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  • Breaking Space News: September 15 - 21, 2024

Breaking Space News: September 15 - 21, 2024

A Second Moon for Earth? Discover Galactic Collisions, Martian Clouds, A Warming Antarctic, and Hubble’s Glimpse into the Universe’s Past. Plus: SpaceX vs. FAA/ Astronomers, US Simulating a Chinese Threat to Taiwan Amid Military Spending, and More!

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Lagrangian Despatch
September 22, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 33 minutes

Dear Lagrangian,

If you’re reading this installment of the Lagrangian newsletter, buckle up because we have a lot that happened last week! This is also the longest Newsletter we have written so far.🚀

As always for the best reading experience, we recommend viewing this newsletter in your web browser.

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Enjoy reading!

IMAGES

 

Galactic Collisions and A Smiling Face : James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a striking image of a galactic collision, revealing a “smiling” face formed by the merger of a large spiral galaxy and a smaller elliptical galaxy, collectively known as Arp 107. This collision, located 465 million light-years away in the constellation Leo Minor, has triggered new star formation, as evidenced by the bright regions in the image. The Webb Telescope’s high-resolution infrared capabilities have provided unprecedented detail, showing a bridge of stars and gas connecting the two galaxies.

The image’s north and east compass arrows indicate sky orientation, flipped relative to ground maps. The scale bar, labeled in light-years (the distance that light travels in one Earth-year; 5.88 trillion miles or 9.46 trillion kilometers), shows a field of view approximately 450,000 light-years across. Near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths are translated into visible-light colors, with a color key indicating the NIRCam and MIRI filters used. (Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)

Webb’s MIRI image of Arp 107 reveals a supermassive black hole in the large spiral galaxy, displaying diffraction spikes. The region, highlighted in blue, shows millions of young stars forming amidst dusty silicates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, while the small elliptical galaxy contains many organic molecules. (Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)

 

Martian Cloud Atlas : ESA Mars Express

The European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft has captured 20 years of Martian cloud and storm images, now compiled into a comprehensive "Cloud Atlas". This atlas reveals diverse atmospheric phenomena, including gravity wave clouds and dust storms, offering insights into Mars’ climate and atmospheric conditions. The data, presented at the Europlanet Science Congress, sheds light on the similarities and unique features of Martian clouds compared to Earth’s.

Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud (AMEC) has formed as a result of wind encountering the Arsia Mons mountains. It forms almost every day during a specific season, from early morning until noon. (Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/A. Cowart)

Cloud Streets over Vastitas Borealis, a large area near the North Pole mostly devoid of craters. (Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/A. Cowart)

Lee waves are a special type of cloud created by the wind encountering obstacles and build up on the ‘leeward‘ or downwind side. The geometries of the lee waves depend on the shape of the obstacles. (Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin)

 

Jellyfish Galaxy Loses Stars and Gases in Hydra I Cluster : European Southern Observatory

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has captured a striking image of the Hydra I cluster, showcasing the spiral galaxy NGC 3312 being stripped of its gas and stars through a process known as ram pressure stripping. This phenomenon occurs when a galaxy moves through a dense medium, such as the hot gas in a galaxy cluster, causing the gas within the galaxy to be stripped away due to the pressure exerted by the medium. As a result, NGC 3312 is losing its star-forming material, transforming it into a "jellyfish galaxy" with trailing tendrils of gas. (Credit: ESO/INAF/M. Spavone, E. Iodice)

 

SCIENCE

 

Rare Warming Over Antarctica due to Unprecedented Stratospheric Disturbances: Insights from NASA

In an unprecedented series of events, NASA scientists have observed rare disturbances in the stratosphere above Antarctica, marking the earliest recorded stratospheric warming in the Southern Hemisphere’s winter. Starting in July 2024, temperatures in the stratosphere, typically around minus 80 degrees Celsius, spiked by 15°C on July 7 and 17°C on August 5. These sudden warming events disrupted the polar vortex, elongating and weakening it, which is a rare occurrence in the Antarctic region.

Air temperatures in the middle stratosphere for Aug. 5, 2023 (left) and Aug. 5, 2024 (right) show the elongation of the polar vortex and higher temperatures closer to the pole in 2024. (Credit: Wanmei Liang, using GEOS-FP data courtesy of Lawrence Coy and the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA GSFC)

This map shows potential vorticity — a quantity that describes how air masses are spinning — in the stratosphere on Aug. 5, 2024. High potential vorticity (yellow) indicates clockwise circulation, while low potential vorticity (purple) indicates counterclockwise circulation. The polar vortex elongated and weakened, forming a peanut shape instead of its usual circular pattern. (Credit: Wanmei Liang, using GEOS-FP data courtesy of Lawrence Coy and the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA GSFC)

Atmospheric scientists Lawrence Coy and Paul Newman from NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) have been closely monitoring these anomalies. The polar vortex, usually a symmetrical flow of westerly winds around the South Pole, became distorted, leading to significant warming. This phenomenon, typically seen once every five years in the Antarctic, contrasts with the more frequent occurrences in the Arctic. The July event marked the earliest stratospheric warming in GMAO's 44-year record, lasting two weeks before cooling on July 22. Another surge on August 5 saw temperatures rise by 17°C.

Earth’s Temporary Second Moon: Asteroid 2024 PT5 Captured by Earth’s Gravity

Earth is set to gain a temporary second moon, as the newly discovered asteroid 2024 PT5 will orbit our planet from September 29 to November 25, 2024. This mini-moon, following a horseshoe-shaped path, highlights the dynamic interactions within our solar system. The asteroid, approximately 33 feet wide, was discovered in August 2024 and belongs to the Arjuna asteroid belt. These near-Earth objects occasionally get captured by Earth’s gravity, offering a unique opportunity to study their trajectories and compositions.

Hubble Looks Back in Time to Find More Blackholes Than Expected

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled a surprising abundance of black holes in the early universe, challenging previous assumptions. An international team led by Stockholm University researchers discovered more black holes than expected in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, a region of nearly 10,000 galaxies. This finding sheds light on the formation of supermassive black holes, which can weigh over a billion suns and exist at the centers of galaxies less than a billion years after the Big Bang.

This new image of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field reveals flickering supermassive black holes in early galaxies. By comparing near-infrared exposures from 2009, 2012, and 2023, astronomers found more black holes than predicted. Some black holes consume material in bursts, causing their brightness to flicker, as seen in the inset. (Credit: NASA, ESA, Matthew Hayes (Stockholm University); Acknowledgment: Steven V.W. Beckwith (UC Berkeley), Garth Illingworth (UC Santa Cruz), Richard Ellis (UCL); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI))

Europa Clipper Set for Launch: NASA’s Mission to Probe Jupiter's Icy Moon’s Potential for Life

NASA’s Europa Clipper mission is set to launch on October 10, 2024, aiming to explore Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. Despite concerns over faulty transistors and the harsh radiation environment around Jupiter, the mission remains on track. Europa Clipper will investigate the moon’s icy crust and the suspected subsurface ocean, searching for conditions that could support life. This mission marks a significant step in understanding the habitability of ocean worlds beyond Earth, with scientists eager to uncover the secrets hidden beneath Europa’s icy surface.

The surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa in this view made from images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in the late 1990s. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft will search for traces of life on Jupiter's ice-covered moon Europa being assembled at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. (Credit: NASA)

AI Algorithms Decode the Enigma of Dark Matter in Galaxy Collisions

A new deep-learning algorithm is set to revolutionize our understanding of dark matter, which constitutes 85% of all matter in the universe, by analyzing images of colliding galaxy clusters. This AI-driven approach aims to detect self-interacting dark matter, which could explain the mysterious behavior of dark matter during galaxy collisions. The algorithm, developed by David Harvey of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, is trained on simulated galaxy cluster collision images from the BAHAMAS (Baryons and Haloes of Massive Systems) project conducted by researchers from Liverpool John Moores University, Leiden University, Johns Hopkins University and CNRS in France.

The galaxy cluster ACT-CL J0102-4915, nicknamed “El Gordo,” is the most massive, hottest, and X-ray brightest cluster known at its distance of about 7 billion light years from Earth. Recent Hubble data reveals it weighs 3 million billion times the mass of our Sun, with most of its mass hidden as dark matter. The cluster is the site of two galaxy clusters colliding, similar to the Bullet Cluster, with normal matter separated from dark matter during the collision. The location of the dark matter is mapped out in this composite in blue. (Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Jee (Univ. of California, Davis), J. Hughes (Rutgers Univ.), F. Menanteau (Rutgers Univ. & Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), C. Sifon (Leiden Obs.), R. Mandelbum (Carnegie Mellon Univ.), L. Barrientos (Univ. Catolica de Chile), and K. Ng (Univ. of California, Davis))

The significance of this research is underscored by recent observations of galaxy cluster collisions, such as those involving the MACS J0018.5+1626 complex. These collisions, among the most energetic phenomena since the Big Bang, reveal that dark matter behaves like a cosmic phantom, passing through the wreckage unscathed. This decoupling of dark matter from normal matter provides crucial insights into its elusive nature.

Hidden Mars: Gravity Analysis Sheds Light on Lost Ocean and Rising Volcano

Studies of gravity variations on Mars have revealed dense, large-scale structures hidden beneath the sediment layers of a lost ocean. This analysis, combining models and data from multiple missions, also indicates that active processes in the Martian mantle may be elevating Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the Solar System. Researchers from Delft University of Technology and Utrecht University used satellite orbit deviations to investigate Mars’ gravity field, uncovering features in the northern polar plains and the Tharsis volcanic region. The study suggests that a massive plume of magma, over a thousand miles across, is slowly rising beneath the Tharsis region, potentially causing Olympus Mons to rise. These findings, presented at the Europlanet Science Congress, offer new insights into Mars’ geological history and internal dynamics.

Gravity map of Mars. The red circles show prominent volcanoes on Mars and the black circles show impact crates with a diameter larger than a few 100 km. A gravity high signal is located in the volcanic Tharsis Region (the red area in the centre right of the image), which is surrounded by a ring of negative gravity anomaly (shown in blue). (Credit: Root et al.)

GOVERNANCE

 

SpaceX is currently embroiled in a regulatory dispute with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over alleged launch license violations. The FAA has proposed fines totaling $633,009 for SpaceX’s failure to comply with safety regulations during two launches in 2023. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has responded by announcing plans to sue the FAA for what he describes as “regulatory overreach” and has sent a letter to Congress criticizing the FAA’s slow response times and systemic challenges2 .

Meanwhile, the tension between SpaceX’s rapid advancements into space and the regulatory and scientific communities’ efforts to ensure safety and minimize environmental impact grew further. SpaceX’s new Starlink V2 Mini satellites have raised concerns among astronomers due to their significant radio noise emissions. These satellites produce 32 times more radio noise than their predecessors, potentially interfering with sensitive radio astronomy observations. Researchers at the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) in the Netherlands have reported that the increased radio noise from these satellites could hinder the detection of faint signals from distant astronomical objects.

FCC Faces Pressure Over Megaconstellations and Orbital Debris As Researchers Apply Amazon and FedEx Logistics to Space And Aerospace Corporation Researches Reentry

The growing complexity of space operations indicates the urgent need for robust regulatory and management frameworks to ensure the sustainability and safety of space activities. In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is facing increasing pressure to address the environmental impacts of rising megaconstellations, as a Supreme Court ruling has cast doubt on its authority to mitigate orbital debris risks. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) has launched a petition to pause low-Earth orbit satellite internet launches until the FCC reviews their environmental impact. This comes amid growing concerns about the sustainability of space operations and the need for comprehensive regulatory frameworks.

Meanwhile, the Aerospace Corporation is advancing research on the mechanics and impacts of spacecraft reentry. With the increasing number of global launches, there is heightened anxiety about the reentry of defunct space hardware. The lack of a coordinated effort to manage reentry in the United States emphasizes the need for consistent funding and interdisciplinary collaboration. In parallel, lessons from logistics giants like Amazon and FedEx are being applied to the management of complex satellite and spacecraft operations. Researchers are exploring how these companies’ strategies for managing large fleets and coordinating operations can inform space mission design. This approach aims to enhance the efficiency and reliability of space missions, particularly those involving multiple satellites working together.

SpaceX’s Starshield Raises Concerns Among Earth Observation Companies

Earth observation companies are closely monitoring SpaceX’s Starshield program, which is designed for national security applications. Starshield, an extension of the Starlink satellite network, has raised concerns within the industry due to its potential to disrupt the market, similar to the impact of Starlink on satellite communications. In late 2022, SpaceX introduced the Starshield program, a national security-focused version of its Starlink satellites. Starshield includes Earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads, aiming to launch satellites with sensing capabilities and deliver processed data directly to users.

The geospatial industry, with $6.6 billion in 2023 revenue, is worried about Starshield’s impact, especially since two-thirds of its revenue comes from defense customers. Executives like Eric Even of Airbus Defence and Space and Paolo Minciacchi of Telespazio have noted the difficulty of competing with SpaceX’s resources and government support. Minciacchi urged financial backing from other countries to maintain competitive sovereign systems.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 on June 28 launched the NROL-186 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. (Credit: SpaceX)

Despite these concerns, some industry leaders see potential benefits in collaborating with SpaceX. Minda Suchan, vice president of geointelligence at MDA Space, suggested that bringing more players into the market could help foster growth and innovation. This sentiment reflects a broader trend in the space industry, where collaboration and competition often coexist to drive advancements and address shared challenges. Read more on the story at SpaceNews.

MILITARY

 

U.S. Military Invests Over $140 Million in Space Tech: Capella Space, Astranis, Northrop Grumman, Ursa Major, and Samara Aerospace Lead the Charge

The U.S. military and its associated branches have recently made significant investments in space technology, signaling a robust commitment to advancing capabilities in satellite communications, propulsion, and radar imaging. Capella Space, based in San Francisco, California, secured a $15 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to enhance its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology. SAR is a form of radar that creates high-resolution images by using the motion of the radar antenna over a target region, allowing it to penetrate clouds and work in darkness. This upgrade will improve resolution and dual-polarization capabilities, enhancing military applications such as defense and disaster response.

Capella’s vessel classification product image. (Credit: Capella Space)

Capella's long dwell spotlight generates this visualization of Black Rock City during the Burning Man event in 2022, by color coding different sub-apertures. (Credit: Capella Space)

In parallel, the U.S. Space Force awarded $45 million to the University of Michigan and Rochester Institute of Technology for propulsion and power research. This initiative is part of the Space Force’s University Consortium, which seeks to foster academic research aligned with strategic military needs. The research will focus on developing advanced propulsion systems and power technologies that could be pivotal for future space missions.

Astranis, a satellite communications startup based in San Francisco, California, received a $13.2 million contract to integrate military Ka-band frequency compatibility into its Omega satellites. This enhancement will support high-capacity communications for the Department of Defense, ensuring reliable and secure data transmission. Similarly, Northrop Grumman, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, was awarded $54.7 million, in a three-year contract as part of the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI), to develop multi-band, high-throughput satellite communications antennas for military aircraft. These antennas are expected to enhance the connectivity and operational efficiency of military aircraft in various theaters of operation.

Further emphasizing propulsion advancements, Ursa Major, based in Berthoud, Colorado, secured $12.5 million to develop solid rocket motors. This funding, matched by the company, aims to diversify the supplier base for tactical solid rocket motors, which are crucial for a range of military applications. Lastly, Samara Aerospace, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, won a $1.25 million SpaceWERX contract to improve satellite pointing accuracy using innovative piezoelectric actuators. This technology is expected to enhance the precision and reliability of satellite operations.

These investments highlight a strategic effort to boost U.S. military space capabilities, ensuring technological superiority in a contested domain. The focus on radar imaging, propulsion, and satellite communications underscores a comprehensive approach to maintaining and advancing the military’s edge in space technology.

French Armament Agency and Private Partners Launch Advanced Space Surveillance Program

France has launched a new low-Earth orbit (LEO) space surveillance program, Toutatis, in collaboration with U-space and MBDA. U-space, based in France, specializes in drone traffic management, while MBDA, headquartered in Le Plessis-Robinson, France, is a multinational developer and manufacturer of missiles. The initiative aims to enhance spacecraft detection, characterization, and targeting capabilities.

This move is part of a broader strategy by the French armament agency, DGA (Direction générale de l’armement), which is responsible for equipping the French military with advanced technology. The DGA emphasizes the need for improved situational awareness in space to address growing threats and ensure national security. Ream more on this story at SpaceNews.

China Strengthens its Global Navigation System with Latest Launch as U.S. War Simulation Exposes Taiwan’s Vulnerabilities Against Chinese Attacks

China has successfully launched the final pair of backup satellites for its Beidou navigation system, marking a significant milestone in its global navigation satellite system (GNSS) development. These satellites, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, will enhance the system’s reliability and support future upgrades. The Beidou system, which now includes 60 satellites, is designed to provide global positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services, rivaling the U.S. GPS. The launch comes in the wake of a recent GAO report that has highlighted technical challenges faced by the U.S. Space Force in developing next-gen GPS satellites and ground systems. The new satellites will also conduct experiments for the next-generation Beidou-4 system, which aims to address technical challenges such as weak signals and interference.

A Long March 3B lifts off from Xichang carrying the 59th and 60th Beidou navigation satellites into orbit, Sept. 19 (UTC), 2024. (Credit: CASC)

The launch also comes at a time when a recent war game highlighted the potential for Chinese attacks on communications to paralyze Taiwan. The simulation, conducted by the U.S.-based Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, revealed vulnerabilities in Taiwan’s undersea cables, microwave, cellular, and satellite communications. The exercise illustrated that China possesses the capability to incapacitate these essential infrastructures, thereby achieving a "smokeless" victory over Taiwan. The war game, which simulated a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan in 2026, was run 24 times by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The scenarios revealed that while the U.S., Taiwan, and Japan could potentially defeat the invasion, the cost would be enormous. The U.S. and its allies would suffer significant losses, including hundreds of aircraft, dozens of ships, and tens of thousands of servicemembers. Taiwan’s economy would be devastated, and the high losses would damage the U.S. global position for many years. The simulation highlighted the need for immediate strengthening of deterrence measures to avoid such a conflict. Read more about the war game at SpaceNews.

U.S. Space Force Embraces Non-Traditional Solutions to Enhance Space Surveillance

The U.S. Space Force is actively pursuing innovative solutions to enhance its space surveillance capabilities amidst growing orbital congestion and potential threats. At the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference, Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant emphasized the need for improved “space domain awareness” and highlighted the exploration of commercial partnerships and international collaborations. Non-traditional solutions include the Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) program, which showed rapid satellite deployment via the Victus Nox mission, and the Space Domain Awareness Tactical Applications Proving Lab (SDA Tap Lab), which develops AI to detect unusual space object behavior. Additionally, the Space Force is working on the Allied Exchange Environment (AXE) for real-time data sharing with allies.

In a related development, Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, endorsed the Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking (TacSRT) program, which utilizes commercial satellite imagery and data analytics to support military operations. The program has demonstrated impressive results, particularly during the U.S. troop withdrawal from Niger, by providing timely and actionable intelligence. TacSRT operates as an online marketplace where commercial vendors bid for task orders, delivering data-driven insights rather than just imagery.

COMMERCIAL

 

EXIM Bank’s Space Project Commitments Surge to $9.5 Billion in One Year

The U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) has significantly increased its support for space-related projects, with its pipeline more than doubling to $9.5 billion in the past year. An independent Executive Branch agency with a mission to support American jobs by facilitating the export of U.S. goods and services, EXIM provides financial assistance to U.S. exporters when private sector lenders are unable or unwilling. According to the agency, it is actively underwriting $800 million worth of space transactions. This surge in activity follows the bank’s reopening in 2019 after a four-year hiatus.

EXIM’s current projects include a mix of satellite initiatives, such as Earth observation and internet constellations across geostationary and non-geostationary orbits. The bank’s domestic finance initiative, approved last year, allows it to provide loans for U.S.-based factories producing exportable goods. This policy has already supported four projects, including those building satellite antennas for global distribution.

Neo Space Group Leads Saudi Arabia’s Ambitious Space Industry Transformation

Saudi Arabia is making significant strides in transforming its space industry, driven by its sovereign wealth fund-backed Neo Space Group (NSG). NSG aims to lease multi-orbit capacity to strengthen its foothold in the satellite market, with plans to eventually own and operate its own constellation. Created by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) in May, NSG focuses on communications, geospatial services, navigation, and IoT monitoring. The Saudi Space Agency and the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) are also playing crucial roles in regulating and advancing the nation’s space activities.

NSG is set to take over the commercial activities of Saudi Geo Satellite 1 (SGS-1), a dual payload geostationary satellite, and expand its geospatial services through the acquisition of Earth imagery analytics provider Taqnia Space. Additionally, NSG plans to establish a satellite and space-focused venture capital fund for early-stage investments. These initiatives are part of Saudi Arabia’s broader strategy to diversify its economy from oil and become a major player in the global satellite sector. Read more on this at SpaceNews.

GalaxEye’s Multi-Sensor Satellite Gains Infosys Backing

Infosys, the India-based IT company has announced a $2 million investment in Indian Earth-observation startup GalaxEye Space, aiming to enhance satellite data fusion and AI-driven analytics. GalaxEye, founded by students from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, plans to launch the world’s first multi-sensor Earth-observation satellite in 2025, equipped with synthetic aperture radar and multispectral sensors. This investment underscores the growing interest in leveraging advanced space technologies for various applications, including military surveillance and environmental monitoring.

German Space Agency Taps Planet Labs for Advanced Earth-Observation Services

Planet Labs Germany GmbH has signed a three-year contract with the German Space Agency (DLR) to provide Earth-observation data and services. This agreement grants DLR and German researchers access to PlanetScope products, offering near-daily imagery of Earth’s landmass at approximately three-meter resolution, as well as an extensive archive of data dating back to 2016. Additionally, the contract includes access to Planet’s RapidEye imagery archive over Germany, which has been collected since 2009. This partnership aims to advance research in climate, security, and global economic understanding through enhanced data analysis and timely inputs.

Shenzhen, in China’s Pearl River Delta, grew tremendously during the life of the RapidEye constellation. This image pair, from May 1, 2009 and November 5, 2019, shows the transformation of the area around Qianhai Bay. (Credit: Planet Labs)

SPOTLIGHT

 

Tracking Microscopic Primordial Black Holes Through Our Solar System

Recent studies have brought renewed focus on the potential role of primordial black holes in explaining dark matter, a long-standing enigma in astrophysics. Primordial black holes are hypothetical black holes that formed in the early universe, just a fraction of a second after the Big Bang, widely varying in size and mass, ranging from subatomic particles to several hundred kilometers. Researchers suggest that some of these microscopic black holes, could be passing through our solar system at least once per decade. These black holes, significantly smaller than atoms but with the mass of an asteroid, might cause detectable gravitational distortions as they traverse the solar system.

A study by MIT physicists proposes that such primordial black holes could induce a slight wobble in Mars’ orbit, a phenomenon that could be measured with current technology. This wobble, albeit minuscule, could provide crucial evidence supporting the hypothesis that dark matter consists of these ancient black holes. The precision with which we can track Mars’ orbit, down to about 10 centimeters, makes this a viable method for detecting these elusive objects.

This artist's concept takes a fanciful approach to imagining small primordial black holes. In reality, such tiny black holes would have a difficult time forming the accretion disks that make them visible here. (Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)

A diagram explaining how the universe would evolve with the presence of primordial black holes. (Credit: ESA)

Furthermore, the concept of “black hole bullets”—primordial black holes traveling at extreme velocities—adds another layer to this intriguing narrative. These high-speed objects could be responsible for the subtle perturbations observed in planetary orbits, offering a novel approach to studying dark matter. As scientists continue to refine their methods and gather data, the quest to unravel the mysteries of dark matter and the role of primordial black holes remains a captivating frontier in space research.

 

Despatch Out. 👽🛸