Prelims Focus 9th May 2025
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
In News: The Hubble Space Telescope (HST), launched in April 1990, marks its 35th anniversary in 2025 as one of the most iconic and scientifically productive observatories in history. Developed by NASA in partnership with the European Space Agency, Hubble was designed to transcend the blurring effects of Earth’s atmosphere, providing astronomers with crystal-clear views of the universe.
Transformative Science and Discoveries
Over 35 years, Hubble has made more than 1.6 million observations, fundamentally reshaping our understanding of the cosmos. Some of its most significant contributions include:
- Pinpointing the Age and Expansion of the Universe: Hubble’s observations of Cepheid variable stars and distant supernovae helped refine the Hubble constant, narrowing the universe’s age to about 13.8 billion years and revealing the accelerating expansion of the cosmos-an insight that led to the discovery of dark energy.
- Supermassive Black Holes: Hubble provided the first confirmation that nearly every major galaxy, including our own Milky Way, is anchored by a supermassive black hole at its center.
- Dark Matter Mapping: By analyzing gravitational lensing, Hubble helped create the largest 3D maps of dark matter, illuminating its distribution and role in cosmic structure.
- Solar System Breakthroughs: Hubble captured detailed images of events like the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet impact on Jupiter, discovered new moons of Pluto (Nix and Hydra), and detected water vapor plumes on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.
- Exoplanetary Science: Hubble was the first to detect and analyze the atmospheres of exoplanets, including the discovery of water vapor and organic molecules, and provided direct evidence of planetary formation in protoplanetary disks.
- Deep Field Imaging: The Hubble Deep Field images revealed thousands of previously unseen galaxies, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the early universe.
HawkEye 360
In News: The US government has approved the sale of HawkEye 360 satellite-based surveillance technology to India in a $131 million deal, significantly enhancing India’s maritime domain awareness (MDA) and surveillance capabilities across the Indo-Pacific region. This move comes amid rising geopolitical tensions and aligns with the strategic objectives of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), aimed at promoting maritime security and stability.
Key Features of the Deal
- Technology Acquired: HawkEye 360 RF-based surveillance system
- Value: $131 million
- Includes: SeaVision software, analytics tools, training, documentation, and logistics support
- Contractor: HawkEye 360, Herndon, Virginia
HawkEye 360 Technology Overview
- HawkEye 360 operates a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that detect and geolocate radio frequency (RF) emissions from ships, aircraft, vehicles, and coastal systems.
- This technology is especially effective at identifying “dark ships”-vessels that deliberately switch off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) to avoid detection, often linked to illegal fishing, smuggling, piracy, and trafficking.
Gut Microbiota
In News: A recent study highlights how climate change-precipitated food insecurity can also disrupt human intestine microbiota, with wide-ranging health outcomes.
- Impact on Food Yield and Quality: Elevated CO₂ concentrations reduce vital vitamins such as iron, zinc, protein, and potassium in principal plants like wheat, maize, and rice.
- Food Insecurity and Poor Diets: In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where dietary diversity is already restrained, weather-prompted food scarcity exacerbates undernourishment, reducing the diversity of intestine microbes and increasing vulnerability to infections and chronic diseases.
- Heatwaves and Enteric Infections: Higher ambient temperatures are associated with foodborne and waterborne diseases. These not only motivate on the spot gastrointestinal distress but also adjust long-term microbial compositions in the gut.
IMDEX Asia 2025
In News: Indian Naval Ship INS Kiltan arrived in Singapore to participate in IMDEX Asia 2025 at the Changi Exhibition Centre.
- It is Asia Pacific’s superior naval and maritime defence exhibition, held in Singapore and was set up in 1997.
- It is a biennial event that brings together naval leaders, maritime defence businesses, and generation innovators from around the world.
- The 2025 edition features over 230 exhibitors from 25 countries and welcomes more than 12,000 attendees from 70 nations.
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