Current Affairs - Science

Iran test-launched a medium-range ballistic missile inside its borders- Shahab-3. It is derived from a North Korean missile called the Nodong-A and can fly 1,150 to 2,000 kilometers, or up to 1,242 miles, depending on the variant. The test came amid heightened tensions between Iran and the West (US), mainly regarding the safety of commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

The Indian scientists at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) have recently discovered 28 new variable stars in the Milky Way galaxy using 3.6 metre Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT) established in 2016 near Nainital. The ARIES team of researchers was led by Dr. Sneh Lata and Dr. A K Pandey. It is for the first time that variable stars have been identified in Globular cluster NGC 4147 in the constellation of Coma Berenices. Besides the detection of new variable stars, the study also provides important insights into the internal structure of NGC 4147 which is located closer to the Earth than previously thought. A variable star is a star whose luminosity or brightness changes. This change may be caused due to periodical swelling and shrinking of the star or occasional block of light due to an eclipse by some other solar body. NGC 4147 was discovered by British astronomer William Herschel in 1784.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that it will launch its first solar mission Aditya-L1 in the first half of 2020. It will be the first dedicated scientific mission to study Sun's corona. It aims to put Aditya-L1 satellite (800-kg) into a halo orbit around Lagrangian point L1 of Sun and Earth system. The L1 point is situated at a distance of about 1.5 million km from earth. It will be India's 1st solar probe to study the magnetic field of the sun's corona. The satellite will carry 7 payloads including the main payload Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VLEC). It will study the dynamic nature of the sun's outer most layers, corona, and chromosphere and collect data about Coronal Mass Ejections (CME).

India has successfully launched its 2nd lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 onboard its powerful rocket GSLV-MkIII-M1 from Sriharikota to explore the uncharted south pole of the Moon by landing a rover. The Rs 978 crore mission will mark a giant leap in India's space research and make it only the 4th country to have landed a rover on Moon. For the first time in India's space history, an interplanetary expedition is being led by two women - Muthaya Vanitha (the project director) & Ritu Karidhal (the mission director). According to ISRO, the lunar South Pole is an interesting surface area which remains in shadow than North pole. There is a possibility of the presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it. The lander 'Vikram', named after father of Indian space research programme Dr Vikram A Sarabhai, carrying the rover 'Pragyan', will be landed in a high plain between two craters at a latitude of about 70 degrees South of the moon.

USA, China & Russia.