of low frequency but detectable within human hearing range. It was
a rare treat and presented by NASA in a recent news conference. This
out-of-the-world sound (literally!) was produced when the winds blew against
the solar panels of the rover resulting in vibrations that were recorded by
internal sensors. This sensor called the seismometer will soon be moved to the
surface of the red planet where it is expected to detect the underground
seismic waves that aren’t within the range of human hearing.
A Tesla Roadster launched into space by SpaceX
Tesla Roadster
Another big splash was made in the astronomy world when Elon Musk launched a
Tesla Roadster into space through the Falcon Heavy Rocket by SpaceX at a speed
of around 18,000mph. The car is currently cruising
around the earth and is present in a region of high radiation. The vehicle is expected
to roam around in space for millions of years unless destroyed under unexpected
circumstances. The car is also equipped with a number of interesting objects. In the driver’s seat, a
human mannequin in placed named after the famous David Bowie song “Starman”.
There are several songs played in a loop
on the car’s sound system which is just a clever gimmick as no one can actually
hear it being played in space. In the glovebox,
a copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is also placed.
The vehicle’s circuit board displays the
message, “Made on Earth by Humans”.
Soyuz rocket failure forces the astronauts to abort mission
Soyuz Rocket
A major mishap that occurred in 2018 was
the Soyuz rocket failure that occurred for the first time ever in the history of ISS programme.
On Oct 11, 2018, the Russian-American crew on the rocket were forced to conduct
an emergency landing after the system suffered a malfunction just minutes after
launch into space from the Russian site. Thankfully, the astronauts didn’t suffer any harm and landed
safely in Kazakhstan but the incident definitely created an uproar as the Soyuz
rocket is known to be the only rocket used to send astronauts to the space
station. The launch was smooth at the beginning and the mission was bound to reach the International Space Station (ISS)
within the designated time but after 2
minutes the mission controllers reported a failure. Footage from the cabin that
was released later, showed objects floating and indicated
the problem. Soon, the crew aborted the mission and ejected their capsule. Rescue teams reached the landing site and
reported that the crew was safe. After a brief break and investigation, the mission was relaunched and was recently reported to be successful in the first attempt.
A Chinese space station falls into the Pacific Ocean
Tiangong-1
China’s first prototype space station
called Tiangong-1 fell apart on April 1, 2018. It was a part of the country’s ambitious space programme and was originally developed to function until 2013. But it wasn’t decommissioned and its period was extended. However, in the latter part of 2016, reports
suggested that it wasn’t under control and may come down sometime during the
next two years. China itself predicted
2018 but never specified the time and location
as it purely depended on its re-entry. The country’s
space agency using its Space Surveillance Network sensor and orbital analysis confirmed that it crashed into
the Pacific Ocean in April. The station
was designed as a part of the Chinese space programme that is currently
working to place their own station in space
by 2023. The station was 34 feet long and 11 feet wide weighing more than 9 tons and was composed of an “experimental
module” and a “resource module”. The fallen pieces are thought to be of extremely small size contaminated with space
junk.
Water found in underground lakes on Mars
Under ground lake on Mars
Water, the primary requirement for survival, has now been found on Mars. It was previously identified in the moons of the outer solar system and this is the first time it has been discovered in ample quantities on the red planet. The surface of Mars was scanned by radars and a reservoir of salty liquid water was found underneath the South pole. It might not be the only one and scientists are working to see if any other reservoirs are present or not. This discovery can be extremely helpful in providing an explanation about why and how Mars’ ancient oceans vanished and whether the human race can settle on the planet in the future or not. Water is an essential requirement for the existence of life and its presence will be a thrilling phenomenon for astrobiologists to work on, who look for suitable habitats and niches for extraterrestrial life. Scientists are very hopeful and insist that there is no reason not to believe the presence of similar water reserves on Mars.
Japanese billionaire to become the first private passenger to orbit around the moon
Japanese tycoon and space enthusiast Yusaku Maezaw
Elon Musk has continued to rule 2018 by announcing and launching exciting space programs. One of them was the announcement that he will be sending a Japanese tycoon and space enthusiast Yusaku Maezaw, on a trip around the moon. This will make Maezwa the first private passenger to orbit around the moon. Maezwa is a very successful entrepreneur who owns Zozo which is Japan’s largest online fashion retailer. He explained his passion and enthusiasm about traveling to space and said that he would be inviting artists to this 2023 trip. The Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) on which he would be traveling hasn’t been built yet but the project will start soon according to the SpaceX CEO. Musk is a known space geek and has successfully built a rocket company and continually brings fascinating and thrilling projects. He isn’t shy to speak about his fears of the extinction of human civilization on this planet and proposes to introduce travel programs so that humans can become a multi-planet civilization soon.
An isolated solar observatory reopens after an unexplained shifting
A solar observatory in New Mexico
A solar observatory reopened in New Mexico,
the USA that was previously closed on
unknown reasons. The organization that controls the site, the Association of Universities
for Research in Astronomy (AURA) said that it worked closely with law
enforcement agencies and investigation of a criminal activity that happened on
the site. They claimed that the Sunspot Solar Observatory was evacuated due to
a safety hazard that risked the lives of the staff and residents. The criminal
activity was never revealed and no one is quite sure at what is going on at the
observatory. It was speculated that the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was involved and some said that a spying incident
also occurred. However such rumors were
denied by the authorities as they said no credible source has given out any
sort of information on the incident.
The fastest-growing black hole known in space discovered
The fastest growing black-hole in space
The fastest growing black-hole in space was recently discovered by scientists at ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. It has been labeled as a monster that can take up mass equal to the sun of our solar system within two days. This gigantic black hole is roughly the size of around 20 billion suns growing a percent every one million years. It is also able to shine an extremely bright light, more than that of a galaxy. Scientists have proposed that this might happen because of the number of gases sucked in as well as the friction and heat generated because of it. The energy emitted from this black hole was composed of UV light in higher quantities as well as some amount of X-rays. The scientists at the institute have also claimed that if the black hole were present in the middle or center of the Milky Way galaxy, it would radiate 10 times brighter than a full moon and may lead to fading out of the others stars in the sky.
NASA’s Dawn and Kepler missions meet their final fate
NASA’s Dawn &Kepler missions
Over the course of
history, NASA has managed to send some
very successful missions into space and two of those near their ends this year.
The missions are Dawn and Kepler that study large objects in the asteroid belt
and search for exoplanets respectively. In
Oct, the chief engineer and mission director for Dawn announced that the
spacecraft would run out of its supply of hydrazine by the middle of that month
and the depletion will result in the loss of attitude control and termination
of the mission. He also claimed that the planners and scientists were working to
sort a way out so that the spacecraft may remain functional till December but according
to current calculations that seems really unlikely. The Dawn spacecraft was launched
in 2007 and studied Vesta, the large asteroid, and Ceres, a dwarf planet, in
the big asteroid belt. It used hydrazine
in the thrusters that kept it going which became operational after the
spacecraft was unable to orient itself due to a failure of its reaction control
wheels some time ago. The other mission, Kepler, launched in 2009, will also be
experiencing the same fate as it uses hydrazine in its thrusters, an alternate
control mechanism, after the failure of the reaction wheels.
A Star is observed speeding near the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy
A star speeding near a gigantic black hole
For the first time ever, astronomers
observed a star speeding near a gigantic black hole in the center of our galaxy. It was observed using a
large telescope in a region of Chile and the star, named S2, was seen passing through a high
gravitational field in the middle of the Milky Way. In the month of May 2018,
the star reached near the black hole and surged at extremely high speeds approving
some effects predicted by Einstein in his theory of general relativity. The
approaching star was being tracked by scientists and astronomers for around 16 years and which is also the time it takes by the
star to complete one orbit of the black hole. It was a unique moment and
opportunity for the observers at the Max Planck Institute for Extra-terrestrial
Physics who prepared enthusiastically for this event, waiting for it to occur
so as to observe the general relativistic effects. It was very challenging as
it was hard to pinpoint and search for a star that is relatively faint and
26,000 light yeast away from Earth, surrounded by other stars and glowing
debris in space.
