NASA, FEMA, International Partners Plan Asteroid Impact Exercise While headlines routinely report on “close shaves” and “near-misses” when near-Earth objects (NEOs) such as asteroids or comets pass relatively close to Earth, the real work of preparing for the possibility of a NEO impact with Earth goes on mostly out of the public eye. For more…
The trick is spotting the near-Earth objects first, according to NASA researchers presenting at the 2019 American Physical Society April meeting in Denver WASHINGTON, D.C., April 16, 2019 — A mere 17-20 meters across, the Chelyabinsk meteor caused extensive ground damage and numerous injuries when it exploded on impact with Earth’s atmosphere in February 2013.…
NOTE: See update below for the reveal. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project is unveiling a major black hole discovery Wednesday morning (April 10), and you can watch the event live. We live in the golden (or maybe platinum) age of astronomy. At 9 a.m. EDT today, the group of astronomers who run the global…
This could be the biggest announcement ever in the history of astronomy. Announcement and video follows. Of all the weird stuff that exists in the universe, such as quasars, pulsars, magnetars, neutron stars, red giants and white dwarfs, one of the most bizarre, and the “holy grail” for scientists to image, is the black hole.…
Subaru Telescope spots 13-billion-year-old quasars powered by black holes Princeton University Astronomers from Japan, Taiwan and Princeton University have discovered 83 quasars powered by supermassive black holes in the distant universe, from a time when the universe was less than 10 percent of its present age. “It is remarkable that such massive dense objects were…
Citizen scientist finds ancient white dwarf star with enigmatic dust rings ASU astronomer Adam Schneider helps research team zero in on puzzling astrophysical object From ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY A volunteer working with the NASA-led Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project has found the oldest and coldest known white dwarf — an old Earth-sized remnant of a…
In only a few days, newly-discovered Comet Iwamoto will split the orbits of Earth and Mars, making a relatively close approach to our planet visible through small telescopes. This is a rare visit. The comet comes from the realm of Extreme Trans-Neptunian Objects, a distant region of the solar system inhabited by strange objects such…
Satellite data reveals Venus is going through a change in it’s atmosphere, and the driver seems to be the sun. From the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) part of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) comes this intriguing bit of research using data from the Akatsuki satellite. Akatsuki may have discovered why Venus’s atmosphere rotates…
This is a treat. On Jan. 21st, a meteoroid slammed into the Moon. We know this because many amateur astronomers witnessed the explosion and recorded video and photos. The fireball was visible against the shadowy backdrop of a total lunar eclipse. Video of the event follows. We know this because many amateur astronomers witnessed or…
The “supermoon bloodmoon lunar eclipse” is coming to North and South America, as well and the UK and parts of Eastern Europe this month. The total lunar eclipse will start late on Sunday, Jan. 20, and finish early on Monday, Jan. 21, and because it occurs during a “supermoon”, it will appear about 14% bigger than…