If there’s one perfect word to describe “Constellation” so far, it’s “uneven” (as much as it pains me to say it). After an explosive three-episode premiere that left us worried about the show’s long-term appeal – despite the stunning artistry and acting on display – episode 4 turned things slightly around with compelling character drama and some neat tricks. With Oliver Hirschbiegel once again in the director’s chair, episode 5 (‘Five Miles Out, the Sound Is Clearest’) feels too meandering and unengaging to keep the momentum going, instead shifting back…
Read MoreCategory: Solar System
Our solar system
April 8 total solar eclipse boosts ticket sales for United Airlines
Delta isn’t the only airline in the United States generating business from next month’s total solar eclipse. United Airlines has seen a significant increase in travel to destinations in the path of totality of the solar eclipse, which will occur on April 8. As of the beginning of March, the company’s bookings have jumped considerably compared to last year. Cities like Cleveland, San Antonio and Little Rock, Arkansas will not just be welcoming viewers to events to watch the solar eclipse in the path of totality; they also will have…
Read MoreAsteroid Apophis will swing past Earth in 2029 — could a space rock collision make it hit us?
The asteroid Apophis, infamous because it’s headed to brush past Earth in 2029, most likely isn’t something to worry about, a new study finds. This space rock, scientists calculated, will not collide with other space rocks that could worryingly alter its orbit and redirect it toward Earth — at least until the day it swings past our planet, that is. Apophis is a peanut-shaped, near-Earth asteroid leftover from the formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. It wobbles back and forth even while spinning on its axis…
Read MoreSpaceX rocket launches pioneering methane-tracking satellite to orbit
A new satellite that will track climate-heating methane emissions from oil and gas companies around the world launched this week from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. The washing-machine-sized satellite, named MethaneSAT, lifted off Monday (March 4) atop a Falcon 9 rocket, one of 53 payloads on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 rideshare mission. MethaneSAT is designed to ultimately help policymakers independently verify industry reports by pinpointing hotspots of methane, the invisible but potent greenhouse gas, which traps much more heat in Earth’s atmosphere per molecule than carbon dioxide. MethaneSAT, the first satellite by…
Read MoreNASA graduates new astronaut class as it begins recruiting for more
“The Flies” are ready to fly, so NASA is again in need of some new flyboys (and gals). On the same day that the space agency welcomed its latest class of astronauts, nicknamed “The Flies,” into its corps, NASA announced it is again accepting applications for its next group of candidates for flights to the International Space Station, the moon and, eventually, missions to Mars. “The breadth and depth of experience that this class brings to our space program is nothing short of amazing,” Shannon Walker, deputy chief of NASA’s…
Read More‘Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection’ blasts its way into our galaxy on March 14
Don’t kid yourselves, LucasArts’ “Star Wars: Battlefront” and “Star Wars Battlefront II” are some of the most beloved “Star Wars” video games of the last two decades, with plenty of enjoyable space opera action for your hard-earned dollars and now they’re charging back for a 20th anniversary salute beginning on Mar. 14, 2024. As recently reported by StarWars.com, Nintendo Direct, Aspyr and Lucasfilm Games have just revealed details regarding their upcoming “Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection,” which presents classic sci-fi shooters “Star Wars Battlefront” (2004) and “Star Wars Battlefront II”…
Read MoreSpaceX to launch 23 Starlink satellites tonight during 3rd launch in under 24 hours
SpaceX is keeping its rapid launch cadence going. The company plans to launch yet another batch of 23 Starlink internet satellites at 6:56 p.m. ET (2356 GMT) on Monday (March 4) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Some eight minutes after liftoff, the flight’s booster will return to the planet, landing on SpaceX’s droneship dubbed “A Shortfall of Gravitas.” The ship will be waiting offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. If the mission lifts off on time, and if SpaceX launches the Transporter-10…
Read MoreSpaceX fuels up massive Starship megarocket in test for 3rd launch (photos)
SpaceX’s next Starship to fly has passed a critical fueling test, setting the stage for a highly anticipated third launch attempt of the world’s biggest rocket. The gleaming, stainless-steel Starship rocket and its Super Heavy booster, which together stand 400 feet tall (122 meters), were filled with more than 10 million pounds of liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellant during the recent launch dress rehearsal, which was performed at SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in southern Texas. “Starship Flight 3 preparing for launch,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote…
Read MorePhotographing the northern lights with the Sony A7R V
Armed with my Sony A7R V camera and the FE 12-24mm f/4 G lens, I set off in search of the northern lights in Abisko National Park. Located in the heart of Swedish Lapland, 121 miles (195 kilometers) within the Arctic Circle, Abisko National Park is the perfect place to photograph the northern lights. All you need are the right conditions, a lot of patience and of course a little bit of luck. Before I left I had never photographed the northern lights on anything other than a smartphone and…
Read MoreThis iPhone app can find the Milky Way’s monster black hole from anywhere
A new iPhone app allows you to find the center of the Milky Way simply by using your smartphone — and it was made with ChatGPT. The free app, called Galactic Compass, was developed by Matthew Webb and released on the Apple App Store on Feb. 15. It’s designed to always point users in the direction of the Galactic Center, no matter Earth’s position in the cosmos. Webb’s inspiration for the app stems from years of teaching himself to always know where to look for the Galactic Center, which shifts…
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