The Mysteries of Deep Space

Deep space defines any area of space outside of our own solar system. NASA has a Deep Space Network (DSN) that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and observations through an international network of antennas. It's the largest and most sensitive telecommunications system in the world.
 
To maintain observation as the Earth rotates, the three deep-space communications facilities have been placed approximately 120° apart around the world in or near:
  • California's Mojave Desert
  • Canberra, Australia
  • Madrid, Spain.
 

Deep Space Explorer
NASA uses unmanned automated spacecraft to explore deep space. The DSN network provides two-way links with these explorers, allowing the crafts to transmit images and information back to earth. Likewise, NASA can send commands to the spacecraft and keep tabs on its position and speed.

Deep Space Missions and Technology

Current missions and technology seek to solve the mysteries of deep space. Some of these include:
  • Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) Mission maps the history of the star formation in the universe.

  • Hubble Space Telescope has taken approximately 500,000 pictures of 25,000 celestial objects.

  • NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory uses new X-ray images to explore the structure and evolution of the universe.

  • Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) Mission uses a satellite to observe black holes, neutron stars and X-ray pulsars.

  • Spitzer Space Telescope detects infrared energy (heat) radiated by objects in space.

  • Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) studies the chemical composition of interstellar gas clouds.

  • The Pioneer Project refers to a mission in which spacecraft performed "first-ever missions," such as Pioneer 10 and 11 missions that were the first crafts to visit Jupiter and Saturn.

  • Voyager – the Interstellar Mission is a true deep space mission that will study the area in which the sun's influence ends and interstellar space begins.

Deep Space Nebulas

Although early astronomers called all distant galaxies nebulas, the term "nebula" actually refers to a cloud of dust particles and gases. Galaxies outside of the Milky Way are now referred to as extragalactic nebulae. The two general types of deep space nebulae are called:
  • diffuse nebulae: Diffuse nebulae are larger, and the dust and gas within them can form 100,000 stars the size of the sun. When this occurs near an extremely hot, bright star, it's called an emission nebula because it emits a large amount of light. Emission nebula may indicate new star formations.

    Alternately, when a diffuse nebula occurs near a cool star, it may reflect starlight rather than giving off its own light. Astronomers call these reflection nebulas.

  • planetary nebulae: Planetary nebulae, by contrast, surround stars and form when a star starts to collapse and throw off outer layers of its atmosphere. Through a telescope, planetary nebulae appear to have a flat, round surface that looks similar to a planet's surface.
Both of these types of deep space nebulae are gaseous nebulae, meaning that both are primarily composed of gases, rather than solid or liquid matter.

Deep Space Images

Through space missions and other technology, astronomers have obtained images of objects in deep space, including:
  • Black holes: Astronomers now believe these are instrumental to the formation of new galaxies. Black holes are areas where gravity is so strong that no light can escape. Astronomers can't see them, but they can observe objects being sucked into them.

  • Wormholes: While these may or may not exist outside science fiction, wormholes refer to areas in which strong mass has bent space. In theory, if two or more massive bodies bend space enough, the ends could connect, thus forming a tunnel between two faraway places.

  • Other galaxies: Space contains several different types of galaxies. Our own, the Milky Way, is a spiral galaxy, named due to its shape and the fact that it often contains lots of bright, young stars. Elliptical galaxies, the most common type, tend to contain older stars. Other types of galaxies include Barred Spirals, Lenticular Galaxies and even Radio Galaxies, which emit strongly in the radio regions.

Figuring Out Deep Space

Several mysteries of deep space remain. As NASA continues to send out deep space probes and technology advances, astronomers may be able to continue unraveling those mysteries. Deep space is no longer as far away as it seems.
 
Resources

BBC (n.d.). Science and Nature: Space. Retrieved January 21, 2008, from the BBC Web site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/deepspace/index.shtml.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (n.d.). Deep Space Network. Retrieved January 21, 2008, from the NASA Web site: http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn/.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (n.d.). Deep Space Missions. Retrieved January 21, 2008, from the NASA Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/missions/timeline/current/deep-space_missions.html.

O'Dell, C. R. (2005). Nebula. Retrieved January 21, 2008, from the NASA Word Book Online Reference Center Web site: http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar385540.