Washington, Dec 30 (IANS) NASA has said its flying observatory Sofia is preparing for its 2018 campaign, which will include, among others, observations of celestial magnetic fields, star-forming regions, comets and Saturn's giant moon Titan. Scientists believe that the observatory's investigations will help them understand how magnetic fields affect the rate at which interstellar clouds condense to form new stars. Sofia will also conduct observations to better understand how methane levels change with seasons on Mars. Another team of researchers is planning to study comet 46P/Writanen as it passes close to the Earth, to search for clues in the comet's dust that may help better understand the evolution of the early solar system, the US space agency said. Researchers also plan to utilise Sofia's mobility to study the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan by studying its shadow as it passes in front of a star during an eclipse-like event called an occultation.

Source: Economic Times December 30, 2017 07:18 UTC