NASA’s NEOWISE telescope, a valuable tool in studying near-Earth objects, will soon face its demise due to increased solar activity. The telescope, which has been scanning the sky for over a decade, is expected to become unusable by early 2025.
The reason behind NEOWISE’s impending fate lies in its orbit. As the Earth’s atmosphere heats up due to the Sun’s radiation, it expands, causing a gradual lowering of NEOWISE’s orbit over time. Additionally, as the Sun enters its solar maximum period, the atmospheric gases will slow down the telescope and pull it closer to Earth.
Eventually, NEOWISE will be unable to maintain its orbit and will burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. This unfortunate fate awaits the telescope that was originally launched in 2009 as the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. In 2013, it was repurposed to specifically survey near-Earth objects.
Throughout its mission, NEOWISE has undertaken remarkable achievements. Over the past decade, it has scanned the entire sky more than 20 times and made an impressive 1.45 million infrared measurements of over 44,000 solar system objects. Additionally, it has discovered over 200 near-Earth objects, including a long-period comet.
Although the end of NEOWISE’s journey is approaching, its legacy will live on. The valuable data it has collected will continue to be a vital resource for researchers in making new discoveries in the infrared universe. Even without the functioning telescope, scientists will be able to extract significant insights from NEOWISE’s extensive observations.
As the countdown begins for NEOWISE’s demise, the scientific community expresses gratitude for its groundbreaking contributions. Its role in the exploration of near-Earth objects and the understanding of the universe will be remembered as an essential chapter in astronomy history.
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