Earth’s ecosystems may be careering toward collapse much sooner than scientists thought, a new study of our planet’s warming climate has warned. According to the research, more than a fifth of the world’s potentially catastrophic tipping points — such as the melting of the Arctic permafrost, the collapse of the Greenland ice sheet and the sudden transformation of the Amazon rainforest into savanna — could occur as soon as 2038. In climatology, a “tipping point” is the threshold beyond which a localized climate system, or “tipping element,” irreversibly changes. For instance, if the Greenland…
Read MoreMonth: July 2023
Join NASA to Celebrate Webb Space Telescope’s First Year of Science
NASA is commemorating the first year of science and discoveries from the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope, the largest, most powerful, and most complex space telescope ever built. To celebrate the anniversary, multiple events will take place online and live across the U.S.
Read MorePrelaunch Processing for Psyche
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is nearly complete as it rests in a clean room on June 26, 2023, at Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Read MoreUnistellar’s early Amazon Prime Day telescope deals can save you $800
The Unistellar smart telescopes, the eQuinox 2 and eVscope 2 (their latest) are $600 off and $800 off respectively, until July 12. Amazon Prime Day is July 11 and 12 this year and you’ll likely see other retailers and manufacturers hosting their own sales and this is a prime example (pun intended). Both of these telescopes feature in our best telescopes guide and the eVscope 2 features as the best smart telescope and with good reason. They boast technology that any astronomer would want at their disposal and offer views…
Read MoreWhere was the sun? Here’s why astronomers are more useful in court cases than you’d think
Over the past eight years, I have been asked to submit astronomical evidence for court cases all over Australia. Normally when we think of evidence in court, we think of eyewitnesses, DNA or police reports. Often, this evidence requires an expert to explain it – to be able to communicate the findings and data to the members of the court to make an informed decision. These experts are typically in medicine, engineering, psychology, or other fields. Expert astronomers usually are not what one pictures in court, but that is exactly what I…
Read MoreStar Wars: The Force Unleashed is free for Prime members for Amazon Prime Day
Amazon Prime Day is here on July 11 and 12 this year and you can claim a free copy of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for PC, if you’re an Amazon Prime member. You can claim your free copy via Amazon Prime gaming, which you automatically have access to if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber. The game is set shortly into the Galactic Empire’s rule and players get to play as Darth Vader’s secret apprentice and have to hunt down the last of the Jedi order and any rebellion, all…
Read MoreThe Last Rays of an Orbital Sunset
The last rays of an orbital sunset begin fading in Earth’s atmosphere silhouetting the cloud tops.
Read More‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ season 2 episode 4 delivers a well-written nod to the original series
Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Strange New Worlds” Season 2, episode 3 So far, this second season has mostly used existing Trek tropes, but rather than just rehash them, they’ve been used and updated in an interesting and clever way. Moreover, some are much more subtle than others, which is great because these are very enjoyable episodes that are only enhanced by nitro-powered nerd-level of “Star Trek” knowledge — they can however, be enjoyed just as much without. Last week included a lot of super subtle references, from the manner…
Read MoreHappy Aphelion Day! Earth is at its farthest from the sun for 2023 today
Temperatures reached record highs this week. In the days following Independence Day, thermometers reached abnormal highs in many parts of the world. With such hot temperatures as these, it might be a surprise for you to hear that on Thursday (July 6) at 4:06 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (2006 GMT), our Earth will reach the point in its orbit where it is farthest from the sun in space. Called aphelion, the sun at that moment will be 94,506,364 miles (152,093,250 km) from our Earth (measured from center to center), or…
Read MoreThis NASA probe has been revealing stunning moon views for 14 years. How long will it last?
Around and around it goes: NASA’s veteran Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter continues to circle the moon since it first entered lunar orbit in June 2009. Over the 14 years since its launch, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has produced images and data proven that have transformed our understanding of Earth’s celestial neighbor. While the aging craft remains on assignment — now helping plot out where NASA’s Artemis astronauts will boot their way across select lunar south pole regions — how long will this venerable orbiter last? Related: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter:…
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