Astronomy

It isn’t true that dolphins have returned to Venice, but bees are benefitting from lower air pollution, and a drop in ocean traffic could be good for whales

It isn’t true that dolphins have returned to Venice, but bees are benefitting from lower air pollution, and a drop in ocean traffic could be good for whales

Venus is a super-thin crescent as it plunges down to the sunset horizon this week. Bring out the telescope and/or binoculars. Mercury, also in the western evening twilight, is a tiny "half Moon" with a much less intense surface brightness.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 22 – 30 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The US Space Force just announced that they will begin training so its new officers can become specialists in specific fields, like orbital warfare, electronic warfare, and space battle management.

The post Space Force is Starting to Train its Soldiers to Fight… in Space? appeared first on Universe Today.

Hundreds of trials are testing known antiviral drugs, as well as those that block immune responses to coronavirus, but we may need to build a covid-19 treatment from scratch

Hundreds of trials are testing known antiviral drugs, as well as those that block immune responses to coronavirus, but we may need to build a covid-19 treatment from scratch

Two new sets of observations show astronomers what planet formation looks like.

The post Astronomers Witness the Birth of Planets appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Hungry bumblebees can make plants flower up to a month earlier than usual by cutting holes in their leaves, which may help them adapt to climate change

Hungry bumblebees can make plants flower up to a month earlier than usual by cutting holes in their leaves, which may help them adapt to climate change

Hardy and resilient welwitschia is unlike anything else on Earth, but climate change appears to be pushing these plants past their limits

Hardy and resilient welwitschia is unlike anything else on Earth, but climate change appears to be pushing these plants past their limits

Poaching is up, zoos are running out of money and conservation funding has been slashed. But there’s hope the pandemic could make biodiversity a higher priority

Poaching is up, zoos are running out of money and conservation funding has been slashed. But there’s hope the pandemic could make biodiversity a higher priority

NASA is renaming its next flagship space observatory to honor pioneering NASA astronomer and "Mother of Hubble," Nancy Grace Roman.

The post NASA Renames WFIRST: The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Planet formation is a notoriously difficult thing to observe. Nascent planets are ensconced inside dusty wombs that resist our best observation efforts. But recently, astronomers have made progress in imaging these planetary newborns. A new study presents the first-ever direct images of twin baby planets forming around their star. The study is titled “Keck/NIRC2 L’-band …

Continue reading "Astronomers Are Sure These Are Two Newborn Planets Orbiting a Distant Star"

The post Astronomers Are Sure These Are Two Newborn Planets Orbiting a Distant Star appeared first on Universe Today.

An estimated 2000 premature births seem to have been prevented by widespread HPV vaccination in Australia, possibly by protecting against damage to the cervix

An estimated 2000 premature births seem to have been prevented by widespread HPV vaccination in Australia, possibly by protecting against damage to the cervix

The pioneering astronomer and ‘mother of Hubble’ paved the way for revolutionary space observatories

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

The Artemis Accords could ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for lunar exploration—if everyone agrees to them

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

A trans-Neptunian object known as 2002 TC302 appears to have a large moon at an unusually close orbit