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UPDATE

SPACE SPACE

NASA discovers farthest known Sun-like star

galaxy in the universe found eating its

NASA scientists, on 13 January 2018, background galaxy but also smeared own planetary
spotted the farthest known galaxy in the image of it into an arc.
the universe, a primitive cluster of SPT0615-JD was identified in offspring
stars just 500 million years old. An Hubble’s Reionization Lensing Cluster
Researchers have found evidence to
intensive survey deep into the Survey (RELICS) and companion S-
show that a Sun-like star 550 light
universe by NASA’s Hubble and RELICS Spitzer programme. RELICS
years from the earth is slowly
Spitzer space telescopes has yielded was designed to discover distant
consuming its “offspring” —
the image of the galaxy named galaxies like these that are magnified
crushing one or more planets in its
SPT0615-JD, stretched and amplified brightly enough for detailed study.
orbit into vast clouds of gas and dust.
by a phenomenon called gravitational By combining the Hubble and
The discovery that the star, RZ
lensing. Spitzer data, scientists calculated the
Piscium — located in the constellation
Though a few other primitive lookback time to the galaxy of 13.3
Pisces — is an insatiable “eater of
galaxies have been seen at this early billion years. Preliminary analysis
worlds” was published in The
epoch, they have essentially all looked suggests the diminutive galaxy weighs
Astronomical Journal on December
like red dots given their small size and in at no more than 3 billion solar masses.
22, 2017.
tremendous distances. However, in It is less than 2,500 light-years across.
The researchers found the star’s
this case, the gravitational field of a The object is considered prototypical
temperature to be about 5,330 degrees
massive foreground galaxy cluster not of young galaxies that emerged during
Celsius — only slightly cooler than
only amplified the light from the the epoch shortly after the Big Bang.
the sun. The study also showed that
the star could be relatively young.
SPACE The discovery may shed light on
Martian ice deposits could sustain a brief but volatile period in the history
of many solar systems, including our
human outposts in the future own. Doomed worlds that fly too close
to their sun are officially known as
Scientists using images from an NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance “disrupted planets.”
orbiting NASA spacecraft have Orbiter, which has studied the In the case of RZ Piscium, the
detected eight sites where huge ice Martian atmosphere and terrain since material near the Sun-like star is being
deposits near the Martian surface are 2006, including the history of slowly pulled apart to create a small
exposed on steep slopes, a potential apparent water flows on or near the circle of debris about the same
source of water that could help sustain surface. distance from the star as the planet
future human outposts. While The findings showed that ice may Mercury’s orbit is from our sun, the
scientists already knew that about a be more available than previously study said.
third of the surface of Mars contains known for use as water to support “Based on our observations, it
shallow ground ice and that its poles future robotic or human exploration seems either that we’re seeing a fairly
harbour major ice deposits, the missions, perhaps even the massive, gaseous planet being pulled
research published on 11 January 2018 establishment of a permanent Mars apart by the star, or perhaps two gas-
described thick underground ice base. The water could be used for rich planets that have collided and
sheets exposed along slopes up to 100 drinking and potentially conversion been torn apart,” researchers said of
meters tall at the planet’s middle into oxygen to breathe. RZ Piscium. Even solar systems
latitudes. The deposits were found at seven whose planets are not lost to their sun
The latitudes were the equivalent geological formations called scarps, are unstable in their early history,
on Earth of Scotland or the tip of with slopes up to 55 degrees, in the since newly born planets interact
South America. southern hemisphere and one in the strongly with one another — as well
The researchers used images from northern hemisphere. as their sun — through gravity.
March 2018 Competition Wizard 79