The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is leftover radiation from the Big Bang or the time when the universe began. As the theory goes, when the universe was born it underwent rapid inflation, expansion and cooling. (The universe is still expanding today, and the expansion rate appears different depending on where you look). The CMB represents the heat leftover from the Big Bang. You can’t see the CMB with your naked eye, but it is everywhere in the universe. It is invisible to humans because it is so cold, just 2.725…
Read MoreMonth: January 2022
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, January 28 – February 5
The Winter Triangle, the Goat Star and the Kids, Orion nearing his peak standing on the giant Hare over the difficult Dove… there’s plenty to occupy you in the evening even as most of the planets have migrated over to dawn. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 28 – February 5 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreDoes the Andromeda Galaxy Harbor a Mid-weight Black Hole?
New observations suggest a black hole 100,000 times the mass of the Sun lurks in the center of a globular cluster of the Andromeda Galaxy. The post Does the Andromeda Galaxy Harbor a Mid-weight Black Hole? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreNASA Statement on New Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Appointment
The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on the appointment of Dr. Laurie Leshin as director of the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California.
Read MoreSpaceX Rocket Booster to Hit the Moon on March 4th
A discarded Falcon 9 upper stage rocket booster will impact Hertzsprung Crater on the lunar farside on March 4th. The post SpaceX Rocket Booster to Hit the Moon on March 4th appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreMeet Mizar and Alcor: The Horse and Rider
Mizar and Alcor, stars sometimes referred to as “the horse and the rider,” serve as a vision test and an introduction to “double stars.” The post Meet Mizar and Alcor: The Horse and Rider appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreRemembering Apollo 1
On Jan. 27, 1967, tragedy struck on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy during a preflight test for Apollo 204 (AS-204).
Read MoreBest space movies
The best space movies are beautiful manifestations of human curiosity, because for as long as humans have been around, they have always looked up towards the stars and wondered what mysteries they contained. The heavenly bodies – planets, stars, sun, and moon – have inspired countless tales and legends throughout human history. Our first cinematic trip to the great blackness above our heads was 1902’s Le Voyage dans le Lune, in which explorers travel to the moon via a particularly powerful cannon. We’ve actually traveled to the moon since then,…
Read More55 years after Apollo 1 fire, NASA’s lessons live on as Orion aims for the moon
NASA’s last moonbound program for astronauts lifted off under the shadow of a fatal incident on the Apollo 1 spacecraft, 55 years ago today (Jan. 27). Apollo 1 was expected to fly to Earth orbit later in 1967 with astronauts Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee and Ed White on board. During a test on the launch pad, however, a fire erupted and rapidly asphyxiated all three astronauts. Some of the contributing factors to their deaths included a pure oxygen atmosphere that accelerated a fire, and a hatch that proved impossible for…
Read MoreChinese space plane company targets suborbital tourism, point-to-point travel by 2025
The Chinese company Space Transportation is developing a “rocket with wings” for space tourism and point-to-point travel. “We are developing a winged rocket for high-speed, point-to-point transportation, which is lower in cost than rockets that carry satellites and faster than traditional aircraft,” the company said in a recent interview with Yicheng Times. The space plane would aim to provide rapid transport between two locations on Earth through suborbital travel and be fully reusable. Related: The latest news about China’s space program Space Transportation’s planned space plane will launch vertically, as…
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