The Solar System is filled with small asteroids and comets, all whizzing around in varying orbits. They represent both a threat to our planet - as demonstrated by the Chelyabinsk meteor in 2013 - and an opportunity for in-space mining. But if we are to deflect or exploit these bodies, we need to know what they are made of, and ideally without having to go to the trouble of landing on them all. Fortunately, Dr Gary Hughes of California Polytechnic State University has a solution to this problem, and he has received funding from NASA to work on it.
We can figure out the compositions of stars over tremendous distances because they are hot bodies emitting light, and we can analyse this light with a technique called spectroscopy. If you let sunlight fall on a prism, you'll see a rainbow split out of the white light, but more careful study will reveal dark lines cutting through the colours at various points. This is because the matter the light is shining through absorbs characteristic wavelengths of light, leading to these gaps - helium was actually found in the Sun this way before it was identified on Earth. But the small objects NASA is interested in interrogating are cold and only reflect light rather than emitting it, so to counter this the agency plans to zap them with a laser.
Denne historien er fra Issue 128-utgaven av All About Space.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 128-utgaven av All About Space.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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15 AUTUMN STARGAZING TARGETS
Go on a night-sky treasure hunt as the brighter evenings give way to the cooler months
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE WHY IS VENUS SO DRY?
A new study reckons the answer lies high in the Venusian atmosphere
WHEN BLACK HOLES TURN WHITE
Can bouncing black holes help physicists find the ultimate theory of everything?
THE MOON'S THIN ATMOSPHERE IS MADE BY CONSTANT METEORITE BOMBARDMENT
While the solar wind also contributes to the atmosphere, meteorites are the main culprit
INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL AND HOW TO BECOME A SPACE TOURIST
Having explored much of the Solar System, attention is now turning to the stars beyond
NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER FINDS POSSIBLE SIGNS OF ANCIENT RED PLANET LIFE
Further analysis is needed, but a rock contains potential evidence that life once existed on Mars in the distant past
A NASA TELESCOPE MAY HAVE FOUND ANTIMATTER ANNIHILATING IN POSSIBLY THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION SINCE THE BIG BANG
The massive explosion was captured in 2022
Jameel Janjua "This is how we get to Mach 3”
Jameel Janjua made it to the bitter end in a Canadian government astronaut selection in 2009, but wasn't chosen. He found a different path to space through Virgin Galactic
BOEING NEEDS TO IMPROVE QUALITY CONTROL ON THE SLS MOON ROCKET
The NASA Inspector General's report finds serious quality-control issues affecting the upgraded version and expects cost overruns and delays
DARK ENERGY
THE MOST DOMINANT FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE IS ALSO ITS MOST MYSTERIOUS AND MOST UNANTICIPATED