earth

The Japanese “johatsu”, when life is so unbearable that you erase your trace from the Earth

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When we Westerners observe the Japanese people, their habits and cultural solutions that clash with our way of life, we usually come up with an explanation: shame. If Christianity has been based on the management of guilt, the East draws on shame and honor as a motor of action. The literature has made us believe that the code bushido or “path of the hero” that marked the life of the samurai in the 11th to 14th centuries is found buried in many of the behaviors which, seen from thousands of kilometers and 700 years later, seem amazing to us. We have previously talked about karoshithat involuntary suicide of many of its workers due to work pressure out of a feeling of duty towards the company and society. We also know their tendency towards seclusion and detachment, as practiced by otaku or the hikikomoris. Today it is the turn of the johatsu (蒸発), or “evaporated people”, as the Government describes them. It is a solution that many of us have thought about applying at some point, and have even dared to explore certain works popular. Become a johatsu is to lose your identity. Your family, your job, your name. All. You become a ghost for the State, all your trace is erased and you renounce your previous life to embrace a new and marginal one as you can no longer endure the pressure that presses you. According to estimates, 100,000 Japanese a year have become johatsu in the last 40 years. How to collect a report from the Japanese policethe “faded” became a social problem starting in the 70s that had to be regulated. Some cases had already been known since after the Second World War, and following a famous event in the 60s that found a film adaptation in 1967 and a ballad performed by Ken Yabukithe term, the idea, became popular. And what pressure leads these people to leave everything? According to the statistics and testimonies collected, a good part of them succumb to work overwhelm or the shame of having been fired, something that they are unable to communicate to their loved ones. Also in many cases they are members of families who have contracted big debtseither due to gambling addiction or ruinous businesses. There are people who mysteriously, and without any justification, decide to sacrifice themselves socially. An important part of the disappearances, approximately one in five cases, has to do with gender violence: since the State was not committed (nor does he commit) to fight against these abuses (until 2001 the law dictated that the most that could be done was ask husbands to be more respectful with their wives) many women began to leave their families to live in poverty. Because that is the new life that many of its protagonists must face. The neighborhood of Kamagasaki Osaka and San’ya of the outskirts of Japan no longer appear on maps. In fact, their nomenclaturesand, if you ask for their address, many Japanese pretend to be Swedes. It’s not that they don’t know what you’re talking about, but it is an unpleasant reality that is better not to face. Men and women who disappear because of the shame they carry on their shoulders. Families who, in turn, and when they suspect that the member who has disappeared has done so of his own free will, do not report it to the authorities because they feel the same fear of being criticized by society. This is confirmed when it is verified that according to official Government statistics, only 2,000 people disappear a year without leaving a trace or without returning after a few months of his journey. According to the Japan Missing Persons Search Support Association, these figures are strongly under-representative of reality, closer to those 100,000 disappearances annuals that we pointed out at the beginning. Those close to a johatsu They do not usually warn the authorities. But, if they have sufficient funds and a genuine interest in regaining contact with the person, they do request the services of companies or private detectives. Since Japanese laws strongly guarantee the privacy of citizens (they require keeping someone’s whereabouts secret even in front of their families unless criminal complaint), it is easier to go to these agents. In practice, many spouses, children, siblings or parents let it be. They do not want to hear from the person who has left their life again. So, to the particularity of that administrative silence that characterizes Japan, is added that structure that protects the “ghosts“. The existence of these neighborhoods allows them to find a way to survive. “There, the Johatsu They live in tiny hotel rooms, often without Internet or private bathrooms,” as Léna Mauger, journalist and writer for a book focused on the lives of these people. Back in the years of the Japanese miracle, between the 60s and 80s, San’ya was the home of thousands of day laborers in industrial and mechanical jobs. The blue-collar workers who were eclipsed in terms of State recognition by their white-collar compatriots. They were informal, masculinized jobs, without great pay but that in most cases allowed these citizens to survive and sometimes, if the person affected was skilled, save a little money with which to return to society. As masculinized communities that they were, alcoholism, gambling and homelessness began to proliferate. Many never managed to overcome their addictions and harmful behaviors. The mafias began to take sides, owing their people. Today some NGOs enter the district daily to distribute food. Many residents live so precariously that they were considered dead in life. The “ghost” life that is about to fade away As technology advances, the jobs that support its population become scarcer. Added to this are two other problems: for tax purposes, and so that the debts incurred do not become a burden, since 2015 the country has been starting to track more harshly to its members. As real estate pressure increases, less well-regarded neighborhoods begin to gentrify. It is possible … Read more

A young planet neighboring Earth was destroyed before it finished forming and now we have found a piece in the Sahara

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According to estimates based on the fireball tracking, is calculated Approximately 17,000 meteorites fall to Earth per year. Only a few of them recover. There are about 80,000 registered worldwide. However, the numbers must be much higher. There will be a multitude of meteorites abandoned in drawers or lost as simple unidentified stones that would make that figure much higher. It’s a shame, because a single meteorite can give us very useful information about our planet and its neighbors. A good example of this is NWA 12774, a fragment found in 2019 in the Sahara. Thanks to it, a team of scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder has managed to extract very interesting data about the dawn of the Solar System. The reconstructed history. The analysis The composition of this meteorite, as well as computer simulations, have allowed us to establish that it must be a fragment of a protoplanet of a size similar to the Moon or Mars, which 4.5 billion years ago decomposed into debris, possibly after colliding with another celestial object while rotating around the Sun. An especially rare angrita. Initial analysis of this meteorite indicated that it is an angrite. This is a very rare type of rock among meteorites. In fact, it is estimated that of the 80,000 that have been registered, only 68 are Angritas. They are rare meteorites because they contain very little silica, a material that is very abundant on rocky planets like Earth. Initially, angritas were thought to be asteroid fragments. However, in this case it is doubly rare, because it also contains clinopyroxene, a very common crystal in the Earth’s crust and mantle. As if that were not enough, said clinopyroxene is rich in CaTs forms, a “version” of this mineral in which one magnesium atom and one silicon atom are replaced by two aluminum atoms. It is a process that requires very high pressure conditions to occur. A large origin. According to the computational reconstructions that have been carried out, to generate such a quantity of CaTs it would be necessary for this object to be subjected to a pressure of 17.5 kilobars. It is something immense. To give us an idea, in the depths of the Mariana Trench barely reaches one kilobar. This pressure could not originate inside an asteroid. According to the calculations made by these scientists, an object of at least 2,000 kilometers in diameter would be needed. Even more. Another relevant fact about this meteorite is that it has sharp edges and chemical patterns that would have been erased if it had originated at a great depth within its parent body. This tells us that said body is immense, since what is relatively shallow compared to its size is actually great depth in terms of pressure. Therefore, the 2,000 kilometers would be short. We would rather be looking at about 3,600 kilometers in diameter, approximately that of the Moon. Some estimates would point to something even larger, like Mars, but in principle they fit the dimensions of the Moon. Very different from Earth. Protoplanets are planets in birth. They must continue colliding and fusing material around them to finish becoming planets. The object that originated this meteorite did not do so. But it should have been part of the dawn of the Solar System. Thanks to him, we know that, at first, the composition of rocky planets would be very different from that of Earth. Something must have changed over time. It would be ideal to analyze more meteorites, since there must be others like NWA 12774. The problem is that we will have to dust off those abandoned drawers to find them. Image | John Kashuba In Xataka | We have been trying to answer the question “where do meteorites come from” for years. And it’s harder than it seems

In 1910, a comet approached Earth. And half of Spain panicked when they believed that she would die from poisoning.

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In 1908, while reviewing the spectroscopic analysis of the tail of a comet, astronomer Daniel Walter Morehouse realized that it was full of toxic gases (such as cyanogen). The publication of the discovery made half of humanity’s hair stand on end. Above all, because there were just two years left until the Earth crossed paths with the largest known comet: the Halley. Plus, it was very close. Every year, between April 19 and May 28, our planet crosses the trail that Halley has left in its wake over the last few million years. This is what we know as the Eta Aquarids: a shower of very fast stars that peaks this year on the early mornings of May 5 and 6. In 1910, we encountered the comet on May 18. Our grandparents could almost touch it with the tips of their fingers. And that’s where the problems began. As explained Pedro Ruiz-Castell, Ignacio Suay-Matallana and Juan Marcos Bonet A few years ago, the vast majority of astronomers “seemed to be clear that this presence did not pose a danger to the visit of the comet. After all, “the tail of the comet was much less dense than the most perfect vacuum that could be produced in the laboratory”, what effect could such a tail have, no matter how many toxic gases it carried with it? However, the people she went crazy. Whether they were justified or not (which I already say they were not), the doubts about the extension of the comet’s tail and, “consequently, about the possibility that our planet could pass through it and be involved in it” became mainstream. So much so that José Comas i Solà In La Vanguardia on January 23 he even said that “we have been waiting for him (Halley) for 76 years to give us nothing but dislikes“. The confessionals filled to the brim In the end, as constantly happens today, “astronomers do not cease, even without intending to, to alarm the public with the statement that from May 18 to 19 we will have to pass through the tail of Halley’s Comet. On the one hand they assure that nothing bad will happen, and on the other they enumerate the dangers that await us on that day” said El Restaurador de Tortosa. But it was not something uniquely Spanish. Wherever there was a newspaper, there there was dozens of news stories dedicated to denying the hoaxes and prophecies that spread on the street. During those weeks, enormous sales were made. amounts of oxygen in pharmacies throughout Europe and thousands of wills were written before the imminent catastrophe.” In England, many citizens were convinced that “the comet is a chariot of fire, sent by the Supreme Being to take the soul of King Edward to heaven” who had just died on May 6. In Italy there were hundreds of psychotic outbreaks motivated by the comet and from the United States news came of “the strange rites celebrated in the countryside during the early mornings by African Americans in the south”. In Spain, the correspondent of The Impassionate in Bilbao, he wrote on May 18 that “the famous comet is the obligatory topic of all conversations. Many people see the critical moment arriving with real fear, and as proof of this, this morning an extraordinary number of faithful could be seen in the communion boxes in the churches. The priests, even trying to be brief and lenient in the court of penance, were not able to dispatch all those who requested confession, and tonight the churches were full. Tomorrow there will be a almost cometary queue before the sacred tables” Luckily, astronomers they were right and the passage of Halley did not end life on Earth. It did leave us priceless scenes of what would become, with the passage of time, hoaxes, collective hysteria and scientific journalism. Oh, and he “renewed” the material that we come across every year in the month of May: the wonderful Eta Aquarids. Image | Frank Cone In Xataka | Mysterious lights have been appearing in a remote valley in Norway since 1811. And we still don’t know what they are In Xataka | We had always believed that galaxies preceded black holes. James Webb has discovered something else

Something strange happened inside the Earth in 2011 and 27 years of data have not solved the mystery

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In 2011, scientists observed an unexpected change in the flow of molten iron and nickel that makes up the earth core external. While its surface flow normally moves westward, it was detected to be moving just eastward. It was something totally unusual and mysterious. As a result of this observation, a study was launched, the results of which have recently been published. The objective was to know the reasons, but now there are only a few certainties and still many doubts. 27 years of observations. In this study 27 years of behavior of the Earth’s core were retrospectively analyzed, between 1997 and 2025. The core cannot be directly observed. However, its behavior directly influences that of the Earth’s magnetic field. Therefore, fluctuations in one can be detected in the other using satellite observations. It was seen that while the Earth’s outer core moves normally westward, there was a portion of it that went from a weak westward flow in 2010 to a much stronger eastward flow in 2012. It remained that way until 2020 and now appears to be starting to weaken again. Three options. When this change in movement was detected in 2011, it was thought that it could be due to three reasons. On the one hand, it could be a one-off fluctuation. On the other hand, it is possible that it is part of a periodic oscillation. And finally, it could be due to a way of establishing a balance in the circulation of the core. The only thing we see at the moment with the satellite observations is that the change was progressive. The behavioral modification began in 2010 and was already very clear in 2012. In 2011, when it was observed, it was in full transition. Other simultaneous observations. When analyzing the data from that period, it was seen that, coinciding with this change of direction, there were also some seismic signals that agree with the dates. Even geomagnetic shocks have been detected that correspond to a turbulent activity in the earth’s core. It’s not a whirlpool. This change of direction has not occurred throughout the core. For a start, the earth’s core consists of two parts: the internal and the external. The internal one is subjected to so much pressure that the metals are in a solid state despite the high temperatures. On the other hand, on the outside they are in a liquid state and, therefore, in motion. Even so, it wasn’t the entire outer core that changed its movement either. It corresponds to a specific region, located under the Pacific Ocean. It could be seen as a whirlpool, but these scientists have concluded that it is not, since the movement is part of a larger, wavy structure. Something like if an entire section of this part of the core suddenly began to move against expectations. Why is it important. The movement of the molten metal in the core generates electrical currents, which in turn give rise to a geomagnetic field that extends into space. Therefore, thanks to the movement of the Earth’s core we have an entire magnetic shield around the Earth that protects our atmosphere from the erosion caused by particles from the solar winds. For this nucleus to change its movement is not dangerous. We are not going to run out of atmosphere, because the core is still there. However, understanding its fluctuations can help us also understand the fluctuations of the magnetic field. This not only protects the atmosphere from erosion. It also helps us keep away a good part of the particles that could affect our telecommunications systems. Therefore, understanding how this shield works can help us prevent those more extreme events that do cause some technological havoc. That’s why, while this study has given us a lot of interesting data, it’s still not enough. We must continue monitoring the Earth’s core, what caused this anomaly of 2011. Image | THAT In Xataka | The Webb and Hubble telescopes simultaneously observed Jupiter’s auroras. The problem is that they didn’t see the same thing

It turns out that at least half of what orbits the Earth is garbage. And that’s only what we can see

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Around the Earth is the moon and a lot of space junk. And it is not an exaggeration: we have decades launching satellites into space without a clear or unified strategy. Of those waters, these muds: only Starlink has 9,000 units orbiting and has requested permission to launch a million more. What began with a technological race between superpowers has become an orbiting dump that has serious implications: threat of catastrophic collisions (every time we launch something, we buy another ticket in this macabre lottery) to risk critical infrastructures such as GPS navigation or communications. But all this is not new: science has been warning about it for years. The truly disturbing thing is not so much that the problem has been diagnosed, but rather that there is no simple solution. Space debris will not degrade with rain nor will it be decomposed by microorganisms. What goes up, stays there. And everything that remains is a real threat to what is there that truly matters. Almost half of what is in orbit is garbage. The engineering company Accu has used public data of the United States Space Corps through the web Space-Track.org and has analyzed them: there are 33,269 trackable objects in orbit, of which 17,682 are satellites. What happens to that other 47%? What is space debris: abandoned rockets, dead satellites and thousands of fragments resulting from collisions, among other unidentified objects. Stay with this information, because it is important and we will return later. Why is it important. From high school physics: we have already seen that there are objects of all types and sizes, but the majority of them they travel At more than 27,000 km/h and that speed, even the smallest piece can be lethal. To put it in context: a one-kilogram fragment impacting at 10 km/s has a kinetic energy of 50 MJ, that is, its equivalence in TNT There are 12 kg of explosive, enough to completely destroy an entire satellite of several tons. Losing a satellite is not the worst thing that could happen (even if its function was critical), but the Kessler syndromean irreversible chain reaction: if two objects collide and generate thousands of fragments, these fragments can collide with each other, generating more and more until making the orbit unusable. Context. It all started with the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, but the problem has gotten out of hand in the last decade due to something that a priori was good: the cost of launches has plummeted, so there are more and more and in fact, there are even commercial constellations, like Starlink. Only between 2020 and 2025 the number of trackable objects in orbit grew by around 10,000 units. You can see the history of all objects launched into space in Space-Track.org. Maybe after hearing so much that the wolf is coming we downplay it, but it is already happening: in 2024 the astronauts of the International Space Station they had to take refuge after the fragmentation of a decommissioned Russian satellite. In 2025 Chinese astronauts they were trapped at Tiangong Station after a piece of trash cracked the window of their return capsule. The worst is what we don’t know. We mentioned before that 47% of space debris, but that is only what we can see: the European Space Agency calculate that there are more than 1.2 million fragments larger than one centimeter in orbit and that more than 50,000 exceed 10 centimeters, enough size to completely destroy an active satellite if both impact. The figure amounts to more than 100 million objects of one millimeter or less, according to NASA. Even a flake of paint. In addition, each space power manages its own tracking data with different levels of transparency, making it difficult to have a complete and reliable picture, a map of what is in orbit. The gap between what is trackable and what is real is abysmal: current surveillance systems can only reliably track objects larger than 10 centimeters in low orbit and larger than one meter in geostationary orbit. Everything that remains outside that threshold is simply invisible, not innocuous. As if that were not enough, there is one more dynamic variable to introduce into the equation: the interaction between debris and space weather. A 2025 study warned that an intense solar storm could cripple satellites’ ability to maneuver long enough to cause cascading collisions and that there would be less than three days to react. Whose fault is it. The origin of space debris is essentially concentrated in three blocks: China, the United States and the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, heirs of the Soviet space program, concentrate on their shoulders about 95% of all waste cataloged in orbit. With data from March 2026, China accounts for 34% of the total debris tracked, closely followed by the CIS (Russia and eight other small countries) with 31% and the United States with another 31%. The underlying problem is legal: the international treaty that regulates space dates back to the 1960s and does not prohibit destroying satellites with missiles. Nor has anyone been serious about minimizing the launches. Without a clear policy to reduce waste, verification mechanisms or real sanctions, little can be expected, such as documents the UN. In Xataka | We have been burning space junk for years to get rid of the problem. It turned out to be a bad idea In Xataka | Orbital cleanup is no longer science fiction: the first regular space debris collection service will arrive in 2027 Cover | Photo of Javier Miranda in Unsplash

The oldest rocks on Earth are in Australia and force us to rethink how the continents were formed

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The Earth works with the mechanics of plate tectonics, that is, tectonic plates move, collide and sink under each other. The question on the table of science is when it started to work like this and the answer is complicated, simply because no rock older than 4,030 million years is preserved that allows us to reconstruct that period (spoiler: It is the Acasta gneiss and is in Canada). The only clue we have are zircons, crystals so resistant that they can almost withstand anything: they survive even when the rock that houses them disappears, so they function as a kind of time capsule. The oldest in the world They are in the hills of Jack Hillsin Western Australia and are up to 4.4 billion years old. The discovery. An international research team led by John W. Valley of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has analyzed the chemical composition of these Australian zircons and compared it with other zircons of approximately the same age found in Barberton, South Africa. What they found was surprising: while the South Africans point to a still and immobile Earth’s crust, the Australians indicate that in that place, one layer was sinking on top of another (subduction). The conclusion they reached is that 4.4 billion years ago different parts of the Earth operated with different tectonic mechanisms at the same time: in some places there was something similar to silver tectonics and in others, the crust remained stagnant, as if it were a rigid lid. Why is it important. Until now, the official history of Earth’s geology tells that the planet went from having a stationary crust to having plate tectonics. around 3.8 billion years and that the change was more or less global and simultaneous. Well nothis study dismantles it: subduction was already happening in some parts 600 million years earlier, which means that the continents began to form much earlier than previously thought. And there were earthquakes back then. This is also important for understanding the origin of life. Subduction produces granite and stable continental crust, which creates land, nourishes the oceans with minerals, and creates the environments where, according to the oldest records available, life began to develop 3,700 – 4,100 million years ago. If subduction dates back to before, those favorable conditions for life were also there before. Context. This debate is not new and in fact, neither is the conclusion. There are studies that hold that plate tectonics began in the early Hadean, others that before the plates began to move, the Earth’s crust was a rigid, immobile layer, like a lid, and the heat from within was released through columns of molten rock rising from the mantle, not through the movement and collision of plates. And be careful, because in both cases they used those same Jack Hills zircons to defend opposing positions, which gives an idea of ​​how difficult it is to interpret them. In fact, already there are previous studies that use Barberton zircons to identify a tectonic regime change around 3.8 billion years ago. What this new work does is add a nuance in the form of complexity: the change was present in Barberton, but in Australia in Jack Hills the story was different and older. How they have done it. With a technique called secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), which makes it possible to measure with high precision some chemical elements present in zircon (scandium, ytterbium, niobium and uranium) because their proportions vary depending on the type of geological environment in which the mineral was formed. A zircon formed in a subduction zone has very different proportions than one formed in a rigid cap zone. In addition, they analyzed the age of the zircons and their hafnium and oxygen isotopes, which indicate both the origin of the mantle or whether water was involved in the process. The complete photo with these four data allows us to reconstruct the geological environment. Yes, but. The big Achilles’ heel of the study is that these zircons are loose grains carried by erosion, not samples of rock in their original place. That is, they could travel thousands of kilometers from their origin. In short: it is not known where they come from. The second major problem is that the method used to identify tectonic environments is calibrated with modern rocksbecause there are no Hadean rocks. This implies assuming that the chemistry then was similar to that of today, something that no one can guarantee. In Xataka | 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history, summarized in a spectacular video map In Xataka | We thought we had an accurate photo of what the Earth was like 4 billion years ago. Zircons are telling a different story Cover | Virtual Museum of Mineralogy and Gemini with AI

The Earth has had a traveling companion for millions of years and we don’t know where it came from, but there is a ship ready to give us answers

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The Earth does not travel alone around the sun. And not only because of the Moon, which logically always accompanies it, orbiting around it. It also has several traveling companions: objects, called co-orbitals, that take exactly the same time as our planet to make a complete revolution around the star. These objects are well known, but their origin is quite mysterious. There are astronomers who bet that they escaped from the asteroid belt. However, their silicate content suggests that they could be fragments of the Moon that jumped from its surface after the impact of a meteorite. Now, a team of scientists has assigned probabilities to each option, although for definitive proof of its origin we will have to wait a little longer. (469219) Kamo’oalewa. This is the name of one of the best-known coorbitals on Earth. It measures between 24 and 107 meters in diameter and the spectral analyzes that have been able to be carried out Telescopes such as the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) and the Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT) indicate that it is very rich in silicates, so it is likely that it comes from the Moon. In fact, the most accepted hypothesis so far indicates that it could have been formed during the impact that gave rise to the Giordano Bruno crater on our satellite. However, this new study, published in the journal Icarus, suggests that it is more likely that it is an asteroid escaped of the belt between Mars and Jupiter. Very unlikely. For an asteroid or a piece of the Moon to become co-orbital, they must not only escape from their place. Also They must have enough energy to be located in what is known as a quasi-satellite orbit. This, for a body the size of Kamo’oalewa, is highly unlikely. Quasi-what? A quasi-satellite has certain similarities with a satellite, but it is not the same. When we look at one of them from the planet it accompanies, in the direction of the Sun, it appears that it is in orbit around the planet, but in reality it rotates around the Sun itself. This, among other reasons, is due to the fact that is outside the Hill sphere of the planet. That is, the environment dominated by its gravity. Being outside of said orbit, it is influenced by the planet’s gravity, but above all, in this case, it is influenced by that of the Sun. Be that as it may, falling and staying in that orbit is complicated, as we have already seen and, above all, as these scientists have demonstrated. Win the asteroid option. These scientists have created models that simulate the trajectory of 12,000 synthetic particles launched from the lunar surface at different speeds and angles, following their orbits for millions of years. The goal was to see how many stabilized at co-orbital points with the Earth. In total they found 70 objects with a diameter greater than 10 meters capable of doing so. 70 out of 12,000! Now, when they repeated the procedure by swapping lunar particles for objects from the asteroid belt, they found more candidates. 1,600 in total. Tianwen-2 will return samples to answer the mystery in 2027 Tianwen-2 will have the key. The origin of coorbitals is so intriguing that China already has sent a ship to analyze the surface of one of them. Specifically from Kamo’oalewa himself. The Tianwen-2 mission left in May 2025 towards this object, with the aim of collecting at least 100 grams of samples and return them to Earth for analysis. It is already known that there are silicates, or at least it is suspected, but a deeper idea of ​​the composition is needed to understand the origin of this object. Orbit insertion is expected to occur next June if all goes well. Then he will spend a few months collecting samples to put them in a capsule, which will land back on Earth. already in 2027. Two options. If the analyzes of Tianwen-2 conclude that Kamo’oalewa came from the Moon, the lunar impact mechanics would have to be rethought, since it would be very rare for one of these fragments to have been able to reach its final location with what we know so far. On the other hand, if it is proven that it comes from an asteroid, it would be necessary to study where these silicates come from, since they are very unconventional for an object of these characteristics. Whatever is concluded, there will be a lot of fabric to cut, that is clear. ç Image | NASA |China News Service In Xataka | The Earth has moons that we don’t know about: exploring them is key to revealing the secrets of our solar system

China wants to do a “CAT scan” of the Earth, and to do so it has launched a hyperspectral satellite to see what the eye cannot see

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A Kuaizhou-11 rocket put into orbit On March 16, Xiguang-1 06, the most advanced commercial hyperspectral satellite that China has sent into space. The satellite is capable of analyzing the chemical composition of the Earth’s surface with great precision, opening up a whole range of possibilities. What a hyperspectral satellite allows. A conventional satellite captures images of the planet in a similar way to how a camera does. A hyperspectral satellite, on the other hand, is able to distinguish the unique spectral signature of plants, tissues and other objects on Earth, which allows, among other things, to prevent crop losses, locate mineral deposits or monitor the state of the environment. While a normal satellite can identify a forest from space, one equipped with hyperspectral technology can differentiate between different types of trees and even determine the health status of each of them. The key is that these sensors capture dozens or hundreds of bands of the electromagnetic spectrum simultaneously, something that provides spectral information so detailed that it often produces results impossible to obtain with multispectral satellites or other types of observation systems. The satellite. The Xiguang-1 06 was developed by Xi’an Zhongke Xiguang Aerospace Technology Group and launched aboard the Kuaizhou-11 Y7 rocket from the Jiuquan launch center in Gansu province. It is the first commercial hyperspectral satellite in orbit with full spectral coverage in the 400 to 2,500 nanometer band (from visible to shortwave infrared) and operates with 26 independent spectral bands. In practical terms, that means it can “see” far beyond the human eye, detecting mineral compositions, differentiating healthy crops from diseased ones, and tracking changes in ecosystems that would be invisible to any other system. According to Kou Yiminchief engineer at Zhongke What is it for in practice? In the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan the satellite monitors crop growth high value such as tea and traditional Chinese medicinal plants; in the mining areas of the northwest of the country, it issues early warnings about geological risks such as landslides. But the potential reach goes much further. Hyperspectral technology can analyze phytoplankton levels in the oceans, detect fuel spills from ships, measure methane leaks in energy facilities or monitor polluting materials from mining ponds before they reach nearby soil and vegetation. It can also locate mineral deposits such as gold under the surface, identifying the presence of chemical elements in its composition such as copper. one of many. Xiguang-1 06 is one more piece of “Xiguang-1”, a constellation that contemplates a total of 158 satellites: 108 general purpose hyperspectral remote sensing, 40 specialized in carbon emissions monitoring and 10 specific function. The goal is to complete the in-orbit network by 2030, forming a “full spectrum in 100 bands” observing system with more than one hundred operational satellites. To understand its scale, Xiguang-1 06 was one of eight satellites that traveled aboard the same Kuaizhou-11 rocket at the March 16 launch. What’s behind. Until a few years ago, hyperspectral remote sensing from space had been a field almost exclusive of government missions. In recent years, however, commercial companies have begun to emerge launching their own constellations of hyperspectral satellites. China, with Zhongke Xiguang at the helm, is one of the actors that has risen the fastest in this sector. The company also has the “CAS Xiguang Remote Sensing Cloud” data platform, considered the first hyperspectral data platform from China. The stated goal is to become the world’s largest hyperspectral constellation, with applications already covering agriculture, forestry management, oceanography, carbon monitoring and mining. Cover image | China Daily and Richard Gatley In Xataka | The origin of the “blue moon” is actually a translation error: how a “betrayal” ended up giving the satellite its name

solar panels that do not compete with the earth, but rather protect it

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In the vast regions of northern Mexico, where the sun beats down with relentless intensity and water is an increasingly scarce and coveted resource, a quiet revolution is brewing. The growing demand for food, the scarcity of water and the urgency of moving towards clean energies force us to rethink how we manage our resources. In this scenario, a technology emerges that seems to challenge the traditional logic of competition for land: agrivoltaics. Far from choosing between growing food or harvesting light, agrivoltaics strategically combines agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same surface. By installing solar panels elevated above the crops, space is dually used without interrupting agricultural activities. A concept that comes from Germany. This idea, which began to germinate in Germany in the eightiesmanaged to land as a real option in Mexico thanks to the historic collapse in the prices of solar panels during the last decade, which transformed this vision into a financially viable alternative for countries with our climatic characteristics. In the year 2023, The Mexican Agrovoltaic Network (RAMe) is bornan initiative that, according to its own mission statement, seeks to analyze, disseminate and promote these projects by integrating specialists from multiple disciplines. Today, RAMe brings together more than 70 organizations—including universities, companies and rural communities—with a presence in at least 14 states in the country. The urgency to optimize the territory. According to data revealed in Intersolar Mexico 2026For this year alone, conventional photovoltaic developments have been authorized that will devour around 5,000 hectares of land. This shows a voracious need for space for electricity generation that, if not managed properly, could displace primary activities. “Agrivoltaics comprehensively addresses three critical challenges for the country: energy security, water security and food security,” explained Valeria Amezcuapresident of the RAMe. Water is crucial. In Mexico, the agricultural sector consumes about 76% of the available fresh water. This is where solar panels they do their magic: they act as technological umbrellas that moderate high temperatures and protect crops from intense solar radiation. This drastically reduces plant evapotranspiration, helps conserve soil moisture and reduces water demand. The potential for the country is massive. If we look to the southeast, in the Yucatan Peninsula —where electricity consumption is growing above the national average— the data is revealing: Using just between 1% and 2% of the region’s livestock territory would allow for the installation of up to 12,000 MW of solar capacity. Current energy needs would be covered without the need to cut down a single hectare of forest or sacrifice the livestock vocation of the land. lThe challenges from the field to the law. However, bringing the theory to the field involves technical and economic challenges. photovoltaic structures must be modified and installed at a higher height (up to two meters) to allow the passage of tractors and the natural growth of plants. This adaptation increases installation costs between 50% and 100%. Despite the cost barrier, the evidence in the field is promising, since there are successful tests with lettuce, tomato, carrot and chiltepin pepper crops. In addition, RAMe is leading projects with high social impact, such as collaboration with Otomi communities in the State of Mexico, installing panels on greenhouses to generate clean energy that powers drip irrigation systems, saving up to 80% of water. The academic effort in Mexico City with the Sustainable and Educational Agrovoltaic Plot (PASE) also stands out. promoted by UNAM. However, the biggest current brake is bureaucratic. In Mexico, agrivoltaics lacks its own legal figure. Producers and developers face a regulatory labyrinth where they are required to process the same permits as a large-scale power plant, even though the land maintains its original agricultural vocation. This contrasts with countries like Italy, that have already been adapted its legislation to facilitate this dual model. htowards the circular economy. For the model to be truly revolutionary, it is not enough to generate shade and electricity; We must also look towards the earth. The magazine of the National Solar Energy Association (ANES) puts an innovative proposal on the table: integrate solar pyrolysis to manage agricultural waste (stems, stubble, leaves) left after harvest. Solar pyrolysis is a process where biomass decomposes at high temperatures (between 400 and 800 °C) limiting oxygen. Unlike conventional methods, this uses a solar oven (composed of a heliostat and a parabolic concentrator) as a source of pure heat, eliminating the use of fossil fuels. With this you obtain biochar (biochar), a highly stable and porous material that remains in the soil for decades. This biochar is an excellent improver that increases soil fertility, optimizes water retention and sequesters carbon from the atmosphere, becoming the perfect ally against climate change and replacing chemical fertilizers. A call to action. The circular agrovoltaic model, anchored in the vital nexus of Water-Energy-Food, is much more than an engineering curiosity. But as the RAMe warnsthere is a latent risk: that the energy transition is purely technological and forgets the people. Changing the origin of electrons from fossil to solar is of little use if it does not improve the quality of life and the economy of peasant families. The development of this sector will inevitably require effective public policies, strategic investment and genuine collaboration between the agricultural, energy and academic sectors. Agrivoltaics is not only a technical alternative to meet clean generation quotas; is an imperative call to action to build a more resilient and equitable future. Mexico has the sun, it has the land and it has the urgency; Now all that is missing is the will to awaken this sleeping giant. Image | EnelGreenPower Xataka | Chile has one of the most valuable skies on Earth. Renewables are putting it on the ropes

Chile has one of the most valuable skies on Earth. Renewables are putting it on the ropes

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Chile has a diamond of 105,000 km². The Atacama Desert is one of the most important in the world due to its extreme aridity. That is why it is key to study the adaptability of fauna and flora to very harsh conditions of drought and salinity, but it is also a gem for space observation and renewable energies. But there are mixtures that do not work, and Atacama is the example of how one of the best natural laboratories for the energy transition and one of the best places to look at the universe They don’t combine well. Spoiler: the astronomers have won. For now. The Atacama battery. It is not the first time that two disciplines collide in the Atacama Desert. Due to its conditions, this desert has become in the country’s renewable battery. Not only solar energy projects are triumphing, but also wind turbine parks. And as important as this: one of its salt flats hides one of the most important lithium reserves in the world. This is vital to build batteries for the energy transition of cars, for example, but the price is being too high: we are destroying biodiversity. In parallel to this battle, another has been fought: that of a huge renewable energy project to create green hydrogen that came into conflict with one of the most important observatories in the world: the Paranal Observatory of the European Astral Observatory. The threat of INNA. The American AES Corporation, together with the Chilean subsidiary AES Andes, was preparing the construction of a photovoltaic park of more than 3,000 hectares, wind turbines and refining facilities to produce green hydrogen and ammonia. He green hydrogen It is one of the pending energy accounts and it is positive, but there was a problem: it would be only 10 kilometers from the observatory. Astronomers shouted in the sky pointing that the microvibrations of the installation, the dust and, above all, the light pollution would disturb the daily work in facilities that are located in a privileged location, precisely because they are in the middle of nowhere. This facility is of global importance because it houses the Very Large Telescope (one of the most powerful in the world) and will have both the Extremely Large Telescope such as the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory. The thing about telescope names is one thing. Scientists working at the observatory They agreed to sign an open letter in which they pointed out that the construction of the facilities would seriously endanger the missions that were carried out there, describing the program as “an imminent threat” to humanity’s ability to investigate the cosmos. Victory. After months of fighting, the astronomers won. It was at the beginning of this year when AES Andes advertisement that he would abandon the project, noting that he would focus on other facilities, but mentioning that INNA was “fully compatible with the activities of the region.” It was no longer a fight just for the Paranal Observatory due because there are about 30 astronomical sites in the area, many of them internationaland its importance is what it is because, apart from zero light pollution, it is estimated that there are more than 300 nights each year without rain or clouds that interfere with scientific work. Yes, but. The problem is that one thing is the interests of astronomers and researchers of the universe and another is the priority of energy companies… and even of the country itself. Researchers point out that there is increasing pressure to convert the Atacama Desert into that aforementioned ‘stack’ of Chile, and INNA has not been the only threat that the observatories have experienced. In 1955, a major solar station operated by the Smithsonian Institution of the United States was forced to close due to mining expansion in the area. Unda-Sanzana, director of the Astronomy Center at the University of Antofagasta, points out that “we have had 70 years to learn from history and avoid repeating those same mistakes,” lamenting how close they have come to reliving the situation. And the problem is that things they haven’t changed too much. This victory has been suffered, but astronomers point out that Chilean sky preservation laws remain lax and outdated, so this should be remedied instead of fighting each battle individually. Image | G. Hüdepohl/ESO In Xataka | The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on the planet. And right there a bunch of “crazies” are trying to get water out of the fog.

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