Ukraine’s proud space industry faces obliteration, but country’s former space chief has hope for the future

Ukraine has a mighty space industry whose Zenit rocket is Elon Musk’s favorite. But the country’s potential might soon lie in ruins together with its dreams as Russia continues its bloody siege. However, the country’s former space boss told Space.com that he still has hopes for the future and believes the underdog Ukraine could help fill Russia’s shoes in international collaborations.  With 16,000 employees, the Ukrainian Space Agency nearly matches NASA’s size. A legacy institution from the Soviet era, the agency controls 20 state-run corporations centered in what Volodymyr Usov,…

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Best star projectors: Indoor views of the night sky

What if you could bring the night sky inside? The best star projectors do just that, filling walls and ceilings with stars, constellations and more to create an immersive experience that can spark imaginations. Easy to use and simple to set up, star projectors come in many shapes and sizes and to suit a range of budgets as vast as the night sky itself.  Quick tips for choosing a star projector 1. Look for a simulation according to actual time and day.  2. The smaller the room, the sharper the…

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Distant galaxies appear to overlap in new Hubble telescope image

A new Hubble image shows two deceivingly close galaxies located in the constellation Virgo.  The Hubble Space Telescope captured the barred spiral galaxy NGC 4496A and the spiral galaxy NGC 4496B. The two galaxies only appear to overlap due to a chance alignment — in reality, they are actually located incredibly far apart. NGC 4496A is 47 million light-years from Earth, while NGC 4496B is 212 million light-years away, according to a statement from the European Space Agency (ESA).  “Chance galactic alignments such as this provide astronomers with the opportunity…

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Uncovering Secrets of Earth’s Shadow

The daily rising and setting of Earth’s shadow is a beautiful sight anyone on the planet can view. It’s also an opportunity to witness the rapid changes that accompany sunset or sunrise, but at the opposite end of the sky. The post Uncovering Secrets of Earth's Shadow appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

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