Japan lands two rovers on Asteroid Ryugu
On September 21, 2018, the Japanese space agency, JAXA deployed two tiny rovers to the surface of Asteroid Ryugu after being released by the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft. It was a long four year journey to get to this point of the mission. As a part of the MINERVA II program, the rovers are designed to […]
What are fast radio bursts?
What are fast radio bursts? Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) is a term used in radio astronomy for high-energy pulses of transient radio emissions that lasts on average just milliseconds. Back in August 2017, researchers on the Breakthrough Listen project used the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia to spot 21 fast radio burst the span […]
Mystery at the Sunspot Solar Observatory… Solved?
Mystery at the Sunspot Solar Observatory… Solved? Sunspot, New Mexico On Thursday, September 6, 2018, the Sunspot Solar Observatory in New Mexico was suddenly closed down and evacuated by the FBI supposedly for security reasons. The facility is run by the Association of Universities for Research Astronomy (AURA). The observatory was closed, along with a […]
What is a false dawn?
What is a false dawn? A false dawn, also called a zodiacal light, which is a strange, eerie, light phenomenon that is visible low in the sky, giving the illusion of an early sunrise or secondary sunset after twilight. Zodiacal light is best seen just after sunset in spring and before sunrise in autumn, when the zodiac is at a steep angle […]
Two Comets Headed Our Way
There is some big and exciting news for sky watchers in the coming months. Two comets are headed our way soon. No they will not hit us. They will both safely pass us by, the experts say. Comet 21P/ Giacobini-Zinner will be the first comet to pass us. Astronomers have given it the simple nickname of […]
Will Mars and our Moon be of Equal Size in the Sky?
Will Mars and our Moon be of Equal Size in the Sky? Right now, Mars is at the peak of its fifteen year cycle, giving us a brilliant yearlong observations of the planet. But, will it appear as large as a full moon, soon? Will it appear as a twin next to the moon […]
A Probe’s Journey to the Sun
After a successful launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy Rocket, its passenger, NASA’s Parker Probe, is now on its way to rendezvous with the sun. Onlookers cheerfully watched as lift off occurred at 3:31am EDT from Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft, which […]
The Peak of the Perseids August 12th!
It’s August, and that means that we are approaching the peak of the Perseids Meteor shower. The peak will occur over two nights – August 11-12 and August 12-13, 2018. The best time to see the greatest number of meteors would more-than likely be in the wee hours, just before dawn. The good news, […]
Every Point is a Galaxy, According to ESA
The Herschel Space Observatory, which is operated by the European Space Agency presented an astounding image. The image captured appear as if it were just a square filled with tiny grains of static. Then you realize that every point is a distant galaxy, millions of them. According to the ESA, each of these minute marks […]
Searching for NEOs
If an asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, they will most likely see it first. We’re talking about NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, which has now been in existence for 20 twenty years. CNEOS makes over 90 percent of the near-Earth asteroid and comet discoveries. It all began on March 11, […]