Herbig-Haro objects are some of the rarer sights in the night sky, taking the form of thin spindly jets of matter floating among the surrounding gas and stars. The two Herbig-Haro objects cataloged as HH46 and HH47, seen in this image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, were spotted in the constellation of Vela (the Sails), at a distance of…
Tag: sails
Can you see Canopus, the 2nd-brightest star?
Here’s how to spot Canopus, the 2nd-brightest star in the sky as seen from Earth, on February evenings. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/few-know-the-second-brightest-star-canopus…
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…
Sweden’s New Car Carrier Is the World’s Largest Wind-Powered Vessel
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNN: Oceanbird might look like a ship of the future, but it harks back to ancient maritime history — because it’s powered by the wind. The transatlantic car carrier is being designed by Wallenius Marine, a Swedish shipbuilder, with support from the Swedish government and several research institutions. With capacity for 7,000 vehicles, the…
Spacecraft Made From Ultra Thin Foam Could Reach Proxima Centauri In 185 Years
An anonymous reader quotes Newsweek:
A hypothetical spacecraft made from an extremely thin layer of a synthetic foam could technically make it to our closest neighboring star Proxima Centauri in just 185 years, scientists have said. If Voyager were to make the same journey, it would take around 73,000 years, according to NASA. In a study that is due to be published…
Ultra-thin sail could speed journey to other star systems
A tiny sail made of the thinnest material known—one carbon-atom-thick graphene—has passed initial tests designed to show that it could be a viable material to make solar sails for spacecraft. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-05-ultra-thin-journey-star.html…
What’s a constellation? What’s an asterism?
Both constellations and asterisms are patterns of stars. What’s the difference? Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/definition-what-is-a-constellation-asterism…
NASA Contemplates Turning a Moon Crater Into a Giant, Powerful Telescope
NASA has selected a lunar-crater radio telescope idea to receive funding through its NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, the agency announced on Tuesday. The Phase I award goes to projects in very early stages of development. CNET reports: Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay, a robotics technologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is the mind behind the moon dream. Making it happen would require…