JWST and the 30 Days of Terror

JWST and the 30 Days of Terror

Jan 7, 2022 | Cassini, Daily Space, Earth, Globular Cluster, JWST, Our Solar System, Physics, Saturn, Sky Watching, Stars, Supernovae

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.

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New, Deep Images of Milky Way’s Black Hole Show Stars Moving

New, Deep Images of Milky Way’s Black Hole Show Stars Moving

Dec 15, 2021 | Active Galaxies, AGU, Asteroids, Daily Space, Exoplanets, Mars, Milky Way, Review, Stars, Supermassive Black Holes

Using the ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, scientists have obtained the deepest and sharpest images of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. They tracked the orbits of stars and were able to more precisely measure the mass of the black hole. Plus, new ways to research meteors, and a review of a Peak Design camera anchor system.

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Overlooked Exoplanet Found by Citizen Scientists

Overlooked Exoplanet Found by Citizen Scientists

Dec 13, 2021 | Brown Dwarf, Citizen Science, Climate Change, Daily Space, Earth, Exoplanets, Milky Way, Review, Rockets, Spacecraft, SpaceX, Supermassive Black Holes

Using data provided by the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 citizen science project, volunteers found a possible large planet or brown dwarf orbiting its star at a distance of more than 1,600 astronomical units. Plus, NASA launches the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, and we review Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

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