This faint comet – Comet C/2019 U6 (Lemmon) – is headed toward its perihelion, or closest point to the sun, on June 18. It’s currently visible from the Southern Hemisphere, via strong binoculars, with a dark sky. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/photo-comet-c-2019-u6-lemmon-terry-lovejoy…
Tag: Hunter
A Virus-Hunter Falls Prey To a Virus He Underestimated
Peter Piot, 71, one of the giants of Ebola and AIDS research, is still battling a coronavirus infection that hit him “like a bus” in March. From a report:”This is the revenge of the viruses,” said Dr. Peter Piot, the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “I’ve made their lives difficult. Now they’re trying to get me.”…
Here’s how SOHO and a skywatcher discovered Comet SWAN
Almost every day, the SWAN instrument aboard the sun-watching SOHO spacecraft makes a map of the sky. Anyone with internet access them maps and join the search for new comets. To date, 12 comets have been spotted in the SWAN data! Source: https://earthsky.org/space/discovery-comet-swan-solar-watcher-soho…
Can Bookshop.org Save Independent Bookstores?
The Los Angeles Times recently checked in on Bookshop.org, an online bookseller, as it pulled in its first $1 million to help local bookstores across America (thanks partly to a partnership with Simon & Schuster). “(This milestone) means that we’re accomplishing our mission of being a real meaningful support for independent bookstores,” said Andy Hunter, Bookshop’s founder and CEO. “We’re exceedingly…
Meet Regulus, the Lion’s Heart
The bright star Regulus is very prominent in the evening sky in May. It looks like a single point of light, but is really 4 stars. It’s the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/best-regulus-the-heart-of-the-lion…
1st known swimming dinosaur just discovered. And it was magnificent.
A new Spinosaurus tail fossil shows that this hunter could slice through the water in pursuit of fish, becoming the first-known swimming dinosaur. Source: https://www.livescience.com/spinosaurus-first-swimming-dinosaur-discovered.html
10 Kinds of Apples That Were Thought to Be Extinct Have Been Rediscovered
“Ten apple varieties that were thought to be extinct have been recovered thanks to a non-profit group of apple hunters,” reports CNN: Founder of the Lost Apple Project, David Benscoter, told CNN that it all started when he helped a disabled neighbor with some chores. “She lives on her family’s property, and they have lived here since the 1900s. She asked…
What are exoplanets?
Exoplanets are worlds orbiting distant stars. The history of our knowledge of exoplanets, the various types of exoplanets, how astronomers find them, and more, here. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/what-are-exoplanets…
Update on 2I/Borisov, the first known interstellar comet
The first known interstellar comet – 21/Borisov – probably came here from a red dwarf star, according to a new study of data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/comet-21-borisov-comets-red-dwarf-stars-hubble-space-telescope…
What is pareidolia?
Seeing a dog in a patch of clouds, or a face in the moon, are examples of what’s called pareidolia. Look here for photos to test your own ability to see things that aren’t there. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/seeing-things-that-arent-there…