Featured Posts
Bad Astronomy
5 May 2020, 13:00 UTC
Globular clusters are one of my favorite kind celestial objects. These are roughly spherical stellar cities, some with hundreds of thousands of stars in them (and a few topping a million). About 160 of them are known to orbit the Milky Way galaxy, and through an eyepiece the nearer ones are staggeringly beautiful, like a buzzing beehive of jewel-like stars.
How to make a massive star cluster: Start with a lot of gas. A *lot*.
5 May 2020, 13:00 UTC
Globular clusters are one of my favorite kind celestial objects. These are roughly spherical stellar cities, some with hundreds of thousands of stars in them (and a few topping a million). About 160 of them are known to orbit the Milky Way galaxy, and through an eyepiece the nearer ones are staggeringly beautiful, like a buzzing beehive of jewel-like stars.
Universe Today
5 May 2020, 08:48 UTC
The prospect of mining asteroids and the Moon is on a lot of peoples’ minds lately. Maybe it’s all the growth that’s happened in the commercial aerospace industry in the past few decades. Or perhaps it’s because of Trump’s recent executive order to allow for asteroid and lunar mining. Either way, there is no shortage of entrepreneurs and futurists who can’t wait to start prospecting and harvest the natural bounty of space!
Want to Mine the Moon? Here’s a Detailed Map of all its Minerals
5 May 2020, 08:48 UTC
The prospect of mining asteroids and the Moon is on a lot of peoples’ minds lately. Maybe it’s all the growth that’s happened in the commercial aerospace industry in the past few decades. Or perhaps it’s because of Trump’s recent executive order to allow for asteroid and lunar mining. Either way, there is no shortage of entrepreneurs and futurists who can’t wait to start prospecting and harvest the natural bounty of space!
Many Worlds
4 May 2020, 15:19 UTC
It was not all that long ago that a “map” of our moon, of Mars, of a large asteroid such as Vesta, of Titan, or of any hard-surfaced object in our solar system would have some very general outlines, some very large features identified, and then the extraterrestrial equivalent of the warning on Earth maps of yore that beyond a certain point “there be dragons.” Constructing a map of the topography and geology of a distant surface requires deep understanding and data and lot of hard work.
Mapping the Surfaces of Our Solar System
4 May 2020, 15:19 UTC
It was not all that long ago that a “map” of our moon, of Mars, of a large asteroid such as Vesta, of Titan, or of any hard-surfaced object in our solar system would have some very general outlines, some very large features identified, and then the extraterrestrial equivalent of the warning on Earth maps of yore that beyond a certain point “there be dragons.” Constructing a map of the topography and geology of a distant surface requires deep understanding and data and lot of hard work.
Bad Astronomy
4 May 2020, 13:00 UTC
Astronomers have determined that, on average, the Sun is quieter than other stars magnetically, and it's not clear why. The long-term meaning of this finding isn't clear either, but it implies the Sun could get even more active than it is now.
Our Sun is magnetically quiet compared to other stars. But why?
4 May 2020, 13:00 UTC
Astronomers have determined that, on average, the Sun is quieter than other stars magnetically, and it's not clear why. The long-term meaning of this finding isn't clear either, but it implies the Sun could get even more active than it is now.
SPACE.com
4 May 2020, 10:55 UTC
A newly discovered asteroid about the size of a bus will zip safely by Earth today (May 3), passing at a distance just over halfway to the moon. The asteroid 2020 JA will fly by Earth at a range of about 148,000 miles (238,000 kilometers) when it passes today. That's about 0.62 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. (The moon is about 239,000 miles, or 385,000 km, on average.)
A small asteroid the size of a bus will fly safely by Earth today
4 May 2020, 10:55 UTC
A newly discovered asteroid about the size of a bus will zip safely by Earth today (May 3), passing at a distance just over halfway to the moon. The asteroid 2020 JA will fly by Earth at a range of about 148,000 miles (238,000 kilometers) when it passes today. That's about 0.62 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. (The moon is about 239,000 miles, or 385,000 km, on average.)
Astrobiology Magazine
1 May 2020, 15:16 UTC
Using advanced techniques, scientists have detected organic compounds containing nitrogen in Martian meteorites which were ejected from Mars' surface ~ 15 million years ago, proving that evidence for early life can be preserved and detected today
4-billion-year-old nitrogen-containing organic molecules discovered in Martian meteorites
1 May 2020, 15:16 UTC
Using advanced techniques, scientists have detected organic compounds containing nitrogen in Martian meteorites which were ejected from Mars' surface ~ 15 million years ago, proving that evidence for early life can be preserved and detected today
The Planetary Society Blog
1 May 2020, 11:00 UTC
China has named its upcoming Mars mission (pictured above) Tianwen-1, which means "questions to heaven," or "questioning the heavens.”
A Comet Breakup and a Planet Defined
1 May 2020, 11:00 UTC
China has named its upcoming Mars mission (pictured above) Tianwen-1, which means "questions to heaven," or "questioning the heavens.”
