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Space weather in the solar system

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
Space weather is a term that describes the dynamic and unpredictable conditions in the space environment that can affect human technology and infrastructure. Space weather includes the effects of solar activity and high-energy radiation on a planet's magnetic field and atmosphere. We are usually interested in the space weather near the Earth, because it affects [...]

Radiation in space

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
Sunlight, starlight, moonlight (which is actually reflected sunlight) are known to all of us. Indeed, light is the type of space radiation we are most familiar with. Light can be described as being made of waves or as being made of particles, called photons. What we call light is in fact the part of the broader [...]

Visible light and the JANUS camera on JUICE

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
JANUS is one of the instruments on JUICE. As a camera, its main purpose is to take pictures. Before we look in detail at what JANUS can do, let's explore the concept of the electromagnetic spectrum and visible light, because light is essential for good pictures. The visible range of wavelengths refers to the portion [...]

Intro to the JUICE Mission

Author dpinheiroNo Opinions
JUICE stands for JUpiter ICy moons Explorer. It is the first L-class mission in ESA's 2015-2025 Cosmic Vision programme, where L stands for large. The JUICE spacecraft was launched in April 2023 and is planned to reach the Jupiter system in 2031. The mission aims to explore the conditions for the emergence of life in [...]

Jupiter – The Giant Planet

Author dpinheiroNo Opinions
Jupiter is a gaseous planet 11 times the size of the Earth. It is the largest planet in the solar system and the fifth planet from Sun at 778 million km, or about 5.2 astronomical units. An astronomical unit is the Earth-Sun distance and is used by astronomers to measure distances in the solar system.  [...]

Welcome to our School Blog!

Author dpinheiroNo Opinions
We are back! In this year's edition of Coimbra Space Summer School, our focus is is on the latest phase of Jupiter exploration: the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). The mission's objective is to explore Jupiter itself, along with its moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. During the Summer [...]

Regresso à Lua

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
Com lançamento hoje, 29 de Agosto de 2022, do mítico Cabo Canaveral, a missão Artemis I dá início a um programa de exploração da Lua. Sucessor do programa Apollo das décadas de 1960 e 70, Artemis pretende diversificar a presença humana no nosso satélite natural. A curto prazo, o programa pretende colocar pela primeira vez [...]

Um gigante espectacular

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
No passado dia 27 de Julho, o novo telescópio espacial James Webb observou o planeta Júpiter. A imagem foi divulgada dia 22 de Agosto e mostra num nível de detalhe verdadeiramente maravilhoso várias estruturas ligadas ao planeta, como são a famosa tempestade na sua atmosfera, os anéis, algumas luas, e o fenómeno da aurora nas [...]

Porquê o infravermelho?

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
O Webb foi concebido para detectar radiação infravermelha, com comprimentos de onda acima de 0.6 µm (micrómetro, a milionésima parte do metro) e estendendo-se até aos 28 µm. Porquê observar radiação infravermelha, invisível, por natureza, aos nossos olhos? A opção do Webb pelo infravermelho deve-se principalmente a 3 factores: Alguns objectos celestes, os mais frios, [...]

Sensores de Infravermelho

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
A tecnologia de sensores de luz infravermelho deu grandes passos em frente com o Webb. Os novos sensores são maiores, mais duradouros e produzem imagens com menos ruído. Da astronomia para os telemóveis Quase toda a gente anda com um telemóvel que tira fotografias. As fotografias são registos fidedignos da luz que entra por um [...]
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