Important Innovations

Circling Stars Gave It Away to Astronomers Source:  European Space Agency A Black Hole "In Our Neighborhood" European astronomers have found the closest black hole to Earth ever discovered.  It is so close that two stars circling it can be seen with the naked eye.  The black hole is called the HR 6819 triple system.  It was created by the death of a fleeting young star.  Two remaining super hot stars continue to orbit it. Trillions of Miles From Earth It is the closest black hole discovered but it is still 1,000 light years away.  Every light year equals 5.9 trillion miles.  It was discovered by astronomers using the European Space Agency's massively powerful telescope at the European Southern Observatory in northern Chile.  Lead astronomer Thomas Rivinius says the black hole "is in our neighborhood".  He adds there may be 100 million to one billion of these relatively small but hugely dense objects in the Milky Way. Black Holes Where Nothing Escapes

ESA SAT To Explore Jupiter & Its Moons Source:  ESA JUICE'S Search for Signs of Alien Life The European Space Agency (ESA) is putting the final touches on a new spacecraft specifically designed to search for alien life.  The first place that it will search for extraterrestrial life is Jupiter and its Moons . The spacecraft is called JUICE or Jupiter  Icy Moons Explorer.  JUICE's purpose is to find alien life or determine if the planet and its Moons are capable of sustaining life. This is yet another example of how seriously global space agencies, are taking the search for life beyond Earth. NASA with its upcoming Mars probe is leading the exploration along with ESA. JUICE's Timeline Right now in Germany, JUICE is being outfitted with highly advanced communications systems, navigation sensors and onboard computers. Next stop is The Netherlands, where it will go through rigorous testing. JUICE's lau

European Satellite to Improve Global Weather Forecasts Source:  European Space Agency - Aeolus  Aeolus the Wind Chaser The European Space Agency has just launched the world's first wind mapping satellite.  It's called Aeolus.  It's the first to measure wind direction and speeds all over the world. Better Weather Aeolus'  global wind tracking will allow scientists to provide better worldwide weather forecasts.  This is the 1st time global wind speeds and directions have been monitored 24/7 from space. Blowing in the Wind Until now data on air movement has been gathered largely from the ground or indirectly thru observations from planes or space.  Aeolus is equipped with lidar that sends powerful ultraviolet laser light into the atmosphere.  It then observes which way the light scatters when they bounce off tiny particles in the air.  By comparing wavelengths of the light when it goes out and returns, scientists can determine which way the winds are blowing.