EXTERNAL — One of the most exciting discoveries in planetary science in recent years has been the discovery of interstellar objects passing through our solar system. So far, astronomers have confirmed two of these smugglers from other star systems, namely Oumuamua in 2017 and Borisov in 2018. It is thought that many more remain undiscovered.
So far, scientists have had limited ability to study these objects once they are discovered. However, it is believed that all of that will change with the launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope on December 25, 2021. Currently, the Rp 150 trillion telescope is preparing to operate at the point between the Sun and Earth.
The Webb program principal investigator for interstellar objects, Martin Cordiner, said Webb’s highest sensitivity and power provided unprecedented opportunities. With Webb, they could investigate the chemical composition of interstellar objects and find out more about their properties.
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“Where it came from, how it was made, and what can they tell us about the conditions that existed in their home system… seeing the material from around another planetary system up close is truly amazing,” said Astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
The first two interstellar objects detected were very different from each other. One looks a lot like a comet, and the other doesn’t. To note, Oumuamua was horrendous because it was suspected of being an alien plane. The giant object was like life, emitting various kinds of light and moving at different speeds. However, the astronomers were helpless, and Oumuamua fled from observation. A leaked proposal states that scientists want to go after Oumuamua. Read: NASA Chases Oumuamua, The Escaped Alien Plane.
Cordiner and his team hope to know the uniqueness of these objects. The team will use Webb’s spectroscopic capabilities in both the near and middle infrared bands to study two different aspects of the interstellar object.
First, using the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec), they will analyze the chemical traces of the gas the object gives off. Because any cooling that might be there will be evaporated by the heat of our Sun. Second, with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), they will observe any dust the object produces, such as tiny microscopic particles, larger grains, and even gravel that may be lifted from the surface and in the vicinity.
With its high spectral resolution, NIRSpec can select the emission of each gas, allowing the team to detect specific molecules such as water, methanol, formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane. MIRI is more tuned to the spectrum of heat generated by solid particles, such as dust grains or object nuclei.
In our solar system, comets are frozen remnants from the era of the formation of planets around the Sun. They can provide unique insights into the chemical conditions that existed in the solar system’s earliest history. Well, Webb has the ability to study the chemistry of planet formation not just in the solar system, but deep into other star systems.
Today, the James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. It has been awaited for more than 25 years of its construction. The ambitious Webb is designed to solve all questions about our solar system, look into distant worlds around other stars, and investigate the mysterious structure and origin of our universe. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Source: Phys.org
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