New Horizons' recent deep space navigation test marks a major step forward in stellar navigation. Using its location in the Kuiper Belt, the spacecraft successfully targeted Proxima Centauri and Wolf 359, employing parallax measurement to calculate its position with an accuracy of about 4.1 million miles. This demonstrates the viability of stellar navigation for future deep space missions.A paper describing the results was accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal. The pre-print is available on the server arXiv.
As a proof-of-concept test, the researchers took advantage of the spacecraft's unique vantage point as it traveled toward interstellar space to image two of our nearest stellar neighbors, Proxima Centauri, which is 4.2 light-years from Earth, and Wolf 359, which is 7.86 light-years away.
New Horizons is perfectly suited for the space navigation experiment. This is the fifth and last robotic vehicle to date that has left the Solar System. There are a lot of instruments on board, including optical and infrared cameras, as well as spectrographs for them.
New Horizons completed its main task — the exploration of Pluto and Charon — long ago. It also completed an additional program, and now it’s being used to study the heliosphere. Therefore, it is already far enough away to be used for testing stellar navigation.
For this purpose, the camera of the spacecraft photographed the position of only two stars in the sky: Proxima Centauri, which is 4.2 light-years away, and Wolf 359, which is 7.86 light-years away. The closer the stars are to us, the greater their parallax, or displacement in the sky, should be.
The success of this autonomous stellar navigation test illustrates promising implications for interstellar exploration. The ability to navigate using celestial bodies as reference points could revolutionize how spacecraft traverse vast distances . As humanity embarks on deeper space missions, such techniques will be essential for determining precise locations and ensuring successful trajectory planning. Thus, this pioneering achievement by New Horizons represents a pivotal step toward realizing long-term goals in interstellar travel .
Read more
Hill Country Tragedy: Death Toll Reaches 24, Rescues Ongoing New studies links particulate air pollution to increased mutations in lung cancers among nonsmokers
Sara H
Also on site :
- ‘I thought you were exaggerating at first’: Memphis DoorDash driver goes to Aldi. Then she sees something that makes her want to turn back to Arkansas
- ‘I’m carrying 50 pounds of wet hot cheese’: Brewster Street Icehouse worker in Texas takes leftover cheese to the dumpster. Then she tosses it in
- The Christmas treat that may aid digestion and reduce cholesterol