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https://www.space.com/milky-way-satellite-dwarf-galaxies-found
https://academic.oup.com/pasj/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/pasj/psae044/7690019
Scientists finally found 2 of the Milky Way's missing satellite galaxies. What could this mean for astronomy?
July 2, 2024
Astronomers have discovered two new satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, and these findings could help us better understand dark matter — the mysterious stuff that accounts for around 85% of the matter in the universe yet remains effectively invisible to us.
The discoveries also move scientists a step closer to solving a lingering problem with the standard model of cosmology, or the "lambda cold matter model," also known as "ΛCDM," in which the word "cold" assumes dark matter is composed of particles moving slower than the speed of light.
The newly found small gatherings of stars have been designated Sextans II and Virgo III. They join the around 60 known dwarf galaxies that swarm around our much larger home spiral galaxy at maximum distances of 1.4 million light-years.
The most famous and largest of these dwarf galaxy satellites of the Milky Way are the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC).
"How many satellite galaxies does the Milky Way have? This has been an important question for astronomers for decades," team leader Masahi Chiba, a professor at Tohoku University, said in a statement.
Many tiny dwarf galaxy satellites of the Milky Way remain undiscovered due to their distant and faint nature, but Chiba and colleagues were determined to start finding these elusive objects. So, they turned to the Subaru telescope.
This powerful ground telescope, located near the summit of Maunakea, Hawaii, is well-suited to hunting dwarf galaxies, and the same team had previously used it to detect three new satellites of the Milky Way.
Dark matter is a lingering cosmological problem because it neither interacts with light nor the ordinary matter that composes stars, planets, moons and us. And, well, if it does interact with those things, those interactions are far too weak for us to notice.
That means dark matter could be composed of particles that are currently undiscovered, though there are potential explanations that don't require extensions to particle physics.
For instance, scientists have explored the idea that dark matter could be made of tiny primordial black holes left over from just after the Big Bang.
However, dark matter indeed interacts with gravity, which can influence the motion and dynamics of light and everyday matter.
This has allowed scientists to infer the presence of dark matter, and eventually determine that large galaxies are surrounded by vast haloes of this mysterious substance.
Those halos, it's believed, extend far beyond galactic disks and halos of visible matter.
The ΛCDM predicts that these dark matter halos have played a significant role in the evolution of galaxies. In the early universe, they formed gravitational wells into which the gas and dust that formed stars within galaxies were drawn.
Eventually, these halos also drew together, forming large galaxies like the Milky Way. This model also suggests there should really be hundreds of satellite galaxies around the Milky Way and other major galaxies.
For instance, simulations using ΛCDM predict that our neighboring galaxy, Andromeda, should be surrounded by around 500 satellite galaxies. Yet, astronomers have seen just 39 dwarf galaxies swirling around Andromeda.
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For the Milky Way, some simulations based upon the standard model of cosmology indicate that our galaxy should be orbited by about 220 dwarf galaxies, yet scientists can't figure out where they all are.
The discovery of Sextans II and Virgo III helps to redress that balance. Still, results spinning out of these findings could present cosmologists with the opposite problem they were facing before this.
Though the number of Milky Way galaxies identified is still well below the predicted 220 dwarf galaxies, the team behind this research took into account the fact that the Subaru can't see the entirety of the night sky over Earth.
They combined the distribution of dwarf galaxies Subaru has been able to see with its night-sky "footprint" to calculate an estimate for how many satellites should, in reality, surround our galaxy.
This led to the calculation that 500 galaxies surround the Milky Way — over double the amount predicted by simulations based on the ΛCDM.
So, have scientists gone from a "not enough dwarf galaxies problem" to a "too many dwarf galaxies" problem?
Maybe not. Recently, amateur astronomer Giuseppe Donatiello discovered five new satellite galaxies around the Sculptor galaxy, officially known as NGC 253.
When he and a team of astronomers looked at the distribution of satellite galaxies around the sculptor galaxy, including three previously found by Donatiello himself, they found that the distribution of these galaxies, which sit around 11.5 million light-years away from Earth, was uneven.
In other words, the tiny galaxies seemed to have a "favored direction," with more galaxies lying to one side of the Sculptor galaxy than the other.
If there is also a favored direction to dwarf galaxies around the Milky Way and the Suburu telescope happened to be looking this way, then the estimates based on Subaru's observations would be inflated.
The team behind these Milky Way dwarf galaxy findings now intends to further investigate the actual number of satellite galaxies surrounding us with yet another ground telescope.
"The next step is to use a more powerful telescope that captures a wider view of the sky," Chiba concluded. "Next year, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile will be used to fulfill that purpose. I hope that many new satellite galaxies will be discovered."
The team's results were published on June 8 in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan.
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SpaceX Starlink Mission
On Wednesday, July 3 at 4:55 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched 20 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
This was the 16th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched SES-22, ispace's HAKUTO-R MISSION 1, Amazonas-6, CRS-27, Bandwagon-1, and now 11 Starlink missions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-8-9
NASA Astronauts Send 4th of July Wishes From the International Space Station
Jul 3, 2024
NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Matt Dominick, Tracy C. Dyson, Jeanette Epps, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams share a 4th of July message and extend their best wishes to those back on Earth in a video recorded on June 28, 2024.
The crew members are currently living and working aboard the International Space Station.
Their missions aim to advance scientific knowledge and test new technologies for future human and robotic missions to the Moon and Mars, including NASA's Artemis lunar missions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijkkPoXQukY
USSF leadership highlights military women’s challenges, opportunities
July 2, 2024
Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna and Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, deputy chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber and Nuclear, delivered remarks at the Joint Women's Leadership Symposium in Arlington, Virginia, June 26 and 27.
The symposium, one of the largest gatherings of military women, provides an opportunity for service members to meet, share practices on leadership and find mentors.
Likewise, the gathering offers a platform for discussing challenges that affect female service members and ways to improve quality of life opportunities for the department’s most valuable resource – people.
“Events like these present unrivalled opportunities for connection, mentorship and inspiration,” Burt said. “They allow us to dive into topics impacting service women today and further our development as leaders.”
Burt highlighted women's contributions to military history, detailing their involvement from the American Revolutionary War to the present.
She described the evolution of women's roles in the military, noting significant milestones including the Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 and the repeal of the combat exclusion policy in 2013.
“Over the past few decades, we've seen an increase in policies and initiatives aimed at enhancing opportunities for women in the military,” Burt said.
“We've seen barriers broken down to create a more equitable environment where women can thrive.”
Burt also emphasized the importance of mentorship and support networks for female service members, citing initiatives like the Department of the Air Force's Women’s Initiative Team, which works to identify and eliminate barriers to women’s service.
She continued by describing how as more women rise through the ranks and take on leadership roles, there is a matched increase in the presence of female mentors to guide and inspire the next generation of service women.
A key aspect of the JWLS focused on the role communication has played in making the Department of the Air Force team more ready, more resilient and more prepared for great power competition.
“Communication is crucial for strengthening our collective defense,” Bentivegna noted.
Bentivegna highlighted the Space Force establishment and its efforts to integrate into the broader military framework.
He underscored the importance of effective communication and collaboration across military branches and government agencies as key factors in enhancing operational capabilities and readiness in modern warfare.
Additionally, Bentivegna noted the significance of tailored training and professional development for Guardians to meet the demands of space-centric warfare.
Other speakers during the symposium included Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, Department of Defense Press Secretary and Gwendolyn DeFilippi, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
During the symposium, DeFilippi and Chief Master Sgt. Ashley Damm, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Force Management Integration, presented the Brigadier General Wilma Vaught Visionary Leadership Award to three Airmen.
The award recognizes service members and civilians who have exhibited innovation, commitment and a selfless spirit to others while inspiring and significantly improving the integration of and opportunities for women in the Air Force. Award recipients are:
Capt. Frances Y. Castillo (Officer category): Castillo’s work includes pushing for a Department of Defense policy that affords privacy for up to 20 weeks of pregnancy for 230K service women. Her blueprint for the policy change was published in a periodical with more than 50,000 readers.
Tech. Sgt. Krystle L. Hatter (Enlisted category): Through innovative use of a 3D scanner, Hatter captured data for the Department of the Air Force’s first anthropometric study to incorporate women. This study improved equipment fit for over 4,000 aviators.
Mr. John D. Mata (Civilian category): Mata produced key data on physical training, nutrition, and injury-risk that informed gender integration policy for the Special Warfare Training Wing. His research highlighted strategies for female service members to leverage biological advantages to achieve peak performance throughout their military careers.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3825326/ussf-leadership-highlights-military-womens-challenges-opportunities/
A UFO Was Pulled Over On An Oklahoma Highway
July 3, 2024
Oklahoma law enforcement are used to all kinds of strange phenomena. But recently, an Oklahoma Highway Patrolman pulled over a UFO on one of Oklahoma's highways.
It's not every day that you see a spaceship flying down the highway. If you do see one, it's expectedly zooming through the sky. But now you can't say seeing one driving on the ground is impossible!
According to a Facebook post from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, a highway patrolman pulled over a UFO on the Turner Turnpike for an obstructed tag.
The couple was driving their spaceship to America's alien motherland - Roswell, New Mexico - for a UFO festival.
The spaceship may have really had an obstructed tag, but, like all of us, we think the trooper was just curious about the spaceship.
Several videos of the spaceship on Oklahoma highways cropped up on social media on Tuesday, July 2. Everyone was amazed and curious as to what it was!
Even the local news covered the phenomena. And it looks like the couple was let go with just a warning.
The story definitely gave everyone in Oklahoma something to smile about this week.
https://klaw.com/ufo-pulled-over-oklahoma/
https://www.facebook.com/LacieLowryNews9