Why does NASA want to illuminate an artificial star in the sky?

By artificial star, we generally mean a nuclear fusion reactor. Understand, the system designed by scientists to produce energy like stars. System well fixed to the ground. But the artificial star that NASA has been talking about for several days is not of the same type. They will already be lit in our skies by the end of our decade. A satellite no larger than A “bread box” It is equipped with eight laser beams that allow it to take on the appearance of any type of real star.

An artificial star to recalibrate telescopes

The project was developed as part of the Landolt mission. With an endowment of about $20 million, its ultimate goal is to better understand the speed and acceleration of our universe's expansion. And the artificial star that will be placed in it It rotates in orbitIt rotates in orbit It will be fixed at an altitude of more than 40,000 kilometers above the Earth and serve as a reference point.

In fact, let's remember that a big part of understanding that Astronomy scientistsAstronomy scientists we've got beingbeing Depends on understanding brightnessbrightness Of its beings.

A discreet but useful artificial star

NASA's artificial star, compared to nearby real stars, will allow the stars to be quantified a lighta light My star absorbs itAtmosphereAtmosphere Ground, therefore, to master calibration TelescopesTelescopes. Astronomers expect to reduce the uncertainty in the value of star luminosity, which is very real, from 10 to less than 1%. This is enough to reach more accurate estimates of the size and age of these stars, for example.

Researchers also hope that, by precisely understanding how much energy stars give off and exactly how far away planets are, they can pinpoint ideal areas for water and perhaps life elsewhere in the universe.

But NASA's artificial star will not be visible to the naked eye. But this would be true for any observer equipped with a simple amateur instrument.