Space
NASA’s Successful Launch
After almost 25 years of development, NASA’s new space observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is going through the final phases of deployment and activation after its successful launch on December 25, 2021. The JWST is more powerful than the Hubble Telescope, with enhanced capabilities that scientists hope can help them see back into some of the first stars and galaxies. While the launch was successful, the telescope is too large to deploy all at once, with 344 single-point failures through the deployment process that must be executed without mistakes in order to keep the mission going. The protective sunshield was successfully unfolded three days ago, and the observatory is now in the process of deploying its primary mirror.
This map depicts the timeline and trajectory of the JWST, where it needs to reach its final orbit over 932,000 mi (1.5 million km) from Earth before collecting data. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Big Think
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China
Building Collapse Kills at Least 6
On Friday, a building collapse in southwestern China left more than 20 people trapped and at least six dead. According to state media, the cause of the collapse was an explosion caused by a gas leak. More than 150 fire and rescue workers have been deployed to the scene, hoping to pull additional survivors from the rubble. This event comes seven months after a gas explosion killed 25 people in a residential building and another which killed 18 at a martial arts school. Unfortunately, gas leaks and explosions are not uncommon in China due to poor safety standards and enforcement.
This map depicts the location of the building collapse in Chongqing city in the Sichuan province of China. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Yahoo! News
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United Kingdom
Naval Collision Revealed
The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense has confirmed the Royal Navy’s warship HMS Northumberland collided with a Russian submarine in the North Atlantic in late 2020. The warship had been deliberately tracking the hunter-killer sub through the Arctic Circle. The sub’s periscope had been spotted above the water by helicopter when the submarine dived again, at which point it ran into the Northumberland’s towed array sonar – a long tube fitted with sensitive hydrophones that the warship drags through the water to detect submarines. Damage to the Russian sub is unknown but the Northumberland’s sonar array was destroyed.
This map depicts the location in the North Atlantic where the HMS Northumberland collided with a Russian hunter-killer submarine that the Northumberland had been tracking. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Originally called Pulpudeva and renamed several times after multiple conquests, what city is considered to be the oldest in Europe?
A: Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Culture and heritage in Plovdiv date back about 8,000 years, making it the oldest, continuously inhabited city in Europe, and one of the oldest in the world. In 2019, Plovdiv was officially inaugurated as the European Capital of Culture. Located between the Balkan Mountains and the Rodopi Mountains, Europe’s oldest city has survived thousands of years on the crossroads of Western Europe and west Asia. The city also boasts a thriving ethnically diverse population – including Turkish, Roma, Armenian, Greek and Jewish communities – all of which have strong influences on the city’s culture.
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Q: Which country, with its highest point at 22,834 ft (6,960 m) and lowest point at -344 ft (-105 m), has the greatest altitude range in South America?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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