It’s always exciting when new things happen in space, and because of technological advancements, man is witness to these discoveries firsthand. That’s held true for recent events, and we have much to look forward to in the near future, and by that, we mean the very near future. This week, we might finally see an actual image of one of the most startling and perplexing things in the universe: a black hole. That’s not the end of it, of course, as we’ve got more signs that there might be life on Mars.
There’s seemingly no end to just how much we can keep discovering things in the universe, and with each new discovery, we’re getting closer to finding out more truths about everything around us and their origins. Here are some of the space advancements that have got us all excited and hyped up for the future:
We’re About To See A Black Hole
That’s right! After decades of trying to imagine what black holes might actually look like, we’re about to get our first realistic view of the elusive space phenomenon. And this isn’t some ordinary black hole either, but the supermassive one that’s found in the center of the galaxy. Up until now, we’ve only got artists’ impressions of what black holes might be like up close. Of course, it’s impossible to just snap a picture of them with a regular camera because not even light can escape the tremendous gravity that they possess, but for the first time, we’re about to capture an image of one after years and years of struggling with the concept. The official release date of the said image is April 10, and everyone around the world will get a chance to view the image with their very eyes. This black hole is millions of times bigger than our sun at the very least, and nothing can escape from it – we’re very lucky that there’s so much distance between us and that monstrosity of nature. These visual reveals will help scientists gain a greater understanding of black holes, and we might even hear if it’s really possible to use black holes as portals which is a pretty popular theory.
Methane On The Red Planet
Methane is an organic gaseous material that can’t last naturally for long. That’s the only clue we needed to figure out that everything isn’t normal on Mars since we keep seeing new amounts of methane on the planet. This either means that some organic life forms (like cows) keep releasing the gas or there are reserves of the material underground that keep being released on their own. The fact that we’ve also learned that Mars has lots of water underground just seems to strengthen the thought that there might be something alive on that planet, and the fact that we keep getting new releases of methane is extremely exciting due to this reason.
Japan Just Bombed An Asteroid
The aim, of course, was to find out more about the universe, although we wouldn’t have blamed them if they were just having a bit of fun. Japan’s space agency managed to damage an asteroid with a relatively small bomb, and the aim of the entire operation is to find out our Solar System’s history, including its origin. Now that there’s a crater on the surface of the asteroid, Japanese scientists are free to go and explore it for signs of water or other substances that might hold clues as to how the solar system came to being, along with anything else they might find out. It’s a bold way to do things, but we’re pretty glad that JAXA, the Japanese space agency, went ahead with this ambitious plan of theirs.
Stay tuned for more news on each of these advancements! We have no idea what to expect from the picture of a black hole since it’s pretty much beyond our imaginations and history, but we’re hoping it’s going to be something that’ll blow our minds away. If there’s life on Mars, things could get extremely exciting, especially as there’s a mission to the Red Planet planned in the next decade. Meanwhile, we’re going to have to continue our daily lives with our hopes up for further discoveries!