Outer space thread

[GoCubsGo]

That is Industrial Light & Magic worthy.

[bannination]

Finally, proof the sun is flat.

[Vrede too]

NASA's powerful Hubble space telescope has beamed back a striking photo of a 'fluffy' galaxy with a ghostly, empty center



Coming soon: 'Better than Hubble'.

...

Hubble is NASA's strongest telescope — but not for long

Upcoming space telescopes could return photos even more striking than Hubble's.

NASA's next such project, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), will use more advanced infrared cameras than any past telescope to image our galaxy.

"Even one image from Webb will be the highest-quality image ever obtained of the galactic center," Roeland van der Marel, an astronomer who worked on JWST's imaging tools, said in a 2019 press release.

Such images could help answer some of scientists' biggest questions about how our galaxy formed and how it evolves over time.

The upcoming telescope is fully assembled and now faces a long testing process in Northrop Grumman's California facilities before its launch date on March 30, 2021.

Additionally, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope — named for the woman who made Hubble's launch possible — will have 100 times the view of Hubble. After it launches in the mid-2020s, it's expected to photograph thousands of new exoplanets and probe the nature of dark energy, a mysterious force that makes up 68% of the universe and drives its expansion....

[GoCubsGo]

How are they going to fix them when they don't work?

[Vrede too]

How are they going to fix them when they don't work?

How to see Neowise before it disappears

A newly-discovered comet is giving skywatchers quite the show during the month of July. Early risers may have already caught a glimpse of the comet Neowise as it streaks across the sky, but don't worry — some of the best viewing moments have yet to come....

Measuring about 3 miles across, Neowise is considered a fairly large comet — providing skywatchers with a spectacular view from Earth. It's made up of material dating back to the origin of our solar system, 4.6 billion years ago, scientists said.

The event is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience — the comet takes about 6,800 years to complete its path around the sun, according to NASA.



How to see the comet

The comet, which has a bright opulent tail, has been putting on a stunning show in the early hours before sunrise in the Northern Hemisphere. Astrophotographers have captured breathtaking images of the comet, as have astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

But late sleepers need not worry — the comet will start appearing in the evening, just after sunset, starting Saturday. To view it, people in the Northern Hemisphere can look to the northwestern sky, just below Ursa Major, commonly known as the Big Dipper constellation.

Scientists say the comet will be visible across the Northern Hemisphere for about another month. In conditions with little light pollution, it may be visible with the naked eye, but NASA recommends using binoculars or a telescope to spot its long tail.

Newowise's closest approach to Earth comes on July 22, at a distance of about 64 million miles. NASA said it's "no Hale-Bopp," the spectacular comet of 1997, but it will be one of the brightest this century.

NASA added it will become even easier to view as July continues, for skywatchers with a clear view toward the horizon. The comet appears higher in the sky for observers farther north, while observers at lower latitudes will view it lower in the sky....

[GoCubsGo]

Awesome video. Clearly see the comet about 3 minutes in.

[Vrede too]

Scientists reveal first-ever photo of a solar system like ours

Scientists have captured the first direct image of a solar system that closely resembles our own. The new image is a family portrait of sorts, showing two giant exoplanets orbiting a young, sun-like star, roughly 300 light years away.

The picture was taken using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, located in Chile's Atacama Desert. According to a new study in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, the system will help astronomers better understand how our solar system formed and evolved.

The star, known as TYC 8998-760-1 and located in the Southern constellation of Musca, is only 17 million years old, which researchers called a "very young version of our own sun." Comparatively, the sun is roughly 4.6 billion years old....

Wow.

[billy.pilgrim]

https://weartv.com/news/local/condition ... hdown-site

Splashdown today in Pensacola.

[GoCubsGo]

https://weartv.com/news/local/condition ... hdown-site

Splashdown today in Pensacola.

Leaving the space station today, splash down tomorrow.

https://news.yahoo.com/spacex-may-delay ... 52579.html

[billy.pilgrim]

https://weartv.com/news/local/condition ... hdown-site

Splashdown today in Pensacola.

Leaving the space station today, splash down tomorrow.

https://news.yahoo.com/spacex-may-delay ... 52579.html

You are right

[GoCubsGo]

https://weartv.com/news/local/condition ... hdown-site

Splashdown today in Pensacola.

Leaving the space station today, splash down tomorrow.

https://news.yahoo.com/spacex-may-delay ... 52579.html

You are right

Live coverage of the event undocking ...

[GoCubsGo]

Splashdown in less than an hour.

[Vrede too]

Splashdown in less than an hour.

Thanks! I'm now tuned in, about 43 min to go. I'm taking a swig of beer every time they say "nominal" or "nominally".

Imagine traveling thousands and thousands of miles only to end up in Pensacola.

[GoCubsGo]

Awesome! (Except for the Pcola part)

[billy.pilgrim]

Awesome! (Except for the Pcola part)

Now now, you never even saw Pensacola.

I learned today on MSNBC at 1:46 that we haven't had a splashdown landing since 1945.

Every time I watch, I realize why I quit watching the news.

She just did it again at 2:13. At least this time the person she was interviewing corrected her.

[Vrede too]

... I learned today on MSNBC at 1:46 that we haven't had a splashdown landing since 1945.

Every time I watch, I realize why I quit watching the news.

She just did it again at 2:13. At least this time the person she was interviewing corrected her.

I missed the correction. That's about when I went back to NASA for audio and stuck with TV for the better video. She must be young. The US didn't have its FIRST splashdown until 1961. Was there any explanation of what she was thinking?

[Vrede too]

Egypt tells Elon Musk its pyramids were not built by aliens

[billy.pilgrim]

Egypt tells Elon Musk its pyramids were not built by aliens

I've heard too often from Egyptian experts that no slave labor was used to build them. I reckon I would believe elon before I believed an Egyptian.

[billy.pilgrim]

... I learned today on MSNBC at 1:46 that we haven't had a splashdown landing since 1945.

Every time I watch, I realize why I quit watching the news.

She just did it again at 2:13. At least this time the person she was interviewing corrected her.

I missed the correction. That's about when I went back to NASA for audio and stuck with TV for the better video. She must be young. The US didn't have its FIRST splashdown until 1961. Was there any explanation of what she was thinking?

She appeared to be in her 30s or 40s. Lindsey Riser. No explanation at all. The 1st time she was talking to Ali Velshi and he never said a word.

The 2nd time she was talking to an astronaut and he corrected her. She didn't really even acknowledge his correction.

I also learned at 3 p.m. that the storm is doing major damages and flooding in Florida.

Why did I even turn the volume on?

[Vrede too]

Egypt tells Elon Musk its pyramids were not built by aliens

I've heard too often from Egyptian experts that no slave labor was used to build them. I reckon I would believe elon before I believed an Egyptian.

It's still disputed.

Egyptian pyramid construction techniques

... In addition to the many unresolved arguments about the construction techniques, there have been disagreements as to the kind of workforce used. The Greeks, many years after the event, believed that the pyramids must have been built by slave labor. Archaeologists now believe that the Great Pyramid of Giza (at least) was built by tens of thousands of skilled workers who camped near the pyramids and worked for a salary or as a form of tax payment (levy) until the construction was completed, pointing to workers' cemeteries discovered in 1990 by archaeologists Zahi Hawass and Mark Lehner. For the Middle Kingdom Pyramid of Amenemhat II, there is evidence from the annal stone of the king that foreigners from Canaan were used....

You and Musk have company:

Pyramidology: Pseudoarchaeology