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‘Call me chief priestess for the moon goddess’: space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Call me chief priestess for the moon goddess,” says Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock when I ask whether she prefers to be known as an astronomer, physicist or space scientist. She is, after all, entitled to all of them because before presenting The Sky at Night on the BBC she trained as a physicist, then an engineer…
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A Legend Returns
AUDIO: Godspeed, John Glenn. 3, 2, 1, zero, ignition, liftoff! The MA-6 vehicle has lifted off… John Glenn was an instant legend. On February 20th of 1962, he became the first American to orbit Earth. The feat earned him a trip to the White House and the biggest ticker-tape parade in 35 years. Glenn found…
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Opinion: Astronomy, the next 100 years
The night of October 5-6, 1923, forever changed the way astronomers saw and studied the cosmos. It was believed the Milky Way we see on clear moonless nights was the ‘universe’. Little did they know a simple 45-minute photograph would throw them a curve. It was long suspected a small patch of light located in…
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Apollo 17 astronauts collected rocks that reveal the moon’s true age
(CNN) — The moon is our planet’s constant celestial companion, only shaded from view about once a month when its orbit takes it between Earth and the sun. Earth’s biggest satellite has long been a source of awe and wonder, inspiring the imaginations of artists and writers for millennia. The moon’s gravitational pull is also the…
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New Museum Dedicated To Astronomy And Space Science Inaugurated In Kolkata
<!– –> The museum was inaugurated by Rakesh Sharma, the celebrated 1st Indian astronaut to venture into space. Kolkata: A galaxy of exhibits – from strands of Neil Armstrong’s hair to rocks from the moon and Mars – await enthusiasts at this new “one-of-its-kind” museum of astronomy and space science. The 1,200-artefact-strong repository, which has…
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Supermassive black hole seen spinning ropes of plasma like a cosmic spider
Like a monstrous cosmic spider, a distant supermassive black hole is spinning a jet of plasma into a twisted rope and blasting it out at near-light speed. Astronomers witnessed this spectacular sight with a network of radio telescopes, including the RadioAstron space telescope, that are combined to form an Earth-sized antenna. Specifically, this network was…
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Infrared aurora on Uranus confirmed for the 1st time
Astronomers using archived data from the giant Keck II telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii have successfully glimpsed Uranus’ infrared aurora for the first time. Like auroras on Earth, those on Uranus are caused when charged particles riding the solar wind interact with the planet’s magnetic field and are funneled along magnetic field lines toward…
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NASA’s Lucy will fly by tiny asteroid nicknamed ‘Dinky’
The Lucy spacecraft flies by asteroid Dinkinesh in this artist’s concept. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Since its launch two years ago, NASA’s Lucy mission has been traveling the inner solar system on its way to explore Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. In total, the spacecraft will fly by 10 small, rocky worlds — and its…
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NASA shares image of spooky ‘face’ on Jupiter
NASA shared this image of clouds and storms on Jupiter that resemble a face. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing by Vladimir Tarasov The folks at NASA not only explore space and do the other cool stuff they do, they’ve also got a great sense of timing. The agency shared this photo of what looks like a…
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Best telescopes for beginners to view planets, galaxies, and more
The best telescopes for beginners are the ones that don’t end up in a closet. Maybe you have had a casual interest in astronomy for years, looking up at the night sky every chance you get. Or maybe you’ve just recently become interested in the wonders hanging high above our heads. Either way, you’ve decided…
