Scientists confirm the existence of ghostly dust clouds Kordylewski



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Scientists confirmed the presence of two elusive dust clouds reported for the first time in 1961, located only 400,000 kilometers from Earth. Known as Lagrange points, L4 and L5, form an equal triangle between the Earth and the Moon and move around the Earth as the Moon moves in its orbit. The clouds, named after the Polish astronomer Kazimierz Kordylewski, are exceptionally weak, so their existence is controversial, said researchers at Lorand Eotvos University in Hungary.

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The Earth-Moon system has five points of stability where gravity forces maintain the relative position of the objects therein. L4 and L5 are not completely stable because they are disturbed by the gravitational pull of the Sun. These are thought to be places where interplanetary dust could accumulate, at least temporarily.

In 1961, Polish astronomer Kazimierz Kordylewski discovered two bright spots near point L5, which could refer to an accumulation of dust particles. , but their extreme weakness makes them difficult to detect and many scientists doubt their existence

The team, led by Gobar Horvath of Eotvos Lorand University, modeled Kordylewski's clouds to evaluate their formation and ways to detect them. [19659005] Researchers investigated their appearance using polarizing filters, which transmit light with a particular direction of oscillation, similar to those found in some images

. The resulting images show a polarized light reflected by the dust, extending well outside the field of view of the camera lens.

The pattern observed corresponds to the predictions made by the same group of researchers in a precedent The researchers said the first observations of Kordylewski's clouds six decades ago.

The Horvath group was able to eliminate optical artifacts and other effects, which means that the presence of the dust cloud is confirmed.

"Kordylewski's clouds are astronomers largely forget that two of the most difficult objects to find are near Earth and on Earth," said Slz-Balogh.

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"It is intriguing to confirm that our planet has dusty pseudo-satellites in orbit along with our lunar neighbor, "said Slz-Balogh.

Given their stability, points L4 and L5 are considered potential sites for space probes in orbit and as transfer stations for missions exploring the solar system in the broad sense

"KDCs are two of the most difficult objects to find and, although they are as close to the Earth as the moon, are largely neglected." economics, "said Dr. Judit Sliz-Balogh, a member of the Loran Eotvos University team.

"It is intriguing to confirm that our planet has dusty pseudo-satellites in orbit alongside our lunar neighbor." With the participation of organisms)

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