The sky is not the limit! | Solar storm, Hubble telescope failure and more

A geomagnetic storm is expected to happen soon, and the culprit is the Sun. The week began with our star releasing several coronal mass ejections, which traveled through space and were expected to reach Earth this Friday (1st).

Meanwhile, an astrophotographer took photos of Jupiter that show shrinkage in its Great Red Spot, and new failures occurred in components of the Hubble Telescope.

These are just some of the highlights in our weekly roundup of the top astronomical news from the past week. Find out more about these and other space science events:

Solar storm on the way

The last few days have been busy on the Sun. Our star released several coronal mass ejections (or just CME), which together formed a kind of cannibalistic CME. According to forecasts from the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, the phenomenon could cause an intense geomagnetic storm.

The event can present us with auroras visible to the south in not so common places, but it can also disrupt communications and electrical networks. Therefore, scientists were keeping an eye on the occurrence of the geomagnetic storm, as well as its possible effects.

Changes in the Great Red Spot

The Great Red Spot, the largest storm in the Solar System, is receding. The change was captured in photos by astrophotographer Damian Peach, which show the spot becoming smaller and rounder. Its decrease is nothing new, as scientists already knew that the storm is shrinking.

For some experts, this seems to indicate that it is disappearing, but for others, the change may simply be a temporary phenomenon. We just have to wait and see what the future of this feature of the gas giant will be like.

Hubble Telescope in trouble

The most beloved telescope of all time has given scientists some scares in recent weeks. On November 19, incorrect readings in one of the gyroscopes caused Hubble to enter safe mode; the good news is that he resumed his scientific activities the next day.

However, other errors occurred in the component, and the observatory has been in safe mode since the 23rd. Therefore, while the telescope team carries out tests to analyze what happened and try to resolve it, scientific observations are suspended.

The end of the International Space Station

After decades of operation, the International Space Station (ISS) is expected to be destroyed in 2030. However, Phil McAlister, director of the commercial space division at NASA, stated that it is possible that the ISS will cease operations without commercial space stations being ready.

The scenario is not ideal, as it would affect research and scientific experiments carried out in low Earth orbit. Knowing this, NASA is considering the possibility of keeping the ISS active for some time after 2030, but this decision depends on both the situation of the orbiting laboratory and the partners in the program.

First dust disk seen in another galaxy

Through observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile, astronomers discovered that a star in the HH 1177 system, in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, is surrounded by a disk of dust. This is the first time that such a structure has been seen outside the Milky Way.

The gas and dust particles in these disks can serve as ingredients for the formation of new planets. Fortunately, HH 1177 is a system that is not surrounded by dust, which will allow astronomers to observe the processes there.