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Today, we may be living in a period that may eventually be called the beginning of the era of space exploration. Space company after space is working to make satellite launches more affordable, stations are built on the moon, and dreams of colonizing Mars no longer sound like science fiction. Of course, we cannot yet claim to have understood space, but it appears that humanity is approaching a very important stage in its development. Of course, our current astronomical results didn’t happen overnight. So, let’s take a look at the most important astronomical discoveries that made it all possible.
Detection of gravitational waves
The detection of gravitational waves is one of the recent discoveries in astronomy, even if the theory behind it is not new. Albert Einstein proposed that the acceleration of objects with sufficient mass can produce gravitational waves in 1916. However, no one has been able to detect the waves and prove that this theory is valid for another century. Finally, in 2015, the US observatory LIGO suffered an aftershock after the collision of two black holes.
Taking pictures of black holes
Speaking of black holes, astronomers were able to take high-quality photos of a black hole in the galaxy of Messier 87, making a groundbreaking discovery in astronomy. The images also demonstrate Einstein’s theory of gravitational waves, as we can now clearly see how light bends around black holes.
Stars moving around black holes
This significant discovery in astronomy earned astronomers a Nobel Prize in 2020. A supermassive black hole has been discovered in our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The stars orbiting this huge hole create a brilliant disc of light around this lurking monster.
Universe accelerating
Another example of new astronomical discoveries that led to the Nobel Prize for his research teams. Two teams were working separately on the same project, using telescopes to monitor the expansion rate of the universe. In 2011, the researchers won a Nobel Prize in Physics when they collected the necessary data.
Planet found in a habitable zone
With the help of telescopes, astronomers have found evidence of a new planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, a star close to Earth. They believe this planet is orbiting its star at a habitable distance. It also appears that the planet’s temperature implies the existence of liquid water on its surface, which is the source of life as we know it. This is one of the most important discoveries in astronomy because it suggests a possibility of life outside the solar system.
Revealing thousands of more distant exoplanets
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Although Proxima Centauri and its exoplanet are one of the greatest astronomical discoveries, the Kepler telescope has taken another 2,700 shots of other exoplanets located further from Earth. It took less than ten years, from 2009 to 2018, while Kepler was wandering through space. Interestingly, Kepler is a much cheaper technology than Hubble, and no one expected this telescope to work that long. Originally, astronomers believed that Kepler would only last about two years.
Improve astronomical observations and measurements
In 2013, the European Space Agency launched Gaia, a new spacecraft that has already collected information on billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy. These data ensured a deeper understanding of our galaxy, the distance between the stars and their temperature. As a result, we now see the cosmos differently.
Fly farther than you’ve ever dared before
In 2012, the NASA spacecraft pierced the veil between the sun and interstellar space for the first time. While not exactly an astronomical discovery alone, this technology has nonetheless uncovered a lot of data on distant stars. Also, as interstellar paths run in both directions, astronomers have begun to receive data and objects from distant stars. In 2017, they detected Oumuamua, an object formed in another star system but clearly passing through ours.
Exploring the most remote corners of our solar system
Despite all the surprising data, we still had little understanding of our solar system. Starting in 2015, the situation began to change when the NASA spacecraft made a visit to Pluto. For the first time, astronomers have obtained detailed images of the surface of this planet. Pluto looked much more diverse than scientists dared to assume at first.
Later in 2019, the same probe detected Arrokoth’s frozen body, something that has existed since our solar system was very young. Even in early 2011, NASA’s space probe explored asteroid belts and obtained images of dwarf planets a little closer to home.
With such amazing astronomical discoveries, it’s no wonder that more and more companies are eager to enter space. With rapidly evolving space technology and new discoveries made every year, we may be at the beginning of humanity’s most exciting journey.
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