Schedar shines brightly at the Queen’s heart

Orange-hued Schedar is the brightest star in the distinctive W-shaped northern constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/schedar-short-life-of-burning-bright…

Researchers Calculate Earth is 2,000 Light-years Closer to the Milky Way’s Black Hole

“Earth just got 7 km/s faster and about 2000 light-years closer to the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy,” reports Phys.org: But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that our planet is plunging towards the black hole. Instead the changes are results of a better model of the Milky Way Galaxy based on new observation data, including…

Full moon, faint eclipse, November 29-30

Full moon falls on the night of May 29-30 for North America, at 3:43 a.m. CST on November 30. That means that – for North America – we have the chance to witness a faint penumbral eclipse of the moon. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/full-moon-faint-eclipse-november-29-30…

Earth faster, closer to black hole in new map of galaxy

Earth just got 7 km/s faster and about 2000 light-years closer to the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that our planet is plunging towards the black hole. Instead the changes are results of a better model of the Milky Way Galaxy based on new observation data, including a catalog…

Scientists predicted a large sunspot. Now it’s here

Last week, scientists from the National Solar Observatory predicted a large sunspot would emerge before Thanksgiving. Now the sunspot – AR2786 – is in view. Here’s how they did it. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/nso-predicts-large-sunspot-thanksgiving-nov2020…

GTA Online Is Getting A Big New Heist You Can Play Solo If You Want

Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto Online’s biggest update ever will be released on December 15, adding a brand new island, new radio stations, a new armed submarine, and a huge heist that can be completed with friends or solo. From a report: Yesterday, Rockstar teased this new update, The Cayo Perico Heist, with a short video showing off the…

Huge iceberg A-68A nears South Georgia Island

Scientists watch as A-68A, currently the planet’s largest iceberg, approaches a remote island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/huge-iceberg-a68a-nears-south-georgia-island-nov202…

Scientists discover ancient lake bed deep beneath Greenland ice

The ancient lake bed, sealed more than a mile under Greenland ice, may be hundreds of thousands or millions of years old, and contain unique fossil and chemical traces of past climates and life. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/ancient-lake-bed-deep-beneath-greenland-ice…

GPS and Water Don’t Mix. So Scientists Have Found a New Way To Navigate Under the Sea

An anonymous reader quotes a report from ZDNet: [E]ven today’s most sophisticated GPS systems are still unable to map a huge chunk of the Earth: that which is located under oceans, seas, or rivers. The technology, in effect, doesn’t mix well with water, which breaks down the radio waves GPS relies on to function. MIT scientists have been looking at ways…