Jupiter and Saturn united in a “great conjunction,” the storms of Neptune puzzling astronomers, and Venus will be visited by a solar mission shortly after Christmas. These are some of Space.com’s top stories this week.
“Great conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn enchants celestial spectators.
On the last solstice of the year, Saturn and Jupiter joined in the sky for a “great conjunction.” They are hundreds of millions of miles apart in space, but from Earth’s perspective, the gas giants were one-tenth of a degree. The planets have not appeared so close together in the sky in centuries.
Full story: Rare ‘great conjunction’ of Jupiter and Saturn impresses skywatchers around the world
Mystery signal comes from the direction of Proxima Centauri.
According to a report from The Guardian, astronomers have detected a signal from the direction of the closest galaxy to the sun. The unusual radio signals were detected by the Parkes telescope in Australia, which is part of the $ 100 Breakthrough Listen project seeking signatures from alien technology.
Full story: Alien hunters detect mystery signal from the nearest galaxy
Silver dollar artwork honors Christa McAuliffe.
On December 18, the artwork was officially unveiled for the 2021 Christa McAuliffe Silver Dollar. This coin is a tribute to the first educator who launched into space. “We hope this coin will honor Christa’s memory and are proud to assist in the continued legacy of her mission to inspire young people to become science and technology leaders,” said David Ryder, president of the US Mint. during a ceremony.
Full story: Silver dollar unveiled for fallen Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe
NASA will receive $ 23.3 billion for fiscal year 2021.
Congress released a spending bill on Monday (Dec. 21) that allocated more than $ 23 billion to NASA. This amount of money is $ 642 million higher than what the space agency received for 2020, but it’s $ 2 billion less than what NASA requested. For example, the Artemis program human landing system received a quarter of the requested funding, but other human exploration projects such as Space Launch Systems mega-socket received the requested funding.
Full story: NASA Receives $ 23.3 Billion For Fiscal Year 2021 In Congress Omnibus Expenditure Account: Report
Neptune’s storms are puzzling astronomers.
Neptune has big storms in its atmosphere, but a new observation fascinates astronomers. A vortex first observed in 2018 started drifting south to Neptune’s equator, then reversed and traveled north. A second smaller spot in the planet’s atmosphere was also detected, possibly part of the larger storm that had broken loose.
Full story: A dark storm on Neptune has changed direction, and scientists cannot explain why
Scientists detect the farthest (and oldest) galaxy from Earth.
Astronomers believe they have found the oldest galaxy ever observed. At 13.4 billion light years away, the galaxy GN-z11 is the most distant galaxy from Earth that we can see. Because light has a fixed speed, the vast distances between objects in space allow astronomers to view objects as they looked in the past.
Full story: Scientists believe they have seen the farthest galaxy in the universe
Google Cloud will host preliminary data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
On December 9, representatives of the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile announced a three-year agreement with Google. Rubin’s Interim Data Facility will collect preliminary data until the observatory is fully operational and this information will be stored in the Google cloud.
Full story: Rubin Observatory and Google store astronomy data in the cloud
Ceramic part is printed in space for the first time.
Florida-based company Made In Space manufactured the first ceramic part in orbit. Their Ceramic Manufacturing Module (CMM), which arrived at the International Space Station in October, 3D printed the bladed disc. The test object will return to Earth in January 2021.
Full story: Made In Space orbits a ceramic turbine in a new 3D printing milestone
A new method could confirm the existence of secret Uranus oceans.
New work presented Dec. 15 describes a method that can help researchers detect subterranean oceans in distant worlds. Possible oceans beneath the surface of Uranus’ moons can be confirmed in this way, and the method may also have applications for understanding potentially habitable worlds elsewhere in space.
Full story: Are secret oceans hiding on Uranus’ moons?
The European Solar Orbiter mission will soon pass Venus.
The innovative new mission called Solar Orbiter is designed to study the sun and its area of influence known as the heliosphere. However, this joint project of the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA will swing past Venus on Dec. 27. His maneuver will bring the spacecraft about 4,700 miles (7,500 kilometers) above Venus’ atmosphere.
Full story: Europe’s Solar Orbiter is on its way to a vacation near Venus
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