Oh, would it not be absurd if there was no objective state?
What if the unobserved always waits, insubstantial,
till our eyes give it shape?

— Peter Hammill

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Neutron Stars Might Be Squishy Inside

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Tue, 08/06/2024 - 3:36pm

New data on the brightest pulsar observed with a telescope on the International Space Station suggests neutron star interiors are "squishy."

The post Neutron Stars Might Be Squishy Inside appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Enroll in the School of Stars

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Mon, 08/05/2024 - 7:00am

Amateur astronomers are all life-long learners — and this "back to school" time of year provides just the right motivation.

The post Enroll in the School of Stars appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 2 – 11

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Fri, 08/02/2024 - 3:42am

The Perseid meteors ramp up this week to their peak. Saturn is nicely up in the east by late evening. Jupiter and Mars near their conjunction in the morning sky. And there's a story behind Poniatowski's Bull.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 2 – 11 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Does This Mars Rock Show a "Potential Biosignature"? Or Just "Wet Chemistry"?

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Fri, 08/02/2024 - 12:22am

"Leopard spots" on a Mars rock could come from life — or they could simply be a sign of a type of chemical reaction that requires water.

The post Does This Mars Rock Show a "Potential Biosignature"? Or Just "Wet Chemistry"? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

August Podcast: Nova Watch in the Northern Crown

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Thu, 08/01/2024 - 1:00am

Let’s go on a night-sky tour of the stars and planets that you’ll see overhead during August. Find a good seat for some great “shooting stars,” watch Saturn climb in the eastern sky in early evening, check out the summer's brightest stars, and start looking for a once-in-your-lifetime star blast. 

The post August Podcast: Nova Watch in the Northern Crown appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Reading the Tea Leaves: The Future of the Hubble and Chandra Space Telescopes

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Wed, 07/31/2024 - 3:56pm

Future funding for NASA's remaining Great Observatories — Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope — is still up in the air.

The post Reading the Tea Leaves: The Future of the Hubble and Chandra Space Telescopes appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

David Crawford, 1931–2024

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Mon, 07/29/2024 - 4:42pm

A professional astronomer turned dark-sky champion, David L. Crawford became synonymous with the fight against light pollution around the world.

The post David Crawford, 1931–2024 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Neutron Star Eaten by Small Black Hole (Probably)

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Mon, 07/29/2024 - 2:07pm

Gravitational-wave astronomers have identified ripples in spacetime from the coalescence of a neutron star with what’s likely one of the smallest black holes ever found.

The post Neutron Star Eaten by Small Black Hole (Probably) appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 26 – August 4

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Fri, 07/26/2024 - 3:40am

Very low in the west in bright twilight, have you picked up Venus yet? Binoculars help. Much tougher will be Mercury and Regulus. Their arrangement changes all week.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 26 – August 4 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Astronomers Find 21 “Dark” Neutron Stars Orbiting Sun-like Stars

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Thu, 07/25/2024 - 1:07pm

New analysis has revealed 21 Sun-like stars in mutual orbit around dark objects of neutron star–like masses — rare systems that have escaped destruction by supernova.

The post Astronomers Find 21 “Dark” Neutron Stars Orbiting Sun-like Stars appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

A Closer Look at a Potential "Eyeball Planet"

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Wed, 07/24/2024 - 7:00am

New James Webb Space Telescope observations of LHS 1140b hint at a temperate water world with a nitrogen-rich atmosphere.

The post A Closer Look at a Potential "Eyeball Planet" appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Webb Telescope Sees Morning and Evening on a Hot Saturn

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Tue, 07/23/2024 - 8:26am

The James Webb Space Telescope has for the first time detected the difference between the morning and evening of a tidally locked gas giant planet.

The post Webb Telescope Sees Morning and Evening on a Hot Saturn appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Star-Mapping Mission Gaia Impacted by Micrometeoroid, Solar Storm

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Mon, 07/22/2024 - 10:36am

Having survived two recent threats — high-velocity space dust and enhanced solar activity — Gaia is now returning better data than ever.

The post Star-Mapping Mission Gaia Impacted by Micrometeoroid, Solar Storm appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 19 – 28

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Fri, 07/19/2024 - 4:14am

Scorpius poses at center stage in the south. The Sagittarius Teapot follows behind it. And Rasalhague, the head star of Ophiuchus. turns the Summer Triangle into a big, upright diamond.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 19 – 28 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

New Exploration of Titan's Seas

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Thu, 07/18/2024 - 12:08pm

A new look at data from NASA's Cassini mission confirms methane cycles on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, just as water cycles on Earth.

The post New Exploration of Titan's Seas appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

NASA Cancels VIPER Lunar Rover Mission

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Wed, 07/17/2024 - 4:48pm

The development of the VIPER lunar rover has been discontinued.

The post NASA Cancels VIPER Lunar Rover Mission appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Visual Observing vs. Smart Telescopes — Finding Harmony

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Wed, 07/17/2024 - 8:00am

The latest smartscope astrophotography craze opens the door to some incredible opportunities for both beginners and seasoned observers.

The post Visual Observing vs. Smart Telescopes — Finding Harmony appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Explore Norma: The right (angle) constellation for July

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Tue, 07/16/2024 - 10:34am

Little-known Norma, a small constellation in the southern sky, contains several stellar and deep-sky delights.

The post Explore Norma: The right (angle) constellation for July appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

NASA Announces Summer 2023 Hottest on Record

Earth News - Thu, 09/14/2023 - 3:05pm
The summer of 2023 was Earth’s hottest since global records began in 1880, according to scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) in New York.
Categories: NASA

NASA: El verano de 2023 es el más caluroso en el registro

Earth News - Thu, 09/14/2023 - 11:03am
El verano boreal de 2023 fue el más caluroso para la Tierra desde que se establecieron registros mundiales de temperaturas en 1880, según un análisis realizado por científicos del Instituto Goddard de Estudios Espaciales (GISS, por sus siglas en inglés) de la NASA en Nueva York.
Categories: NASA