Space Thread

[spaminator]

How to catch the shooting stars of spring’s first meteor shower, the Lyrids
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Christina Larson
Published Apr 18, 2025 • 1 minute read

The Lyrid meteor shower is seen over Burg on the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn off Germany, Friday, April 20, 2018.
The Lyrid meteor shower is seen over Burg on the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn off Germany, Friday, April 20, 2018.
When the Lyrid meteor shower reaches its peak, it will be spring’s first chance to see shooting stars.


The Lyrids have surprised skygazers in the past with as many as 100 meteors per hour, but it’s not predicted to be as active this time around.

During Tuesday morning’s peak, expect to see around six meteors per hour, said Thaddeus LaCoursiere, planetarium program coordinator at the Bell Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The waning crescent moon will be 40% full, meaning a decent level of visibility under clear and dark conditions.

Viewing lasts until April 26. Here’s what to know about the Lyrids and other meteor showers.

What is a meteor shower?
As the Earth orbits the sun, several times a year it passes through debris left by passing comets and sometimes asteroids. The source of the Lyrids is debris from the comet Thatcher.


When these fast-moving space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere, the debris encounters new resistance from the air and becomes very hot, eventually burning up.

Sometimes the surrounding air glows briefly, leaving behind a fiery tail — the end of a “shooting star.”

You don’t need special equipment to see the various meteor showers that flash across annually, just a spot away from city lights.

How to view a meteor shower
The best time to watch a meteor shower is in the early predawn hours when the moon is low in the sky.

Competing sources of light — such as a bright moon or artificial glow — are the main obstacles to a clear view of meteors. Cloudless nights when the moon wanes smallest are optimal viewing opportunities.

And keep looking up, not down. Your eyes will be better adapted to spot shooting stars if you aren’t checking your phone.

When is the next meteor shower?
The next major meteor shower, the Eta Aquarids, peaks in early May.

How to catch the shooting stars of spring’s first meteor shower, the Lyrids

When the Lyrid meteor shower reaches its peak, it will be spring's first chance to see shooting stars.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft beams back pictures of an asteroid shaped like a lumpy bowling pin
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published Apr 21, 2025 • 1 minute read

This image from video animation provided by NASA in October 2022 depicts the Lucy spacecraft.
This image from video animation provided by NASA in October 2022 depicts the Lucy spacecraft. AP
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Lucy spacecraft has beamed back pictures from its latest asteroid flyby, revealing a long, lumpy, odd-shaped space rock.


The space agency released the images Monday, a day after the close approach. It was considered a dress rehearsal for the more critical asteroid encounters ahead closer to Jupiter.

This asteroid is bigger than scientists anticipated, about 5 miles (8 kilometres) long and 2 miles (3.5 kilometres) wide at its widest point — resembling an irregular bowling pin. It’s so long that the spacecraft couldn’t capture it in its entirety in the initial downloaded images.



Data returned over the next week should help clarify the asteroid’s shape, according to NASA.

Lucy passed within 600 miles (960 kilometres) of the harmless asteroid known as Donaldjohanson on Sunday in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It’s named for the paleontologist who discovered the fossil Lucy 50 years ago in Ethiopia.

The spacecraft was launched in 2021 to study the unexplored so-called Trojan asteroids out near Jupiter. Eight Trojan flybys are planned through 2033.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1914385676851957947

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft beams back pictures of an asteroid shaped like a lumpy bowling pin

NASA's Lucy spacecraft has beamed back pictures from its latest asteroid flyby, revealing a long, lumpy, odd-shaped space rock.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Federal government report on UFOs expected to be made public by June
An internal briefing said the initiative is 'not meant to prove or deny the existence of extraterrestrial life or extraterrestrial visitors'

Author of the articleavid Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Published Apr 24, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read

A final report on unidentified flying objects should be released by June, the office of the federal government’s chief science advisor has confirmed.


The Sky Canada Project, led by the Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada, was launched in the fall of 2022 to review current practices surrounding public reporting of unidentified aerial phenomena or UAPs in Canada.

Some public sources estimate that Canadians report somewhere between 600 and 1,000 UAP sightings annually, according to a preview report from the Sky Canada Project released earlier this year. That initial report found that one in four Canadians surveyed say they have personally witnessed a UAP in their lifetime. But only 10 per cent reported what they saw.

“The full report will come out later this spring, most probably in May or early June,” confirmed Luc Gauthier, the chief of staff at the Office of the Chief Science Advisor in Ottawa.


He told the Ottawa Citizen that the production of the report and preparation to put it online is in the final stages.

The Sky Canada Project was spurred on by increased public interest and recent developments in other countries, particularly the United States, where formal procedures for addressing UAP sightings are in development. The study explores the current reporting methods, identifies gaps, and provides recommendations to enhance transparency and scientific inquiry on UAP issues in Canada, according to the Office of the Chief Science Advisor.

The Sky Canada Project team gathered information from federal departments and agencies, stakeholders, experts, and other organizations, on how UAP observations reported by the public are handled in Canada.


A Sky Canada Project briefing for the Department of National Defence pointed out that among the reasons behind the initiative were support for national security through surveillance activities, as well as to promote more transparency.

“It is not meant to prove or deny the existence of extraterrestrial life or extraterrestrial visitors,” said the February 2023 briefing, which was obtained by the Ottawa Citizen through an access-to-information request.

Providing public access to “collected information (would) prevent conspiracy theories,” the briefing added.

The preview report, released in January, recommended identifying a lead agency for managing public UAP data. It noted that the Canadian Space Agency should be considered for such a role.


The UFO debate has been rekindled over the last several years after the release of a series of videos shot by U.S. military pilots of unidentified flying objects.

In July 2023, former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer Maj. David Grusch testified at a Congressional hearing that the Pentagon had been involved in a decades-long coverup about UFOs. Grusch said the U.S. defence department had tried to retrieve and reverse engineer an alien spacecraft.

The Pentagon denied the claims.

In 2023, a U.S. defence scientist revealed that allied militaries, including Canada, had met at the Pentagon to discuss sharing data on UAPs. Scientist Sean Kirkpatrick, who was then leading an office in the U.S. military that examined UFO-related activities, said the meeting involved the Five Eyes nations. That is an intelligence alliance of the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.


At the time, DND confirmed that a Royal Canadian Air Force officer attended the meeting in May 2023. DND officials say what was discussed at that meeting remains secret.

Kirkpatrick, who left his Pentagon job in December 2023, has warned military leaders that the U.S. defence department wasn’t telling the public enough about UFOs. Kirkpatrick was concerned that conspiracy theorists would take advantage of the lack of information in the public sphere to promote their agendas, Politico reported in February 2024.

http://politico.com/news/2024/02/06/former-ufo-boss-pentagon-kirkpatrick-00139880

Sky Canada Project

The Sky Canada Project was launched in the Fall of 2022 to study how Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) reports from the public are managed in Canada and to recommend improvements. The Office of the Chief Science Advisor (OCSA) will focus on the Canadian process for capturing and treating UAP...

ised-isde.canada.ca

Federal government report on UFOs is expected to be made public by June

The government report will detail how sightings are processed and why most remain off the record.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Soviet-era spacecraft is set to plunge to Earth a half-century after its failed launch to Venus
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published May 01, 2025 • 2 minute read

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A Soviet-era spacecraft meant to land on Venus in the 1970s is expected to soon plunge uncontrolled back to Earth.


It’s too early to know where the half-ton mass of metal might come down or how much of it will survive reentry, according to space debris-tracking experts.

Dutch scientist Marco Langbroek predicts the failed spacecraft will reenter around May 10. He estimates it will come crashing in at 150 mph (242 km/h), if it remains intact.

“While not without risk, we should not be too worried,” Langbroek said in an email.

The object is relatively small and, even if it doesn’t break apart, “the risk is similar to that of a random meteorite fall, several of which happen each year. You run a bigger risk of getting hit by lightning in your lifetime,” he said.

The chance of the spacecraft actually hitting someone or something is small, he added. “But it cannot be completely excluded.”

The Soviet Union launched the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 in 1972, one of a series of Venus missions. But it never made it out of Earth orbit because of a rocket malfunction.


Most of it came tumbling down within a decade. But Langbroek and others believe the landing capsule itself — a spherical object about 3 feet (1 metre) in diameter — has been circling the world in a highly elliptical orbit for the past 53 years, gradually dropping in altitude.

It’s quite possible that the 1,000-pound-plus (nearly 500-kilogram) spacecraft will survive reentry. It was built to withstand a descent through the carbon dioxide-thick atmosphere of Venus, said Langbroek of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Experts doubt the parachute system would work after so many years. The heat shield may also be compromised after so long in orbit.

It would be better if the heat shield fails, which would cause the spacecraft to burn up during its dive through the atmosphere, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Jonathan McDowell said in an email. But if the heat shield holds, “it’ll reenter intact and you have a half-ton metal object falling from the sky.”

The spacecraft could reenter anywhere between 51.7 degrees north and south latitude, or as far north as London and Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, almost all the way down to South America’s Cape Horn. But since most of the planet is water, “chances are good it will indeed end up in some ocean,” Langbroek said.

Soviet-era spacecraft is set to plunge to Earth a half-century after its failed launch to Venus

A Soviet-era spacecraft meant to land on Venus in the 1970s is expected to soon plunge uncontrolled back to Earth.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Soviet-era spacecraft Kosmos 482 plunges to Earth after 53 years stuck in orbit
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published May 10, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read

A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus.


Its uncontrolled entry was confirmed by both the Russian Space Agency and European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking. The Russians indicated it came down over the Indian Ocean, but some experts were not so sure of the precise location. The European Space Agency’s space debris office also tracked the spacecraft’s doom after it failed to appear over a German radar station.

It was not immediately known how much, if any, of the half-ton spacecraft survived the fiery descent from orbit. Experts said ahead of time that some if not all of it might come crashing down, given it was built to withstand a landing on Venus, the solar system’s hottest planet.

The chances of anyone getting clobbered by spacecraft debris were exceedingly low, scientists said.

Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a rocket malfunction.


Much of the spacecraft came tumbling back to Earth within a decade of the failed launch. No longer able to resist gravity’s tug as its orbit dwindled, the spherical lander — an estimated 3 feet (1 metre) across — was the last part of the spacecraft to come down. The lander was encased in titanium, according to experts, and weighed more than 1,000 pounds (495 kilograms).

Any surviving wreckage will belong to Russia under a United Nations treaty.

After following the spacecraft’s downward spiral, scientists, military experts and others could not pinpoint in advance precisely when or where the spacecraft might come down. Solar activity added to the uncertainty as well as the spacecraft’s deteriorating condition after so long in space.

After so much anticipation, some observers were disappointed by the lingering uncertainty over the exact whereabouts of the spacecraft’s grave.


“If it was over the Indian Ocean, only the whales saw it,” Dutch scientist Marco Langbroek said via X.



As of Saturday afternoon, the U.S. Space Command had yet to confirm the spacecraft’s demise as it collected and analyzed data from orbit.

The U.S. Space Command routinely monitors dozens of reentries each month. What set Kosmos 482 apart — and earned it extra attention from government and private space trackers — was that it was more likely to survive reentry, according to officials.

It was also coming in uncontrolled, without any intervention by flight controllers who normally target the Pacific and other vast expanses of water for old satellites and other space debris.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1921191409341616254

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1921190451186479367

Soviet-era spacecraft Kosmos 482 plunges to Earth after 53 years stuck in orbit

A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

NASA rover spies the first aurora at Mars that’s visible to the human eye
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published May 14, 2025 • 1 minute read

This image by NASA's Perseverance shows evidence of a visible aurora on Mars on March 18, 2024. (NASA via AP)
This image by NASA's Perseverance shows evidence of a visible aurora on Mars on March 18, 2024. Photo by NASA via AP /AP
NASA’s Perseverance rover has detected the first aurora at Mars that’s visible to the human eye, good news for future astronauts who can savour the view on the red planet.


European and U.S. scientists reported that the green aurora in the dusty Martian sky was generated by a solar storm last year and had three days’ advance notice to set aside viewing time with the rover’s cameras.

Previous auroras observed at Mars appeared only in the ultraviolet, but this one was in the visible wavelength. It resulted from a solar flare in March 2024 that was followed by a coronal mass ejection of plasma from the sun that was directed toward Mars.

These latest observations show that forecasting of northern and southern lights is now possible at Mars, allowing scientists to study space weather, said University of Oslo’s Elise Wright Knutsen, whose research appeared Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.


“While the brightness of this event was dimmed by dust, events under better viewing conditions or more intense particle precipitation might be above the threshold for human vision and visible to future astronauts,” the researchers wrote.

This was the first time an aurora had been reported from the surface of a planet other than Earth, the researchers noted. Earlier observations were made from orbit.

Launched in 2020, Perseverance has been exploring Mars’ Jezero Crater since 2021, collecting dust and rock samples for eventual return to Earth. The region, now dry but once believed to be a flowing lake and river delta, could hold evidence of ancient microbial life.

NASA rover spies the first aurora at Mars that’s visible to the human eye

NASA's Perseverance rover has detected the first aurora at Mars that's visible to the human eye.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

SpaceX launches another Starship rocket after back-to-back explosions, but it tumbles out of control
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published May 28, 2025 • 2 minute read

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Photo by Eric Gay /AP Photo
After back-to-back explosions, SpaceX launched its mega rocket Starship again on Tuesday evening, but fell short of the main objectives when the spacecraft tumbled out of control and broke apart.


The 403-foot (123-metre) rocket blasted off on its ninth demo from Starbase, SpaceX’s launch site at the southern tip of Texas. Residents voted this month to organize as an official city.

CEO Elon Musk ‘s SpaceX hoped to release a series of mock satellites following liftoff, but that got nixed because the door failed to open all the way. Then the spacecraft began spinning as it skimmed space toward an uncontrolled landing in the Indian Ocean.

SpaceX later confirmed that the spacecraft experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly,” or burst apart. “Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test,” the company said in an online statement.

Musk noted in a post on X it was a “big improvement” from the two previous demos, which ended in flaming debris over the Atlantic. Despite the latest setback, he promised a faster launch pace moving forward, with a Starship soaring every three to four weeks for the next three flights.



It was the first time one of Musk’s Starships — intended for moon and Mars travel — flew with a recycled booster. There were no plans to catch the booster with giant chopsticks back at the launch pad, with the company instead pushing it to its limits. Contact with the booster was lost at one point, and it slammed into the Gulf of Mexico in pieces as the spacecraft continued toward the Indian Ocean.

Then the spacecraft went out of control, apparently due to fuel leaks.

“Not looking great with a lot of our on-orbit objectives for today,” said SpaceX flight commentator Dan Huot. The company had been looking to test the spacecraft’s heat shield during a controlled reentry.

Communication ceased before the spacecraft came down, and SpaceX ended its webcast soon afterward.


The previous two Starships never made it past the Caribbean. The demos earlier this year ended just minutes after liftoff, raining wreckage into the ocean. No injuries or serious damage were reported, although airline travel was disrupted. The Federal Aviation Administration last week cleared Starship for another flight, expanding the hazard area and pushing the liftoff outside peak air travel times.

Besides taking corrective action and making upgrades, SpaceX modified the latest spacecraft’s thermal tiles and installed special catch fittings. This one was meant to sink in the Indian Ocean, but the company wanted to test the add-ons for capturing future versions back at the pad, just like the boosters.

NASA needs SpaceX to make major strides over the next year with Starship — the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built — in order to land astronauts back on the moon. Next year’s moonshot with four astronauts will fly around the moon, but will not land. That will happen in 2027 at the earliest and require a Starship to get two astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface and back off again.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1927531406017601915

SpaceX launches another Starship rocket after back-to-back explosions, but it tumbles out of control

After back-to-back explosions, SpaceX launched its mega rocket Starship again on Tuesday evening.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Astronomers discover strange new celestial object in our Milky Way galaxy
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published May 28, 2025 • 1 minute read

Astronomers have discovered a strange new object in our Milky Way galaxy.
Astronomers have discovered a strange new object in our Milky Way galaxy. Photo by NASA/CXC/ICRAR, Curtin Univ., Z. Wang et al.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronomers have discovered a strange new object in our Milky Way galaxy.


An international team reported Wednesday that this celestial object — perhaps a star, pair of stars or something else entirely — is emitting X-rays around the same time it’s shooting out radio waves. What’s more, the cycle repeats every 44 minutes, at least during periods of extreme activity.

Located 15,000 light-years away in a region of the Milky Way brimming with stars, gas and dust, this object could be a highly magnetized dead star like a neutron or white dwarf, Curtin University’s Ziteng Andy Wang said in an email from Australia.

Or it could be “something exotic” and unknown, said Wang, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature.

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory spotted the X-ray emissions by chance last year while focusing on a supernova remnant, or the remains of an exploded star. Wang said it was the first time X-rays had been seen coming from a so-called long-period radio transient, a rare object that cycles through radio signals over tens of minutes.


A close-up image of ASKAP J1832 in X-ray and radio light.
A close-up image of ASKAP J1832 in X-ray and radio light. Photo by NASA/CXC/ICRAR, Curtin Univ., Z. Wang et al.
Given the uncertain distance, astronomers can’t tell if the weird object is associated with the supernova remnant or not. A single light-year is 5.8 trillion miles.

The hyperactive phase of this object — designated ASKAP J1832−091 — appeared to last about a month. Outside of that period, the star did not emit any noticeable X-rays. That could mean more of these objects may be out there, scientists said.

“While our discovery doesn’t yet solve the mystery of what these objects are and may even deepen it, studying them brings us closer to two possibilities,” Wang said. “Either we are uncovering something entirely new, or we’re seeing a known type of object emitting radio and X-ray waves in a way we’ve never observed before.”

Launched in 1999, Chandra orbits tens of thousands of kilometres above Earth, observing some of the hottest, high-energy objects in the universe.

Astronomers discover strange new celestial object in our Milky Way galaxy

Astronomers have discovered a strange new object in our Milky Way galaxy.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

SpaceX launches another Starship rocket after back-to-back explosions, but it tumbles out of control
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published May 28, 2025 • 2 minute read

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Photo by Eric Gay /AP Photo
After back-to-back explosions, SpaceX launched its mega rocket Starship again on Tuesday evening, but fell short of the main objectives when the spacecraft tumbled out of control and broke apart.


The 403-foot (123-metre) rocket blasted off on its ninth demo from Starbase, SpaceX’s launch site at the southern tip of Texas. Residents voted this month to organize as an official city.

CEO Elon Musk ‘s SpaceX hoped to release a series of mock satellites following liftoff, but that got nixed because the door failed to open all the way. Then the spacecraft began spinning as it skimmed space toward an uncontrolled landing in the Indian Ocean.

SpaceX later confirmed that the spacecraft experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly,” or burst apart. “Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test,” the company said in an online statement.

Musk noted in a post on X it was a “big improvement” from the two previous demos, which ended in flaming debris over the Atlantic. Despite the latest setback, he promised a faster launch pace moving forward, with a Starship soaring every three to four weeks for the next three flights.



It was the first time one of Musk’s Starships — intended for moon and Mars travel — flew with a recycled booster. There were no plans to catch the booster with giant chopsticks back at the launch pad, with the company instead pushing it to its limits. Contact with the booster was lost at one point, and it slammed into the Gulf of Mexico in pieces as the spacecraft continued toward the Indian Ocean.

Then the spacecraft went out of control, apparently due to fuel leaks.

“Not looking great with a lot of our on-orbit objectives for today,” said SpaceX flight commentator Dan Huot. The company had been looking to test the spacecraft’s heat shield during a controlled reentry.

Communication ceased before the spacecraft came down, and SpaceX ended its webcast soon afterward.


The previous two Starships never made it past the Caribbean. The demos earlier this year ended just minutes after liftoff, raining wreckage into the ocean. No injuries or serious damage were reported, although airline travel was disrupted. The Federal Aviation Administration last week cleared Starship for another flight, expanding the hazard area and pushing the liftoff outside peak air travel times.

Besides taking corrective action and making upgrades, SpaceX modified the latest spacecraft’s thermal tiles and installed special catch fittings. This one was meant to sink in the Indian Ocean, but the company wanted to test the add-ons for capturing future versions back at the pad, just like the boosters.

NASA needs SpaceX to make major strides over the next year with Starship — the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built — in order to land astronauts back on the moon. Next year’s moonshot with four astronauts will fly around the moon, but will not land. That will happen in 2027 at the earliest and require a Starship to get two astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface and back off again.
View attachment 29321

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1927531406017601915

SpaceX launches another Starship rocket after back-to-back explosions, but it tumbles out of control

After back-to-back explosions, SpaceX launched its mega rocket Starship again on Tuesday evening.

torontosun.com

FAA demands an accident investigation into SpaceX’s latest out-of-control Starship flight
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published May 30, 2025 • 1 minute read

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Photo by Eric Gay /AP
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Federal Aviation Administration is demanding an accident investigation into this week’s out-of-control Starship flight by SpaceX.


Tuesday’s test flight from Texas lasted longer than the previous two failed demos of the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket, which ended in flames over the Atlantic. The latest spacecraft made it halfway around the world to the Indian Ocean, but not before going into a spin and breaking apart.

The FAA said Friday that no injuries or public damage were reported.

The first-stage booster — recycled from an earlier flight _ also burst apart while descending over the Gulf of Mexico. But that was the result of deliberately extreme testing approved by the FAA in advance.

All wreckage from both sections of the 403-foot (123-metre) rocket came down within the designated hazard zones, according to the FAA.

The FAA will oversee SpaceX’s investigation, which is required before another Starship can launch.

CEO Elon Musk said he wants to pick up the pace of Starship test flights, with the ultimate goal of launching them to Mars. NASA needs Starship as the means of landing astronauts on the moon in the next few years.

FAA demands an accident investigation into SpaceX’s latest out-of-control Starship flight

The Federal Aviation Administration is demanding an accident investigation into this week's out-of-control Starship flight by SpaceX.

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

FAA demands an accident investigation into SpaceX’s latest out-of-control Starship flight

Which one? Trump?

 

[spaminator]

50-50 chance of Milky Way colliding with galaxy billions of years from now: Study
It's better odds than previous estimates and farther out in time

Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published Jun 02, 2025 • 2 minute read

In this combination of images from NASA/ESA shows three future scenarios for Milky Way & Andromeda encounter. Top left: Galaxies bypass at 1 million light-year separation. Top right: At 500,000 light-years, dark matter provides friction that brings galaxies to a close encounter. Bottom: A 100,000 light-year separation leads to a collision. (NASA/ESA via AP)
In this combination of images from NASA/ESA shows three future scenarios for Milky Way & Andromeda encounter. Top left: Galaxies bypass at 1 million light-year separation. Top right: At 500,000 light-years, dark matter provides friction that brings galaxies to a close encounter. Bottom: A 100,000 light-year separation leads to a collision. (NASA/ESA via AP) AP
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — It turns out that looming collision between our Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies might not happen after all.


Astronomers reported Monday that the probability of the two spiral galaxies colliding is less than previously thought, with a 50-50 chance within the next 10 billion years. That’s essentially a coin flip, but still better odds than previous estimates and farther out in time.

“As it stands, proclamations of the impending demise of our galaxy seem greatly exaggerated,” the Finnish-led team wrote in a study appearing in Nature Astronomy.

While good news for the Milky Way galaxy, the latest forecast may be moot for humanity.

“We likely won’t live to see the benefit,” lead author Till Sawala of the University of Helsinki said in an email.

Already more than 4.5 billion years old, the sun is on course to run out of energy and die in another 5 billion years or so, but not before becoming so big it will engulf Mercury, Venus and possibly Earth. Even if it doesn’t swallow Earth, the home planet will be left a burnt ball, its oceans long since boiled away.


Sawala’s international team relied on the latest observations by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Agency’s Gaia star-surveying spacecraft to simulate the possible scenarios facing the Milky Way and next-door neighbor Andromeda. Both already collided with other galaxies in their ancient past and, according to many, seemed destined for a head-on crash.

Past theories put a collision between the two — resulting in a new elliptical galaxy dubbed Milkomeda — as probable if not inevitable. Some predictions had that happening within 5 billion years, if not sooner.

For this new study, the scientists relied on updated galaxy measurements to factor in the gravitational pull on the Milky Way’s movement through the universe. They found that the effects of the neighboring Triangulum galaxy increased the likelihood of a merger between the Milky Way and Andromeda, while the Large Magellanic Cloud decreased those chances.


Despite lingering uncertainty over the position, motion and mass of all these galaxies, the scientists ended up with 50-50 odds of a collision within the next 10 billion years.

“The fate of our Milky Way galaxy is a subject of broad interest — not just to astronomers,” said Raja GuhaThakurta of the University of California, Santa Cruz, who was not involved in the study,

A full-on collision, he noted, would transform our home galaxy from a disk of stars seen as a milky band of diffuse light across the sky into a milky blob. A harmless flyby of the two galaxies could leave this stellar disk largely undisturbed, thus preserving our galaxy’s name.

More work is needed before the Milky Way’s fate can be predicted with accuracy, according to the researchers. Further insight should help scientists better understand what’s happening among galaxies even deeper in the cosmos.

While our galaxy’s fate remains highly uncertain, the sun’s future is “pretty much sealed,” according to Sawala. “Of course, there is also a very significant chance that humanity will bring an end to itself still much before that, without any need for astrophysical help.”

50-50 chance of Milky Way colliding with galaxy billions of years from now: Study

Astronomers reported Monday that the probability of the two spiral galaxies colliding is less than previously thought

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

50-50 chance of Milky Way colliding with galaxy billions of years from now: Study
It's better odds than previous estimates and farther out in time

Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Marcia Dunn
Published Jun 02, 2025 • 2 minute read

In this combination of images from NASA/ESA shows three future scenarios for Milky Way & Andromeda encounter. Top left: Galaxies bypass at 1 million light-year separation. Top right: At 500,000 light-years, dark matter provides friction that brings galaxies to a close encounter. Bottom: A 100,000 light-year separation leads to a collision. (NASA/ESA via AP)
In this combination of images from NASA/ESA shows three future scenarios for Milky Way & Andromeda encounter. Top left: Galaxies bypass at 1 million light-year separation. Top right: At 500,000 light-years, dark matter provides friction that brings galaxies to a close encounter. Bottom: A 100,000 light-year separation leads to a collision. (NASA/ESA via AP) AP
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — It turns out that looming collision between our Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies might not happen after all.


Astronomers reported Monday that the probability of the two spiral galaxies colliding is less than previously thought, with a 50-50 chance within the next 10 billion years. That’s essentially a coin flip, but still better odds than previous estimates and farther out in time.

“As it stands, proclamations of the impending demise of our galaxy seem greatly exaggerated,” the Finnish-led team wrote in a study appearing in Nature Astronomy.

While good news for the Milky Way galaxy, the latest forecast may be moot for humanity.

“We likely won’t live to see the benefit,” lead author Till Sawala of the University of Helsinki said in an email.

Already more than 4.5 billion years old, the sun is on course to run out of energy and die in another 5 billion years or so, but not before becoming so big it will engulf Mercury, Venus and possibly Earth. Even if it doesn’t swallow Earth, the home planet will be left a burnt ball, its oceans long since boiled away.


Sawala’s international team relied on the latest observations by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Agency’s Gaia star-surveying spacecraft to simulate the possible scenarios facing the Milky Way and next-door neighbor Andromeda. Both already collided with other galaxies in their ancient past and, according to many, seemed destined for a head-on crash.

Past theories put a collision between the two — resulting in a new elliptical galaxy dubbed Milkomeda — as probable if not inevitable. Some predictions had that happening within 5 billion years, if not sooner.

For this new study, the scientists relied on updated galaxy measurements to factor in the gravitational pull on the Milky Way’s movement through the universe. They found that the effects of the neighboring Triangulum galaxy increased the likelihood of a merger between the Milky Way and Andromeda, while the Large Magellanic Cloud decreased those chances.


Despite lingering uncertainty over the position, motion and mass of all these galaxies, the scientists ended up with 50-50 odds of a collision within the next 10 billion years.

“The fate of our Milky Way galaxy is a subject of broad interest — not just to astronomers,” said Raja GuhaThakurta of the University of California, Santa Cruz, who was not involved in the study,

A full-on collision, he noted, would transform our home galaxy from a disk of stars seen as a milky band of diffuse light across the sky into a milky blob. A harmless flyby of the two galaxies could leave this stellar disk largely undisturbed, thus preserving our galaxy’s name.

More work is needed before the Milky Way’s fate can be predicted with accuracy, according to the researchers. Further insight should help scientists better understand what’s happening among galaxies even deeper in the cosmos.

While our galaxy’s fate remains highly uncertain, the sun’s future is “pretty much sealed,” according to Sawala. “Of course, there is also a very significant chance that humanity will bring an end to itself still much before that, without any need for astrophysical help.”
View attachment 29370

50-50 chance of Milky Way colliding with galaxy billions of years from now: Study

Astronomers reported Monday that the probability of the two spiral galaxies colliding is less than previously thought

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

"We are gonna die. You're gonna die, I'm gonna die, we're all gonna die. Just not today."
--Taylor Kitsch as Lt Alex Hopper, USN, Battleship

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

In 10 billion years, nobody will remember who made the prediction that it was or was not going to collide.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

In 10 billion years, nobody will remember who made the prediction that it was or was not going to collide.

We'll stupid ourselves to death long before then.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

We'll stupid ourselves to death long before then.

Even if we don't the sun kinda explodes in about 5 billion years.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Even if we don't the sun kinda explodes in about 5 billion years.

Oh, no! Not another CommieNaziLibrulEcoFagTard with his "global warming" bullshit!

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Oh, no! Not another CommieNaziLibrulEcoFagTard with his "global warming" bullshit!

Don't worry. I am sure it can be avoided if it is properly taxed.

 

[petros]

Even if we don't the sun kinda explodes in about 5 billion years.

Oh, no! Not another CommieNaziLibrulEcoFagTard with his "global warming" bullshit!

Don't worry. I am sure it can be avoided if it is properly taxed.

The Sun is currently within a relatively sparse "Local Bubble" or "Local Interstellar Cloud," but it's predicted to eventually exit this region and head into more typical interstellar space. In the past, the Solar System has potentially passed through denser interstellar clouds, such as the Local Lynx of Cold Clouds. These encounters could have altered Earth's climate and exposed it to more interstellar particles.

Elaboration:

Local Bubble:
The Solar System is currently situated within a large, relatively low-density region of space called the Local Bubble or Local Interstellar Cloud. This region is significantly less dense than the surrounding interstellar medium, with approximately 0.001 particles per cubic centimeter compared to the typical 0.1 atoms per cubic centimeter.

Interstellar Medium:
The interstellar medium is the space between stars in a galaxy, containing gas and dust. It's generally much denser than the Local Bubble and can be quite cold, especially in the form of dense, cold clouds like the Local Lynx.

Potential Encounters:
Studies suggest that the Solar System has potentially passed through dense interstellar clouds, such as the Local Ribbon of Cold Clouds, in the past. These encounters could have shrunk the heliosphere (the bubble of magnetic influence around the Sun), potentially exposing Earth to a higher concentration of interstellar particles.

Impact on Earth:
Exposure to the denser interstellar medium could have altered Earth's climate, potentially leading to cooling periods due to the increased presence of interstellar dust and particles. It could also have affected the Earth's atmosphere, possibly impacting ozone levels and cloud formation.

Future Trajectory:
While the Sun will eventually leave the Local Bubble, it's not expected to encounter another large, dense cloud for millions of years.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Don't worry. I am sure it can be avoided if it is properly taxed.

The sun's a globe, and we know all globes warm, and it's all YOUR FAULT! You should be taxed at a rate of 120%, and the money shared between the truly destitute (5%), those who are engaged in anti-global-warming initiatives (15%), and politicians (the rest).

It's our ONLY HOPE!