Astronomy Magazine

‘Dark comets’ could reveal how Earth got its oceans

Alison Klesman — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 20:35:50 +0000

The water that makes up the oceans acted as a key ingredient for the development of life on Earth. However, scientists still do not know where the water here on Earth came from in the first place. One leading idea is that space rocks such as comets and asteroids delivered water to the Earth throughContinue reading "‘Dark comets’ could reveal how Earth got its oceans"

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Seen on high

Mark Zastrow — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 19:25:35 +0000

Emmanuel Delgadillo from Jalisco, Mexico The Angel Nebula (NGC 2170) lies in Monoceros and features hydrogen gas glowing red, as well as reflected blue light from young, hot stars. The imager took nearly 7 hours of exposure with a one-shot color camera on a 6-inch scope.

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2024 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases

Jake Parks — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 15:38:58 +0000

The phenomenon of a Full Moon arises when our planet, Earth, is precisely sandwiched between the Sun and the Moon. This alignment ensures the entire side of the Moon that faces us gleams under sunlight. Thanks to the Moon’s orbit around Earth, the angle of sunlight hitting the lunar surface and being reflected back toContinue reading "2024 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases"

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The Sky This Week from December 27 to January 3: The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks

Alison Klesman — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Friday, December 27By 8 P.M. local time, Gemini is well above the eastern horizon, rising to the left of the widely recognizable constellation Orion. The Twins’ two standout stars are Castor and Pollux in the northeastern reaches of the constellation, but tonight, look toward the opposite end of this star pattern: southwestern Gemini, near Orion’sContinue reading "The Sky This Week from December 27 to January 3: The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks"

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Mars Express captures the beauty of a martian frostscape

Samantha Hill — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Although these frosty fields look like a picturesque winter wonderland blanketed in snow, this ice is actually composed of frozen carbon dioxide over the southern Australe Scopuli region of Mars. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express spotted this scene using its High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) during its 23,324th orbit of the Red Planet.Continue reading "Mars Express captures the beauty of a martian frostscape"

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How do spacecraft avoid collisions in the asteroid belt?

Astronomy Staff — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:00:00 +0000

How do spacecraft avoid collisions when passing through the asteroid belt? Val-David SmithsonPleasant Grove, Utah Let’s begin by reviewing some astronomical “history”: Han Solo and his rebel cohorts Leia Organa, Chewbacca, and C-3PO are nestled uncomfortably together in the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit while their ship is pursued by a battalion of Imperial fighters. Unable toContinue reading "How do spacecraft avoid collisions in the asteroid belt?"

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Smallest main-belt asteroids ever detected found hiding in JWST data

Samantha Hill — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Over the past 200 years, astronomers have cataloged over a million asteroids in the solar system’s main belt, down to the size of around a kilometer in diameter. But smaller asteroids were elusive — until recently, when a team of scientists utilized data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to spot some tiny asteroidsContinue reading "Smallest main-belt asteroids ever detected found hiding in JWST data"

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Own a piece of the cosmos with Cosmic Collectibles

Mark Zastrow — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Find meteorites, scale models, flown-in-space artifacts, and more at The Space Store.

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FAA approves SpaceX for more Starship test missions

Mark Zastrow — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:12:12 +0000

SpaceX has the FAA’s green light to launch more test missions of its colossal Starship spacecraft, the largest and most powerful rocket to ever fly. The aviation regulator last week issued SpaceX a modified Part 450 launch license, allowing the firm to conduct multiple missions of Starship and the Super Heavy booster under the configurationContinue reading "FAA approves SpaceX for more Starship test missions"

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All lit up

Mark Zastrow — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:19:33 +0000

John Quach 2024 was a banner year for aurora chasers, as the Sun reached solar maximum. This shot of the aurorae dancing above Mount Stuart in the Central Cascades of Washington was taken on Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. local time. The photographer used a Canon DSLR and 11mm f/2.8 lens to take a singleContinue reading "All lit up"

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