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Launched in January 2006, the New Horizons probe continues, even at 10.3 billion kilometers from Earth, bringing important information: a group of NASA researchers recently published a work in which, through images of the distant probe, they can determine whether the outside space is really dark.
The question, which has intrigued scientists for decades, was investigated in a study by astronomer Tod Lauer and other NASA researchers responsible for the New Horizons mission, which currently travels far beyond the dwarf planet Pluto.
Indeed, New Horizons’ original mission was to explore the planet furthest from our Solar System, but after flying over it in July 2015, the spacecraft simply continued its journey to the edge of space. Currently, it is 50 times further from the Sun than Earth, and it was this distance from the main source of light in the Solar System that spurred the new research.
In total darkness
The location of New Horizons today moves it away from major sources of light contamination that could prevent the detection of any kind of light signal from the universe itself. In our inner solar system, for example, space is filled with dust particles that naturally reflect sunlight, creating a diffuse glow that spreads across the sky.
Since there are no signs of cosmic dust or sunlight in New Horizons’ location, which is very faint, the researchers analyzed images captured by the telescope and simple probe camera, and of course what they were able to do. getting were totally photos. monotonous and boring.
The astronomers then processed the images, removing all known visible light sources. However, even by removing the light from the stars, plus the scattered light from the Milky Way and any interference from the camera, scientists continued to perceive light from a place beyond our galaxy.
Where does this light come from?
According to Lauer, there is still no fully concrete answer as to what is the source of so much light in space. He says there may be many more galaxies with smaller and fainter dwarfs on the “periphery” of the systems we know. Or perhaps the amount of dust is greater than expected.
A stranger explanation could be the existence of some still unknown phenomenon in the universe that creates visible light. It could also be something related to dark matter, an alleged form of matter that exerts gravitational attraction but has never been seen.
For Marc Postman, co-author of the study, “the components that emit light are something that would give us a good sense and understanding of why that light exists.” And that’s what the new study can provide, as New Horizons’ location will allow new measurements to be made in a place in outer space that is totally “clean”.
Until then, Postman admits, space will remain dark anyway.
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