Category: Solar System

Our solar system

New moon December 2024: A young moon passes Venus

NeRD

The new moon of December occurs tonight. A day later, Southern Hemisphere observers will see the peak of the Phoenicid meteor shower, and on Dec. 4 the waxing moon will make a close pass to Venus in the evening sky. The exact moment of the new moon occurs at 1:21 a.m. Eastern Time (0621 UT) on Dec. 1, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. A new moon is when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, specifically when the sun and moon share the same celestial longitude (also…

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‘Silo’ Season 2: ‘That Thing He Does’: Who is Silo 17’s mystery man in the vault?

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Lies and their deployment as weapons of deceit is explored in “That Thing He Does,” the third episode in the second season of Apple TV+’s dystopian sci-fi series, “Silo.“ While the first two chapters of creator and showrunner Graham Yost’s (“Speed,” “Justified”) post-apocalyptic Apple TV+ show split their minutes between Juliette seeing the graveyard of bodies and exploring Silo 17’s tomb-like interior before discovering a lone survivor, and the repercussions of Silo 18’s citizens witnessing Juliette strolling over the hill to germinate seeds of rebellion, this episode shifts back and…

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Save a massive $750 on a new laptop with this Dell Black Friday deal

NeRD

The Black Friday sales are a great time to buy a new laptop for less and this year is no exception. Among other Black Friday deals, the Dell XPS 16 is a huge $750 off at Best Buy so you can get this powerful laptop for a fraction of its original price. You can get the Dell XPS 16 on sale right now at Best Buy for $2,299.99. Dell’s XPS series is well-loved by our expert reviewers, featuring in our best laptops for astronomers. We awarded it four and a…

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Best mech games of all time

NeRD

Mech games are too often viewed as clunky or aimed at niche sci-fi communities of players, but there’s plenty of variety in the genre. Beyond the big names you’ve heard of, such as Titanfall or Armored Core, an entire genre awaits new pilots, and we’ve collected the very best Mech games with this ranked list. The term “mecha” was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanwords “mechanism” (mekanizumu) and “mechanical” (mekanikaru). The earliest history of mechs sends us back to 1868 and 1880, when Edward S. Ellis and…

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This spot will be key to the inevitable collapse of a key Atlantic current

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Scientists have pinpointed the ocean engine with the biggest role in driving key Atlantic currents that regulate Earth’s climate, new research suggests. The Irminger Sea off southeastern Greenland is where warm waters that transport heat northwards from the Southern Hemisphere sink and then return south along the bottom of the ocean. As such, this region plays a critical role in powering the ocean conveyor belt known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). “The key finding of this study is that the Irminger Basin (eastern Greenland) plays a crucial role…

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$255 off for Black Friday, this astronomer-friendly MacBook Air has never been cheaper

NeRD

Black Friday is a great time to go hunting for a laptop and if you are buying for an astronomer, student or creative, you really cannot go wrong with a MacBook. Thanks to Amazon’s Black Friday sale, this 2024 MacBook Air 13-inch M3 laptop is the cheapest it has ever been at an amazing $255 off this Black Friday, making it just $844. Get the 2024 MacBook Air 13-Inch M3 laptop in Amazon’s Black Friday sale for $844. MacBooks are popular with students, creatives and other business professionals and for…

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How bacteria are inspiring the next generation of space-borne lasers

NeRD

Solar-powered lasers that run on the photosynthetic machinery of bacteria could one day provide a low mass, simple and sustainable means of providing power in space, replacing the usual heavy lenses and complex electronics that aren’t very cost-effective to launch. “Our plan is to use photosynthetic structures extracted from bacteria, and the idea is that you can grow them and keep replenishing material, you don’t need to maintain a supply line from Earth,” Erik Gauger, a professor of photonics and quantum science at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh and leader…

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Black Friday deal: Save $55 on one of Celestron’s best binoculars for stargazing

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Now is the perfect season to view the night sky and with the Celestron Nature DX ED 12×50, you can do just that. This Black Friday, these binoculars are available for $205 with an on-page coupon through Amazon. Pick up the Celestron Nature DX ED 12×50 binoculars for just over $200 today. In our Celestron Nature DX ED 12×50 review, we rated them four out of five stars and, thanks to the extra-low dispersion glass (that is what the ‘ED’ stands for), the views were bright and sharp especially at…

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Warm up this holiday season with NASA’s new SLS rocket engine fireplace (video)

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NASA is inviting you to sit by a homey, rocket-powered hearth this holiday season. The space agency created a virtual fireplace lit by the engines of its huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which sent the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission to the moon in November 2022. “Just what you need for the holidays — the coziness of a crackling and roaring rocket engine!” NASA wrote in a description of the eight-hour-long fireplace video, which it posted on YouTube on Tuesday (Nov. 26). NASA Rocket Engine Fireplace – 8 Hours in…

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‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ season 5 episode 7: How does a certain ‘Next Generation’ character cross paths with the Cerritos?

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The USS Cerritos crew has encountered plenty of dimensional fissures this year, but the latest rupture in space and time carries the most unlikely of guests to the Alpha Quadrant. In “Lower Decks” season 5 episode 7, “Fully Dilated”, Captain Freeman and her crew encounter a purple version of the USS Enterprise-D — and there are much bigger questions to answer than whether the carpets match the hull. Spoiler warning! Caution advised if you’re yet to watch this week’s episode. Lieutenants Beckett Mariner, D’Vana Tendi, and T’Lyn are sent on…

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