Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and the second-largest planet in the solar system. It’s the farthest planet from Earth that’s visible to the naked human eye, but the planet’s most outstanding features — its rings — are better viewed through a telescope. Although the other gas giants in the solar system — Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune — also have rings, Saturn’s rings are particularly prominent, earning it the nickname the “Ringed Planet.” Physical characteristics of Saturn Saturn is a gas giant made up mostly of hydrogen and…
Read MoreMonth: April 2022
Space Station Science Highlights: Week of April 4, 2022
Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of April 4 that included testing a vest to provide radiation protection, monitoring station air quality, and examining the performance of an evaporative cooling system for spacesuits.
Read MoreAxiom Private Astronauts Headed to International Space Station
Four private astronauts are in orbit following the successful launch of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
Read MoreInnovative 3D Telemedicine to Help Keep Astronauts Healthy
Holoportation is a type of capture technology that allows high-quality 3D models of people to be reconstructed, compressed and transmitted live anywhere in real time.
Read MoreTwo Years to the 2024 American Total Solar Eclipse!
It’s never too early to start getting excited — and begin planning — for an event as spectacular as a total solar eclipse. The post Two Years to the 2024 American Total Solar Eclipse! appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreAxiom Mission 1 at Pad 39A and Artemis I at Pad 39B
SpaceX’s Axiom-1 is in the foreground on Launch Pad 39A with NASA’s Artemis I in the background on Launch Pad 39B on April 6, 2022.
Read MoreThis Week’s Sky at a Glance, April 8 – 16
The gibbous Moon passes through Leo and Virgo as it waxes toward full, forming new Moon-and-stars “lunarisms” (patterns) each evening. Mercury begins a new apparition in the sunset. At dawn, Jupiter emerges to join the lineup of Venus, Mars, and Saturn. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 8 – 16 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MorePrivate Ax-1 astronauts ready to launch on SpaceX rocket tomorrow
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — The first all-private crewed mission to the International Space Station is ready to fly, mission leaders announced today (April 7). Tomorrow (April 8), a crew of four, led by a former NASA astronaut, is set to launch on a 10-day mission to the space station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Their mission is Ax-1, the first crewed flight for Texas-based aerospace company Axiom Space. “This is a historic event, and we’re super happy to be here to report our readiness…
Read MoreCall them ‘The Flies:’ NASA’s latest class of astronaut candidates gets their nickname
First came the “Maggots.” Then the less specific “Bugs.” Now, the latest infestation to take over NASA’s Astronaut Office has been identified. Welcome “The Flies.” (opens in new tab) “It’s official, our class has been named ‘The Flies’!” Marcos Berríos, a member of NASA’s latest group of astronaut candidates, wrote on Instagram (opens in new tab). Following a tradition that traces back to NASA’s first class of astronauts, who adopted the nickname “The Original Seven,” the naming of NASA’s 23rd group of spaceflight trainees marks a milestone in their progress…
Read MorePew, pew! Scientists detect record-breaking ‘megamaser’ 5 billion light-years away.
In just one night of observing, scientists detected a new record-breaker — the most distant megamaser known to date. A megamaser is a super-powerful laser made of microwave light (hence maser). Megamasers come in a few different flavors, but the one the scientists detected is the most common type, which displays the signal of hydroxyl, a molecule made up of one atom of oxygen and one atom of hydrogen. The team argues that the newly detected megamaser, one of the brightest such beams known to date, marks a galactic collision.…
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