The Stellar Survey for February 17 - February 23
The Stellar Survey for February 17 - February 23
A little late, but what's time in light-years?
Ever found yourself wondering gee, I wonder how Mars and Venus died? Me too! | Luckily for us, Ethan Siegel over at Big Think is here to save the day with knowledge yet again.
How has the cosmic distance record (ie. our measurement for how long the universe has been around) progressed over time? | Glad you asked. Here’s how.
Speaking of light-years: exactly how far away ARE the stars, anyhow? | Hint: unfathomably far away.
In recent years (and in previous decades, as Carl Sagan had stuff to say about it), there’s been a lot of talk about terraforming Mars—that is, changing its atmosphere and making it habitable for humans. But terraforming is probably—you guessed it!—a bad idea. | After all, we don’t exactly have a good record of colonization, do we.
Quasars form when stars collapse and matter gets sucked into black holes. The matter circles like a whirlpool, and the friction of all of the matter rubbing together as it swirls causes the matter to heat up and brighten. | This quasar is the brightest object in the universe.
What would actually happen if there was an asteroid heading for Earth? | There are plans, and they don’t involve Meryl Streep or Jonah Hill.
Get a sneak peek into the spacecraft that will take humans back to Mars! | A look inside the Artemis 2!
Check out this shot of the Milky Way’s star-studded core, courtesy of the Very Large Telescope. | Yes, that is indeed its name.
Watch the trailer for “Space: The Longest Goodbye”—a documentary about space and mental health. | Your brain follows you everywhere, even into the void.
Want to go to Mars but can’t wait for the 2030s? Apply to take part in the next CHAPEA mission at NASA! | Science geeks only—we’re a ways away from a writer-in-residence on Mars (sniff).
Scientists have now been able to catch a freeze-frame of electrons moving in water for the first time. | We are getting very, very big at the same time as we are getting very, very small.
Two dwarf planets in our solar system might harbour underground oceans. | Let’s all give a wave to Eris and Makemake.
NASA is sending probes out to collect info on the polar ice caps and study their effect on climate change. | Everything is connected to everything else, in case you had any doubt about it.
Here’s more info about The Space Race, the documentary about the first Black astronauts. And some words from Ed Dwight, who might have been the first Black man in space had it not been for systemic racism. | You should read this, and then watch the documentary!
And a little more about that quasar, the brightest object we’ve ever discovered in the universe! | Hungry hungry black hole, eating the equivalent of one sun per day.
The Odysseus lander has successfully landed on the moon! | Only a matter of time before humans go back now. In the meantime, we’ll just leave our junk there.
News from the quantum realm! | Sadly Paul Rudd (as AntMan) is nowhere to be seen.
Finally: finding life on Saturn’s moon Titan might be more difficult than originally thought. | But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
