Sometimes,anthony bourdain cause of death auto-eroticism mistakes in telescope observations can lead to accidental discoveries.
That's what happened recently when scientists tried to use the new James Webb Space Telescope — an observatory run by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency — to look at a known space rock in the main asteroid belt. Instead, they found a new asteroid, thought to be the smallest object Webb has detected so far.
"Our results show that even 'failed' Webb observations can be scientifically useful, if you have the right mindset and a little bit of luck," said Thomas Müller, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany, in a statement.
The finding demonstrates the telescope's exceptional sensitivity at seeing the cosmos at infrared wavelengths. The researchers were able to spot the tiny 300 to 650-foot photobomber — about the size of a flying football field — from more than 72 million miles away. If the asteroid is confirmed, it could mean the telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument will be a handy tool for astronomers to hunt for other small asteroids in the future, something it wasn't specifically designed to do.
SEE ALSO: The green comet will zip out of the sky soon. You can still see it.This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The results were published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysicsthis week, and they will likely lead to future dedicated studies using the telescope to observe asteroids less than a half-mile wide.
But when NASA helped break the news of the discovery Monday, some people were confused and disappointed that the agency didn't showcase a photo of the asteroid itself, rather than an illustration.
Want more scienceand tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newslettertoday.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
"This was a lucky, unexpected detection of a very tiny, faint dot of light from images originally designed for a different purpose," NASA said on Twitter. "It was difficult to make that dot clearly visible against the extreme background noise of the imagery."
Millions of space rocks orbit the sun. The majority are in the main asteroid belt, a doughnut-shaped region between Mars and Jupiter. So-called "small asteroids," though, on par with this one, haven't been studied as much simply because they're harder to detect.
Most asteroids in the solar system are found in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. Credit: NASA / McREL The main belt sits roughly on the same imaginary plane as Earth's orbit around the sun. The team's measurements were some of the first used on the telescope targeting this shared plane. Scientists speculate that even short Webb observations close to this plane will always include a few asteroids, most of which will be previously unknown objects.
Astronomers want to study asteroids of all sizes to better understand how the solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago. Many scientists focus their research on developing computer models to simulate how this space neighborhood came to be. More data from newly-discovered asteroids could improve their models and help discern how the solar system evolved over time.
"Repeats of these observations are in the process of being scheduled," said Bryan Holler, a Webb scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, in a statement. "We are fully expecting new asteroid interlopers in those images."
10 Members of 2018 JA Leadership Delegation to Japan Announced
Venmo does away with global transactions feed in app update
Tesla wants customers to pay a $200 monthly fee for Full Self
Dev Patel dazzles in David Lowery's captivating 'The Green Knight'
Shinnen Enkai at LBJCC
Finally, now you can pay for Tumblr posts with Tumblr Post+
The U.S. and allies formally accuse China of cyber espionage
'The White Lotus' is a captivating comedy of social violence
JANM to Display Eaton Collection as ‘Contested Histories’
Clubhouse is finally open to everyone
Results for API Candidates in OC School Board Races
First look at Mars's interior reveals a different picture than Earth
Finally, now you can pay for Tumblr posts with Tumblr Post+
'The Office' stars share the story behind the famous Michael screaming meme
OBITUARY: Yosh Kuromiya, 95; Wartime Draft Resister
How and when to watch LeVar Burton host 'Jeopardy!'
'The Office' stars share the story behind the famous Michael screaming meme
Jeff Bezos said the quiet part out loud: 'You guys paid for all this'
Everything But Their Spirit
11 best tweets of the week, including Olivia Rodrigo, Wade Boggs, and 'Boss Baby'
JACL, CAPAC Oppose Expanded Incarceration of Children at Fort SillTerasaki Budokan Mural Meeting on June 4Navy to Christen GuidedLittle Tokyo Reception for Candidate PerryLittle Tokyo Reception for Candidate PerryNational Merit $2,500 Scholarship Winners NamedGo For Broke Exhibit Highlights JA Women in MilitaryArtwork Reunites JA Community of MonroviaJACL, CAPAC Oppose Expanded Incarceration of Children at Fort SillMuratsuchi Bill Would Adopt Scooter Safety Rules Zircuit, New Zk Rollup Backed by Pioneering L2 Research Launches Public Testnet Manta Exchange Secures Major Funding With Abcde Labs and Etc. Future3 Campus and TON Foundation Announce Bootcamp for Mini Defying Gravity Injective Chooses Kava Native USDT for its Perps Trading Get Crafty at GVJCI’s Kansha Show Memeinator Soars Past $1M Raise in Under 4 Weeks The Leading Risk Summit for WEB3 Wirex Joins Forces With Cenit Finance to Boost Wxt Tokenomics Socrates Launches Entertainment Platform for Web3 Users
0.1409s , 10040.875 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【anthony bourdain cause of death auto-eroticism】Enter to watch online.Webb telescope just made a surprising discovery because of a mistake,Global Perspective Monitoring
