Astronomy-The science of the stars

The universe particularly the solar system is a complicated phenomenon that continues to boggle the minds of scientists as well as observers. Day by day, astronomers, with the help of their sophisticated equipment continue to make discoveries, some of which existed only in theory. The celestial objects composed of stars, comets, galaxies, and the planets have seen discoveries and exhaustive explanations highlighted on them courtesy of astronomy. Coupled with advanced technological tools, the future of astronomy remains bright with greater potential to unlock the mysteries surrounding the ambiguous universe. Recently, astronomers have made new findings of great significance in their field. More emphasis will be put on the latest developments. 

A recent development in the world of astronomy is the discovery of black holes, which for a long time was sci-fi in books and movies. Courtesy of the Event Horizon Telescope, the one-time scientific imagination became a reality. The great discovery needed global collaboration which ensured that the planet earth became a giant telescope to have an image located trillions of kilometers away (Pimblett, 2019). Quite significant. Essentially, a black hole is a section of space characterized by a mass of large and high density, making even light not evade its gravitational attraction. Capturing one of such scenarios is nearly an impossible task, however, it was achieved. The great scientist, Stephen Hawking, made pioneering discoveries about the black hole and much credit is given to him because he made the development not as tricky as initially it could be. The large masses of the black hole are not just black abysses. Moreover, they not only emit colossal amounts of plasma but also pull its streams of matter into its core due to the immense power of gravity within it. 

As matter approaches its event horizon, the point at which even light fails to escape, an orbiting disk is formed. Additionally, matter in the disk turns some energy into friction by rubbing itself among other particles of matter (Pimblett, 2019). The resulting friction warms up the disk which glows overwhelmingly bright with the heat energy from the sun. The detected light by the Event Horizon Telescope is what amazed the astronomers. Moreover, this discovery elevates Einstein’s theory of relativity to greater heights because they confirm his description regarding time, gravity, and nature of space. 

Another finding of significance made by scientists is the discovery of rare nitrogen molecules which could give a detailed explanation of the composition of other life-supporting planets. A team of researchers from UCLA made this groundbreaking discovery when they measured the quantity of a rare form of nitrogen gas in the air. It was discovered that the gas was in abundance than previously expected ( University of California) . Through the conducted experiments, this rare form of nitrogen denoted as 15N15N is only capable of occurring through unusual reactions in the atmosphere. Besides, the discovery gave the scientists a clue about how other planets could look like more so if they have the ability to support any form of life. 

Earth’s atmospheric composition is majorly made up of the nitrogen gas creating a broad distinction with the moon and other rocky planets. Of the nitrogen composition, the majority is made up of that gas with the atomic mass of fourteen, however, not more than one percent of the nitrogen composition carries the extra neutron ( University of California) . Whereas this type of nitrogen is rare, the 15N15N is the rarest of all. The experiments took more than four years to conduct while the researchers took a year to analyze and interpret the results. The amount of this type of nitrogen gives vital evidence to the tug of war evidence that life is pulling from every direction. It acts more like a piece of chemical evidence. This is crucial evidence that life can be supported in other planets. 

Additionally, significant development and innovation in the world of astronomy is the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope will be the successor to the present Hubble Space Telescope. A sophisticated piece of technology, this telescope will provide more advantages than its predecessor and will offer a wide range of investigations in the field of astronomy as well as cosmology (James Webb Space Telescope). Among its objectives will be to observe the most difficult occurrences such as the formation of galaxies as well as other distant celestial objects. It's purposely designed to observe some of the most complex astronomical happenings that are presently above the capability of the space instruments. 

For the Webb telescope to function, it is designed with an integrated Science Instrument Module, a framework that would ensure computing resources, electrical power, physical stability, and the cooling capability. Moreover, it holds various pieces of advanced instruments to aid in data collection. Firstly, it has the Near Infrared Camera which will serve as the observatory wavefront sensor besides having a spectral coverage. Secondly, it will have the Near Infrared Spectrograph to perform spectroscopy over a similar wavelength range. Additionally, it will be made of the Mid-Infrared Instrument to measure both mid and long infrared wavelength between five and twenty-seven centimeters (James Webb Space Telescope). The fine guide sensor will help stabilize sight line during the scientific observations. Another development is that upon launching, scientist Jeyhan Kartaltepe of Rochester Institute of Technology will be the first to use the magnificent technology developed by NASA. According to the scientist, the piece of technology will offer exquisite surveys besides testing and demonstrating their causes. Additionally, the telescope will detect among the first galaxies to be formed in the universe. Still, it will provide an extensive guide about the physical conditions and structures. Such developments would surely make the future of astronomy more luminous. 

In conclusion, astronomical findings continue to trickle every now and again thanks to remarkable technologies developed. Among the critical findings is the recent black hole phenomena that for a long time was an impossible task. Through collaboration as well as pioneering discoveries, astronomers were able to discover the black hole through the Event Horizon Telescope. The discovery was of great significance because it gave more evidence on the theory of relativity earlier discovered by the great theoretical physicist Albert Einstein. Similarly, another finding by the astronomers was the discovery of a rare nitrogen molecules. This discovery was significant because it gave a clue about the composition of other life-supporting planets. It took four years to conduct the experiment and another more year to interpret the findings which gave the scientists new insights into the rare nitrogen gas. Similarly, a significant development was the naming of RIT professor to be among the first scientist to use the Webb Telescope. This new telescope would redefine astronomy because it will come with maximum advantages like no other. 

Reference  

James Webb Space Telescope. The Premier Observatory of Next Decade. Retrieved April 12, 2019, from https://jwst.nasa.gov/about.html 

Pimbblet, K. (2019). First black hole photo confirms Einstein’s theory of relativity. PHYS ORG. Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2019-04-black-hole-photo-einstein-theory.html 

University of California - Los Angeles. (2017, December 6). Discovery about rare nitrogen molecules offers clues to makeup of life-supporting planets.  ScienceDaily . Retrieved April 12, 2019, from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171206090722.htm