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☆ How exoplanet hunters find alien worlds hundreds of light-years away and figure out if they have water
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In the journal Nature Astronomy, astronomers announced that the two exoplanets — Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 d — could be made up of mostly water. NASA AmesSince the first worlds outside our solar system were discovered in 1992, astronomers have searched for other planets orbiting sun-like stars. Astronomers have already captured direct evidence of 5,241 planets beyond our solar system, according to NASA's Exoplanet Archive. Water worlds beyond our solar system could be abundant in the universeWorlds rich in liquid water might not be as rare as astronomers previously thought, Piaulet said. But by discovering and studying new worlds, astronomers can hone in on what makes a world habitable beyond a sample size of one — Earth.

☆ English resort counts down to western Europe’s first satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

NEWQUAY, England, — An English surfing resort was counting down to the first launch of orbital satellites into space from western Europe on Monday, when Virgin Orbit’s mission will transform the Cornish town of Newquay into the country’s first spaceport. The “horizontal” launch will catapult the resort in southwest England, population 20,000 and famous for its reliable waves rolling off the Atlantic, into the limelight as western Europe’s go-to destination for small satellites. Virgin Orbit, part-owned by billionaire Richard Branson, said nine satellites would be deployed into lower Earth orbit (LEO) from its LauncherOne rocket in its first mission outside its United States base. “Assuming that everything continues to look good we’re currently tracking well for launch,” a Virgin Orbit spokeswoman said on Sunday. The LEO sector is growing rapidly, spurred by satellite broadband companies such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, Amazon and London-headquartered OneWeb.

☆ English resort counts down to western Europe's first satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Henry Nicholls | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Henry NichollsNEWQUAY, England, Jan 9 (Reuters) - An English surfing resort was counting down to the first launch of orbital satellites into space from western Europe on Monday, when Virgin Orbit's mission will transform the Cornish town of Newquay into the country's first spaceport. The "horizontal" launch will catapult the resort in southwest England, population 20,000 and famous for its reliable waves rolling off the Atlantic, into the limelight as western Europe's go-to destination for small satellites. The European Space Agency's (ESA) Ariane 6 rocket, designed to carry large satellites, has also had delays. "Assuming that everything continues to look good we're currently tracking well for launch," a Virgin Orbit spokeswoman said on Sunday. The LEO sector is growing rapidly, spurred by satellite broadband companies such as Elon Musk's Starlink, Amazon and London-headquartered OneWeb.

☆ NHL roundup: David Pastrnak's hat trick carries Bruins past Ducks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY SportsJanuary 9 - David Pastrnak registered his 13th career hat trick as part of a four-point performance as the Boston Bruins rolled past the host Anaheim Ducks 7-1 on Sunday night. Trevor Zegras scored the lone goal and John Gibson stopped 35 shots for Anaheim, which had won back-to-back games. Jets 7, Canucks 4Kyle Connor had a hat trick and Winnipeg extended its win streak to five games with a high-scoring victory against visiting Vancouver. Travis Konecny and Nicolas Deslauriers scored one goal each for the Flyers, who had their season-best four-game winning streak snapped. Alex Stalock stopped 44 shots to help Chicago win consecutive games for the first time since October.

☆ There's no GPS on the moon. NASA and ESA have to fix that before humans return in 2 years.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Space agencies are working to put satellite navigation, or satnav, on rockets traveling the 239,000 miles between Earth and the moon. That means that most of the satellites' signal is blocked and only a little spills over. They were 116,300 miles away — about halfway to the moon, Ventura-Traveset said. So the plan is to give the moon its very own fleet of communication and navigation satellites, called the Moonlight initiative. Moon settlers will need high-speed internetSatellites could help future moon astronauts navigate on the moon, as can be seen in this artist's impression.

☆ NHL roundup: Alex Tuch, Sabres knock off Bruins in OT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 37 saves for Buffalo, facing 11 shots in the second period and 19 more in the third. Nic Dowd had a goal and an assist, while Dylan Strome, Anthony Mantha and Garnet Hathaway also scored. Emil Bemstrom and Kirill Marchenko also scored for the Blue Jackets in the comeback victory over the NHL's last-place team. They netted goals three times in the second, including Alex Killorn's go-ahead breakaway goal for a 4-3 lead. Stamkos scored his 498th career goal and had an assist, and Brayden Point notched a goal and a helper.

The first full-color image released from the next-generation James Webb Space Telescope is the sharpest infrared image of the distant universe ever produced, according to NASA. Space Telescope Science Institut / NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERONASA released the first batch of images from the tennis court-sized observatory to much fanfare in July. The exoplanet HIP 65426 b in different bands of infrared light, as seen from the James Webb Space Telescope. Back to the moonFifty years after the final Apollo moon mission, NASA took key steps toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface. Chinese officials have also said they intend to use the space station for space tourism and commercial space initiatives.

☆ Pumpkin and rooibos ice cream on menu as Cape Town cafe champions African flavours
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Esa Alexander | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Tapi Tapi ice cream shop owner, Zimbabwean Tapiwa Guzha, mixes the ice cream ingredients at his shop in Observatory, in Cape Town, South Africa, December 20, 2022. "At some point it became an aspirational thing to say I don't eat African food ... so I started addressing ... that problem," he said at his Tapi Tapi shop. Located in the bohemian suburb of Observatory in Cape Town, he hopes to share the different flavours in tubs and cones, and celebrate African food culture, rituals and folklore. People often bring him ingredients from other parts of the continent, he says, who get a free tub of ice cream in return. Growing up, customer Clive Sibanda knew ice cream could be vanilla, something that is not native to South Africa.

☆ It should take another 300 years for NASA's Voyager 1 probe to reach the most distant region of our solar system. Until then, it's cruising through the void between the stars.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Voyager 1 and 2 are exploring the mysterious region between stars, called interstellar space. Both plucky spacecraft continue to send data back from beyond the solar system — and their cosmic journeys are far from over. A diagram showing both of NASA's Voyager probes in interstellar space as of November 2018. An illustration of the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud in relation to our solar system. NASA/JPL-CaltechFor the last decade, Voyager 1 has been exploring interstellar space, which is full of gas, dust, and charged energetic particles.

☆ On Pluto you could throw a baseball over the Great Pyramid of Giza, a scientist's animation reveals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An astronomer's animation reveals how far the average person could throw a ball on different worlds. On Pluto, your baseball could clear the Great Pyramid of Giza. Watch a ball throw on each planet in our solar system, plus Pluto and the moon, below. At just two-thirds the diameter of our moon, Pluto has such weak gravity that your baseball could clear the 455-foot-tall Great Pyramid of Giza — with room to spare. The video plays out in "real time," showing how long each ball throw would take, O'Donoghue said.

☆ 20 jaw-dropping images from NASA's powerful new James Webb Space Telescope
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The new image also shows seven of Neptune's 14 known moons. The bright blue feature that looks like a star is actually Neptune's largest moon, Triton. Zooming in on Neptune shows Webb captured its rings. Neptune has 14 known satellites, and seven of them are visible in this image. NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

☆ The Year in Pictures 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. But 2022 undoubtedly belongs to the war in Ukraine, a conflict now settling into a worryingly predictable rhythm. Erin Schaff/The New York Times “When you’re standing on the ground, you can’t visualize the scope of the destruction. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25. We see the same images over and over, and it’s really hard to make anything different.” Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 26.

☆ Cape Town home decked in thousands of lights spreads festive joy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAPE TOWN, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Matthew Haines, who fell in love with Christmas lights as a child, has decorated his home with thousands of twinkling bulbs, aiming to bring some festive cheer into people's lives for free after a tough few years. People of all ages come in droves to Haines's home in the coastal town of Fish Hoek to see the house, decked with more than 200,000 Christmas lights. "I fell in love with Christmas lights when I was very young... It’s always brought me joy," Haines said. [1/7] Visitors takes selfies outside the Haines residence in Fish Hoek, where people can experience over 120 000 colourful and glittering Christmas lights, in Cape Town, South Africa, December 10, 2022. With a display of Santa Claus in the background, children and elderly women danced around, taking in the festive atmosphere.

☆ Rare cosmic collision acted like one of the ‘factories of gold’ in the universe
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The gamma-ray burst, called GRB 211211A, lasted about a minute. Gamma-ray bursts are considered among the strongest and brightest explosions in the universe, and they can range from a few milliseconds to several hours in length. An artist's illustration of GRB 211211A shows the kilonova and gamma-ray burst (right) and ejected material from the explosion (left). After determining that a kilonova created the infrared light, astronomers grew even more puzzled by the gamma-ray burst’s duration. Gamma-ray bursts caused by these rare explosions have only ever been observed to last less than two seconds, but this signal lasted for at least one minute.

☆ How to stay safe in an extreme solar flare, where the sun bombards Earth with radiation and magnetic havoc
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Stay safe during a solar storm by preparing to lose power, printing out maps, and staying off planes. What is a solar flare and how do they affect Earth? CMEs primarily affect the magnetosphere, jostling Earth's magnetic field lines in an event called a geomagnetic storm, also known as a solar storm. NASAGetting ready for the possibility of a major solar flare isn't that different from getting ready for any other disaster. If you follow the basics of disaster preparedness, you'll probably be ready for a solar flare.

☆ A communications satellite the size of an apartment is so bright it can outshine stars, and astronomers are worried it could interfere with their research
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AST SpaceMobile deployed a 693-square-foot communications satellite into orbit called BlueWalker 3. Astronomers say it's as bright as some of the brightest stars, and warn it could impact their work. AST SpaceMobile bills it as the "largest-ever commercial communications array deployed in low Earth orbit." Astronomers are also concerned about how satellite constellations contribute to the loss to "humanity's ability to experience the natural night sky," according to the IAU statement. When we look up at night sky, many of the bright lights might not be stars — but satellites.

☆ 7 times NASA's James Webb Space Telescope spotted something Hubble missed
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The James Webb Space Telescope can capture a more complete view of galaxies, stars, and planets. Before Webb, astronomers had another workhorse cosmic observatory: the Hubble Space Telescope. Webb is 100 times stronger than Hubble, which allows astronomers to peer even further into space. Webb spied countless galaxies that Hubble missedA side by side collage of the same area taken by the Hubble and the James Webb space telescopes. Where Hubble saw a faint dot, Webb resolved 2 distinct mystery objectsOne of the lensed images of MACS0647-JD, from the James Webb Space Telescope.

[1/3] South African president Cyril Ramaphosa speaks at the Green Hydrogen Summit at Century City in Cape Town, South Africa, November 29, 2022. The inquiry centred on the theft of a millions of dollars of cash from the billionaire president's farm in 2020, which came to light in June. The country's biggest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, has called for an early election and the report has plunged the governing African National Congress (ANC) into crisis. The ANC's executive committee is due to meet to discuss the panel report on Thursday evening. Asked by Reuters about a local media report that Ramaphosa was due to address the nation on Thursday, Ramaphosa's spokesman Vincent Magwenya said: "An announcement is imminent.

☆ Webb telescope spies clouds beneath haze of Saturn moon Titan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has spied clouds on one of the solar system’s most intriguing moons. Titan’s atmosphere is made of nitrogen and methane, which gives it a fuzzy, orange appearance. Astronomers compared Webb (left) and Keck images of Titan to see how clouds evolved. The data, which is still being analyzed, was able to see deeper into Titan’s atmosphere and surface than the Cassini spacecraft, which orbited Saturn and its moons for 13 years. The cloud observations were a long time coming.

☆ Fact Check-Artemis I capsule entering low-Earth orbit before heading to Moon is not proof of flat Earth
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Artemis I Orion capsule entered low-Earth orbit prior to making a maneuver toward the Moon. Users pointed to the curved trajectory, seemingly moving away from the Moon, as proof that the capsule went off course. Per ESA, a low Earth orbit was done to allow mission control to perform final checks before departing toward the Moon (here). A photo showing the Artemis I Orion capsule flying past the moon in its trajectory is not proof the earth is flat, as online posts say. The spacecraft performed a low Earth orbit before completing a translunar injection toward the Moon.

☆ A Paralympic athlete might become the world's first disabled astronaut
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

He's part of a European Space Agency "feasibility project" to include astronauts with disabilities. John McFall is 0ne of the European Space Agency's new class of trainee astronauts — its first batch of new recruits in 13 years. The ESA hopes that McFall will be the first astronaut with a physical disability to travel into space. McFall told BBC News he'd never dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but felt inspired by the ESA's commitment to supporting diversity. McFall is due to start a 12-month program of basic training at the European Space Agency in Spring next year.

☆ Europe names world's first disabled astronaut
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Member of ESA's new class of astronauts John McFall attends the European Space Agency (ESA) Council at Ministerial level (CM22) at the Grand Palais Ephemere in Paris, France, November 23, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The European Space Agency on Wednesday named the first ever "parastronaut" in a major step towards allowing people with physical disabilities to work and live in space. The 22-nation agency said it had selected former British Paralympic sprinter John McFall as part of a new generation of 17 recruits picked for astronaut training. He will join five new career astronauts and 11 reserves in training after ESA replenished its astronaut ranks for the first time since 2009. It received 257 applications for the role of astronaut with a disability, a parallel role that it terms "parastronaut".

☆ European Space Agency announces first ‘parastronaut’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It’s the first time the space agency has established an astronaut reserve, which is made up of candidates who successfully completed the selection process but were not recruited. McFall, a British medic and Paralympian, said he felt compelled to apply when he saw ESA’s ad for an astronaut with a physical disability. McFall, a British medic, will become the first astronaut with a physical disability. The space agency has been closely involved with NASA’s Artemis mission to put humans back on the moon, and ESA hopes that the first European to set foot on the moon will be among this class of astronauts. The space agency on Wednesday also agreed on a new budget of 16.9 billion euros ($17.5 billion) for the next three years — an increase of 17% from 2019.

☆ European ministers to debate sharp increase in space funding
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Logos of ArianeGroup and the ESA (European Space Agency) are seen on a rocket model at the entrance of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) space exploration conference in Paris, France, September 19, 2022. Other initiatives include extending Europe’s global navigation system into low Earth orbit and kickstarting a new satellite mission, Harmony, to expand climate research. Ministers will seek to close a narrow funding gap for Ariane 6 rockets and discuss the future of emerging micro-launchers. In a recent interview, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher urged rapid global action to tackle congestion in low Earth orbit including a ban on ASAT or anti-satellite weapons tests. Even without such threats, the sheer number of satellites and fragments of debris in low Earth orbit raises concerns.

☆ Buses set on fire in South Africa's Cape Town as taxi strike starts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAPE TOWN, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Two buses were set on fire on Monday in South Africa's Cape Town as local taxi associations embarked on a two-day strike to protest against a termination of an incentive program. The Western Cape provincial government, home to legislative capital Cape Town, recently announced it would terminate an incentive scheme for taxi drivers which encouraged safe driving practises and curtailed illegal operations. But due to a lack of funding it had to cancel the programme after a little more than a year, triggering an uproar from the taxi associations who called for a two-day strike in the city from Monday. [1/6] People walk past a torched bus during a two-day strike by taxi operators over a number of grievances against traffic authorities in Cape Town, South Africa, November 21, 2022. "No passengers or drivers were injured," Bronwen Dyke-Beyer, a spokesperson of Golden Arrow Bus Services, which runs a fleet of 1,100 buses in Cape Town, told Reuters, confirming that a one of its buses was set alight.

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