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Mercury: The Ideal Location for a Solar Sail Expedition
Solar sails rely upon pressure exerted by sunlight on large surfaces. The sail closer to the Sun, the higher the efficiency. A proposed new mission, Mercury Scout, aims to harness this efficiency by exploring Mercury. The mission will map the Mercurian surface down to a resolution of 1 meter and could potentially discover water deposits using the highly reflective sail surface to illuminate shadowed craters.
Unlike conventional rocket engines that require fuel, solar sails are more efficient as they utilize the pressure of sunlight to propel a probe across space. This concept dates back to the 1600s when Johannes Kepler proposed it to Galileo Galilei. However, it wasn’t until the 21st Century that the Planetary Society created the Cosmos 1 solar sail spacecraft. Although it failed to reach orbit, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency successfully launched the first solar sail, Ikaros, demonstrating the feasibility of the technology.
Since 1905, it has been known that light consists of tiny particles called photons. While they have no mass, photons possess momentum when travelling through space. When photons of light hit a solar sail, they transfer some of their momentum to the sail, gradually accelerating the spacecraft. Mercury Scout will utilize this solar sail propulsion once it reaches Earth orbit to achieve its main objectives of mapping mineral distribution, high-resolution imaging, and identifying ice deposits on Mercury.
The solar sail chosen for Mercury Scout will be around 2500 square meters and 2.5 microns thick, made of aluminised CP1 similar to the material used in the James Webb Space Telescope’s heat shield. The sail will unfurl along carbon fiber supports and is expected to reach Mercury in 3.8 years. Upon arrival, it will transfer into a polar orbit and spend 176 days mapping the surface.
Unlike traditional rocket engines limited by fuel availability, the solar sail’s lifespan is determined by the degradation of sail material, with an expectancy of around 10 years. Researchers are exploring additional coatings to potentially extend the sail’s life. The use of a solar sail provides technical and financial benefits, reducing overall cost and transit time to Mercury.
Source: MERCURY SCOUT: A SOLAR SAIL MISSION TO THE INNERMOST PLANET
News
Is now the right time to invest in gold as prices have cooled?
The price of gold has climbed to record highs recently and has remained strong through much of April. And, that growth continued until the precious metal traded at around $2,390 per ounce on April 19, 2024. But since, growth in the price of the precious metal has cooled, with gold’s price now hovering around $2,300 per ounce.
This lull in gold’s price may represent an investment opportunity.
In general, investing is centered around buying assets when prices are low and selling them when prices are high – generating a profit on the difference between the two. So, considering the declines in gold’s price over the past few days, now may be the time to make your investment. But is buying gold during this lull in prices really a good idea?
Compare your gold investment options among leading brokers now.
Gold prices have cooled. Should you buy in now?
With gold’s price down from recent highs, you may be wondering if now is the right time to buy in. There are several reasons the dip in gold’s price may represent an opportunity to buy. Here are some of the biggest:
Prices may rise again
If looking at a gold price chart shows anything for certain, it shows that changes in the overall growth of the medal come in fits and spurts. Periods of price growth are typically followed by periods of declines and vice versa.
But with inflation rising in recent months – and with gold’s reputation as a safe-haven asset that can hedge against inflation – it only makes sense that the price of the precious metal will eventually start to head up again in the future. While attempting to time that directional change may be tricky, buying the precious metal while the price is down gives you the opportunity to take advantage of any upward movement that may be ahead.
Add gold to your portfolio now before prices have a chance to rise.
You may be able to make a quick profit
Gold isn’t known as an asset in which you can earn a quick return, but in today’s market, that may be the case. Don’t forget that in January, gold was trading at just $2,000 per ounce. And, by mid-April, the commodity’s price had climbed to around $2,400 per ounce. That’s about 20% growth in a matter of months, much of which happened since March 1 – an impressive climb for any investment asset.
Perhaps more importantly, gold’s price growth through the beginning of 2024 shows that the commodity doesn’t have to be a buy and hold style investment that you keep in a safety deposit box or precious metal depository for years to come. There’s also the possibility that the commodity’s price could climb further ahead, making it a compelling way to potentially generate a quick profit.
There are other benefits of investing in gold
There are other benefits of investing in gold that have little to do with the price growth seen thus far in 2024 – or the lull in prices seen over the past couple of days. Those benefits include:
- Inflation protection: Gold has long been considered an inflation hedge, and for good reason. When inflation drives the prices of consumer goods and services up – and the value of the dollar down – gold’s price tends to rise. So, it could be used to maintain the value of your portfolio during inflationary economic conditions. That’s important in today’s economic environment as stubborn inflation continues to weigh on the value of the dollar.
- Portfolio diversification: Gold’s price doesn’t always move in the same pattern that bonds or stocks do. So, mixing a reasonable amount of gold into your portfolio (up to 10% of your portfolio assets) as a diversifier could protect you from losses should one or more of your traditional portfolio assets fall in value. “If you have less than 5% – 10% of your net worth in commodities & FX (forex), you should absolutely consider adding exposure to gold and other precious metals,” says Vijay Marolia, money manager and managing partner at the wealth management firm, Regal Point Capital.
The bottom line
Gold’s price has fallen from recent highs – which may represent an opportunity to tap into growth ahead. However, gold isn’t simply a “buy while it’s low and sell while it’s a high” kind of investment opportunity. The commodity can also protect your portfolio from the stubborn inflation we’ve seen thus far in 2024 while acting as a diversification tool that could increase your risk-adjusted portfolio returns. So, consider adding gold to your portfolio today while it has the potential to grow in value.
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