Space and astronomy news
Grab your telescope: when it comes to astronomy, 2020 saved the best for last, with a fine opposition season for the planet Mars. In 2020, the Red Planet reaches opposition next month on October 13th.
Continue reading “Our Complete Guide to Mars Opposition Season 2020”
It’s one of the stranger observations in ancient literature, and one of the earliest recorded tales of daytime astronomy.
A curious account comes to us from the 1st century AD Roman scholar Pliny the Elder, concerning the exploits of Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus, who notes that:
“The Sun’s radiance makes the fix’d stars invisible in the daytime, although they are shining as much as in the night, which becomes manifest at a solar eclipse and also when the star is reflected in a very deep well.”
Continue reading “Astro-Challenge: Adventures in Daytime Astronomy”
Think you know everything there is to know about the famous Canadarm, and the story of the Canadian space program? A new book out next month delves deep into the fascinating backstory of the Canadian Space Agency.
The book is Canadarm and Collaboration: How Canada’s Astronauts and Space Robots Explore New Worlds by Elizabeth Howell, out on October 20th, 2020 by ECW Press.
Continue reading “Review: Canadarm and Collaboration by Elizabeth Howell”
A new technique may prove to be a powerful tool in the battle to mitigate space debris.
As the Space Age continues into its seventh decade, space debris is now growing at an exponential rate. Most of this debris is in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and ranges from bus-sized discarded rocket boosters and defunct satellites, to tiny millimeter-sized fragments.
Continue reading “First Laser Space Debris Detection Made… in Daylight”
What would we look for in a distant exoplanet in the hunt for Earth-like worlds, and perhaps life? A recent observation carried out by the Hubble Space Telescope found tell-tale signatures from our home planet by looking at a familiar source under extraordinary circumstances: Earth’s Moon, during a total lunar eclipse.
Continue reading “Hubble Examines Earth’s Reflection as an ‘Exoplanet’ During a Lunar Eclipse”
Ready for the Perseids?
It’s August once again, and that means the Perseid meteors are inbound. This shower is a sure-fire bet starting this weekend, though 2020 sees the spectacle go down under somewhat challenging circumstances.
Continue reading “Meteors of August: Our Guide to the 2020 Perseids”
There’s no finder, and often no eyepiece… and ‘goto’ is as simple as the push of a virtual button. Welcome to the new generation of smartscopes. This new crop of telescopes promises to put the Universe and the night sky at your fingertips, or at least, on your smartphone screen.
Continue reading “Review: Unistellar’s New eVscope”Comet F3 NEOWISE continues to dazzle in these spectacular images.
Just. Wow. If you’re like us, your space-feed has been inundated with some pretty spectacular images of Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE as of late. F3 NEOWISE broke from the pack of good binocular comets for 2020 early this month, to become one of the best northern hemisphere comets in a generation.
Continue reading “Amazing Images of Comet F3 NEOWISE From Around the World”
Missing the planets in the first half of 2020? That’s all about to change, as the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn reach opposition in rapid succession this month, heralding a return to the dusk sky.
Continue reading “Dawn Patrol: Jupiter and Saturn at Opposition 2020”
The July 4th Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Ends a Rare Triple Eclipse Season
Up for a curious observing challenge? Saturday night into Sunday morning July 4th/5th offers up the final eclipse of the season, with a barely there, penumbral lunar eclipse.
Continue reading “This Weekend’s Challenging Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Rounds Out the Summer Season”