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Astronomy (General/Chat)

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  • Google celebrates Nowruz 2024 with a doodle

    03/19/2024 1:12:16 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 6 replies
    Times of India ^ | March 19, 2024 | TOI Tech Desk
    Google commemorates Nowruz, the Persian New Year, with a vibrant doodle symbolizing equal daylight and darkness on the vernal equinox. The doodle features haft-sīn, a table Google has created a colourful and vibrant doodle to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Nowruz means 'new day' in Persian and it aligns with the vernal equinox, marking the period when daylight and darkness are nearly equal in duration.The Google doodle consist of multiple colourful elements which represent the Persian culture. The doodle comprises of traditional calligraphy, floral designs and the most important tradition haft-sīn.For those unaware, Haft-sin is a distinctive table arrangement...
  • The World’s Most Expensive Meal Will Set You Back $495k, and You’ll Never Guess Where It Is

    03/18/2024 4:20:35 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 23 replies
    Food & Wne ^ | March 18, 2024 | Jelisa Castrodale
    Alchemist's Michelin-starred chef, Rasmus Munk, is collaborating with SpaceVIP to serve a luxurious multi-course menu in a space balloon.Alchemist, the innovative, boundary-pushing Copenhagen restaurant, only seats 52 diners per night for its immersive 50-course dining experience, which is why there’s a reported 10,000 person waiting list for a reservation. But Alchemist chef Rasmus Munk’s newest dining venture is even more exclusive — and even more jaw-dropping. Munk, who has earned two Michelin stars and a perennial top-five place on the World’s 50 Best list, has announced that he is partnering with luxury space travel companies SpaceVIP and Space Perspective for...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Comet Pons-Brooks' Swirling Coma

    03/18/2024 2:31:35 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 9 replies
    NASA ^ | 18 Mar, 2024 | Image Credit & Copyright: Jan Erik Vallestad
    Explanation: A bright comet will be visible during next month's total solar eclipse. This very unusual coincidence occurs because Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks's return to the inner Solar System places it by chance only 25 degrees away from the Sun during Earth's April 8 total solar eclipse. Currently the comet is just on the edge of visibility to the unaided eye, best visible with binoculars in the early evening sky toward the constellation of the Fish (Pisces). Comet Pons-Brooks, though, is putting on quite a show for deep camera images even now. The featured image is a composite of three very specific...
  • Study: Dark matter does not exist and the universe is 27 billion years old

    03/17/2024 9:14:09 AM PDT · by yesthatjallen · 61 replies
    Earth via MSN ^ | 03 17 2024 | Eric Ralls
    The fabric of the cosmos, as we currently understand it, comprises three primary components: 'normal matter,' 'dark energy,' and 'dark matter.' However, new research is turning this established model on its head. A recent study conducted by the University of Ottawa presents compelling evidence that challenges the traditional model of the universe, suggesting that there may not be a place for dark matter within it. Dark matter, a term used in cosmology, refers to the elusive substance that does not interact with light or electromagnetic fields and is only identifiable through its gravitational effects. Despite its mysterious nature, dark matter...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - NGC 7714: Starburst after Galaxy Collision

    03/17/2024 2:01:58 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 7 replies
    NASA ^ | 17 Mar, 2024 | Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Processing & Copyright: Rudy Pohl
    Explanation: Is this galaxy jumping through a giant ring of stars? Probably not. Although the precise dynamics behind the featured image is yet unclear, what is clear is that the pictured galaxy, NGC 7714, has been stretched and distorted by a recent collision with a neighboring galaxy. This smaller neighbor, NGC 7715, situated off to the left of the frame, is thought to have charged right through NGC 7714. Observations indicate that the golden ring pictured is composed of millions of older Sun-like stars that are likely co-moving with the interior bluer stars. In contrast, the bright center of NGC...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - ELT and the Milky Way

    03/16/2024 12:04:19 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 13 replies
    NASA ^ | 16 Mar, 2024 | Image Credit & License: European Southern Observatory - Courtesy: Jens Scheidtmann
    Explanation: The southern winter Milky Way sprawls across this night skyscape. Looking due south, the webcam view was recorded near local midnight on March 11 in dry, dark skies over the central Chilean Atacama desert. Seen below the graceful arc of diffuse starlight are satellite galaxies of the mighty Milky Way, also known as the Large and Small Magellanic clouds. In the foreground is the site of the European Southern Observatory's 40-metre-class Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Under construction at the 3000 metre summit of Cerro Armazones, the ELT is on track to become planet Earth's biggest Eye on the Sky.
  • Unexpected Discovery of “Impossible Galaxy” Shatters Astronomical Boundaries

    03/15/2024 12:54:00 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 27 replies
    Scitech Daily ^ | MARCH 13, 2024 | By KIM BAPTISTA, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
    The unexpected discovery of the dwarf galaxy PEARLSDG, which is isolated and quiescent, challenges established views on galaxy evolution and highlights the capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope in uncovering cosmic phenomena. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com PEARLSDG, an isolated dwarf galaxy found by the James Webb Space Telescope, defies standard galactic evolution theories by not forming new stars, indicating a need to revise our understanding of galaxies. A team of astronomers, led by Arizona State University Assistant Research Scientist Tim Carleton, has discovered a dwarf galaxy that appeared in James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) imaging that wasn’t the primary...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Portrait of NGC 1055

    03/15/2024 12:14:16 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 12 replies
    NASA ^ | 15 Mar, 2024 | Image Credit & Copyright: Dave Doctor
    Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1055 is a dominant member of a small galaxy group a mere 60 million light-years away toward the aquatically intimidating constellation Cetus. Seen edge-on, the island universe spans over 100,000 light-years, a little larger than our own Milky Way galaxy. The colorful, spiky stars decorating this cosmic portrait of NGC 1055 are in the foreground, well within the Milky Way. But the telltale pinkish star forming regions are scattered through winding dust lanes along the distant galaxy's thin disk. With a smattering of even more distant background galaxies, the deep image also reveals a...
  • Giant Volcano on Mars, Hiding in Plain Sight for Decades, is 'Long-Sought Smoking Gung' for Scientists

    03/15/2024 8:29:43 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 36 replies
    The Debrief ^ | MARCH 13, 2024 | MICAH HANKS
    Scientists have discovered a gigantic volcano on Mars near the planet’s equator that remained unnoticed for decades, according to newly published research. The huge volcano was found in the Red Planet’s eastern Tharsis volcanic province, along with what researchers interpret to be a large sheet of buried glacial ice beneath the Martian surface. The discovery came as a surprise, partly because orbital spacecraft have photographed this region of Mars since the early 1970s. Hidden in plain sight now for decades, the giant volcano, which has undergone extensive erosion over time, somehow remained unnoticed. The feature has been given the temporary...
  • READY, FIRE, AIM: Why I Stopped Worrying About Climate Change

    03/14/2024 3:54:38 PM PDT · by george76 · 7 replies
    Pagosa Daily Post i ^ | March 12, 2024 | Louis Cannon
    On June 20, 2013, an area on the Sun’s surface erupted, sending out a coronal mass ejection (CME) that propelled billions of tons of charged particles into space. The storm reached Earth about two days later. Most of us didn’t even notice. We were busy watching the Miami Heat beat San Antonio Spurs, 95-88 in Game Seven of the NBA Finals. If we weren’t into basketball, we may have been surprised to hear that Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) had became the Senate’s third Republican to publicly endorse same-sex marriage. Behind our backs, the Sun was churning out a storm of...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Moon Pi and Mountain Shadow

    03/14/2024 12:20:10 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 8 replies
    NASA ^ | 14 Mar, 2024 | Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Lopez (El Cielo de Canarias)
    Explanation: What phase of the Moon is 3.14 radians from the Sun? The Full Moon, of course. Even though the Moon might look full for several days, the Moon is truly at its full phase when it is Pi radians (aka 180 degrees) from the Sun in ecliptic longitude. That's opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. Rising as the Sun set on March 9, 2020, only an hour or so after the moment of its full phase, this orange tinted and slightly flattened Moon still looked full. It was photographed opposite the setting Sun from Teide National Park on...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - The Seagull Nebula

    03/13/2024 1:50:00 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 6 replies
    NASA ^ | 13 Mar, 2024 | Credit & Copyright: Gianni Lacroce
    Explanation: A broad expanse of glowing gas and dust presents a bird-like visage to astronomers from planet Earth, suggesting its popular moniker: the Seagull Nebula. This portrait of the cosmic bird covers a 2.5-degree wide swath across the plane of the Milky Way, near the direction of Sirius, alpha star of the constellation of the Big Dog (Canis Major). Of course, the region includes objects with other catalog designations: notably NGC 2327, a compact, dusty emission and reflection nebula with an embedded massive star that forms the bird's head. Likely part of a larger shell structure swept up by successive...
  • NASA Reveals Message Europa Clipper Will Carry During Its Search for Extraterrestrial Life on Jupiter's Moon

    03/13/2024 11:44:23 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 43 replies
    The Debrief ^ | MARCH 12, 2024 | TIM MCMILLAN
    NASA has announced that its Europa Clipper space probe, set to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa, will carry with it a unique “message in a bottle,” blending science, art, and human aspiration into its groundbreaking expedition. The Europa Clipper mission, scheduled for launch later this year, hopes to unveil the secrets hidden beneath Europa’s icy shell. Europa, the smallest of the four Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter, is thought to possess a vast liquid ocean beneath its smooth frozen surface, potentially holding over twice the volume of water than Earth’s oceans. Since water is essential to all life on Earth, Europa is...
  • Video Shows New Spacecraft’s Fiery Explosion Seconds Into Launch [Japan]

    03/13/2024 8:24:56 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 28 replies
    Daily Caller ^ | KAY SMYTHE NEWS AND COMMENTARY WRITER March 13, 2024 10:22 AM ET
    Japan’s Space One Kairos rocket exploded Wednesday during its first-ever launch. Kairos was supposed to be the first rocket launched by a Japanese company to deliver its payload, a fallback government intelligence satellite, into Earth’s orbit, according to Reuters. Just seconds after lifting off at 11:01 am local-time, the rocket burst alive in a fiery explosion, fragments spewing into the launch site’s surrounding mountains of the Kii peninsula in western Japan, as seen from multiple angles shared across social media. In some of the videos you can clearly hear alarm bells ringing as everything seems to go wrong. The 18-meter...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - A Galaxy-Shaped Rocket Exhaust Spiral

    03/12/2024 12:20:09 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 3 replies
    NASA ^ | 12 Mar, 2024 | Credit & Copyright: Seung Hye Yang
    Explanation: What's that over the horizon? What may look like a strangely nearby galaxy is actually a normal rocket's exhaust plume -- but unusually backlit. Although the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA, its burned propellant was visible over a much wider area, with the featured photograph being taken from Akureyri, Iceland. The huge spaceship was lifted off a week ago, and the resulting spectacle was captured soon afterward with a single 10-second smartphone exposure, before it quickly dissipated. Like noctilucent clouds, the plume's brightness is caused by the Twilight Effect, where...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - A Full Plankton Moon

    03/11/2024 12:30:39 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 17 replies
    NASA ^ | 11 Mar, 2024 | Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek / Institute of Physics in Opava
    Explanation: What glows in the night? This night featured a combination of usual and unusual glows. Perhaps the most usual glow was from the Moon, a potentially familiar object. The full Moon's nearly vertical descent results from the observer being near Earth's equator. As the Moon sets, air and aerosols in Earth's atmosphere preferentially scatter out blue light, making the Sun-reflecting satellite appear reddish when near the horizon. Perhaps the most unusual glow was from the bioluminescent plankton, likely less familiar objects. These microscopic creatures glow blue, it is thought, primarily to surprise and deter predators. In this case, the...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - A Total Eclipse at the End of the World

    03/10/2024 1:10:13 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 7 replies
    NASA ^ | 10 Mar, 2024 | Image Credit & Copyright: Fred Bruenjes (moonglow.net)
    Explanation: Would you go to the end of the world to see a total eclipse of the Sun? If you did, would you be surprised to find someone else there already? In 2003, the Sun, the Moon, Antarctica, and two photographers all lined up in Antarctica during an unusual total solar eclipse. Even given the extreme location, a group of enthusiastic eclipse chasers ventured near the bottom of the world to experience the surreal momentary disappearance of the Sun behind the Moon. One of the treasures collected was the featured picture -- a composite of four separate images digitally combined...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Comet Pons-Brooks in Northern Spring

    03/09/2024 12:25:15 PM PST · by MtnClimber · 10 replies
    NASA ^ | 9 Mar, 2024 | Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek / Institute of Physics in Opava
    Explanation: As spring approaches for northern skygazers, Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is growing brighter. Currently visible with small telescopes and binoculars, the Halley-type comet could reach naked eye visibility in the coming weeks. Seen despite a foggy atmosphere, the comet's green coma and long tail hover near the horizon in this well-composed deep night skyscape from Revuca, Slovakia recorded on March 5. In the sky above the comet, the Andromeda (right) and Triangulum galaxies flank bright star Mirach, beta star of the constellation Andromeda. The two spiral galaxies are members of our local galaxy group and over 2.5 million light-years distant. Comet...
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - The Tarantula Zone

    03/08/2024 1:20:14 PM PST · by MtnClimber · 5 replies
    NASA ^ | 8 Mar, 2024 | Image Credit & Copyright: Processing - Robert Gendler, Roberto Colombari Data - Hubble Tarantula Tre
    Explanation: The Tarantula Nebula, also known as 30 Doradus, is more than a thousand light-years in diameter, a giant star forming region within nearby satellite galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud. About 180 thousand light-years away, it's the largest, most violent star forming region known in the whole Local Group of galaxies. The cosmic arachnid sprawls across this magnificent view, an assembly of image data from large space- and ground-based telescopes. Within the Tarantula (NGC 2070), intense radiation, stellar winds, and supernova shocks from the central young cluster of massive stars cataloged as R136 energize the nebular glow and shape the...
  • 5,800 pounds of batteries tossed off the ISS in 2021 will fall to Earth today

    03/08/2024 11:29:46 AM PST · by Red Badger · 53 replies
    SPACE.com ^ | March 8, 2024 | By Leonard David
    "Luminous phenomena or the perception of a sonic boom are possible." The International Space Station jettisons a 2.9-ton pallet carrying used batteries on March 11, 2021. This photo was posted on Twitter by NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins (Image credit: NASA/Mike Hopkins via Twitter) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A nearly 3-ton leftover tossed overboard from the International Space Station is nearing its plunge toward Earth. The multi-ton Exposed Pallet 9 (EP9) was jettisoned from the space station back in March 2021. At the time, it was reported to be the most massive object ever tossed overboard from the International Space Station. Disposing of used...