Science

If you’re fascinated by Nature, these images of spiral galaxies won’t help you escape your fascination.

These images show incredible detail in 19 spirals, imaged face-on by the JWST. The galactic arms with their multitudes of stars are lit up in infrared light, as are the dense galactic cores, where supermassive black holes reside.

The JWST captured these images as part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) programme. PHANGS is a long-running program aimed at understanding how gas and star formation interact with galactic structure and evolution. One of Webb’s four primary science goals is to study how galaxies form and evolve, and the PHANGS program feeds that effort. The VLT, ALMA, the Hubble, and now the JWST have all contributed to it.

But Webb’s images are the juiciest.

“Webb’s new images are extraordinary. They’re mind-blowing even for researchers who have studied these same galaxies for decades.”

Janice Lee, Project Scientists, Space Telescope Science Institute.

The JWST can see in both near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) light. That means it reveals different details, and more details, than even the powerful Hubble Space Telescope, which operates in visible light, UV light, and a small portion of infrared light.

This is NGC 4254 (Messier 99), a spiral galaxy about 50 million light-years away. It has a peculiarity to it, as one spiral arm is normal looking, and one is extended and less tightly wound. Though not a starburst galaxy, it forms stars three times as fast as other similar galaxies. This rapid star formation rate may have been triggered by interaction with another galaxy about 280 million years ago. With the JWST’s help, the PHANGS program will help astronomers understand NGC 4254’s history. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford), PHANGS Team

In these JWST high-resolution images, the red colour is gas and dust emitting infrared light, which the JWST excels at seeing. Some of the images have bright diffraction spikes in the galactic center, which are caused by an enormous amount of light. That can indicate that a supermassive black hole is active, or it could be from an extremely high concentration of stars.

“That’s a clear sign that there may be an active supermassive black hole,” said Eva Schinnerer, a staff scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. “Or, the star clusters toward the center are so bright that they have saturated that area of the image.”

The diffraction spike in the center of NGC 1365 is a telescope artifact caused by an enormous amount of light in a compact region. It’s caused by either the active supermassive black hole or tightly grouped stars in the galactic centre. NGC 1365 is a double-barred spiral galaxy about 74 million light-years away. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford), PHANGS Team

Stars near a galaxy’s center are typically much older than stars in the arms. The further a star is from the galactic center, the younger it typically is. The younger stars appear blue and have blown away the cocoon of gas and dust that they spawned in.

This is NGC 2835, a spiral galaxy about 35 million light-years away that has four or five spiral arms. Blue dots are very young stars that have blown away nearby gas and dust with their powerful UV light. Orange/red clumps are where even younger stars reside. They’re still surrounded by gas and dust. Several background galaxies are visible in the image. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford), PHANGS Team

Orange clumps indicate even younger stars. They’re still wrapped in their blanket of gas and dust and are still actively accreting material and forming. “These are where we can find the newest, most massive stars in the galaxies,” said Erik Rosolowsky, a professor of physics at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

The new images were released alongside some of the Hubble’s views of the same galaxies. These highlight how observing different wavelengths of light reveals or obscures different details in the galaxies. In the PHANGS observing program, different telescopes have observed galaxies in visible light, infrared light, UV light, and radio.

A Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 628 (left) and the same galaxy as imaged by the JWST (right.) Both images are grand and inspiring and full of information, but the JWST image provides more detail. Large bubble-shaped gaps between concentrations of gas and dust are visible. In some of the images, those could be caused by supernovae. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford), PHANGS Team

Since the human eye can’t see infrared, different visible colours are assigned to different wavelengths of light in order to make the images meaningful. In the JWST image of NGC 628 above, the galaxy’s center is filled with old stars that emit some of the shortest wavelengths of light the telescope can detect. They’ve been given a blue colour to make them visible. In the Hubble image, the same region is more yellow and washed out. The region emits the longest wavelengths of light that the Hubble can sense, so it has different colour assignments than the JWST.

Janice Lee is a project scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. She spoke for all of us when she said, “Webb’s new images are extraordinary. They’re mind-blowing even for researchers who have studied these same galaxies for decades. Bubbles and filaments are resolved down to the smallest scales ever observed and tell a story about the star formation cycle.”

This is NGC 1672, a spiral galaxy about 60 million light-years away. It may be a type II Seyfert galaxy, though astronomers aren’t totally certain. It has both a bright nucleus and a surrounding starburst region. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford), PHANGS Team

These galaxies are all spiral galaxies like the Milky Way, meaning their massive arms define them. The spiral arms are more like waves that travel through space rather than individual stars moving collectively. Astronomers study the arms because they can provide key insights into how galaxies build, maintain, and shut off star formation. “These structures tend to follow the same pattern in certain parts of the galaxies,” Rosolowsky added. “We think of these like waves, and their spacing tells us a lot about how a galaxy distributes its gas and dust.”

The spiral galaxy NGC 1566 is about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Dorado. NGC is interacting with smaller member galaxies in its neighbourhood. It’s an active galaxy, meaning its nucleus emits a lot of light that doesn’t come from stars. Instead, it probably comes from the supermassive black hole at the center. NGC 1566 is extensively studied due to its proximity, orientation, its strong spiral arms and its active galactic nucleus. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee (STScI), Thomas Williams (Oxford), and the PHANGS team

Ever since it began science operations, the JWST has given astronomers an overwhelming flow of data that will fuel research for years and decades to come. These beautiful images are just a part of a larger data release that includes a catalogue of about 100,000 star clusters. “The amount of analysis that can be done with these images is vastly larger than anything our team could possibly handle,” said the University of Alberta’s Erik Rosolowsky. “We’re excited to support the community so all researchers can contribute.”

The post Feast Your Eyes on 19 Face-On Spiral Galaxies Seen by Webb appeared first on Universe Today.

Elon Musk's Neuralink company is conducting its first human trials, implanting a tiny chip onto the surface of a person's brain to allow them to talk directly with computers

If you have any interest in UNRWA, several people, including Hillel Neuer, the head of the NGO UN Watch, will testify before a House subcommittee starting NOW. I expect there will be lot of testimony, supported by evidence, about how this UN agency was in effect an arm of Hamas.

It’s a bit late, as it was supposed to start at 2 p.m. Eastern time, but should start shortly.

Here are the witnesses. It should be enlightening:

Richard Goldberg
Senior Advisor
Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Marcus Sheff
Chief Executive Officer
IMPACT-se

Hillel Neuer
Executive Director
UN Watch

Mara Rudman
Schlesinger Professor
University of Virginia Miller Center

And here’s the link. It sounds as if there are hecklers in the audience.

Every fluid -- from Earth's atmosphere to blood pumping through the human body -- has viscosity, a quantifiable characteristic describing how the fluid will deform when it encounters some other matter. If the viscosity is higher, the fluid flows calmly, a state known as laminar. If the viscosity decreases, the fluid undergoes the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. The degree of laminar or turbulent flow is referred to as the Reynolds number, which is inversely proportional to the viscosity. However, this Reynolds similitude does not apply to quantum superfluids. A researcher has theorized a way to examine the Reynolds similitude in superfluids, which could demonstrate the existence of quantum viscosity in superfluids.

Modeling shows that stratospheric aerosol injection has the potential to reduce ice sheet loss due to climate change.

Researchers have developed artificial muscles that are lighter, safer and more robust than their predecessors. The newly developed actuators have a novel type of shell structure and use a high-permittivity ferroelectric material that can store relatively large amounts of electrical energy. They therefore work with relatively low electrical voltage, are waterproof, more robust and safer to touch.

A joint research team has developed a stretchable and adhesive microneedle sensor that can be attached to the skin and stably measure high-quality electrophysiological signals for a long period of time.

Plasmonics are unique light-matter interactions in the nanoscale regime. Now, a team of researchers has highlighted advances in shadow growth techniques for plasmonic materials, which have the potential to give rise to nanoparticles with diverse shapes and properties. They also introduce a method for large-scale production of nano-rotamers of magnesium with programmable polarization behavior, opening avenues for novel research applications.

Plasmonics are unique light-matter interactions in the nanoscale regime. Now, a team of researchers has highlighted advances in shadow growth techniques for plasmonic materials, which have the potential to give rise to nanoparticles with diverse shapes and properties. They also introduce a method for large-scale production of nano-rotamers of magnesium with programmable polarization behavior, opening avenues for novel research applications.

High-entropy alloys can withstand extreme heat and stress, making them suitable for a variety of specific applications. A new study at the X-ray synchrotron radiation source BESSY II has now provided deeper insights into the ordering processes and diffusion phenomena in these materials.

High-entropy alloys can withstand extreme heat and stress, making them suitable for a variety of specific applications. A new study at the X-ray synchrotron radiation source BESSY II has now provided deeper insights into the ordering processes and diffusion phenomena in these materials.

Nanoclusters (NCs) of transition metals like cobalt or nickel have widespread applications in drug delivery and water purification, with smaller NCs exhibiting improved functionalities. Downsizing NCs is, however, usually challenging. Now, scientists have demonstrated functional NC formation with atomic-scale precision. They successfully grew cobalt NCs on flat copper surfaces using molecular arrays as traps. This breakthrough paves the way for advancements like single-atom catalysis and spintronics miniaturization.

Researchers are currently developing anti-viral surfaces to decrease the spread of infectious diseases. A recent study found that a resin ingredient is effective against coronaviruses and strongly decreases their infectivity on plastic surfaces.

Scientists have developed a new system for imaging nanoparticles. It consists of a high-precision, short-wave infrared imaging technique capable of capturing the photoluminescence lifetimes of rare-earth doped nanoparticles in the micro- to millisecond range.

Not all plastics are created the same, and some last longer in the ocean than others. Scientists have been working for years to quantify the environmental lifetimes of a wide range of plastic goods to see which have the shortest and longest lifespans in the ocean. To determine what plastics persist in the ocean, the team tests different products in large tanks that recreate the natural ocean environment.

Our built environment is aging and failing faster than we can maintain it. Recent building collapses and structural failures of roads and bridges are indicators of a problem that's likely to get worse, according to experts, because it's just not possible to inspect every crack, creak and crumble to parse dangerous signs of failure from normal wear and tear. In hopes of playing catch-up, researchers are trying to give robotic assistants the tools to help inspectors with the job.

A new way of creating color uses the scattering of light of specific wavelengths around tiny, almost perfectly round silicon crystals. This development enables non-fading structural colors that do not depend on the viewing angle and can be printed. The material has a low environmental and biological impact and can be applied extremely thinly, promising significant weight improvements over conventional paints.

Investigators have developed a low-cost, high-throughput device that can reliably generate uniform tumor spheroids. The study describes how to assemble the 'Do-It-Yourself (DIY)' device from parts totaling less than $7, including a coin-vibrating motor commonly found in cell phones.

Investigators have developed a low-cost, high-throughput device that can reliably generate uniform tumor spheroids. The study describes how to assemble the 'Do-It-Yourself (DIY)' device from parts totaling less than $7, including a coin-vibrating motor commonly found in cell phones.

Within the next fifteen years, NASA, China, and SpaceX plan to send the first crewed missions to Mars. In all three cases, these missions are meant to culminate in the creation of surface habitats that will allow for many returns and – quite possibly – permanent human settlements. This presents numerous challenges, one of the greatest of which is the need for plenty of breathable air and propellant. Both can be manufactured through electrolysis, where electromagnetic fields are applied to water (H2O) to create oxygen gas (O2) and liquid hydrogen (LH2).

While Mars has ample deposits of water ice on its surface that make this feasible, existing technological solutions fall short of the reliability and efficiency levels required for space exploration. Fortunately, a team of researchers from Georgia Tech has proposed a “Magnetohydrodynamic Drive for Hydrogen and Oxygen Production in Mars Transfer” that combines multiple functionalities into a system with no moving parts. This system could revolutionize spacecraft propulsion and was selected by NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program for Phase I development.

The proposal comes from Alvaro Romero-Calvo, an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and his colleagues from the Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC). The system employs a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) electrolytic cell, which relies on electromagnetic fields to accelerate electrically conductive fluid (in this case, water) without any moving parts. This allows the system to extract and separate oxygen and hydrogen gas in microgravity, removing the need for forced water recirculation and the associated equipment (i.e., pumps or centrifuges).

As a specialist in low-gravity science, fluid mechanics, and magnetohydrodynamics, Romero-Calvo and his team have spent many years investigating the applications of MHD systems for spaceflight. The need for a dedicated study to assess the concept’s feasibility and integration into a suitable oxygen production architecture ultimately motivated their proposal. In a previous study, Romero-Calvo and co-author Dr. Katharina Brinkert (a professor of Chemistry at the University of Warwick) noted how water harvested in situ would reduce vehicle launch masses.

However, they also noted that operating this kind of machinery in microgravity presented many unknowns, most of which are not addressed by current research. In particular, they stressed how the absence of buoyancy in microgravity results in major technical challenges, like the need to detach and collect oxygen and hydrogen bubbles, which was traditionally addressed using forced water recirculation loops. However, they argued, this leads to liquid management devices composed of multiple elements and moving parts, which are complex, inefficient, and unreliable in space. As Romero-Calvo explained in a recent Georgia Tech news release:

“The idea of using MHD forces for liquid pumping is explored in the 1990 thriller The Hunt for Red October, where a stealth soviet submarine powered by an MHD drive defects to the United States. Although it’s fun to see Sean Connery playing the role of a Soviet submarine commander, the truth is that submarine MHD propulsion is very inefficient. Our concept, on the contrary, works in the microgravity environment, where the weak MHD force becomes dominant and can lead to mission-enabling capabilities.”

Instead of traditional recirculation loops, the proposed MHD system relies on two distinct mechanisms to separate oxygen and hydrogen from water. The first comes from diamagnetic forces, which arise in the presence of strong magnetic fields and result in a magnetic buoyancy effect. Second, there are Lorentz forces, which are a consequence of the imposition of a magnetic field on the current generated between two electrodes. As Romero-Calvo noted in their proposal paper:

“Both approaches can potentially lead to a new generation of electrolytic cells with minimum or no moving parts, hence enabling human deep space operations with minimum mass and power penalties. Preliminary estimations indicate that the integration of functionalities leads to up to 50% mass budget reductions with respect to the Oxygen Generation Assembly architecture for a 99% reliability level. These values apply to a standard four-crew Mars transfer with 3.36 kg oxygen consumption per day.”

Two CubeSats communicated and then maneuvered toward one another in a recent technology demonstration. Credit: NASA

If successful, this HMD system would enable the recycling of water and oxygen gas in long-term space travel. Romero-Calvo and other colleagues at the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech demonstrated in another paper that this technology could also have applications for water-based SmallSat propulsion and other mission profiles where ISRU is a must. At present, Romero-Calvo and his colleagues have formulated the concept and have developed analytical and numeral models.

The next step will involve the team and their partners at Giner Labs (a Massachusetts-based electrochemical R&D firm) conducting feasibility studies. Over the next nine months, they will receive $175,000 to explore the system’s overall viability and technology readiness level. These will consist primarily of computational studies but will include prototypes testing key technologies here on Earth. As a Phase I proposal, they will also be eligible to compete for Phase II funding worth $600,000 for a two-year study.

An early demonstrator of this technology was tested aboard the 24th flight of the New Sheperd (NS-24), an uncrewed mission that launched on December 19th, 2023. With support from Blue Origin and the American Society for Gravitation and Space Research (ASGSR), Romero-Calvo’s team tested how magnets electrolyzer water in microgravity conditions. The data from this flight and the forthcoming tests will inform an HMD electrolyzer prototype and could lead to a system integrated aboard future space missions. Said Romero-Calvo:

“We were studying the fundamental magnetohydrodynamic flow regimes that arise when we apply a magnetic field to water electrolyzers in spaceflight conditions,” Romero-Calvo explained. “The Blue Origin experiment, in combination with our current collaboration with Prof. Katharina Brinkert’s group at the University of Warwick, will help us predict the movement of oxygen bubbles in microgravity and it hints at how we can build a future water electrolyzer for humans.”

Further Reading: NASA, Georgia Tech

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