The Center calculates the motions of newfound objects and alerts observers when an object that might impact the Earth is detected. This diagram shows some of the orbits of known Near Earth Objects NEOs , asteroids and other bodies that pass close to our planet.
Tracking such objects helps us understand how likely they are to strike Earth; thankfully, no known NEO is currently a danger to us. Astronomy has a unique ability to unite humans. Simply by asking big questions about the Universe and our place in it, we see ourselves as we are: together, voyaging through a singular moment in time on one very special but relatively minuscule planet among the vastness of space. In education, we see the teaching of astronomy at the primary or secondary level leading students to pursue careers in STEM science, technology, engineering, and math.
In international relations, we see astronomy as a scientific field that transcends borders and promotes collaboration between global teams in unified pursuit of knowledge.
In our culture, we see the impact of keystone scientific discoveries creating a more informed and scientifically literate society. Will our species be able to spread across the cosmos, to colonize other planets, and to preserve our heritage and legacy through the ages?
If so, it will only be through the study of astronomy. The need for extremely precise instrumentation in astronomy can often be transferred into the medical field. High-energy and neutron optics laboratories design mirrors for the next generation of space-based telescopes. But with a simple modification, these optics can accurately aim high-energy particles for radiation treatment, focusing on destroying tumors while leaving surrounding tissue unharmed.
Engineers are working on mirrors that can both focus neutrons from across the Universe, as well as those from a radioactive source sitting in the same room. Work on nuclear magnetic resonance, which can be used to study molecular physics, can also be used to scan the human body.
When used for imaging, this is known as magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI. Scientists at the CfA are developing an open-access, low-magnetic-field human MRI instrument, that can be used for molecular imaging and the study of traumatic brain injury. On the other side of the coin, astrophysics sometimes adapts technology from the medical field.
The complicated debris leftover after a supernova explosion, known as a supernova remnant, can be hard to visualize. We only have our vantage point and cannot travel around the remnant to view the intricacies of its structure.
Supernova researchers are putting this data into medical imaging software originally designed for brain scans to get a 3D model that can be viewed in degrees. To take it one step further, the models can then be 3D printed, allowing you to hold a dead star in your hand. By pursuing scientific research, our scientists never know what might be the next big breakthrough. New detector technology means better lighter cameras. Astronomical data analysis software can be reconfigured to make cars safer.
Novel techniques in radio astronomy paved the way for wireless internet. Support Our Science. That annoying jarring you feel when you drift too far to the edge of the road is, once again, thanks to space exploration! Rumble strips were originally employed to help add traction to landing aircraft. The strips have a lot of other uses, including adding traction to floors where cattle walk — preventing accidents from wet, slippery floors and downed cows.
This includes many devices such as breast cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, and dental x-rays. The development of the charge-coupled device, CCDs, helped reduce exposure to x-rays. These sensors were first used in astronomy back in for capturing images.
One of the biggest and most influential aspects of astronomy is its impact on people. Carl Sagan brought one of the first glimpses of the universe to the masses with his TV series Cosmos.
Stephen Hawking also wrote several bestsellers that helped people understand how the universe works. All their work is both modern and influential. These are only a few simple advances astronomy has contributed to.
However, many even larger applications have come from studying space, including advances in medicine, physics, chemistry, biology and pretty much every other major scientific discipline. Find her at www. Content in the blog post is copyright of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of the Office of Astronomy for Development. In this guest blog, Megan Ray Nichols explores some ways in which developments in Astronomy and space have made their way into everyday life Astronomy is the study of space and everything that encompasses.
Climate Study Tracking weather patterns and storms is important, especially in places where different seasons bring severe weather. Astronomers working on radio astronomy in Australia are credited with inventing Wi-Fi. In the s, astronomers in Australia studying black holes using radio waves contributed to the invention of Wi-Fi by developing a microchip that improved the wireless transfer of radio waves.
Their initial goal was to detect tiny exploding black holes which required the use of mathematical equations to cut through noise and produce sharp images.
While the astronomers did not end up detecting these black holes, this technique was refined and put to use to allow portable devices to connect to wireless networks. Astronomers collect an impressive amount of data to study the universe. One of the most efficient methods of processing information is grid computing.
Here, computers distributed across large distances yet connected through a network work together to treat data as efficiently as possible. Advanced computing methods will be essential to handle the extreme volumes of data that will be collected by the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in Chile. Once its operations begin in , the telescope will observe the entire southern hemisphere's sky about twice a week, collecting approximately 20 terabytes of data each night — the same amount of information that fits on 60, CDs!
Studying other planets in our solar system can teach us about Earth's changing climate. Famous climate scientists such as Dr. James Hansen Columbia University have developed theories and models for global warming by first studying the climate of Venus. It is thought that Venus's atmosphere used to look more like Earth's current atmosphere.
By studying how radiation is transported through Venus's outer gaseous layers, scientists have been able to better model the effects of gases and aerosols on our planet's climate.
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