Though we all have differences, there’s one commonality that has prevailed for all of humanity: we are all floating on a rock, flying through outer space at over a million miles an hour.
Thanks to the rapid advancement of technology in the past century, we can observe much more of the universe than we ever thought possible.
The scale and sheer size of the universe make it impossible to truly learn everything, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
The 2022 Cosmic Sense Year in Review
2022 has undoubtedly been one of the most exciting and groundbreaking years for space exploration and space enthusiasts in quite some time.
From the top of the year to now, we've seen some absolutely stellar stories make headlines, and the momentum still hasn't slowed down.
Here's a look back at 5 of the top space stories of 2022.
1. JAMES WEBB'S FIRST IMAGES RELEASED
One of the most important space stories of the year, or perhaps of all time, actually kicked off in December 2021 when the James Webb Space Telescope launched.
The $10 billion telescope reached its final position a few months later in March, and NASA released its highly anticipated first images in July 2022.
Among the images were breathtaking photos of spiraling galaxies, chemical signatures of exoplanets, and views of planetary nebulae as we've never seen them.
The real showstopper, however, was 'Webb's First Deep Field,' a photo that NASA has referred to as the 'deepest image ever taken.'
JWST has since released a multitude of stellar photos, and you can expect to see many more in the upcoming year.
2. Earth's shortest day ever
Looking back at 2022, it kind of feels like the year went by faster than usual, right? Well, it actually did! 1.59 milliseconds faster, that is.
On June 29th, the Earth recorded its shortest day since 1973 as it completed one rotation just 1.59 milliseconds short of 24 hours.
A number of factors influence the fluctuation of Earth's rotation speed. The structure of the Earth itself, the gravitational pull from the Moon's rotation, climate change, and something known as 'Chandler's wobble,' to name a few.
Chandler's wobble refers to small changes in Earth's geographical poles across the surface of the planet.
3. NASA successfully smashes into asteroid
This year was full of groundbreaking NASA missions, but their September Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission made 2022 a truly smashing year.
NASA's DART mission turned a common sci-fi movie plot into reality on September 26 when it crashed a spacecraft into the surface of the asteroid Dimorphus at 14,000 mph.
This $325 million kamikaze science mission was designed as a practice run for a potential threat to humanity in the future.
NASA later announced that the impact successfully changed the asteroid's motion in space and released 2 million pounds of rock into space.
4. NASA detects the biggest explosion ever recorded
Of all of NASA's discoveries in 2022, the discovery of a GRB 221009A in October was certainly the most explosive.
On October 9, the space agency detected an "unusually bright and long-lasting pulse of high-energy radiation" that swept over Earth. It turned out to be a gamma-ray burst, and the largest explosion ever recorded.
The massive explosion of x-rays and gamma rays, labeled GRB 221009A, was detected by telescopes worldwide, including NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
The light emitted from GRB221009A was so bright that several gamma-ray detectors were temporarily blinded. The gamma-ray burst released more energy in one second than our Sun will produce in its entire lifetime of more than 10 billion years.
5. Artemis 1 ushers in new era of lunar exploration
Last, but certainly not least, is the historic launch of NASA's Artemis I rocket on November 16.
2022 saw a total of over 180 orbital launches, but the launch of the Artemis I rocket was arguably the most important. It ushered in a new era of lunar exploration, a feat space enthusiasts have looked forward to for decades.
The unmanned space mission was the first step in a series of missions designed to bring humans back to the lunar surface.
After a 3-week, 1.4 million mile journey around the Moon, the Orion capsule returned to Earth, marking the end of NASA's exceptionally successful Artemis I mission.
2022 was a monumental year for space exploration. We peered deeper into the universe than ever before, saw multiple historic launches, and furthered our understanding of the cosmos at an unprecedented rate.
There has been a considerable increase in interest in cosmic exploration in the past few years, including some of the world's most wealthy people.
Many have said we're in the midst of a second 'space race,' so you can expect even more astronomical discoveries and achievements during our next journey around the Sun.
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