Category: Video of the Day
-
CASSINI: A year after the Spacecraft’s final act!
The Cassini spacecraft plunged into Saturn last year, September 15, 2017 after orbiting the planet since 2004. It’s the fourth probe to visit the planet from Earth. The 13-year Cassini mission had provided new insights and discoveries about Saturn. Cassini gave us a new scientific perspective on its moons and its rings. The mission also…
-
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…
-
Hurricane Florence: Category 4
The National Hurricane Center, stated that the rapidly intensifying storm, Florence is now a Category 4 Hurricane. Within a 25 hour period, winds have jump from 75 mph to 130 mph as of 12 p.m. EDT Monday. Although there is still some uncertainty in the precise track, right now the storm is headed for the…
-
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…
-
Smoky Wildfire Skies
Smoke from wildfires occurring across states in the western US and Canada are drifting across much of North America, causing hazy skies and interesting sunsets. The more dense smoke is coming from areas where most of the fires are burning, which are in the northwestern U.S. and southwestern Canada. When people across most parts of…
-
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…