Brown Dwarf | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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    Posted 18 Jul 2024

    8 min read

    Brown Dwarf

    James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations were used to map the weather on a pair of brown dwarf stars.

    • JWST is a large infrared telescope, result of an international collaboration among NASA, European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency

    About Brown Dwarf

    • Objects which have a size between that of a giant planet like Jupiter and that of a small star.
    • They do not have enough mass to fuse normal hydrogen like a regular star and thus are not able to sustain nuclear fusion. So, they are often called ‘Failed Stars’. 
    • Tags :
    • James Web Space Telescope (JWST)
    • Brown Dwarf

    Seine River

    Paris mayor took pre-Olympics dip to prove Seine clean ahead of 2024 Games.

    About the Seine

    • It’s France's second-longest river (after the Loire).
    • It flows in a Northwesterly direction through Paris before emptying into the  English Channel at Le Havre.
    • Origin: Near Dijon, France.
    • Major tributaries: Marne, Aube and Yonne.
    • Significance: It’s vital for transportation, commerce, and culture in France for centuries.
    • Paris, Banks of the Seine is a cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site as it comprises some of the iconic monuments like Saint-Chapelle,  Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower.
    • Tags :
    • UNESCO World Heritage Site
    • Seine
    • English Channel
    • Paris, Banks of the Seine

    Saturn

    Cassini's radar observations reveal new details about the seas of liquid hydrocarbons on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. 

    • Cassini  (1997-2017) was a joint space mission to Saturn, by NASA, European Space Agency, and Italian Space Agency. 

    About Saturn 

    • Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the solar system. 
    • It’s surrounded by rings made of chunks of ice and rock.
    • Saturn has the second-shortest day in the solar system (only 10.7 hours). 
    • Saturn has 146 moons in its orbit ex. Dione, Enceladus, Epimetheus, Titan etc. 
    • Tags :
    • Titan
    • Cassini-Huygens Mission
    • Saturn

    Chandipura virus

    Recently, there has been outbreak of Chandipura virus in Gujarat.

    About Chandipura virus

    • Also known as Chandipura vesiculovirus (CHPV), it is an Ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus belonging to the Rhabdoviridae family.
      • It also includes the rabies virus.
    • It was first identified in 1965 in Chandipura, a village in Maharashtra.
    • It primarily affects children (aged 9 months-14 years) and has been associated with outbreaks of acute encephalitis in India.
    • Transmission: Spread through the sting of a vector-infected sandfly and is seen more in rural areas. 
    • Symptoms: Fever, vomiting, loose motion and headache.
    • Tags :
    • Virus
    • Rhabdoviridae family.
    • Chandipura vesiculovirus (CHPV)

    Jerdon’s Courser

    Jerdon's Courser has not been visually spotted in over a decade.

    About Jerdon's Courser

    • Nocturnal bird found only in the Eastern Ghats.
    • Exclusively endemic to Andhra Pradesh, specifically within the Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh.
    • Protection Status: 
      • Under Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats’ (IDWH) scheme.
      • Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
      • IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
    • Tags :
    • Critically Endangered
    • Jerdon's Courser

    Lunar Cave

    Researchers have found evidence of an underground cave on the moon that is accessible from the surface.

    • The cave was recorded at the Sea of Tranquillity, a large, dark, basaltic plains on lunar surface. 

    About Lunar cave

    • Lunar caves are believed to be the underground passageways formed through volcanic processes that are connected to the pits covering the moon’s surface.
    • Significance of the discovery: 
      • New insight into the evolution of the moon and lunar volcanism.
      • Caves could provide shelter for future astronauts from radiation, micrometeorites, and temperature extremes.
    • Tags :
    • Lunar Surface
    • Sea of Tranquillity

    Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA)

    Scientists suggest LUCA could have formed just 300 million years after Earth's formation.

    About LUCA

    • Researchers believe all the three branches of life i.e. bacteria, archaea, and eukarya have originated from a single microbe, called LUCA.
      • However, there is no fossil evidence to support the existence of LUCA.
    • Suggested Characteristics:
      • Anaerobic: Grew in an environment devoid of oxygen.  
      • Thermophile: Heat loving microbe. 
      • Metabolism: Depended upon hydrogen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen, turning them into compounds such as ammonia.
    • Tags :
    • Evolution
    • Anaerobic
    • Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA)

    Operation Nanhe Farishtey

    84,119 children were rescued by the Railway Protection Force under 'Operation Nanhe Farishtey' in the last 7 years. 

    About 'Operation Nanhe Farishtey’

    • It is a mission dedicated to rescuing children in need of care and protection across various Indian Railway Zones. 
    • Tags :
    • Children
    • Operation Nanhe Farishtey
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