What are two big space breakthroughs of 2022?
Closest black hole
By sifting through data released by the Gaia spacecraft, astrophysicists discovered in 2022 a black hole that’s just over 1,560 light-years from Earth. Dubbed Gaia BH1, it’s about twice as close as the previously nearest known black hole.
But that record may not stand, as about 100 million black holes are predicted to exist in the Milky Way and even closer black holes may turn up in the next years.
The Space Innovation of the Year
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the giant infrared instrument now parked a million km from Earth, was named the Innovation of the Year.
Its first images were finally presented in July, revealing an unprecedentedly detailed view of the cosmos, “the deepest view of the universe ever” according to specialists.
The telescope is working through a long list of planned observations, exploring everything from the oldest galaxies to the atmospheres of distant exoplanets.
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