An anonymous reader shares a PopularMechanics report: An American Airlines flight crew encountered an unidentified flying object over New Mexico on February 21. American Airlines has confirmed the strange incident, during which a “long, cylindrical object that almost looked like a cruise missile” zipped over the Airbus A320, according to a pilot’s transmission obtained by The War Zone. American Airlines Flight…
Tag: New Mexico
Hunkering down in winter weather
Snow, ice and cold temperatures wreak havoc across much of the United States in February. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/junco-snow-winter-storm-february-2021…
Galaxies have magnetic fields, too! Images here
Until recently, magnetic fields in the outskirts of galaxies were too faint to be detected. Although it’s still not clear what causes them or how they’re maintained, astronomers have started to create images of their observations of galaxies’ magnetic fields producing beautiful aurora-like effects. See them here. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/images-of-magnetic-fields-in-galaxies…
Timing of next Virgin Galactic flight still up in the air
A window is set to open for Virgin Galactic to make another attempt at a rocket-powered flight from New Mexico to the fringe of space, but the company announced Friday it would be holding off on a new effort. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-virgin-galactic-flight-air.html…
Biggest asteroid to pass near Earth in 2021 is also one of the fastest
Asteroid 2001 FO32 will be sweeping past Earth at such a fast pace that, when it’s closest, observers using telescopes might be able to detect its motion – its drift in front of the stars – in real time. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/asteroid-2001-fo32-big-fast-pass-near-earth-2021…
Mass Die-Off of Birds in Southwest US ‘Probably Linked to Climate Crisis’
The Guardian reports: The mass die-off of thousands of songbirds in south-western U.S. was caused by long-term starvation, made worse by unseasonably cold weather probably linked to the climate crisis, scientists have said. Flycatchers, swallows and warblers were among the migratory birds “falling out of the sky” in September, with carcasses found in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Arizona and Nebraska. A…
Due to Covid-19, Apple Closes Nearly a Fifth of Its Retail Stores
“New COVID-19 restrictions and worsening outbreaks have compelled Apple to temporarily close nearly one fifth of its retail stores during one of the busiest shopping weeks of the holiday season,” reports 9to5Mac. 401 of Apple’s 509 locations worldwide remain open as of publication. Most open locations in the US are limited to Express storefront pickup of online orders and Genius Support….
‘Lost connection’ hampers Virgin Galactic’s test flight (Update)
A Virgin Galactic test flight Saturday ended prematurely as the spacecraft’s rocket motor failed to ignite and it then glided down safely to its landing site in southern New Mexico. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-12-virgin-galactic-flight-mexico-site.html…
Favorite photos of crescent moon and Venus
A few of our favorite images of the waning crescent moon and dazzling planet Venus in the early-morning sky. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/dec-2020-crescent-moon-venus-photos…
Virgin Galactic Unexpectedly Aborted a Test Flight of Its Space Plane
CNN reports:
Virgin Galactic’s supersonic rocket plane was scheduled to fire into the upper atmosphere Saturday, but after climbing more than 40,000 feet over New Mexico attached to its mothership, the space plane made an unexpected turn toward home rather than shooting skyward. The company confirmed that the space plane, which was carrying test pilots CJ Sturckow and Dave Mackay, safely landed….