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Astronomy and Planetary Sciences at the Open University (APSOU)

开放大学天文学和行星科学（APSOU）

基本信息

批准号：
ST/L000776/1
负责人：
Monica Grady
金额：
$ 387.1万
依托单位：
The Open University
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2014
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2014 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FL000776%2F1
关键词：
Astronomy Planetary Sciences Open University

项目摘要

Our research programme, Astronomy and Planetary Sciences at the Open University (APSOU), covers the breadth of cosmic evolution, from the Big Bang to the origin of life on Earth and the possibility of life on Mars. We do this research by observation, laboratory experiments, simulations and modelling. We use purpose-designed laboratories and instruments, and instruments on telescopes and spacecraft to make our observations and measurements. Our group is based in the Department of Physical Sciences at the OU, part of the Research Centre for Physical and Environmental Sciences.So what are we trying to find out? We have 20 separate projects, some focused on the Solar System, others on stars and galaxies. We already know a lot about how the Solar System came about. The Sun and planets formed from a cloud of dust and gas about 4570 million years ago. The cloud collapsed to a spinning disk and dust and gas spiralled inwards. The core of the disk became hot, forming the Sun, while the leftover dust and gas formed the planets. Our Solar System research seeks to understand how it then evolved, eventually allowing life to arise. We will study certain aspects of Solar System history in detail - what was the original dust made from that produced comets? What types of organic compounds were present? How have they been changed by collisions and radiation from the Sun and other stars? How has the ice been altered? We want to know about asteroids: what are their shapes, spin rates, and physical structures, how do they evolve? How did the Moon form, and how much water is locked up in its minerals? How does being so close to the Sun affect Mercury and its surface? All these questions will help us understand the cloud of gas and dust within which the planets formed, and which contained the building blocks of life. Could life have got going on any other planets beside Earth? What about Mars? It is now dry and cold, but its crust was once cut by rivers and glaciers, and ancient water produced minerals identifiable by satellites that orbit Mars. We do have rocks from Mars on Earth - chunks broken from the planet by asteroids hitting Mars' surface. We can analyse the constituent minerals and learn about the water that produced them. We can look for signatures of past biological activity that has altered the rocks, and so explore the history of habitability on Mars.Our Astronomy research goes beyond the Solar System, to look at processes that cause stars to change as they age. Only recently has it been recognised that so many stars are binary systems, where two or more stars are in close association and affect each others' motion. Such systems affect the way mass and energy is lost from a star, and how they are transferred into the interstellar medium. We will study how 'binarity' affects the behaviour of massive stars (>20 times the mass of the Sun) and low mass stars (< the mass of the Sun), and how star populations change as they age. Studying these effects is vital, because the environment of a star influences any planets that surround it. Many hundreds of planets have been discovered around other stars (exoplanets) and we are working to describe the range of properties of these planets, especially when they are located close to their central star. As well as stars and exoplanets, our astronomy research extends to galaxies from the local to the early Universe. We can use the way that galaxies warp space and time to learn about the dark matter that surrounds them, and the dark energy that drives them apart.What else do we do? We build instruments for space missions, striving to make them smaller and lighter, and explore how they can be used on Earth for medical or security purposes. One of the most important benefits of our research is that it helps to train and inspire students: the next generation of scientists and engineers. We also enjoy telling as many people as possible about our work, and what we have learned from it about our origin

我们的研究项目，开放大学的天文学和行星科学（APSOU），涵盖了宇宙进化的广度，从大爆炸到地球上生命的起源，再到火星上生命的可能性。我们通过观察、实验室实验、模拟和建模来进行这项研究。我们使用专门设计的实验室和仪器，以及望远镜和航天器上的仪器来进行观测和测量。我们的小组设在开放大学的物理科学系，是物理与环境科学研究中心的一部分。那我们到底想知道什么？我们有20个独立的项目，一些专注于太阳系，另一些专注于恒星和星系。我们已经对太阳系的形成有了很多了解。太阳和行星大约在4.57亿年前由一团尘埃和气体云形成。星云坍缩成一个旋转的圆盘，尘埃和气体向内旋转。圆盘的核心变热，形成了太阳，而剩余的尘埃和气体形成了行星。我们对太阳系的研究旨在了解它是如何进化的，最终使生命得以出现。我们将详细研究太阳系历史的某些方面——产生彗星的原始尘埃是什么？有什么类型的有机化合物存在？它们是如何被来自太阳和其他恒星的碰撞和辐射改变的？冰是如何改变的？我们想了解小行星：它们的形状、旋转速率和物理结构是什么，它们是如何进化的？月球是如何形成的，有多少水被锁在它的矿物质中？如此靠近太阳对水星及其表面有何影响？所有这些问题都将帮助我们了解行星形成的气体云和尘埃云，其中包含了生命的基石。在地球以外的其他行星上有生命存在吗？火星呢？火星现在又干又冷，但它的地壳曾经被河流和冰川切割过，古老的水产生的矿物质可以被环绕火星运行的卫星识别出来。地球上确实有火星的岩石——小行星撞击火星表面时从火星上摔下来的大块岩石。我们可以分析组成矿物，了解产生它们的水。我们可以寻找改变岩石的过去生物活动的特征，从而探索火星上可居住的历史。我们的天文学研究超越了太阳系，着眼于导致恒星随着年龄变化的过程。直到最近，人们才认识到如此多的恒星是双星系统，即两颗或两颗以上的恒星紧密联系在一起，相互影响彼此的运动。这样的系统会影响恒星的质量和能量损失，以及它们如何转移到星际介质中。我们将研究“双星”如何影响大质量恒星（bbb20倍太阳质量）和低质量恒星（<太阳质量）的行为，以及恒星数量如何随着年龄的增长而变化。研究这些效应是至关重要的，因为恒星的环境会影响它周围的任何行星。在其他恒星周围已经发现了数百颗行星（系外行星），我们正在努力描述这些行星的性质范围，特别是当它们靠近它们的中心恒星时。除了恒星和系外行星，我们的天文学研究还延伸到了从本地到早期宇宙的星系。我们可以利用星系扭曲空间和时间的方式来了解它们周围的暗物质，以及驱使它们分开的暗能量。我们还能做什么？我们为太空任务制造仪器，努力使它们更小更轻，并探索如何将它们用于地球上的医疗或安全目的。我们的研究最重要的好处之一是，它有助于培养和激励学生：下一代科学家和工程师。我们也喜欢告诉尽可能多的人我们的工作，以及我们从中了解到的关于我们的起源