Rare ''Einstein cross'' warps light from one of the universe''s brightest objects in this stunning image

Einstein cross

• Einstein predicted the existence of these crosses back in 1915.
• Einstein''s theory of general relativity describes the way massive objects warp the fabric of the universe, called space-time.
• The latest Einstein Cross has some interesting statistics.
• The main galaxy doing the lensing lies about 5.998 billion light-years away. The distant galaxy that it’s lensing is more than 11.179 billion light-years away.
• Thus, the foreground lensing galaxy is giving an amazing look at a galaxy in the early Universe.

Makes an Einstein Cross

• When a massive galaxy sits directly “in front of” a more distant background object (such as a galaxy or a quasar) the distribution of matter around that galaxy and its gravitational effect can “bend” the light from the object as it passes by.
• In this case, Earth, the lensing galaxy and the quasar have aligned to perfectly duplicate the quasar’s light, arranging them along a so-called Einstein ring.

Why are these so rare

• It turns out that gravitational lensing happens everywhere in the universe, mostly in the form of so-called “weak lensing”.
• Creating an Einstein Cross requires a precise alignment of the lensing body and light source and astronomers refer to this as “strong gravitational lensing”.

Gravitational Lensing

• It occurs when a massive celestial body, such as a galaxy cluster, causes a sufficient curvature of spacetime for the path of light around it to be visibly bent, as if by a lens.
• The body causing the light to curve is accordingly called a gravitational lens.
• An important consequence of this lensing distortion is magnification, allowing us to observe objects that would otherwise be too far away and too faint to be seen.

With focus on Pacific, Indian warships make port call at Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

• It is an island country that lies in the southwestern Pacific.
• It includes the eastern half of New Guinea(the world’s second-largest island) and many small offshore islands.
• Neighbours: Indonesia to the west, Australia to the south and Solomon Islands to the southeast.
• Capital: Port Moresby
• Terrain: It is mainly mountainous but has low-lying plains in southern New Guinea.
• The islands that constitute Papua New Guinea were settled over a period of 40,000 years by a mixture of peoples who are generally referred to as Melanesians.
• Language:
  • English is the main language of governmentand commerce.
  • In most everyday contexts, the most widely spoken language is Tok Pisin.
  • Linguistically, it is the world''s most diverse country, with more than 800 languages.
• Religion: The majority of Papua New Guinea’s people are at least nominally Christian.
• Government:
  • Papua New Guinea became self-governing on 1 December 1973 and achieved independence on 16 September 1975.
  • The country is a constitutional monarchy and a member of the Commonwealth.
  • The British monarch, represented by a governor-general, is the head of state, and the Prime Minister is the head of government.

Indian Air Force Gets Israeli Spike Missiles

Spike Non Line of Sight (NLOS) Anti-tank Guided Missile (ATGM)

• It is a fire-and-forget anti-tank and anti-personnel missile with a tandem-charge high-explosive warhead.
• It is developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, a defence technology company based in Israel.
• It is available in man-portable, vehicle-launched, and helicopter-launched variants.
• Spike missiles are being used by the defence forces of Israel and another 38 countries, including India, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Peru, Spain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, UK, Philippines, and Singapore.
• Features:
  • It can hit targets from distances of up to 30 kilometres.
  • Weight: 71 kg
  • It uses an electro-optical seeker that enables the launch operator to clearly see targets, unlike missiles reliant on radar or infrared guidance.
  • The seeker is also coupled to a datalink that enables the launch operator to control the missile in flight to attack different parts of a tank or select another target, if not abort the strike.
  • It can be armed with different types of warheads suited to destroy tanks, air defence systems or for use in urban combat.

Odisha apprehends medium flood in Mahanadi system Thursday

Mahanadi River

• It is one of the major east-flowing peninsular rivers in India.
• Origin: The river originates from the Sihawa range of hills in the Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh state.
• Length: It flows a total of 860 km by distance before it ends up in the Bay of Bengal.
• Course:
  • It flows in a southeastern direction through Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
  • The catchment area of the basin extends over major parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and comparatively smaller portions of Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
  • It passes through several major cities and towns, including Raipur, Sambalpur, and Cuttack.
• The river is bounded in the north by Central India hills, in the south and east by the Eastern Ghats and in the west by Maikal hill range.
• Tributaries: The main tributaries of Mahanadi are Seonath River, Jonk River, Hasdeo River, Mand River, Ib River, Ong River and Telen River.
• Hirakud Dam:
  • The Hirakud Dam, the world''s longest earthen dam (26km), is constructed across the Mahanadi River, about 15 km from Sambalpur in Odisha.
  • The dam is used for irrigation, flood control, and power generation.
• Chilika Lake: Chilika, named wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, gets 61% of its inland flow from the Mahanadi river system, mainly from its distributaries - Daya and Bhargabi.
• It ranks second to the Godavari River among the peninsular rivers in respect of water potential.

Three Indian startups to send satellites in FY24: IN-SPACe

Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe)

• It is a single-window, independent, nodal agency that functions as an autonomous agency in the Department of Space (DOS).
• It is formed following the Space sector reforms to enable and facilitate the participation of private players.
• IN-SPACe is responsible to promote, enable authorize and supervise various space activities of non-governmental entities including
  • building launch vehicles & satellites and providing space-based services;
  • sharing space infrastructure and premises under the control of DOS/ISRO;
  • and establishing of new space infrastructure and facilities;
• The agency acts as an interface between ISRO and Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) and assesses how to utilize India''s space resources better and increase space-based activities.
• It also assesses the needs and demands of private players, including educational and research institutions, and explores ways to accommodate these requirements in consultation with ISRO.
• Headquarters: Bopal, Ahmedabad.

Ancient Peruvian whale may be most massive creature recorded

Perucetus colossus

• Based on a newly-described fossil of the whale Perucetus colossus dating to more than 38 million years ago.
• Scientists believe that it may have been heavier than a blue whale even though it may not have been as long.
• Researchers guess that the species weighed between 85 and a simply massive 340 tonnes.
• The animal’s bones had an unusually large volume and were also extremely dense.
• This combination of thickening and densification of bones is called pachyosteosclerosis.
• The characteristic is absent in living whales, dolphins and porpoise. But it is present in sirenians, a marine mammal group that includes sea cows.
• Whales that dive deep typically have the ability to completely empty their lungs to plummet into the depths of the ocean but colossus probably lived in shallow coastal areas.
• This would mean that it probably dived with air in its lungs. But diving with air in the lungs would make it quite difficult to stay near the seafloor—that is where the very heavy bones come in.
• The skeletal mass of P. colossus would have been between five and eight tons, which is twice that of the blue whale.

Gene variant in people of African origin helps control HIV, says study

CHD1L gene

• The Chromodomain Helicase DNA Binding Protein 1 Like (CHD1L), which contains information to make proteins that allow the body to repair DNA damage.
• A variant of the CHD1L gene, specifically present in the African population, has been linked to the reduced viral load (amount of HIV in the blood) of the most common and virulent type of HIV, called HIV-1 (more common and severe retrovirus compared to HIV-2).
• They analysed the DNA of almost 4,000 people of African ancestry living with HIV-1 and found a gene variant CHD1L on chromosome 1.
• People carrying this variant had a low viral load. This lowers their risk of spreading the virus and slowing the progress of their own illness.
• The researchers said between 4 per cent and 13 per cent of people of African origin could be carrying this particular variant.

HIV

• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an infection that attacks the body’s immune system.
• Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the most advanced stage of the disease.
• HIV targets the body’s white blood cells, weakening the immune system.
• This makes it easier to get sick with diseases like tuberculosis, infections and some cancers.
• It is spread from the body fluids of an infected person, including blood, breast milk, semen and vaginal fluids.
• It can be treated and prevented with antiretroviral therapy (ART).

NHAI introduces ‘Rajmargyatra’ in a bid to make National Highways safer and more enjoyable – Here’s all about the new app

Rajmargyatra Application

• It empowers travellers with comprehensive information on Indian National Highways while also offering an efficient complaint redressal system.
• This is user-friendly app which is now available for download on both Google Play Store and iOS App Store.
• The app is currently available in Hindi and English.

Features:

• Comprehensive Highway Information:
  • It serves as a one-stop repository of essential information for National Highway users.
  • Get real-time weather conditions, timely broadcast notifications, and access to details about nearby toll plazas, petrol pumps, hospitals, hotels, and other essential services that ensure a seamless and safe journey on National Highways.
• Hassle-Free Complaint Redressal:
  • The app comes equipped with an inbuilt complaint redressal and escalation mechanism.
  • Users can easily report highway-related issues, attaching geo-tagged videos or photos for better clarity.
  • The registered complaints will be handled in a time-bound manner, with system-generated escalations to higher authorities in case of any delays. Users can also track the status of their grievances for complete transparency.
• Seamless FASTag Services:
  • It integrates its services with various bank portals, making it convenient for users to recharge their FASTags, avail monthly passes, and access other FASTag-related banking services – all within a single platform.
• Over-speeding notifications and voice-assistance to encourage responsible and safe driving behaviour.
• With these improvements, ''Rajmargyatra'' aims to create a seamless, user-friendly experience for highway users, fostering a safer and more enjoyable journey on Indian National Highways.

Centre Launches ''Study In India'' Portal To Help International Students

Study in India (SII) portal

• It is a dedicated website to provide information about higher education institutions (HEIs) in India.
• Aim: Establishing India as a global hub for education by welcoming students from diverse backgrounds.
• It will showcase the academic programmes in the HEIs covering undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes as well courses in Indian Knowledge System (IKS) such as Yoga, Ayurveda, classical arts and more.
• The portal will have information about the academic facilities, research support and related information available in the institutes.
• It will be a one-stop spot for student registration, the visa application process, choosing the desired courses and receiving offer letters from the institute.
• It will have the provision for students to apply in more than one institute or course of their choice.
• It will offer a streamlined and well-organised application process for international students seeking higher education opportunities in India.

Study in India (SII) programme:

• It is a flagship project launched by the education ministry in 2018.
• Aim: Endorse India as a prime education hub for international students by inviting them to pursue higher education in the country and explore valuable educational opportunities enabled by top Indian universities.