NASA's Webb Telescope unveils farthest supermassive black hole, Parker Solar Probe, more

Let's catch up on some exciting news from NASA this week!

Amazing discoveries from the early universe - this week at NASA. (Nasa, Adriana Manrique Gutierrez.)

NASA had some incredible updates to share this week, including the Parker Solar Probe's journey around the Sun, the James Webb Telescope's newest find and the communication with the Mars helicopter. Let's dive into the details!

Webb Telescope spots farthest active supermassive “Black Hole” ever

Scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope to find the farthest active supermassive black hole discovered so far. This black hole is smaller than any other black hole found in the early universe. It was located in a galaxy that formed just over 570 million years after the Big Bang.

Parker Solar Probe completes 16th orbit around the Sun

NASA's Parker Solar Probe successfully finished its 16th orbit around the Sun. During this orbit, the probe came incredibly close to the Sun's surface, reaching a distance of only 5.3 million miles. In August, the Parker Solar Probe will pass by Venus, utilizing the planet's gravity to get even closer to the Sun in the future. These close approaches will provide us with valuable information about heliophysics, the science of the Sun.

Ingenuity Mars helicopter reestablishes contact

After about 63 days of being unable to communicate, contact with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has been reestablished. During its recent flight, Ingenuity went behind a hill, which interrupted the communication between the helicopter and the Perseverance rover, acting as a relay between Ingenuity and Earth. However, when the Perseverance rover moved up the hill and returned into Ingenuity's line of sight, contact was restored.

NASA's X-59 nears first flight

NASA is making progress with the X-59 aircraft, which has been moved from the construction site to the flight line at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Southern California. This step marks an important milestone in preparing the plane for its inaugural flight. The X-59 is designed to demonstrate the ability to fly at supersonic speeds without producing the loud sonic boom typically associated with supersonic flight. Instead, it produces a much quieter sonic thump.