‘Black widow’ is heaviest-known neutron star (GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Why in news?
- Astronomers have observed the most massive known example of an object called a neutron star, one classified as a ‘black widow’ that got particularly bulky by gobbling up most of the mass of a stellar companion trapped in an unhappy cosmic marriage.
- The neutron star, wildly spinning at 707 times per second, has a mass about 2.35 times greater than that of our sun, putting it perhaps at the maximum possible for such objects before they would collapse to form a black hole.
Black hole’s event horizon:
- A black hole's event horizon is the point of no return beyond which anything including light gets sucked in irretrievably.
- The neutron star, residing in our Milky Way galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sextans and formally named PSR J0952-0607, is located roughly 20,000 light years from Earth.
- A light year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). The researchers studied it using the Keck I telescope in Hawaii.
- Stars that are about eight or more times the sun's mass transform hydrogen into heavier elements through thermonuclear fusion in their cores. When they build up about 1.4 times the mass of our sun in iron, that core collapses into a neutron star having a diameter only about the size of a city, with the rest blown off in the supernova explosion.
- Its matter is so compact that an amount about the size of a sugar cube would outweigh Mount Everest.
The black widow:
- This neutron star inhabits what is called a binary system, in an orbit with another star. The neutron star is a kind dubbed a ‘black widow’, named in honor of female black widow spiders that eat their male partners after mating.
- It apparently was born with the usual mass of a neutron star, about 1.4 times that of our sun, but its gravitational pull poached material from its companion star, enabling it to grow to a mass seemingly at the uppermost limit before physics would dictate a collapse into a black hole, the densest of all known objects.
- Its companion star has been stripped almost bare, losing perhaps 98% of its mass to the black widow, leaving it at about 20 times the mass of our solar system's largest planet Jupiter.
What is a neutron star?
- A neutron star is the compact collapsed core of a massive star that exploded as a supernova at the end of its life cycle.
- The one described by the researchers is a highly magnetized type of neutron star called a pulsar that unleashes beams of electromagnetic radiation from its poles.
- As it spins, these beams appear from the perspective of an observer on Earth to pulse - akin to a lighthouse's rotating light. Only one other neutron star is known to spin more quickly than this one.
IISc, Indian Navy sign MoU to collaborate on aviation research and development
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Why in news?
- The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and the Indian Navy have signed an MoU to collaborate on aviation research and development, and to ramp up self-reliance efforts for the Indian Navy, in line with the goals of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.
The MoU provides a formal basis for the Indian Navy to interact with relevant faculty members at IISc and will promote joint research programmes in areas of mutual interest.
Areas of collaboration:
- The areas of collaboration under this MoU will fall under the domain of Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering, including design and education technology.
- Specialisations that will be under focus include Propulsion and Propulsion Systems, Steel Technology, Metallurgy and Material Sciences, and Corrosion Science; Systems and Controls, Instrumentation and Sensors; Environmental Science and Engineering, Energy Science and Engineering; Management (Technical and Logistics), Industrial Engineering and Operational Research, Nanotechnology and MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems), Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, and Machine Learning.
Way Forward:
- The collaboration will foster regular interactions between IISc faculty members and officers of the Indian Navy.
Ellora Caves, first monument in India to get hydraulic lift
(GS Paper 1, Culture)
Why in news?
- Ellora Caves, the UNESCO world heritage site in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district, will become the first monument in the country to have a hydraulic lift.
- Situated around 30 km from Aurangabad city, Ellora is the one of the largest rock-cut temple complexes in the world, housing Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sculptures, and witnesses the highest tourist footfall in the region.
Why hydraulic lift?
- Of the 34 caves in the complex, cave number 16, popularly known as Kailash Cave, is a double-storey structure and tourists have to climb a staircase or go up a ramp to enjoy the view from the top.
- While the cave has a staircase and a ramp for smooth movement of wheelchairs, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has proposed the installation of small lifts on both sides of the structure.
Accessibility:
- There will be no construction activity for installing these lifts. The mechanism will be small with 9 square feet area, in which a person in a wheelchair can easily go to the first floor.
- Tourists will also be able to see Kailash Cave, a single monolithic structure surrounded by hills, from the top and a route for the same will be constructed on the upper hill.
- The ASI plans to install lights for some paintings and carry out conservation work on some parts and the paperwork is underway to figure out the cost of the project.
Way Forward:
- All these projects were in different stages of sanction and implementation, and may take a year to complete.
‘One District, One Destination’ (ODOD) scheme
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
Why in news?
- In an attempt to achieve the dual objective of boosting eco-tourism and increasing employment opportunities, the Uttar Pradesh government has identified 56 eco-tourism sites in 56 districts under the ‘One District, One Destination’ (ODOD) scheme.
Concept:
- The concept is about identifying one destination in every district that could be branded as an eco-tourism spot to attract nature enthusiasts.
- The Department of Forest is identifying potential areas in every district of the state which will be developed under the ODOD scheme, so that these sites can be integrated with tourism.
Eco-tourism spots:
- UP has several eco-tourism spots, but the most prominent are the tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and wetlands.
- The Katarniya Ghat Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the Upper Gangetic plain falling in Bahraich boasts of having tigers and a mosaic of sal and teak woods.
- The Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary is notable for being the natural habitat of the ‘barasingha’ (swamp deer).
- Similarly, the Majhauli Sagar of Siddharthnagar, Badela Tal (lake) of Azamgarh and the Ghoomar Tal of Jaunpur will get special recognition as eco-tourism destinations soon. Besides, many such areas endowed with serene natural beauty will be seen on the map of eco-tourism.
- The 56 destinations include - Dudhwa National Park in Lakhimpur Kheri, Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary in Chandauli and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Bahraich.
Significance:
- Similar places will be selected and developed under ODOD. Basic facilities like rest rooms, roads, electricity, water, toilets, rest rooms as well as security arrangements will be made at the selected sites. An Eco-tourism Board is also being formed for this.
- There is immense potential for eco-tourism in UP. The location of each district is suitable for specific natural, environmental or wildlife tourism. If these places are interconnected, then it can attract tourists for picnics, or one-day-tours.
