The depths of the cosmos brim with enigmas yearning for unequivocal demystification, their chilling forms increasingly prominent under the approaching specter of All Hallows Eve.
Drawing upon the monstrous milieu of the season, the recent discoveries by NASA missions reveal both a macabre face upon the celestial visage of Jupiter and an uncanny nebula bearing a specter-like resemblance to a skeletal hand.
The ghoulish countenance, a phenomenon on Jupiter’s northern hemisphere, was unveiled during the Juno mission’s 54th intimate encounter with the colossal planet on the 7th of September. A task that began in 2016, the mission orbits around not only Jupiter but some of its most imposing moons. Employing JunoCam, Jupiter’s turbulent thrashing storms and swirling atmospheric patterns along its terminator, the twilight division between night and day, resulted in the revelation of an uncanny face.
This specter emerged from the chaos, a Picasso-akin manifestation resulting from pareidolia – a human tendency to discern recognizable patterns, like faces, within random formations. The startling data, available for public scrutiny on the JunoCam website, was decoded by citizen scientist Vladimir Tarasov. During this proximity, Juno soared a mere 4,800 miles above the maelstrom of Jupiter’s cloud tops; a provocative low angle of sunlight enhancing the dramatic nature of the image.
Concurrently, through the utilization of X-ray telescopes, NASA has discovered the metaphorical bones of a nebula. This celestial formation, not unlike a hand suspended in space, was born from the remnants of a colossal star’s cataclysmic collapse 1,500 years ago. This iridescent cloud of gas and dust, christened MSH 15-52, nestles itself within the cosmic tapestry roughly 16,000 light-years from Earth.
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory first detected the spectral hand, specifically its neutron ‘thumb’ – the registered pulsar identified as PSR B1509-58, almost 20 years ago in 2001. Today, more recent studies have elucidated further details using NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, or IXPE.
The IXPE has been assiduously mapping the nebula’s magnetic field for almost three weeks. The undertaking, which is IXPE’s longest since its inaugural launch in December 2021, has revealed that charged particles, producing the observed X-rays, travel along this magnetic field. Echoing the structure of a human hand, this magnetic field ascertains the nebula’s basic shape, furnishing an eerie resemblance to skeletal bones.
These novel findings, recently published in The Astrophysical Journal, sprang from the unique capabilities of IXPE’s observational arsenal. This data collection is furnishing scientists with insights about the nebulous magnetic field’s impact on the acceleration of particles in turbulent regions.
