An old NASA space telescope crashes to Earth

300 kg heavy NASA’s RHESSI Space Telescope It will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere on Thursday evening. The place and time are not yet known, it can come to 16 hours Move forward or backward.

According to current accounts, the event should take place early Thursday morning at 3:30 am. While most of the material will likely burn up on its return to Earth’s atmosphere, some parts will make it to Earth, according to NASA. Chance to be human from a Falling part His injury, according to NASA, is low. It’s up to 1 of 2467 or 0.0004 percent.

Teleskop has been retired since 2018

The Reuven Ramaty Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) was developed in February 2002 It was sent into orbit and since then has been used for solar observations in the X- and gamma-ray range. The mission’s originally planned duration was two years, but has been repeatedly extended to 2018. In the August 2018 The telescope is finally turned off.

RHESSI data provided important insights into Solar flares and those associated with it Coronal mass ejection. These events release the energy of billions of megatons of TNT within minutes and can also affect the Earth. you cause magnetic stormswhich can damage satellites and also disable electrical systems on Earth.

The shape of the sun is calculated

During its mission, RHESSI has observed more than 100,000 such events–ranging from tiny nanoscale explosions to massive supernovae. In addition, he also contributed to the shape of the sun for better identification. It is not perfectly round, but slightly oval. The word “light” should be emphasized: the diameter is approx. the equator 12 kilometers greater than if the sun were a perfect sphere. total diameter 1.4 million km This deviation is marginal.

But RHESSI can do that too terrestrial gamma ray bursts It was taken during thunderstorms high in the Earth’s atmosphere. The telescope has reinvigorated this area of ​​research because it has shown that these gamma-ray bursts are much more frequent and brighter than previously thought. The numbers indicated that it was up 400 outbreaks In thunderstorms in different parts of the world.