Charm of the Universe

Probably there will be no person who hates the universe and, probably, there will be no person who do not get interested in space called the universe. On this blog until now, I have talked about famous and minor stories of the universe. Today, I think that I will write about the fun of the universe, a wonder of the universe and the wonderful powers which universe have.

The universe is too far, very mysterious, and is not the world where we are able to imagine easily. Simultaneously, thanks to the universe, all of the human beings exist and it is an indispensable existence. However, although the universe is an important existence for us, we hardly know about the universe. Research of the universe is done all over the world now. We still do not know. It is the proof that the universe is too widely. However, much research will be done in the future from now on. The thing in the universe is very interesting and shows various figures by the method of the approach research. The universe has various expressions. And the universe is a size of an unfathomable and is continuing spreading. A lot of people all over the world are interested in the universe. Probably they have been charmed by the figure of such the universe. I am also the one person.

The universe is very grandeur and there are a lot of dreams. I think that people from a small child to an old person get interested the universe equally wholly and they have hope in the universe. Furthermore, in a star, no matter how rich you are and no matter how poor you are, everyone can see a lot of stars if you look up at a night sky. A lot of beautiful stars can be equally seen wholly. So I think that the universe is what sets the world to one.

Moreover, probably there are people who try to forget a disagreeable thing and sad feeling when they see very beautiful night sky. Or probably, there are also people who share a delightful feeling with someone, looking at a night sky. There are various wonderful powers in the universe.

However, although there are　a lot of people who are interested in the universe, I often feel that most of their people think that "astronomy" is the far learning from them which it is difficult and cannot be absolutely studied by themselves. Astronomy is really difficult learning but the human beings do not exist without the universe so I want to think Astronomy is the most familiar learning.

        In 2010, a asteroid probe “Hayabusa” got the result. From that, a space boom comes and, in addition, the boom still continues today. I want the space boom to continue. And I come to want that people as many as possible come to look up at a night sky and want to study astronomy. By looking up at a beautiful night sky, I pray the hearts of people to become calm, to set the world to one and I pray that all the places in the world become peaceful.

My research

I was doing some researches from the　high school student. Then, I think that I will explain a few because I am often asked why I come to research.

I participated in the research training camp of in the summer of a first‐year student in high school. All began from this time.

I studied the planetary nebula at this training camp. A planetary nebula is the final stage of evolution of the fixed star of from small mass to medium mass. When the star of from small mass to medium mass evolves, it will become a red giant star and it will expand. Then, since an outer layer part has the weak gravity from a central star, it shakes the gravity off and flows into space. Although a central star carries out a nuclear fusion reaction, it becomes impossible to continue the reaction if surrounding gas flowed and it run out. Then, the star contract and becomes the white dwarf. And the gas which flowed into becomes a planetary nebula. I calculated the mass of a planetary nebula called the Cat's Eye Nebula, and investigated what the sun will be in the future by comparing it with solar mass. The junior session of Astronomical Society of Japan announced this result of research.

From this time, I began to get interested in the universe rapidly. Furthermore, I got to know the pleasure which tells many persons what I studied. From it, I wanted to know more various things and I wanted to research about various. Therefore, I have participated some research training camp and researched after it. For example, a comet, a supernova, etc. Moreover, I did a little unusual research. It is research of planning construction of a moon's surface astronomical observatory. That is, it is making missions.

Thus, taking advantage of experience of various researches, after going into a university, research is continued. Although I took about one year to study various researches when I was the high school student, I think that I will take a longer time to advance research from a university.

          Now, I am studying the planetary nebula. However, the details of research are different from what I did at the time of a high school student. A fixed star becomes a thing which is called a protoplanetary nebula before　it become a planetary nebula. There is little what has a spherical form of the protoplanet-like nebula, and it is almost the shape of dipole. But the planetary nebula which is a subsequent figure has much more nearly spherical form. That is, between a protoplanetary nebula and a planetary nebula, the ratio existing a spherical form and the shape of dipole is clearly different. Probably, when becoming a planetary nebula from a protoplanetary nebula, the form has changed. This is a very wonderful thing and this mystery has not actually been solved yet.　Moreover, although the mechanism of formation of a spherical planetary nebula is solved, the mechanism of formation of a planetary nebula shape of dipole is not solved. I am researching this mysteries because I want to know.

The extraterrestrial life object

I think that human beings have talked about the extraterrestrial life object taken up in topic since human beings were born and it began to have intelligence. First of all, what is an extraterrestrial life object? The answer is

it is a life which lives out of an earth's atmosphere. The way of speaking which we say well is an "alien." But the extraterrestrial life object doesn’t need to be a "person." Any lives will do.

The present human beings have big concern in the extraterrestrial life object. I want you to remember that there are the large numbers of movies dealing with it and news of such as extraterrestrial life object discovery all over the world. Then, probably, you can be convinced. If it is the movies, for example, there are “E.T.”, "predator" and so on. VTRs which photographed the image of UFO are often contributed to television in foreign countries.

Does an extraterrestrial life object actually exist?

First of all, I will talk about the possibility in the solar system.

It has been surmised in the past whether the life existed in other planets in the solar system from atmospheric composition, temperature, etc. However, we thought that any intelligent lives except an earthman cannot exist in the solar system as detailed observation progressed. But the conclusion is not reached about whether the primitive life occurred except the earth. Especially about Mars, because it was thought that it had water of a liquid and atmosphere once, the life may have occurred.

Mars explorer Viking 1 and 2 which NASA sent in the 1970s extracted the sample of Mars topsoil, and did the examination which checks whether the signs of a life activity are seen there. However, the result didn’t affirm existence of a life. Although Beagle 2 which Britain sent to Mars in 2003 was a lander aiming at the first search for life since a Viking, communication stopped after the atmosphere entry and this ended in failure.

Except Mars, Europa and Ganymede which are the satellites of Jupiter and Enceladus which is the satellite of Saturn, etc. attract attention. Although these heavenly bodies are mainly made of ice and rock, it is thought that the layer of the water of a liquid will exist underground. bacteria may be underwater. Moreover, Satellite Titan of Saturn is also mentioned to the candidate of the heavenly body in which a life exists because it has the thick atmosphere and hydrocarbon of a liquid exists in the surface.

The next is outside the solar system. I want you to know that the domain which is suitable environment for birth of life in the universe called a habitable zone exists in the universe. That is, in the planet which exists in this habitable zone, life objects may exist. Many planets are actually found in the habitable zone. For example, they are Gliese 581g, Gliese 581c, etc.

Finally I will express my opinion. I think that an extraterrestrial life object exists. I don’t think that an alien which surely comes out on a movie exists. But if it is bacteria, a microbe, etc., I think that existence is not amusing because the universe is very very grand and we don’t know most of the universe. The earth is below the point of the universe. It is next to impossible that earthman who lives on such the earth investigates whether an extraterrestrial life object exists in the universe. Supposing it is found, the life object will exist very near the earth. I think that an extraterrestrial life object exists in somewhere in universes, and want to exist.

space boom

On June 13, 2010, Hayabusa asteroid probe returned from the long and steep trip to the earth, and gave impression all over Japan. Although I was now a space maniac, I was not interested in the satellites until it saw the capsule of Hayabusa.

I think that I will talk proudly for a while. It was the Sagamihara campus of JAXA that the capsule of Hayabusa was carried to Japan and exhibited first. Then, I was just staying at the Sagamihara campus in the midst of the research training camp of JAXA. So I was No.1 in the person who looked at capsule except the Hayabusa team and reporters.

I got interested in Hayabusa and I wanted to get to know other the satellites from that time. That is, I am also one of the persons who were influenced by Hayabusa. There must be a large number of people who got interested in the universe from this time all over Japan like me. The return of Hayabusa had very big influence.

Although I think there are some person who already know, I will write about Hayabusa.

Hayabusa was launched with the M-V rocket of No. 5 in Uchinoura on May 9, 2003. It accelerated with the ion engine carried and conducted the swing-by with earth in May, 2004. This is the first in the world.

In September, 2005, Hayabusa photoed the asteroid "Itokawa" and sent the picture to the earth.

Although Hayabusa tried to land at Itokawa in November, it failed. Hayabusa received the damage by this landing, but the Hayabusa team decided to land once again through much talks. A result was successful. However, because a bullet was not discharged when it landed, we got no choice but to expect that the sample of Itokawa went into the capsule with the shock of landing.In practice, about 1500 particles were collected in the capsule returned.

Communication with Hayabusa haved stopped on November 28. However, we were able to receive the electric wave from Hayabusa on January 23, 2006. And Hayabusa continued flying aiming at the return to the earth.

And at last, Hayabusa rushed in the atmosphere on June 13, 2010, and the capsule landed in the Woomera desert in south Australia. Although the main part of Hayabusa has been burned out at the time of an atmosphere entry, the figure impressed people in the world.

Hayabusa returned three years later than the schedule through such many troubles. The Sample Return Project from an asteroid was internationally unparalleled. This result became what is accepted globally.

Although I wrote about Hayabusa for a long time, the space boom started all over Japan taking advantage of the return of this Hayabusa. Moreover, after the return of Hayabusa, there were many remarkable astronomical events. I will give some examples.

・The total eclipse of the moon was seen in many areas of Japan on December 10, 2011.

・The annular solar eclipse was seen in some areas of the Pacific coast at the early morning of May 21, 2012.

・Transit of Venus was seen in many areas focusing on western part of Japan from the morning to afternoon of June 6, 2012.

Thus, probably, the space boom came to Japan, since many interesting astronomical events overlapped. And I can think that space boom still continues.

Higgs boson

On the morning of July 4, 2012, Mr. Rolf Heuer, the head of European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN),said in Switzerland and Geneva, "Although we think that it was found, how is it?"

Two research teams which are experimenting with the large hadron collider (LHC) which CERN manages discovered the Higgs boson called "the particles of God" by 99% or more of certainty.

 

By the way, what is a Higgs boson? It is the elementary particle the Peter Ware Higgs of the Edinburgh university predicted existence to be in 1964, and existence was not proved for a long time. The Higgs boson has achieved the duty which gives mass. If this doesn’t exist, all things fly at speed of light and are also called "the particles of God."

"We discovered. The new particles believed to be Higgs bosons were observed.” Mr. Hoyer described. Peter Higgs who is an advocate of theory was wiping the tear, hearing an announcement. Although this experimental result is still preliminary, the level of the probability shows 5 sigma. 5 sigma means that accidental probability which the research team observed is one-millionth or less.

Now, I will talk about the equipment which discovered the Higgs boson. One of the experimental devices which were useful for discovery of a Higgs boson is a large-sized particle detector "ATLAS." This is 22 meters in height, 44 meters in full length, and 7000t in weight, and serves as the largest experimental device in LHC. ATLAS was made to measure the particles which occur by the collision at the center of a detector that two proton beams accelerated by LHC.

 Search of the Higgs boson was one of the primary aims of LHC construction. However, the use of this large-scale proton collision equipment was not necessarily lost just because the Higgs boson was discovered. In order to solve the question which still remains, we need to apply for many years from now on, and need to perform follow up study.

Moreover, although it tends to be forgotten, Mr. Evance says that two more big experiments in LHC are conducted in addition to ATLAS and CMS. They are LHCb and ALICE which Mr. Evance participates. In these experiments, mysteries of physics different from a Higgs boson, such as a reason with little anti-matter in the universe, are followed.

"If compared to the Olympic Games, discovery of a Higgs boson is winning one gold medal. There is no country which is satisfied only with one piece not much. CERN will winning much more gold medals from now." Mr. Evance said.

 

       I was shocked when I heard this news. While I am alive, and while I was interested in the universe, discovery which remains in such history was carried out. However, I have thought that it is simultaneous. Probably, most persons that consider becoming a researcher of the present elementary particle thought that they wanted to find this Higgs boson. Possibly they felt surely strength drained away with excitement.

Do I think in this way because I also　aim at a researcher?

Apollo program

The Apollo Project is a human spaceflight program to the moon by　NASA the first as human beings. It carried out from 1961 to 1972 and succeeded in the 6 times manned landing on the moon.

The Apollo Project was considered as a project after the Mercury Project at the beginning of 1960. Although the Mercury spacecraft picked up a one pilot and only go around a low orbit. But in the spaceship Apollo, to pick up three pilots, and to go the moon around, and also to land on the moon was made into the target.

By then Director NASA, the plan name was connected with Helios Apollo of Greek mythology, and was named. He is saying later, "He named that his child is named in the feeling." John F. Kennedy was elected as the 35th generation of United States of America President in November, 1960. Kennedy promised making the United States superior to the Soviet Union on field of space development and missile defense during the election.However, after being elected as the President, immediately Kennedy did not make a decision about the Apollo Project. He didn’t know about the details of space technology very much and hesitated the immense budget needed for a manned landing on the moon.

Astronaut Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union was successful on April 12, 1961 in the first manned space flight in Vostok 1. The American citizen saw this and felt anxious losing the space race with the Soviet Union.

On May 25, 1961, Kennedy announced support of the Apollo Project in the speech in both-legislative-houses joint Parliament.

“First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important in the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.”

The manned flight was performed by three persons, a captain, command service module pilot and a lunar excursion module pilot. When landing on the moon, the captain and the landing module pilot landed and the command service module pilot was standing on the moon circumference orbit in the meantime.

NASA conducted three manned flights (8, 9 and 10) from December 21, 1968 to May 18, 1969 using the Saturn 5 type rocket. Although three pilots joined and the whole of each flight, also carried the landing module in No. 9 and No. 10, it did not aim at the landing on the moon. Then, human beings came down on heavenly bodies other than the earth for the first time in the history of the earth by Apollo 11. And captain Neil Armstrong left the language of the famous following.

“That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

 
     Although the rumor that the Apollo Project was a fabrication was flowing till the beginning of 2000, there is no now. I don’t know who followed such this rumor, but I think that it is too impolite to the people in connection with this plan. There are many people who risked life to this plan, and three crew have risked their life. So I don’t understand the feeling of the person that Apollo Project is a lie.

Manned flight at first

Human beings went to the universe for the first time about 50 years ago. What went to space in human beings is Yuri Gagarin. Probably I think you have heard his name. All the astronauts by today will respect him from the bottom of their heart. Today I'm going to talk about too much great his story.

 

When it was decided that a world's first manned space flight will be performed, Gagarin and German Titov were selected as a pilot's candidate. Before, Gagarin aspired to the pilot and went to Air Force Academy. Two persons were that the result of the examination was excellent and were not tall. The early spacecraft was very small and it was difficult for a large human being to ride. Gagarin was chosen as a result of the final selection. This is because Gagarin is with mild and social character, is the Russia name of "Yuri", and is easy to emphasize the point of the hero of a working class graduate.

 

On April 12, 1961, Gagarin succeeded in the world's first manned space flight by Vostok 3kA-2. Gagarin is said to have hummed the song of "hearing the homeland" and　encouraged himselves during the flight. This song was often sung by singing cafe in Japan. Although media reported later that Gagarin said during the flight, "God is not even if it looks", no record about it is nothing.

The spacecraft which picked up Gagarin went into the orbit around the earth, carried out outer atmosphere 1 round in 1 hour and about 50 minutes, and returned to the pasture in Russia. Although it landed with the spacecraft at the time, the pilot was ejected with seat from the capsule at an altitude of 7000 m and descend by a parachute one person in fact, and it involved a big risk.

 

Then, since Gagarin became a flight commander, he resumed flight training. However, it fell to its death during the flight on March 27, 1968 by MiG-15UTI which boarded with the instructor. He was 34 years old. Although the cause of the accident had been unknown for a long time. According to the material for investigation announced in 1986, Su-11 interceptor which was flying with high-speed of the neighborhood, and a possibility of it was involved in the shock wave and operated impossible was also suggested. Although the rumor that Gagarin was drinking at the time of boarding also flowed, he has passed the medical checkup before a flight and it had not found at all the proof which shows drinking also by investigation conducted after death.

Since it was bad weather at the time of a flight, Gagarin and an instructor also had the opinion that reorganization of the body was impossible. With the new theory announced in 2005, whether the vent of the cockpit broke down, or it remained opening by the former passenger's mistake. And oxygen will begin to leak from there, it will be in a hypoxic condition, and they suppose that consciousness was lost and it fell into the operation impossible state.

 

Nobody thought that a great person died to such this.

Astronauts in Japan

Today, I’m going to talk about “Astronauts in Japan”. Although I thinks that you know, the occupation of an astronaut is a very dangerous occupation.

On February 1 2003, When the American spacecraft space shuttle "Columbia" reentered the atmosphere, it fell apart in flight and seven astronauts were victims. Columbia finished the 28th missions and just before it return to the earth.

This occupation is next to death and failure is not allowed. All crews' lives are sometimes even lost by one person's failure. Then, why do people think that they want to go to the universe? That will be because there is value that its life is risked in the universe. However, even so, people cannot throw away a life easily. Therefore, what get an astronaut is several persons who passed the severe examination. Moreover, they stack very severe training like cannot think from a usual life. I will introduce some chosen astronauts.

    

○Mouri Mamoru

     He is the second Japanese astronaut. And, he is the first astronaut to join a space shuttle program as Japanese people. After he returned, he said in front of the television camera, "from the universe, the international border was not visible."

 

○Hoshide Akihiko

     He had decided to become an astronaut　very early. When he was a student in the fourth year of a university, he saw the astronaut's advertisement. Although he didn't have a qualification requirement, he was consulting to NASDA directly. Then he gave up the application after all, he passed in 1999.

     On May 31 2008, he went to the universe from the Kennedy Space Center with space shuttle Discovery. His work　was building of the experiment building "Kibo" of Japan in ISS. On June 3, he set up "Kibo" using the robot arm of ISS. He became the first Japanese astronaut who operated the robot arm of ISS.

 

○Yamazaki Naoko

     She is the 2nd female astronaut in Japan. She has a husband and two daughters.

     She aimed at the astronaut working for development business of the International Space Station. After three years from entrance into the company, she was selected by the astronaut.

     On April 5 2010, she got on space shuttle Discovery and launched from the Kennedy Space Center. While staying at the universe, she managed various duties. And she seceded from ISS with Discovery on April 17, and returned to the Kennedy Space Center on the 20th. Since space shuttle retired in 2011, she became the last shuttle Japanese passenger.

     Although the first long stay as the Japanese woman of ISS was also expected, she announced retirement in August, 2011.

 

○Furukawa Satoshi

     Although he had a doctor’s degree as doctor, but now he is playing an active part for the longest days (167 days) in Japan. His activity making full use of the experience as a doctor is expected in the universe.

     On June 8 2011, he got on Soyuz and stayed at ISS for five months and a half. This was his first flight.

The present Universe

Hello, I’m Miyuki.

I wrote about “development of astronomy” last time, so I’ll write about “present Universe”. But there are a various heavenly bodies and there are a lot of people researching them. So I think only Black Hole here. I’m going to talk about present Black Hole.

 

Black Hole is very high density and very large mass so it has very strong gravitation. The strength is that even light cannot slip out.

After the fixed star of large mass carries out supernova explosion, a black hole is made by contracting to a limit with self-gravity. Black Hole has not been observed directly yet. As the name suggests, it is not directly visible. Well, how can we observe it and confirm the existence? The answer is following two.

A black hole tries to inhale a surrounding substance by the powerful gravity. The substance inhaled then becomes spiral and rotates at high speed. The substance inhaled receives the energy by rotation and becomes high temperature very much, and emits X-rays and a gamma ray. We observe a black hole indirectly by investigating the X-rays.

A black hole is the speed near the velocity of light, and spouts the flow of thin gas. This jet is one of the most intense blow-of-gas phenomena in the universe. However, it is not explained why the black hole which inhales surrounding gas by powerful gravity spouts gas. The jet is emitting the electric wave and we can confirm existence of a black hole by observing the electric wave.

Recently, observation of this jet had progress. International research teams, such as the National Astronomical Observatory, succeeded in measurement of the size of the root of the jet which comes out from the overly huge black hole of the Galaxy M87 in the Virgin for the first time on September 28, 2012.

Three radio telescopes were used for observation in the U.S. including Hawaii. Measurement showed that the size of the root of a jet was about 5.5 times larger than the black hole radius. Moreover, the size of the root of a jet agrees with the value which is expected in the case of a revolving black hole, and this has suggested a possibility that rotation of a black hole is concerned with formation and emission of a jet.

We turns out that there is an overly huge black hole at the center in almost all the Galaxies that exist in the universe. The active black hole in them is blowing off the jet accelerated to the speed near the velocity of light. A jet is a flow of the plasma emitted from near the black hole, and it is very thinly. However, it is not explained in detail yet how a jet is emitted from near the black hole and why a substance is accelerated this much high speed. It is left as a big mystery on present age astronomy.

     I am a heavenly body which certainly gets interested for that in which a black hole aims at an astronomer, and they dream about researching this black hole at once. Of course, I am also the one person. I would like to do my best toward the target.