NASA’s Webb Telescope Discovers Farthest Supermassive Black Hole and Parker Solar Probe
This week, NASA unveiled some remarkable updates, such as the Parker Solar Probe’s orbit around the Sun, the latest discovery made by the James Webb Telescope, and the successful communication with the Mars helicopter. Let’s delve into the specifics!
The Webb Telescope detects the most distant active supermassive ‘black hole’ ever discovered.
Scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope to find the most distant active supermassive black hole ever found. This black hole is smaller than any other black hole found in the early universe. It was located in a galaxy that formed just over 570 million years after the Big Bang.
The Parker Solar Probe completes its 16th orbit around the Sun
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe successfully completed its 16th orbit around the Sun. During this orbit, the probe came incredibly close to the Sun’s surface, reaching a distance of only 5.3 million miles. The Parker Solar Probe will pass by Venus in August, using the planet’s gravity to get even closer to the Sun in the future. These close approaches give us valuable information about heliophysics, the science of the Sun.
The Ingenuity Mars helicopter reconnects
Contact with the Ingenuity Mars helicopter has been restored after about 63 days of no communication. During a recent flight, Ingenuity went behind a hill that cut off communication between the helicopter and the Perseverance rover, acting as an intermediary between Ingenuity and Earth. However, as the Perseverance Rover crested the hill and returned to Ingenuity’s line of sight, contact was restored.
NASA’s X-59 nears maiden flight
NASA is making progress with the X-59, which has been moved from the construction site to the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works flight line in Southern California. This step is an important milestone in preparing the plane for its inaugural flight. The X-59 was designed to demonstrate the ability to fly at supersonic speeds without producing the loud sonic boom typically associated with supersonic speeds. Instead, it produces a much quieter sound.
