Archive for the ‘space’ category: Page 807
Dec 19, 2018
Diwata-2 captures first images of the Philippines
Posted by Michael Lance in category: space
CHECK THIS OUT: Diwata-2’s first images of the Philippines have been successfully captured and downloaded! While things have seemed quiet after Diwata-2’s launch into space last October 29, the team has been busy working on the initial tests and calibration of Diwata-2’s payloads. Stay tuned for more images and updates in the coming weeks! Read more about the first few images here: https://bit.ly/2E9oi6m #Diwata2 #D2nMe
Scientists from NASA Goddard have discovered that not only are Saturn’s rings younger than previously thought, but also that the rings are actually disappearing at a rapid pace through a process called “ring rain.”
Dec 19, 2018
Winter Solstice 2018 Coincides With Both A Full Moon And Meteor Shower
Posted by Michael Lance in category: space
The winter solstice, falling on December 21, 2018, will mark the shortest day of the year as well as a full moon in the night sky. The upcoming full moon named the Cold Moon or the Long Night Moon will be visible during the longest night of the year.
The two events don’t perfectly align. The peak full Moon will occur on December 22 at 12:49 p.m. EST while the winter solstice falls a day earlier on December 21. However, to the typical person viewing the moon, it will appear full for several days.
The winter solstice marks a transition period where days begin getting longer in the Northern Hemisphere and shorter in the Southern Hemisphere. The evening of the winter solstice will be the longest of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. This is because Earth’s poles create a maximum tilt away from the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere and maximum tilt toward the Sun in the Southern Hemisphere.
Continue reading “Winter Solstice 2018 Coincides With Both A Full Moon And Meteor Shower” »
Dec 19, 2018
Trump Signs Order to Create a U.S. Space Command
Posted by Michael Lance in categories: military, space
The first U.Space Command was founded in 1985 and disbanded in 2002.
The U.Space Command will defend U.S. assets and organize the military’s operations in outer space.
Dec 18, 2018
New Horizons spacecraft takes the inside course to Ultima Thule
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: space
With no apparent hazards in its way, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has been given a “go” to stay on its optimal path to Ultima Thule as it speeds closer to a Jan. 1 flyby of the Kuiper Belt object a billion miles beyond Pluto – the farthest planetary flyby in history.
Dec 17, 2018
NASA research reveals Saturn is losing its rings at ‘worst-case-scenario’ rate
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in categories: particle physics, space
New NASA research confirms that Saturn is losing its iconic rings at the maximum rate estimated from Voyager 1 & 2 observations made decades ago. The rings are being pulled into Saturn by gravity as a dusty rain of ice particles under the influence of Saturn’s magnetic field.
“We estimate that this ‘ring rain’ drains an amount of water products that could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool from Saturn’s rings in half an hour,” said James O’Donoghue of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “From this alone, the entire ring system will be gone in 300 million years, but add to this the Cassini-spacecraft measured ring-material detected falling into Saturn’s equator, and the rings have less than 100 million years to live. This is relatively short, compared to Saturn’s age of over 4 billion years.” O’Donoghue is lead author of a study on Saturn’s ring rain appearing in Icarus December 17.
Continue reading “NASA research reveals Saturn is losing its rings at ‘worst-case-scenario’ rate” »
Dec 17, 2018
Meet OWL and HIBOU! Japan’s Asteroid Hoppers Get New Names
Posted by Alberto Lao in category: space
Dec 17, 2018
10 mysteries of the universe: Is Earth in a special place?
Posted by Michael Lance in category: space
The BOSS Great Wall is the hugest object ever found – and at one billion light years across it spells big trouble for our cosmic theories.