Happy May Day! A few words about this annual celebration, which has its roots in astronomy. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/why-do-we-celebrate-may-day…
Tag: The Sun
Moon and Venus grace eastern morning sky
Get an eyeful of the beautiful early morning scene as the moon joins up with Venus (and Mercury) in late March and early April 2019. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/moon-venus-grace-eastern-morning-sky…
Mystery solved: Mercury has a solid heart
Here’s how NASA’s MESSENGER mission – which orbited Mercury from 2011 to 2015 – let scientists finally solve one of Mercury’s biggest mysteries, about whether its innermost core is liquid or solid. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mystery-solved-mercury-solid-inner-core-messenger…
How do you star hop?
Star hopping is a great way to learn the night sky. Start with the brightest, most noticeable stars and constellations and hop from there. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/star-hopping-from-constellation-orion…
TESS discovers its 1st Earth-sized exoplanet
Launched in 2018, TESS is NASA’s new space-based exoplanet hunter. Now it’s found its 1st Earth-sized world orbiting a nearby star. The discovery bodes well, scientists say, for finding more similar worlds in the near future. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/tess-1st-earth-sized-exoplanet-nearby-star…
Crypto Language: Merriam-Webster Adds “Cryptid” To Its Online Dictionary
It isn’t every day that key cryptozoological terms get added to one of the world’s most famous dictionaries. However, Merriam-Webster made history yesterday after it added the term “Cryptid” to its online source for English language definitions. The term, according to Merriam-Webster Online, has been in use since 1983, for which they give the following… Read more » Source: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2019/04/crypto-language-merriam-webster-adds-cryptid-to-its-online-dictionary/…
Did an interstellar traveler hit Earth in 2014?
‘Oumuamua – 1st known object to sweep past us from beyond our solar system – caused a stir when astronomers spotted it in 2017. Now a new study suggests another interstellar object might have hit the Earth in 2014. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/interstellar-object-similar-to-oumuamua-strike-earth-2014…
Male emperor penguins are good dads
In fact, they’re one of nature’s best animal dads. This month – autumn in Antarctica – their breeding cycle begins. But there’s still a long winter ahead. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/male-penguin-eggs…
CLASP-2: Investigating the magnetic solar chromosphere
Four years ago, an international team (USA, Japan and Europe) carried out an unprecedented suborbital space experiment called CLASP-1, motivated by theoretical investigations carried out at the IAC by Javier Trujillo Bueno and his research group. After the outstanding success of that mission, NASA launched CLASP-2 from a launch center near Las Cruces (USA). CLASP-2 has made it possible to detect…
Huge double asteroid will pass safely May 25
Professional and amateur astronomers are gearing up to observe asteroid 1999 KW4 – oddly shaped, about a mile wide, with a companion moon – around its closest approach on May 25, 2019. Charts here for amateur observers across the globe. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/double-asteroid-1999-kw4-closest-may-25-2019…