Month: September 2021

Despite complaints, NASA won’t rename James Webb Space Telescope: report

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NASA won’t rename its highly anticipated James Webb Space Telescope, according to media reports.  The moniker honors NASA’s second-ever administrator, who led the agency from 1961 to 1968 as it was working to land people on the moon. Critics of Webb claim that he was complicit in discrimination against gay and lesbian NASA employees during his tenure, pointing to incidents such as the 1963 “immoral conduct” firing of Clifford Norton. Some of those critics created an online petition urging NASA to rename the nearly $10 billion telescope, which is scheduled…

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How to edit photos in Lightroom

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When it comes to editing your images, many beginner photographers struggle knowing which tools to use and how much editing to do. Knowing what each editing tool does can transform your editing process and really help you get the best out of your image. As most photographers use Lightroom to edit their photos, we’ve compiled a quick guide on how to edit photos in Lightroom. This is part of a series of beginner guides that we have on photography. For more tips and tricks, check out our piece on astrophotography…

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North Korea tests new hypersonic weapon: reports

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North Korea is apparently getting into the hypersonic arms race. The nuclear-armed nation conducted a test launch Tuesday (Sept. 28) of a new “hypersonic missile” called Hwasong-8, state-run outlet KCNA reported on Wednesday (Sept. 29), according to KCNA Watch, which aggregates news released by official North Korean media.   Hwasong-8 was topped with a hypersonic gliding vehicle (HGV) warhead, KCNA wrote. Hypersonic craft travel at least five times faster than the speed of sound, or Mach 5, and are highly maneuverable. They’re much tougher to track and intercept than intercontinental…

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Astronaut snaps stunning photos of massive Hurricane Sam from space

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NASA astronaut Megan McArthur shared three photos of the massive Hurricane Sam as seen from the International Space Station, showing off the storm’s vast clouds and distinct eye. Fortunately, Hurricane Sam is chugging over the Atlantic Ocean without posing much of a threat to folks on land. Nevertheless, the duties of astronauts living and working in orbit regularly include photographing Earth from space, and there Sam is. “Another hurricane? I do not like them, Sam I Am,” McArthur wrote in a tweet posted Wednesday (Sept. 29), referencing the classic Dr.…

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