Month: March 2023

China’s Zhurong Mars rover reveals seasonal wind changes in Red Planet weather report

NeRD

Data collected by China’s Zhurong rover shows seasonal changes in the strength and direction of winds on Mars. Zhurong launched in July 2020 along with the Tianwen 1 mission orbiter and landed in the large plain of Utopia Planitia in May 2021. Among its science instruments is the Mars Climate Station (MCS), designed to provide new insight into meteorological activity on the Red Planet. An initial analysis of MCS data shows that surface pressure on Mars varies greatly from sol to sol (Martian days) while also having seasonal variations. Air…

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How astronauts could farm on the moon with lunar soil nutrients

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A new technique for processing lunar soil may help foster plant growth on the moon in hopes for sustaining more long-term lunar missions.  The European Space Agency (ESA) and Norwegian lunar agriculture company Solsys Mining have studied ways to treat lunar soil, or regolith, to create fertilizer for growing plants. Previous experiments using lunar samples returned to Earth show plants can grow in lunar soil. However, lunar regolith lacks certain amounts of nitrogen compounds and becomes tightly compact when wet, which makes it challenging for the plants to take root…

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Europe’s 1st ever Jupiter mission in ‘home straight’ ahead of April launch

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Europe’s first Jupiter-bound mission is in the final stages of preparations for its launch on April 13 from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.  Functional tests and a countdown rehearsal have been successfully completed ahead of the launch of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or JUICE, and teams are getting ready to fuel the spacecraft as well as its carrier rocket, the European Space Agency (ESA), which manages the mission, said in a series of tweets on Friday (opens in new tab) (March 10) and Saturday (opens in new…

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Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM lens review

NeRD

Even to this day, the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM lens (opens in new tab) is one of the best zoom lenses Canon has ever made. It has a big bright aperture that produces images so sharp you’ll almost cut yourself and it will take your photography to new levels. It’s a very popular lens among wedding and portrait shooters but can also turn its hand to many other styles of photography, making it a great investment due to its versatility. If you can get over the size and weight,…

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Watch ‘kissing’ planets Venus and Jupiter go their separate ways

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It’s almost over for the close encounter between Venus and Jupiter with the two planets moving apart as March progresses. Skywatchers can observe the planets as they move in opposite directions in the sky each night, breaking their conjunction. Venus is climbing higher and higher in the sky each night and will continue to do so for the coming months. While Venus ascends, the largest planet in the solar system Jupiter is dropping down after the sun in the night sky, appearing lower and lower each night.  As it sinks…

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‘The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko’ reveals untold history of Starfleet’s fearless war captain (exclusive)

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It’s high time that the stoic Capt. Benjamin Sisko was given his moment in the “Star Trek” limelight after the character’s classic run on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”  Now the character brought to life by actor Avery Brooks can be seen in IDW Publishing’s newly launched flagship “Star Trek” comic book series, where he returns from the Bajoran wormhole to save the galaxy from mysterious god killers. To add to the Sisko-centric offerings and salute the 30th anniversary of “Deep Space Nine,” London-based Titan Books is presenting a new,…

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No, the moon phase can’t help find your soulmate on TikTok

NeRD

A new TikTok trend suggests that users can compare the phases of the moon on the day they are born to determine if they are soulmates.  The trend continues a long association between romance and the moon and is similar in many ways to astrology, which suggests the positions of stars, planets, and the moon can influence a person’s character and even determine the course of events. The trend works by having users slide their respective birth phases of the moon together and if that makes a complete moon then…

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