The Stellar Survey for July 20 - August 2
The Stellar Survey for July 20 - August 2
We understand ourselves in order to understand others. So say Buddhists and other wise folk! | See also: Earth’s topography could tell us about Jupiter’s Great Red (but also Shrinking) Spot.
An ancient rock from Mars could signal the appearance of life. | What do the Perseverance Rover and my mom have in common? They both have an undying love of rocks!
ISS scientists and cancer research: an unlikely but exciting pairing. | Turns out that the microgravity environment of the ISS can help to highlight changes in cells that may lead to cancer. Isn’t that cool?
Another way that space research has on-Earth impacts: detecting deep fakes! | There’s a joke in here somewhere about faking the Moon landing, I’m sure.
For all of you Alien franchise fans: the Xenomorph lifecycle, explained. | Alien: Romulus hits theatres August 16! I will definitely not be watching. ;)
Happy 25th anniversary to the Chandra x-Ray observatory! | Check out these 25 amazing images from two-and-a-half decades of the observatory’s work.
Speaking of Chandra: here’s some of what it takes to keep the Chandra observatory afloat. | Sad hint: most of what keeps it afloat is money, and that’s all in jeopardy now after significant budget cuts.
Scientists have find two searched-for “missing link” black holes. | Intermediate mass black holes sit in the big gap of space—literally—between stellar mass black holes (which are scattered through the universe) and supermassive black holes (which lie at the heart of galaxies).
Alien star weather alert! | JWST detects wind in the stormy atmosphere of two nearby brown dwarfs. Brown dwarfs are too large to be planets but too small to ignite the nuclear fusion required for star formation. They’re thought of as another kind of “missing link” between gas giant planets like Jupiter and the lowest-mass stars we know, M-dwarfs.
This telescope on the ISS has “weighed” the closest dead star to Earth. | It weighed twenty-one grams more before it died. Just kidding, LOL!
A deep dive into Star Trek’s new Section 31 film! | Who doesn’t want more Michelle Yeoh in their lives?
Speaking of Star Trek: Tawny Newsome (Mariner, we love you forever) is set to star in a new Star Trek live-action comedy! | I am so ready for all of the ST in-jokes. Are you?
Scientists are proposing a lunar bio repository as backup for life on earth. | It’s not enough to leave our poo there, apparently. We should leave even more biological material!
But! A lunar bio repository might be our only way of surviving the coming climate apocalypse, because a newly-released study finds major Earth systems are in danger of collapse over the next three centuries. | Remember that seed bank in Svalbard, built to guard against climate collapse? It flooded in 2017 when the permafrost started melting. Lessons humanity has learned: approximately zero.
SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission has been delayed until mid-August. | The mission will be the highest-yet for any privately-funded space excursion.
Score one more for Team Rocks! | NASA’s Curiosity Rover has discovered Mars rocks made entirely of sulphur.
Check out this footage of a discarded space rocket in orbit. How long until we have the Great Garbage Patch In Orbit visible from the ground, I wonder?
Finally: check out this beautiful composite photo staring out into our universe (or perhaps it’s the universe, staring back at us? Perhaps it’s both!) courtesy of astrophotographer Miguel Claro. Click here if you’d like to purchase a copy. | A Giant Eye Staring at the Sky.
