All articles tagged with #spacecom
On August 27-28, 2026, a deep partial lunar eclipse will occur, with 93% of the Moon's width entering Earth's umbra. While some media report 96% coverage, this refers to area, not diameter. The event will appear as a dark bite rather than a red 'blood moon,' as the Moon does not fully enter the shadow. The next total lunar eclipse visible in the Americas is not until June 2029.
A total solar eclipse occurred on August 12, 2026, with observers in Scoresby Sund, Greenland, witnessing clear skies after days of weather uncertainty. The event marked Europe's first total eclipse since 1999, lasting approximately two minutes and 14 seconds.
Space.com published a guide identifying the moon, star clusters, and deep-sky objects as the top five targets for binocular observers. The article emphasizes that binoculars are an affordable and accessible alternative to telescopes for both beginners and experienced stargazers. It highlights that even low-magnification models can reveal significant detail in lunar features and other celestial bodies, making them suitable for casual observation and sweeping views of the Milky Way.
Space.com’s This Week In Space Episode 198 features Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discussing NASA’s Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan with principal investigator Dr. Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle. The car-sized rotorcraft, slated for a 2028 launch and a 2034 arrival, will descend into Titan’s atmosphere and then fly across its hydrocarbon dunes and methane seas, stepping through its surface and atmospheric exploration plans.
Over the past 25 years, exoplanet research has evolved from knowing fewer than 30 exoplanets to over 5,000 today. Despite the significant increase in discoveries, finding an Earth-like planet remains elusive. The field has seen major milestones, such as the launch of the Kepler Space Telescope and the discovery of the Trappist-1 system. Future missions like the Nancy Grace Roman Space Observatory and the Ariel Space Mission aim to further our understanding of exoplanets and their potential to harbor life.
On Episode 99 of This Week In Space, Tariq and Rod discuss the top headlines for 2024, including a partially successful private lunar landing, massive satellites hurtling out of orbit, SpaceX's upcoming Starship activity, Blue Origin and New Glenn updates, a peculiar quasar story, and the James Webb Space Telescope's discovery of gold in space. The episode also covers a detailed model of a Falcon 9 rocket available for purchase and provides information on how to subscribe to the podcast.
Astrophotographer R. Mark Lilienthal captured a stunning image of the new supernova SN 2023ixf in the Pinwheel Galaxy, also known as Messier 101 (M101). The supernova was first spotted on May 19, 2023, by supernova hunter Koichi Itagaki from Yamagata, Japan, and was confirmed the following day by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) in California. Lilienthal used a Sky-Watcher Equinox 80 Pro on iOptron CEM26 with ZWO ASIAir and a ZWO ASI533MC Pro camera to capture the image.