Aiming for the moon with NASA’s Artemis I

Artemis I is the first in a series of NASA missions that will enable human exploration on the moon again, and ultimately Mars, scheduled to launch in 2021. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/all-about-nasa-artemis-1-mission…

Physicists Nail Down the ‘Magic Number’ That Shapes the Universe

Natalie Wolchover writes via Quanta Magazine: As fundamental constants go, the speed of light, c, enjoys all the fame, yet c’s numerical value says nothing about nature; it differs depending on whether it’s measured in meters per second or miles per hour. The fine-structure constant, by contrast, has no dimensions or units. It’s a pure number that shapes the universe to…

2020 Atlantic hurricane season busiest on record

The formation of Subtropical Storm Theta on November 10 over the northeastern Atlantic Ocean made the 2020 season the most active on the 169-year record. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/2020-atlantic-hurricane-season-busiest-on-record…

What is the Common Era?

If you encounter a date in the CE (Common Era) or BCE (Before Common Era) format, don’t fret. They mean exactly the same thing as AD (anno Domini) and BC (before Christ). Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/definition-common-era-bce-ce-bc-ad…

New study targets $10,000 quadrillion asteroid

An asteroid with enough riches to make everyone on Earth a billionaire is the subject of a new Hubble study. Named after a figure in Greek mythology w… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/340453/new-study-targets-10000-quadrillion-asteroid…

World’s First Ocean Hybrid Platform Converts Tidal Waves Into Energy

Qusi Alqarqaz writes via IEEE Spectrum: In August I spoke with Philipp Sinn, founder of Sinn Power, a German green-energy startup founded in 2014. This year he and his colleagues began building and testing the world’s first ocean hybrid platform. The floating platform uses a combination of wave, wind, and solar energy to harness renewable energy on the open seas, Sinn…

The ocean in the autumn sky

In Northern Hemisphere autumn (Southern Hemisphere spring), you can see a group of constellations that represented an “ocean” to the early stargazers. Source: https://earthsky.org/constellations/the-constellations-of-the-celestial-ocean…

Aquarius? Here’s your constellation

Aquarius lies in a “watery” part of the sky, near Pisces the Fish, Cetus the Whale, Eridanus the River, and Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish. Source: https://earthsky.org/constellations/aquarius-heres-your-constellation…

The detection of phosphine in Venus’ clouds is a big deal

Here’s how we can find out if it’s a sign of life. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/detection-phosphine-venus-clouds-sign-of-life…