7.3-magnitude earthquake rocks New Zealand, spawns tsunami warning

At this writing, the National Emergency Management Agency of New Zealand is still warning people to stay away from harbors, rivers and estuaries. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/earthquake-new-zealand-march-4-5-2021-tsunami-warning…

Perseverance saw its own descent stage crash

The Mars rover images a plume of debris from the impact of the descent stage that helped the spacecraft land safely on the red planet. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/photo-mars-perseverance-descent-stage-smoke-plume…

Watch ISS spacewalk February 28

On Sunday, February 28, 3 astronauts will perform the first in a pair of International Space Station spacewalks to ready the station for solar array upgrades. How to watch live. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/watch-iss-spacewalk-feb-mar-2021…

A record deadly week for US avalanches in early February

2021 has brought a deadly avalanche season. “We’re only halfway through the season and we’re 3/4 of the way to the number of fatalities we’d see in a typical year. The dangerous, record-breaking year keeps avalanche forecasters up at night,” one expert said. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/avalanches-2021-united-states-how-to-survive…

Has the polar vortex arrived? What is it?

The polar vortex is an enormous, 3-dimensional ring of winds that surrounds the North and South poles during each hemisphere’s winter. The polar vortex influences the jet stream, which can bring cold winter weather to the U.S. and Europe. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/what-is-the-polar-vortex…

To Re-Enable Flash Support, South Africa’s Tax Agency Released Its Own Web Browser

“The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has released this week its own custom web browser,” reports ZDNet, “for the sole purpose of re-enabling Adobe Flash Player support, rather than port its existing website from using Flash to HTML-based web forms.” To prevent the app from continuing to be used in the real-world to the detriment of users and their security, Adobe…

Watch an ISS spacewalk February 1

On Monday, February 1, 2 NASA astronauts will perform the 2nd in a pair of International Space Station spacewalks to finish installing a European science platform and complete long-term battery upgrade work. How to watch live. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/watch-iss-spacewalk-feb2021…

Watch ISS spacewalk January 27

On Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 2 NASA astronauts will perform the first in a pair of International Space Station spacewalks, to finish installing a European science platform and complete long-term battery upgrade work. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/watch-iss-spacewalk-jan2021…

SpaceX’s 1st Starlink launch of 2021 is now set for Wednesday

SpaceX intends to launch tens of thousands of Starlink satellites, with lifespans of around 5 years, into low-Earth orbit. The goal is global internet access. Astronomers are concerned. Here’s how to watch Wednesday’s launch. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/spacexs-1st-starlink-launch-of-2021…

SpaceX Cargo Dragon succeeds in 1st autonomous undocking

SpaceX’s CRS-21 Cargo Dragon undocked from the International Space Station’s Harmony module on January 12, 2021, succeeding in the world’s first-ever autonomous undocking and testing of several new vehicle upgrades. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/space-x-cargo-dragon-1st-autonomous-undocking-jan-2021…