Astronomers may have found a second Neptune-size exomoon hidden in the retired Kepler space telescope’s data. The post Needle in the Haystack: New Exomoon Candidate Found appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreMonth: January 2022
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, January 14 – 22
Jupiter stands alone at dusk. The Moon dances with Castor and Pollux while Iris creeps in the background. And you can’t keep Venus down for long; its tiny crescent reappears at dawn. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 14 – 22 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreVirgin Orbit sends 7 satellites to orbit in fourth mid-air launch
Make it three in a row for Virgin Orbit. Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket lofted seven small satellites for three different customers today (Jan. 13), marking the third straight successful mission for the California-based company. Cosmic Girl, Virgin Orbit’s modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft, lifted off from Mojave Air and Space Port in Southern California today at 4:39 p.m. EST (2139 GMT; 1:39 p.m. local California time) with LauncherOne beneath its wing. The plane flew southwest for about 70 minutes until it reached its designated drop zone, a patch of the Pacific…
Read MoreAstronomy in Pictures: Largest 3D Map of Our Universe and a Stellar Intruder
This week astronomers have announced the completion of the largest 3D map of galaxies across the cosmos, plus exquisite radio observations show what happens when a stellar intruder interrupts planet formation. The post Astronomy in Pictures: Largest 3D Map of Our Universe and a Stellar Intruder appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreHalley’s Comet: Facts about history’s most famous comet
Halley’s Comet is arguably the most famous comet in history. As a “periodic” comet, it returns to Earth’s vicinity about every 75 years, making it possible for a person to see it twice in their lifetime. It was last here in 1986, and it is projected to return in 2061. The comet, officially called 1P/Halley, is named after English astronomer Edmond Halley, who examined reports of a comet approaching Earth in 1531, 1607 and 1682. He concluded that these three comets were actually the same comet returning over and over…
Read MoreNASA Sets Coverage for Russian Spacewalk Outside Space Station
Two Russian cosmonauts will venture outside the International Space Station at about 7 a.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 19, to conduct a spacewalk to ready the new Prichal module for future Russian visiting spacecraft.
Read MoreVirgin Orbit launching 7 satellites today: Watch it live
Virgin Orbit will launch its fourth-ever space mission today (Jan. 13), and you can watch the action live. The flight, named “Above the Clouds” after a 1998 song by Gang Starr, is scheduled to lift off from California’s Mojave Air and Space Port today between 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. EST (2100 to 2330 GMT). The mission will deliver seven small satellites to orbit for three different customers. You can watch the launch live here at Space.com, courtesy of Virgin Orbit, or directly via the company. In photos: Virgin Orbit’s…
Read MoreDo the Plumes from Saturn’s Icy Moon Reach Down to Its Ocean?
The plumes erupting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus may originate in slush in the moon’s icy crust rather than its deep, subsurface ocean. The post Do the Plumes from Saturn’s Icy Moon Reach Down to Its Ocean? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read More2021 Tied for 6th Warmest Year in Continued Trend, NASA Analysis Shows
Earth’s global average surface temperature in 2021 tied with 2018 as the sixth warmest on record, according to independent analyses done by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Read MoreEl 2021 empata como el sexto año más cálido en la tendencia de calentamiento, según un análisis de la NASA
La temperatura promedio global de la superficie de la Tierra en 2021 empató con la de 2018 como la sexta más cálida registrada, según análisis independientes realizados por la NASA y la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA, por sus siglas en inglés).
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