China’s Chang’e-5 lunar lander has made the first in situ detection of water on the Moon, using reflectance spectroscopy from the surface of our natural satellite. Plus, all the news from the AAS virtual press conferences, including black holes and galaxies.
Scientists examined over 80,000 images from large telescopes and their sensitive instruments and found over 70 free-floating planets with the possibility for even more. Plus, a red giant supernova, new images of the Flame Nebula, and a review of Netflix’s “Don’t Look Up”.
With the successful launch of the JWST, the focus turns to the complicated process of unfurling the sunshield and unfolding the mirror. We’ll look at just where NASA is in the process and how much farther we have to go before first light. Plus, Earth and supernovae, and in this week’s What’s Up, we look forward to 2022’s astronomy events.
Dr. Pamela and Beth each picked their three favorite stories from 2021, including news from Mars and Pluto and about distant comets and undead white dwarf stars. Plus, we interview Dr. Jackie Faherty from the American Museum of Natural History about citizen science, exoplanets, and JWST.
Dr. Pamela takes a deep dive into her feelings about the JWST, its pending launch, and just what the telescope means to the astronomical community. Plus, general relativity is still true, a huge filament of gas in the Milky Way, and we interview Hamed Valizadegan, project lead for ExoMiner.
New models of sublimating nitrogen show that the process creates enough heat to drive the formation and texture of the polygons in Sputnik Planitia. Plus, black holes, star formation, and an interview with Dr. Jonathan McDowell, orbital police.
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