Latest news with #Atacama
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
ALMA lets astronomers see building blocks of early galaxies
Chile's ALMA observatory, which houses some of the world's most powerful telescopes, has captured its most detailed images to date of the building blocks of the early universe -- primarily cold gases, dust and stellar light in 39 galaxies. "We've never achieved so much detail and depth in galaxies from the early universe," Sergio Martin, head of Scientific Operations at ALMA, told AFP during a presentation of the research at University of Concepcion in Santiago. Due to its dark skies and clear air, Chile hosts the telescopes of more than 30 countries, including the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) that was used in the findings. The research was led by Rodrigo Herrera-Camus, director of the Millennium Nucleus of Galaxies (MINGAL) of Chile, who told AFP the new images provide "the opportunity to study how stars are born." The survey also found that stars emerged in "giant clumps," Herrera-Camus said. By combining ALMA's findings with images from the James Webb and Hubble telescopes, researchers were able to learn more about how galaxies evolve, interact, and form stars. The ALMA telescope was developed by the European Southern Observatory, the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. axl/ksb/sla/jgc
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Chile Lithium Expansion Cleared by Little-Known Nuclear Agency
A little-known nuclear agency signed off on a proposal that clears the way for a major lithium expansion over the coming decades in Chile, the nation with the biggest reserves. The Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission, or CCHEN by its Spanish initials, approved a request by Codelco for extraction at the Atacama salt flat operation — currently controlled by SQM — from 2031 to 2060.
The Australian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Australian
Explorers Podcast: Norfolk Metals
Stockhead's 'Garimpeiro' columnist Barry FitzGerald is back in the studio for another instalment of The Explorers Podcast. In this edition, Barry chats with Ben Phillips, executive chairman of Norfolk Metals (ASX:NFL), as the company prepares to drill its Carmen copper project in Chile's Atacama region. Having met all conditions of its earn-in agreement, Norfolk will now move to Stage 1, aiming to earn a 70% stake in Transcendentia by spending $3 million over three years. With permitting underway and a 5,100m drill program planned for Q3, the company is targeting a shallow copper oxide resource with potential for a low-cost, high-margin heap leach operation. Listen to hear the latest. This podcast was developed in collaboration with Norfolk Metals, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. The interviews and discussions in this podcast are opinions only and not financial or investment advice. Listeners should obtain independent advice based on their own circumstances before making any financial decisions.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
A Comet 85 Miles Wide Is Erupting In The Solar System — What To Know
The largest comet ever found has jets of carbon monoxide gas erupting from its 85-mile (140-kilometer) wide nucleus. Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein (C/2014 UN271) was studied while it was more than halfway to Neptune using a radio telescope array in Chile's Atacama desert. It will enter the inner solar system in 2031, but it won't come as close to the sun as Earth. An artist rendition of comet C/2014 UN271, the largest known comet in the Oort Cloud. NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO/ Using the powerful Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array radio telescope in Chile, researchers observed comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein while it was more than halfway to Neptune, at a distance of 16.6 times the distance between the sun and Earth. In a major milestone in the study of distant solar system objects, observations by astronomers in March 2024 uncovered molecular activity in the comet in the form of jets of carbon monoxide gas erupting from its nucleus. It's the first detection of carbon monoxide outgassing in a comet at such a great distance. Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is more than 10 times the size of most known comets, so large that it's classified as a 'minor planet.' It's thought to orbit the sun only once every 600,000 years, with its next closest approach in 2031. The comet was discovered by astronomers Dr. Pedro Bernardinelli and Gary Bernstein on June 19, 2021, using archival data from the Dark Energy Survey. Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is doing something unexpected. A comet's nucleus is a solid core of rock and ice. When a comet gets close to the sun, its nucleus heats up, and the ice vaporizes to form its glowing coma (head) and tail. The new observations, in a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters , reveal complex and evolving jets of carbon monoxide gas erupting from the comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein's nucleus. The jets were seen on the sun-facing side of the comet, suggesting that carbon dioxide — not ice — is the volatile compound when a comet is so far from the sun. It's the first direct evidence of what drives a comet's activity when it's so cold and distant. This sequence from the Hubble Space Telescope in 2022 shows how the nucleus of Comet C/2014 UN271 ... More (Bernardinelli-Bernstein) was isolated from a vast shell of dust and gas surrounding the solid icy nucleus. SCIENCE: NASA, ESA, Man-To Hui (Macau University of Science and Technology), David Jewitt (UCLA) IMAGE PROCESSING: Alyssa Pagan (STScI) 'These measurements give us a look at how this enormous, icy world works,' said lead author Nathan Roth of American University and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. 'We're seeing explosive outgassing patterns that raise new questions about how this comet will evolve as it continues its journey toward the inner solar system.' Outgassing — the release of frozen gases — is expected to continue, with astronomers expecting to see jets of other frozen gases, notably methane and formaldehyde, as comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein gets closer to the sun over the next few years. This diagram compares the size of the icy, solid nucleus of comet C/2014 UN271 ... More (Bernardinelli-Bernstein) to several other comets. NASA, ESA, Zena Levy Largest Comet Ever Found Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is the largest comet ever observed from the Oort Cloud, which NASA describes as being like a big, thick bubble around the solar system. The Oort Cloud lies far beyond Pluto and is home to millions of comets. However, it's not quite the largest comet ever found. That title goes to comet Sarabat (C/1729), the so-called 'Great Comet of 1729,' which was visible to the naked eye. Forbes Don't Miss This Weekend's Sky Show — The Moon, Venus And A Star Cluster By Jamie Carter Forbes Iceland Unveils Festival For First Total Solar Eclipse Since 1954 By Jamie Carter Forbes Get Ready For The Shortest Day Since Records Began As Earth Spins Faster By Jamie Carter
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Chile targets fast fashion waste with landmark desert cleanup plan
In a dusty corner of the Atacama Desert, the driest non-polar region on Earth, mounds of used clothes are scattered across the sand, where they sit, bleached and tattered, under the sun. As the sea mist drifts over a high coastal plateau above the city of Iquique in Chile's far north, the breeze rustles plastic bags bursting with second-hand clothing. Piles of garments stretch into the distance: consignments of nursing uniforms, shipments of shoes, bundles of work overalls and last season's fast fashion discards, high street tags still attached. But Chile's government has taken a decisive step towards addressing the environmental crisis which has beset the Atacama Desert. This week, the country's environment ministry announced that it had added textiles as a 'priority' category to its extended producer responsibility law, paving the way for importers to be made responsible for the waste produced by the thousands of tonnes of used clothing brought into Chile each year. Importers are now obliged to report the clothing they bring into the country, and further regulations will be added to the bill shortly. Chile's government will also publish a public policy specifically targeting textiles and their place in the circular economy. One of its goals will be to eradicate textile dumps in the Atacama Desert. According to government data, more than 90% of textiles sold in Chile are imported, making the South American country the world's fourth-largest importer of second hand clothing. The government calculates that Chile imports 123,000 tonnes of used clothing every year, with the effects felt most acutely in the north of the country – where the situation in the Atacama Desert has won global attention. 'This would spur a new consumer culture, as companies would be required to offer repair, reuse, and recycling services,' said Beatriz O'Brien, the national coordinator for NGO Fashion Revolution. 'It is a step toward a transition from a linear economy of production, consumption, and disposal to a circular economy for textiles and clothing in the country.' Global textile production is projected to grow from the 109m tonnes manufactured in 2020 to 145m tonnes in 2030. In Chile, people use an average of 32kg of textiles, contributing to 572,000 tonnes of textile waste per year in the country. Every day, tonnes of clothing arrive duty-free at the freeport in Iquique as giant plastic-wrapped bales, where they are sliced open and sorted into categories by a migrant workforce. The best clothes, often in near-pristine condition, are sold in outlet stores built into the narrow rows of warehouses at the freeport, or sent to Chile's capital, Santiago, for resale. Some are even bailed up and sent back to the US to be resold. The rest winds its way in a convoy of small trucks up to Alto Hospicio, a poor city sprawling across the plateau above Iquique, where the clothes are incorporated into a seemingly endless cycle of resale and reuse. At La Quebradilla, one of the country's largest open-air markets, vendors sell clothes for small amounts of cash, while the least desirable items are often slung out in the Atacama Desert. Some are then burned, with thick plumes of black smoke spiralling skyward from a messy dump on a high plateau outside Alto Hospicio. But after several years of research, Chile's government has managed to add textiles to its extended responsibility law. Many countries have similar legislation, but Chile's, in force since 2017, had only made producers responsible for recycling goods in several categories, including, tires, batteries, oils and plastic packaging. 'The inclusion of textiles in the [producer responsibility law] will establish the obligations of producers, who will no longer be able to disregard the environmental impacts of unused textiles,' said Chile's environment minister Maisa Rojas. 'The successful application of the law will allow us to address the lack of regulation for the industry, which has generated huge quantities of waste and affects the quality of life for people and the environment.' The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.
