On December 14, 2009, NASA sent one of its most ambitious projects into space: a telescope WISE. His goal was nothing less than to scan the distant universe, where he discovered thousands minor planets and star clustersusing them to create a complete map of the sky. He also played a very important role in the discovery Trojan asteroids. But two years later, his mission was accomplished. Initially, it was decided to put it into sleep mode; but later the project scientists decided to give it a new use. They brought him out of hibernation mode, They renamed it NEOWISE. and assigned him the laudable task of searching for objects that might pose a threat to Earth.
This was his job until this summer, when his mission was finally completed. Since then he has been wandering through space, but finally on November 1 It burned up as it passed through the Earth’s atmosphere.
This is not an accident. This is usually to be expected when a tool like NEOWISE is retired. His situation remains under the supervision of scientists, who remain vigilant to ensure that this does not lead to any incidents. Until they are completely burned out, they remain transformed into space debris and this is dangerous for other instruments and even for observations from the Earth. But that’s another topic.
Coming back to NEOWISE, it has accomplished a commendable task in all this time. His retirement was more than deserved, although, as is common with space instruments, he celebrated with a handful of flames.
Long way NEOWISE
This telescope should not be confused with the comet that bears its name. It became very famous in 2020 when it brightened up the pandemic year with a beautiful celestial spectacle.
It could be seen with the naked eye, but many astrophotographers also took pictures of this comet, whose name is due precisely to the fact that it was discovered by the NEOWISE telescope. It was one of the near-Earth objects monitored by NASA; but, like the others, he eventually helped them realize that they were no danger.
Over the years, NEOWISE has discovered many objects that could soon become a threat, but whose trajectories ultimately they didn’t get close enough pose a danger. Even like new Near-Earth objects (NEOs)Space agencies understood the need to implement a plan in case any of these asteroids or comets had to be deflected. Thus was born the DART mission, which in 2022 managed to successfully collide with an asteroid, slightly deviating its trajectory.
Without a telescope like NEOWISE that can detect threats, DART will be useless.
So what happens now?
NEOWISE disappeared after burning up upon re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. He even managed to send the last photo, constellation Fornax. But he won’t come back. Who will now warn us about the proximity of dangerous objects? There are several tools designed for this purpose, but none are as powerful as NEOWISE. Fortunately, NASA is already preparing a replacement for it. Called NEO Surveyor and plan to launch it in 2028.
In the meantime, don’t panic. There are other telescopes, such as the ATLAS system, with a similar mission. We have many more eyes in the sky than we realize.
Source: Hiper Textual
