A Road Trip with Commander Chris

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These New Computer Simulations of the Sun are Hypnotic June 1, 2023
It’s almost impossible to over-emphasize the primal, raging, natural power of a star. Our Sun may appear benign in simple observations, but with the advanced scientific instruments at our disposal in modern times, we know differently. In observations outside the narrow band of light our eyes can see, the Sun appears as an enraged, infuriated […]
Evan Gough
JWST Scans an Ultra-Hot Jupiter’s Atmosphere June 1, 2023
When astronomers discovered WASP-18b in 2009, they uncovered one of the most unusual planets ever found. It’s ten times as massive as Jupiter is, it’s tidally locked to its Sun-like star, and it completes an orbit in less than one Earth day, about 23 hours. Now astronomers have pointed the JWST and its powerful NIRSS […]
Evan Gough
You Can Detect Tsunamis as They Push the Atmosphere Around June 1, 2023
Anyone who’s ever lived along a coastline or been at sea knows the effects of tsunamis. And, they appreciate all the early warning they can get if one’s on the way. Now, NASA’s GNSS Upper Atmospheric Real-time Disaster and Alert Network (GUARDIAN) is using global navigation systems to measure the effect these ocean disturbances have […]
Carolyn Collins Petersen
Exactly How Massive is the Milky Way? June 1, 2023
What is the mass of the Milky Way? What do you get if you add up all the stars, gas, dust, black holes, planets, and dark matter? It's a tricky problem since we're embedded inside the Milky Way. The post Exactly How Massive is the Milky Way? appeared first on Universe Today.
Brian Koberlein
If You’re Going to Visit Venus, Why Not Include an Asteroid Flyby Too? June 1, 2023
A recent study submitted to Acta Astronautica examines the prospect of designing a Venus mission flight plan that would involve visiting a nearby asteroid after performing a gravity assist maneuver at Venus but prior to final contact with the planet. The study was conducted by Vladislav Zubko, who is a researcher and PhD Candidate at […]
Laurence Tognetti