Space Thread

[spaminator]

Earth bids farewell to its temporary ’mini moon’ that is possibly a chunk of our actual moon
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published Nov 24, 2024 • 1 minute read

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Planet Earth is parting company with an asteroid that’s been tagging along as a “mini moon” for the past two months.


The harmless space rock will peel away on Monday, overcome by the stronger tug of the sun’s gravity. But it will zip closer for a quick visit in January.

NASA will use a radar antenna to observe the 33-foot (10-meter) asteroid then. That should deepen scientists’ understanding of the object known as 2024 PT5, quite possibly a boulder that was blasted off the moon by an impacting, crater-forming asteroid.

While not technically a moon — NASA stresses it was never captured by Earth’s gravity and fully in orbit — it’s “an interesting object” worthy of study.

The astrophysicist brothers who identified the asteroid’s “mini moon behaviour,” Raul and Carlos de la Fuente Marcos of Complutense University of Madrid, have collaborated with telescopes in the Canary Islands for hundreds of observations so far.


Currently more than 2 million miles (3.5 million kilometres) away, the object is too small and faint to see without a powerful telescope. It will pass as close as 1.1 million miles (1.8 million kilometres) of Earth in January, maintaining a safe distance before it zooms farther into the solar system while orbiting the sun, not to return until 2055. That’s almost five times farther than the moon.

First spotted in August, the asteroid began its semi-jog around Earth in late September, after coming under the grips of Earth’s gravity and following a horseshoe-shaped path. By the time it returns next year, it will be moving too fast — more than double its speed from September — to hang around, said Raul de la Fuente Marcos.

NASA will track the asteroid for more than a week in January using the Goldstone solar system radar antenna in California’s Mojave Desert, part of the Deep Space Network.

Current data suggest that during its 2055 visit, the sun-circling asteroid will once again make a temporary and partial lap around Earth.

Earth bids farewell to its temporary ’mini moon’ that is possibly a chunk of our actual moon

The harmless space rock will peel away on Monday, overcome by the stronger tug of the sun's gravity.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Blue Origin pulls video of female astronaut over sexist comments
Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published Nov 27, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read

Emily Calandrelli looking at Earth while on Blue Origin's ninth flight to space on New Shepard.
Emily Calandrelli looking at Earth while on Blue Origin's ninth flight to space on New Shepard. Photo by Blue Origin /Instagram
Spaceflight company Blue Origin was forced to take down a clip of a female astronaut, whose candid reaction to being in space was attacked by hateful trolls.


Emily Calandrelli, 37, was seen in the clip floating upside down in zero gravity, absolutely rapt and unabashed as she gazed at Earth from a ship’s window.

“That’s our planet,” she said in fascination. “Oh my God, this is space.”

But her genuine, emotional reaction was attacked by commenters who posted awful comments about the astronaut and her appearance.

“It’s not an achievement being a woman,” one X user said.

Another asked, “Would you consider yourself the hottest woman to ever go to space? Any other contenders?”

A third commenter complained: “Why she moaning I cannot unhear it.”



Blue Origin yanked the original video and replaced it with an edited one, but Calandrelli — an MIT aerospace engineer and TV host known as “Space Girl” — shared it on her own social media to clap back at those trying to ruin the moment, even though she did admit she was in tears flying home after the mission.

“This all happened as I was flying home after experiencing the most perfect, wonderful dream-achieving experience of my life,” she wrote.

“And instead of being on cloud nine, I’m crying in my seat staring out the window. Because of course this happened. Of course I should have expected this.”


The Emmy nominee continued: “I had to take a moment to feminism myself if I’m being quite honest. But I refuse to give much time to the small men on the internet. I feel experiences in my soul. It’s a trait I got from my father. We feel every emotion deeply and what a beautiful way that is to experience life. This joy is tattooed on my heart.


She added: “I will not apologize or feel weird about my reaction. It’s wholly mine and I love it.”



In Calandrelli’s repost of the original video, she noted, “Seeing our planet for the first time, a dream decades in the making. You’re seeing so many emotions intertwined. Excitement, awe, and pride — but to be honest a little fear and confusion too.”

This time, the comments were wholly supportive, with many lauding Calandrelli as a hero and inspiration.

“I see your joy! Well earned, so exciting and so inspirational for women and girls everywhere,” one person praised.

Another added: “I love this with my whole heart… I saw this video when it first went up and I cannot personally think of having any other reaction besides this. We are in awe of your awe. And we love you for sharing it.”



The New Shepard capsule, RSS First Step, returned to Earth about 10 minutes after takeoff and two-and-a-half minutes after the booster had landed, Space News reported.

According to Blue Origin, the capsule reached a peak altitude of 66 kilometres above sea level.

Calandrelli and five others were part of the ninth human test flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepherd spacecraft that launched on Friday, all of whom paid for their seat on the rocket.

Her part in the mission was historic as she was the 100th woman to fly into space.

Blue Origin on Instagram: ""We got to weightlessness, I immediately turned upside down and looked at the planet and then there was so much blackness. There was so much space. I didn’t expect to see so much space, and I kept saying that’s our planet!

48K likes, 489 comments - blueorigin on November 22, 2024: ""We got to weightlessness, I immediately turned upside down and looked at the planet and then there was so much blackness. There was so much space. I didn’t expect to see so much space, and I kept saying that’s our planet! That’s our...

instagram.com

Emily Calandrelli on Instagram: "This all happened as I was flying home after experiencing the most perfect, wonderful dream-achieving experience of my life. And instead of being on cloud nine, I’m crying in my seat staring out the window. Because of

93K likes, 2,807 comments - thespacegal on November 24, 2024: "This all happened as I was flying home after experiencing the most perfect, wonderful dream-achieving experience of my life. And instead of being on cloud nine, I’m crying in my seat staring out the window. Because of course this...

instagram.com

Emily Calandrelli on Instagram: "Our planet 🥺 I left her. I saw her. A dream decades in the making. The only thing I can compare it to was holding my babies for the first time after they were born. Like knowing someone for a long time, loving someo

110K likes, 4,776 comments - thespacegal on November 24, 2024: "Our planet 🥺 I left her. I saw her. A dream decades in the making. The only thing I can compare it to was holding my babies for the first time after they were born. Like knowing someone for a long time, loving someone for a while...

instagram.com

Blue Origin launches ninth crewed New Shepard suborbital mission

Blue Origin flew six people, including a pair of repeat customers and a science communicator, on the latest New Shepard suborbital spaceflight mission Nov. 22.

spacenews.com

Blue Origin pulls video of female astronaut over sexist comments

Blue Origin was forced to take down a clip of a female astronaut, whose candid reaction to being in space was attacked by trolls.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Blue Origin pulls video of female astronaut over sexist comments
Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published Nov 27, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read

Emily Calandrelli looking at Earth while on Blue Origin's ninth flight to space on New Shepard.
Emily Calandrelli looking at Earth while on Blue Origin's ninth flight to space on New Shepard. Photo by Blue Origin /Instagram
Spaceflight company Blue Origin was forced to take down a clip of a female astronaut, whose candid reaction to being in space was attacked by hateful trolls.


Emily Calandrelli, 37, was seen in the clip floating upside down in zero gravity, absolutely rapt and unabashed as she gazed at Earth from a ship’s window.

“That’s our planet,” she said in fascination. “Oh my God, this is space.”

But her genuine, emotional reaction was attacked by commenters who posted awful comments about the astronaut and her appearance.

“It’s not an achievement being a woman,” one X user said.

Another asked, “Would you consider yourself the hottest woman to ever go to space? Any other contenders?”

A third commenter complained: “Why she moaning I cannot unhear it.”



Blue Origin yanked the original video and replaced it with an edited one, but Calandrelli — an MIT aerospace engineer and TV host known as “Space Girl” — shared it on her own social media to clap back at those trying to ruin the moment, even though she did admit she was in tears flying home after the mission.

“This all happened as I was flying home after experiencing the most perfect, wonderful dream-achieving experience of my life,” she wrote.

“And instead of being on cloud nine, I’m crying in my seat staring out the window. Because of course this happened. Of course I should have expected this.”


The Emmy nominee continued: “I had to take a moment to feminism myself if I’m being quite honest. But I refuse to give much time to the small men on the internet. I feel experiences in my soul. It’s a trait I got from my father. We feel every emotion deeply and what a beautiful way that is to experience life. This joy is tattooed on my heart.


She added: “I will not apologize or feel weird about my reaction. It’s wholly mine and I love it.”



In Calandrelli’s repost of the original video, she noted, “Seeing our planet for the first time, a dream decades in the making. You’re seeing so many emotions intertwined. Excitement, awe, and pride — but to be honest a little fear and confusion too.”

This time, the comments were wholly supportive, with many lauding Calandrelli as a hero and inspiration.

“I see your joy! Well earned, so exciting and so inspirational for women and girls everywhere,” one person praised.

Another added: “I love this with my whole heart… I saw this video when it first went up and I cannot personally think of having any other reaction besides this. We are in awe of your awe. And we love you for sharing it.”



The New Shepard capsule, RSS First Step, returned to Earth about 10 minutes after takeoff and two-and-a-half minutes after the booster had landed, Space News reported.

According to Blue Origin, the capsule reached a peak altitude of 66 kilometres above sea level.

Calandrelli and five others were part of the ninth human test flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepherd spacecraft that launched on Friday, all of whom paid for their seat on the rocket.

Her part in the mission was historic as she was the 100th woman to fly into space.
View attachment 25910

Blue Origin on Instagram: ""We got to weightlessness, I immediately turned upside down and looked at the planet and then there was so much blackness. There was so much space. I didn’t expect to see so much space, and I kept saying that’s our planet!

48K likes, 489 comments - blueorigin on November 22, 2024: ""We got to weightlessness, I immediately turned upside down and looked at the planet and then there was so much blackness. There was so much space. I didn’t expect to see so much space, and I kept saying that’s our planet! That’s our...

instagram.com

Emily Calandrelli on Instagram: "This all happened as I was flying home after experiencing the most perfect, wonderful dream-achieving experience of my life. And instead of being on cloud nine, I’m crying in my seat staring out the window. Because of

93K likes, 2,807 comments - thespacegal on November 24, 2024: "This all happened as I was flying home after experiencing the most perfect, wonderful dream-achieving experience of my life. And instead of being on cloud nine, I’m crying in my seat staring out the window. Because of course this...

instagram.com

Emily Calandrelli on Instagram: "Our planet 🥺 I left her. I saw her. A dream decades in the making. The only thing I can compare it to was holding my babies for the first time after they were born. Like knowing someone for a long time, loving someo

110K likes, 4,776 comments - thespacegal on November 24, 2024: "Our planet 🥺 I left her. I saw her. A dream decades in the making. The only thing I can compare it to was holding my babies for the first time after they were born. Like knowing someone for a long time, loving someone for a while...

instagram.com

Blue Origin launches ninth crewed New Shepard suborbital mission

Blue Origin flew six people, including a pair of repeat customers and a science communicator, on the latest New Shepard suborbital spaceflight mission Nov. 22.

spacenews.com

Blue Origin pulls video of female astronaut over sexist comments

Blue Origin was forced to take down a clip of a female astronaut, whose candid reaction to being in space was attacked by trolls.

torontosun.com

she should quit moaning and groaning about this.

 

[spaminator]

Aussie man thought he found gold but it was something rarer
Author of the articleostmedia News
Published Dec 01, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read

A rock found by a metal detector is actually an ancient meteor from space.
A rock found by a metal detector is actually an ancient meteor from space. Photo by HANDOUT /Museums Victoria
His golden discovery was rocked.


A metal-detecting enthusiast was surprised to learn that the rock he uncovered and believed to be gold was actually from space.

Australian Dave Hole was convinced that his find — dense for its size at nearly 40 pounds — must have contained a nugget of the precious metal. However, a big swing of his sledgehammer failed to put a dent in the rock.

Hole told The Sydney Morning Herald that he thought, “What the hell is this thing?” at the time of his 2015 find, according to the New York Post.

He took the rock to Melbourne Museum for analysis, and that’s when it became clear that this was no ordinary Earthly object.

Hole had discovered a roughly 4.6-billion-year-old meteorite.

“You’re looking right back to the formation of the solar system here,” geologist Dermot Henry told the outlet, saying the rock, classified in a scientific paper as an H5 ordinary chondrite, has a “sculpted, dimpled look” that took shape after breaking through Earth’s atmosphere.


The object is now nicknamed the Maryborough meteorite after the town Hole uncovered the otherworldly mass.


Henry said it’s likely only came to Earth 200 years ago or less.

“This particular meteorite most probably comes out of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and it’s been nudged out of there by some asteroids smashing into each other, then one day it smashes into Earth,” Henry told Channel 10 News, according to Science Alert.

Hole said he knows how lucky his discovery was.

“It was just potluck, mate. A billion to one — bigger, a trillion to one,” he said. “Got more chance of being struck by lightning twice.”

Lucky man who hoarded ‘gold’ for years shocked to discover it’s something far rarer

It rocked his world.

nypost.com

Aussie man thought he found gold but it was something rarer

His golden discovery was rocked.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

European satellites launched to create artificial solar eclipses in a tech demo
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published Dec 05, 2024 • 2 minute read

This image taken from video provided by the European Space Agency shows the launching of a rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. A pair of European satellites rocketed into orbit Thursday on the first mission to create artificial solar eclipses through fancy formation flying in space. (European Space Agency via AP)
This image taken from video provided by the European Space Agency shows the launching of a rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. A pair of European satellites rocketed into orbit Thursday on the first mission to create artificial solar eclipses through fancy formation flying in space. (European Space Agency via AP) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A pair of European satellites rocketed into orbit Thursday on the first mission to create artificial solar eclipses through fancy formation flying in space.


Each fake eclipse should last six hours once operations begin next year. That’s considerably longer than the few minutes of totality offered by a natural eclipse here on Earth, allowing for prolonged study of the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere.

The launch took place from India.

“We are a very happy science team here” in India, the European Space Agency’s mission scientist Joe Zender said via email.

Billed as a tech demo, the two satellites will separate in a month or so and fly 492 feet (150 meters) apart once reaching their destination high above Earth, lining up with the sun so that one spacecraft casts a shadow on the other.

This will require extreme precision, within just one millimetre, equivalent to a fingernail’s thickness, according to the European Space Agency. To maintain their position, the satellites will rely on GPS, star trackers, lasers and radio links, flying autonomously.


Each cube-shaped spacecraft is less than 5 feet (1.5 metres) across. The shadow-casting satellite holds a disk to block the sun from the telescope on the other satellite. This disk will mimic the moon in a natural total solar eclipse, with the darkened satellite posing as Earth.

“This has a huge scientific relevance” in addition to testing high-precision formation flying,” said the European Space Agency’s technology and engineering director Dietmar Pilz.

Scientists need the glaring face of the sun completely blocked in order to scrutinize the wispy crown-like corona encircling it, getting an especially good look close to the solar rim on this mission. They’re particularly interested to learn why the corona is hotter than the surface of the sun, and also want to better understand coronal mass ejections, eruptions of billions of tons of plasma with magnetic fields out into space.


The resulting geomagnetic storms can disrupt power and communication on Earth and in orbit. Such outbursts can also produce stunning auroras in unexpected places.

With a lopsided orbit stretching from 370 miles (600 kilometres) to 37,000 miles (60,000 kilometres) away, the satellites will take nearly 20 hours to circle the world. Six of those hours — at the farther end of certain orbits — will be spent generating an eclipse. Other orbits will be strictly for formation flying experiments, according to the European Space Agency.

The first eclipse results should be available in March, following checkout of both craft.

Zender said eclipses will be created at least twice a week, with six hours of totality each time for corona observations. The frequency will depend on solar activity, he noted, and prove a boon for scientists who now must travel across the world for a mere three to five minutes of totality during the occasional eclipse.

The $210 million mission, dubbed Proba-3, is aiming for at least 1,000 hours of “on demand” totality during its two-year operation. Once their job is done, both satellites will gradually drop lower until they burn up in the atmosphere, likely within five years.

Liftoff was delayed a day by a last-minute issue with the backup propulsion system of one of the satellites, crucial for precision formation flying. The European Space Agency said engineers relied on a computer software fix.

European satellites launched to create artificial solar eclipses in a tech demo

The launch took place from India.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

European satellites launched to create artificial solar eclipses in a tech demo
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published Dec 05, 2024 • 2 minute read

This image taken from video provided by the European Space Agency shows the launching of a rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. A pair of European satellites rocketed into orbit Thursday on the first mission to create artificial solar eclipses through fancy formation flying in space. (European Space Agency via AP)
This image taken from video provided by the European Space Agency shows the launching of a rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. A pair of European satellites rocketed into orbit Thursday on the first mission to create artificial solar eclipses through fancy formation flying in space. (European Space Agency via AP) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A pair of European satellites rocketed into orbit Thursday on the first mission to create artificial solar eclipses through fancy formation flying in space.


Each fake eclipse should last six hours once operations begin next year. That’s considerably longer than the few minutes of totality offered by a natural eclipse here on Earth, allowing for prolonged study of the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere.

The launch took place from India.

“We are a very happy science team here” in India, the European Space Agency’s mission scientist Joe Zender said via email.

Billed as a tech demo, the two satellites will separate in a month or so and fly 492 feet (150 meters) apart once reaching their destination high above Earth, lining up with the sun so that one spacecraft casts a shadow on the other.

This will require extreme precision, within just one millimetre, equivalent to a fingernail’s thickness, according to the European Space Agency. To maintain their position, the satellites will rely on GPS, star trackers, lasers and radio links, flying autonomously.


Each cube-shaped spacecraft is less than 5 feet (1.5 metres) across. The shadow-casting satellite holds a disk to block the sun from the telescope on the other satellite. This disk will mimic the moon in a natural total solar eclipse, with the darkened satellite posing as Earth.

“This has a huge scientific relevance” in addition to testing high-precision formation flying,” said the European Space Agency’s technology and engineering director Dietmar Pilz.

Scientists need the glaring face of the sun completely blocked in order to scrutinize the wispy crown-like corona encircling it, getting an especially good look close to the solar rim on this mission. They’re particularly interested to learn why the corona is hotter than the surface of the sun, and also want to better understand coronal mass ejections, eruptions of billions of tons of plasma with magnetic fields out into space.


The resulting geomagnetic storms can disrupt power and communication on Earth and in orbit. Such outbursts can also produce stunning auroras in unexpected places.

With a lopsided orbit stretching from 370 miles (600 kilometres) to 37,000 miles (60,000 kilometres) away, the satellites will take nearly 20 hours to circle the world. Six of those hours — at the farther end of certain orbits — will be spent generating an eclipse. Other orbits will be strictly for formation flying experiments, according to the European Space Agency.

The first eclipse results should be available in March, following checkout of both craft.

Zender said eclipses will be created at least twice a week, with six hours of totality each time for corona observations. The frequency will depend on solar activity, he noted, and prove a boon for scientists who now must travel across the world for a mere three to five minutes of totality during the occasional eclipse.

The $210 million mission, dubbed Proba-3, is aiming for at least 1,000 hours of “on demand” totality during its two-year operation. Once their job is done, both satellites will gradually drop lower until they burn up in the atmosphere, likely within five years.

Liftoff was delayed a day by a last-minute issue with the backup propulsion system of one of the satellites, crucial for precision formation flying. The European Space Agency said engineers relied on a computer software fix.

European satellites launched to create artificial solar eclipses in a tech demo

The launch took place from India.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

A ‘cold moon’ is about to rise. Here’s how to see it.
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Dan Stillman, The Washington Post
Published Dec 13, 2024 • 2 minute read

It’s a busy weekend in the night sky. Not only do sky gazers have a chance to see the year’s most colorful meteor shower, but it’s also the last and longest full moon of the year, and one that won’t be seen again until 2043.


Known as the “cold moon” – due to the long, cold nights typical of December – the full moon that appears this weekend, just ahead of the Dec. 21 winter solstice, is an oddity. In fact, there are three particularly rare things about this month’s cold moon, sometimes also called the “frost moon” or “winter moon”:

Rising and setting at its most northern points
The moon, like the sun, rises and sets in approximately the eastern and western skies. The key word is “approximately.” Because the Earth’s axis is tilted, neither the moon nor the sun rise or set directly to the east or west.

The exact positions of moonrise and moonset are dictated by the time of year and the phase of the moon. The full moon rises and sets at its most northern points on the horizon in December, when the Earth’s North Pole is tilted the farthest away from the sun.


The most northern position until 2043
There’s something extra special about this year’s cold moon. It will rise and set not just at its most northern points of the year, but of any point in nearly two decades. This is because, as timeanddate.com explains, “the moon’s tilted orbit slowly gyrates, in a similar way to a gently wobbling gyroscope or spinning top.”

This phenomenon, called the “lunar precession,” occurs on a cycle that repeats every 18.6 years. This month’s full moon will coincide with an approximately two-year period of the cycle, known as “major lunar standstill,” when the most extreme moonrise and moonset positions are even more extreme due to the moon’s wobble.

After this weekend, the moonrise and moonset won’t occur this far north on the horizon until 2043.


It could affect your meteor shower viewing
Ironically, one celestial rarity could interfere with viewing another. The light from this weekend’s full moon could make it hard to see shooting stars from the Geminid meteor shower.

The Geminids are considered “one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers,” according to NASA. This year’s display is expected to peak Friday night, but there should still be shooting stars on Saturday night.

When and where to look at the cold moon
This weekend’s full moon officially occurs Sunday at 4:02 a.m. Eastern time. That’s when the moon will pass opposite the sun. There will, however, be plenty of hours before and after that time to look up and see the moon, assuming it’s not too cloudy in your location.

For example:

In D.C., the moon rises Saturday at 3:53 p.m. local time in the northeast sky and sets Sunday at 7:54 a.m. in the northwest sky.

In Chicago, the moon rises Saturday at 3:24 p.m. local time in the northeast sky and sets at 7:51 a.m. in the northwest sky.

In Los Angeles, the moon rises Saturday at 4:02 p.m. local time in the northeast sky and sets Sunday at 7:28 a.m. in the northwest sky.

A ‘cold moon’ is about to rise. Here’s how to see it.

It's a busy weekend in the night sky.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

How to catch the Geminids, one of the strongest meteor showers of the year
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Christina Larson
Published Dec 14, 2024 • 2 minute read

The Geminids — among the few major meteor showers to come from asteroids — will be visible until Dec. 21, although peak viewing was on Dec. 13. Here’s what to know about the Geminids and other meteor showers. It’s one of the year’s last chances to see fireballs in the sky.


The shower often produces meteors with a distinctly more yellow glow, likely due to the unusual origin material, said Sally Brummel, planetarium manager at the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum.

Under ideal viewing conditions, the Geminids typically put on one of the best and brightest shows of the year because of the high volume of meteors visible each hour. However, an almost full moon this year means up to 15 meteors per hour were expected at peak time, according to the American Meteor Society.

The moonlight “will wash out a lot of them,” Brummel said.

Viewing lasts until Dec. 21. Here’s what to know about the Geminids and other meteor showers.

What is a meteor shower?
Multiple meteor showers occur annually and you don’t need special equipment to see them.


Most meteor showers originate from the debris of comets, but a few — including the Geminids — result from the debris of asteroids. The Geminids come from the sun-orbiting asteroid 3200 Phaethon.

When rocks from space enter Earth’s atmosphere, the resistance from the air makes them very hot. This causes the air to glow around them and briefly leaves a fiery tail behind them — the end of a “shooting star.”

The glowing pockets of air around fast-moving space rocks, ranging from the size of a dust particle to a boulder, may be visible in the night sky.

The rocky nature of asteroid debris makes the Geminids especially likely to produce fireballs, said NASA’s William Cooke. “Those are pretty tough rocks that can penetrate deep into the atmosphere,” he said.

How to view a meteor shower
Meteor showers are usually most visible between midnight and predawn hours.

It’s easier to see shooting stars under dark skies, away from city lights. Meteor showers also appear brightest on cloudless nights when the moon wanes smallest.

And your eyes will better adapted to seeing meteors if you aren’t checking your phone.

When is the next meteor shower?
The next meteor shower, the Ursids, will peak on Dec. 22.

How to catch the Geminids, one of the strongest meteor showers of the year

The Geminids -- among the few major meteor showers to come from asteroids -- will be visible until Dec. 21.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Study suggests they could be 4.5 billion years old just like the planet
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published Dec 16, 2024 • 1 minute read

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — New research suggests that Saturn’s rings may be older than they look — possibly as old as the planet.


Instead of being a youthful 400 million years old as commonly thought, the icy, shimmering rings could be around 4.5 billion years old just like Saturn, a Japanese-led team reported Monday.

The scientists surmise Saturn’s rings may be pristine not because they are young but because they are dirt-resistant.

Saturn’s rings are long thought to be between 100 million and 400 million years old based on more than a decade of observations by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft before its demise in 2017.

Images by Cassini showed no evidence of any darkening of the rings by impacting micrometeoroids — space rock particles smaller than a grain of sand — prompting scientists to conclude the rings formed long after the planet.

Through computer modeling, the Institute of Science Tokyo’s Ryuki Hyodo and his team demonstrated that micrometeoroids vaporize once slamming into the rings, with little if any dark and dirty residue left behind. They found that the resulting charged particles get sucked toward Saturn or out into space, keeping the rings spotless and challenging the baby rings theory. Their results appear in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Hyodo said it’s possible Saturn’s rings could be somewhere between the two extreme ages — around the halfway mark of 2.25 billion years old. But the solar system was much more chaotic during its formative years with large planetary-type objects migrating and interacting all over the place, just the sort of scenario that would be conducive to producing Saturn’s rings.

“Considering the solar system’s evolutionary history, it’s more likely that the rings formed closer to” Saturn’s earliest times, he said in an email.

How old are Saturn’s rings? Study suggests they could be 4.5 billion years old just like the planet

New research suggests that Saturn's rings may be older than they look -- possibly as old as the planet.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Two stars may be orbiting each other near a supermassive black hole in our Milky Way galaxy
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Adithi Ramakrishnan
Published Dec 17, 2024 • 1 minute read

This handout image released on Dec. 17, 2024 by the European Southern Observatory shows an emission line of hydrogen mapped by the SINFONI instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope. A team of researchers has discovered the closest binary star ever detected around the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, suggesting it is not as destructive as previously thought.
This handout image released on Dec. 17, 2024 by the European Southern Observatory shows an emission line of hydrogen mapped by the SINFONI instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope. A team of researchers has discovered the closest binary star ever detected around the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, suggesting it is not as destructive as previously thought. Photo by HANDOUT/EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY /AFP via Getty Images
NEW YORK — Scientists have spotted what appear to be two stars whipping around each other near the supermassive black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy.


Nearly every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its heart. The one in the middle of the Milky Way, called Sagittarius A(asterisk), is about 4 million times more massive than our sun and is relatively quiet, occasionally swallowing gas or dust that comes its way.

Scientists know stars can form near and even orbit these black hole behemoths, but they’ve never seen a pair of stars survive so close by.

The research was published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

The celestial sighting is interesting and unusual, and more research is needed to be certain of what the objects are, said astrophysicist Anna Ciurlo with the University of California, Los Angeles.

This handout image released on Dec. 17, 2024 by the European Southern Observatory shows the location of the newly discovered binary star D9, which is orbiting Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy.
This handout image released on Dec. 17, 2024 by the European Southern Observatory shows the location of the newly discovered binary star D9, which is orbiting Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. Photo by HANDOUT/EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY /AFP via Getty Images
“This leaves some questions still open,” said Ciurlo, who was not involved with the new research.

At about 2.7 million years old, the twin stars seem to be fairly young. Scientists said they appear to orbit each other at just the right distance: If they were too spread out, the black hole’s gravity would rip them apart. Any closer and they’d merge into a single star.

Even so, the cosmic duo won’t stay stable forever. They could meld into one eventually though the timing is uncertain, said study lead author Florian Peissker from the University of Cologne.

“We are actually in a really lucky situation,” he said. “We observed the system just in time.”

http://eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2418/eso2418a.pdf

Two stars may be orbiting each other near a supermassive black hole in our Milky Way galaxy

Scientists have spotted what appear to be two stars whipping around each other near the black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

NASA’s stuck astronauts face more time in space with return delayed
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published Dec 17, 2024 • 1 minute read

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s two stuck astronauts just got their space mission extended again.


That means they won’t be back on Earth until spring, 10 months after rocketing into orbit on Boeing’s Starliner capsule.

NASA announced the latest delay in Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams’ homecoming on Tuesday.

The two test pilots planned on being away just a week or so when they blasted off June 5 on Boeing’s first astronaut flight to the International Space Station. Their mission grew from eight days to eight months after NASA decided to send the company’s problem-plagued Starliner capsule back empty in September.

Now the pair won’t return until the end of March or even April because of a delay in launching their replacements, according to NASA.

A fresh crew needs to launch before Wilmore and Williams can return and the next mission has been bumped more than a month, according to the space agency.


NASA’s next crew of four was supposed to launch in February, followed by Wilmore and Williams’ return home by the end of that month alongside two other astronauts. But SpaceX needs more time to prepare the brand new capsule for liftoff. That launch is now scheduled for no earlier than late March.

NASA said it considered using a different SpaceX capsule to fly up the replacement crew in order to keep the flights on schedule. But it decided the best option was to wait for the new capsule to transport the next crew.

NASA prefers to have overlapping crews at the space station for a smoother transition, according to officials.

Most space station missions last six months, with a few reaching a full year.

NASA’s stuck astronauts face more time in space with return delayed

NASA's two stuck astronauts just got their space mission extended again

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Man, I HATE flight delays!

 

[petros]

That's a long time to go without a change of underwear and socks.

 

[spaminator]

The Ursid meteor shower peaks a few days before Christmas
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Christina Larson
Published Dec 18, 2024 • 1 minute read

The last meteor shower of the year — the Ursids — peaks Sunday, a few days before Christmas.


While usually not as bright as the Geminids, the Ursid meteor shower can yield surprises.

“The Ursids are generally a sparse meteor shower,” producing about 5 to 10 visible meteors per hour under ideal viewing conditions, said Shyam Balaji at King’s College London.

But outbursts in 1945 and 1986 produced up to 100 meteors per hour, he said.

“This unpredictability keeps skywatchers interested,” said Balaji, adding it’s not possible to predict in advance what this year will bring.

Most meteor showers originate from the debris of comets and there’s no special equipment needed to view them. The Ursids come from the comet 8P/Tuttle.

The moon will be 59% full that night, obscuring some meteors. Viewing lasts until Dec. 26.

The next meteor shower, the Quadrantids, peaks on Jan 3.

The Ursid meteor shower peaks a few days before Christmas

The last meteor shower of the year -- the Ursids -- peaks Sunday, a few days before Christmas.

torontosun.com