≋S≋P≋A≋C≋E≋:≋ ≋T≋h≋e≋ ≋F≋i≋n≋a≋l≋ ≋F≋r≋o≋n≋t≋i≋e≋r≋ Showing 551-600 of 1,438

[Alexis]

Yes, I must say I'm hooked too!

[Graham]

Oh yes! Anymore learning and I could actually become an astronaut😉

[Bernard]

A historical post: was it a meteorite, a small black hole .... or a UFO?

https://www.britannica.com/event/Tung...

[Grasshopper, Administrator]

Very interesting fact. However a black hole would have far more serious ramifications wouldn't it?

[Ian]

From what I can make out,l whatever caused Tunguska did not not the ground but apparently exploded above it. lf so it could not have been a meteorite. (A meteorite is the lump of rock that remains after, and not the actual projectile.) My guess is it was a small icy lump of a piece of a comet.

[Beatrice]

Ian wrote: "From what I can make out,l whatever caused Tunguska did not not the ground but apparently exploded above it. lf so it could not have been a meteorite. (A meteorite is the lump of rock that remains ..."

I'm not sure I understand

[Ian]

Oops - typing error. I meant to say there is no evidence of anything actually hitting the ground. Trees were knocked over from a pressure blast, but there is no sign of a crater, or of dirt flung out, and no sign of meteorites (solid objects - a meteorite is solid remain of the vent - the ending "ite" is a geologist's ending and basically means it is a rock you can put in your hand. Before it lands it is a meteor.) Given there is no signs of basaltic rock, a lump of iron, or a chondrite, it must have exploded in the air and the most likely reason for that would be it was an icy object, like a piece of comet, which is effectively dust, frozen gas, and ice.

[Grasshopper, Administrator]

Thanks for making astrophysics sound so easy 😊

[Bernard]

The chondrite fell
With hissing sound
Then finally
It struck the ground.

[Bradley]

Brilliant work Bernard!

[Beatrice]

So space is the Muse for the Spacebot 😊

[Beatrice]

Ian wrote: "Oops - typing error. I meant to say there is no evidence of anything actually hitting the ground. Trees were knocked over from a pressure blast, but there is no sign of a crater, or of dirt flung o..."

Thanks Ian

[Alexis]

Bernard wrote: "The chondrite fell
With hissing sound
Then finally
It struck the ground."

Man no! Offensive to inflict poems on non-poets!
🤣

[Bernard]

Sorry Alexis, I hope it wasnt too traumatic.

I title it "Ode to a Chondrite".

[Graham]

Ha,ha. I'm lovin this

[Bernard]

Latest SpaceX news: I hope the robots enjoy their stay in the hotel

https://www.space.com/spacex-dragon-c...

[Beatrice]

Did it say they had a mouse on board???👀

[Ian]

Bernard wrote: "Latest SpaceX news: I hope the robots enjoy their stay in the hotel

https://www.space.com/spacex-dragon-c..."

Fresh oil and lube each 8 am

[Beatrice]

Don't know about those, but found this out:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/st...

[Bernard]

Beatrice wrote: "Did it say they had a mouse on board???👀"

Not one mouse, 40 of them! Intrepid ones it seems.

[Bernard]

Beatrice wrote: "Don't know about those, but found this out:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/st..."

Interesting.

"Please welcome Professor Hoffenhauer, the well known rodent researcher."

[Grasshopper, Administrator]

Beatrice would be mortified! 😅

[Ian]

Rodent research - 19. I wonder what the other 18 are about?

[Bernard]

I only know RR #7: Can rats play poker?

[Ian]

Very well, after a little gnawing to mark the cards

[Grasshopper, Administrator]

🤣🤣

[Beatrice]

Grasshopper wrote: "Beatrice would be mortified! 😅"

I am too! But this is hilarious. ROFL

[Bernard]

After the hilarity and mortification, back to serious space-related topics ....

Venus and Saturn conjoin to herald the advent of Christmas

https://www.space.com/venus-saturn-co...

[Grasshopper, Administrator]

Physicists See Hints of X17, an Elusive Particle That Could Be a New Force of Nature
https://www.sciencealert.com/physicis...

[Bernard]

If this is fully confirmed, it is huge! I predict it will have a massive impact on space, and possibly even literature.

[Sandra]

It's so difficult to separate the news from the chaff these days!

[Bernard]

Yes, fake news is the scourge of the modern world. But this story is more believable than the cold fusion one.

[Beatrice]

I think I'll just wait for Ian to explain it to me! 😅

[Bernard]

Astronomy 101: And now .... the pulsar

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulsar

[Graham]

I wish I had paid more attention in school 🙄!

[Bernard]

Well thats water under the bridge Graham. But now you can learn as much space related stuff as you want.

[Grasshopper, Administrator]

Scientists Uncover The Cause of Mysterious 'Tiger Stripes' on Saturn's Moon Enceladus
https://www.sciencealert.com/this-is-...

[Grasshopper, Administrator]

100 mysterious blinking lights in the night sky could be evidence of alien life... or something weird, say boffins
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/12...

[Graham]

Bernard wrote: "Well thats water under the bridge Graham. But now you can learn as much space related stuff as you want."

Thanks for the encouragement Bernard, but I'm afraid we have far too much to learn and too little time..

[Grasshopper, Administrator]

An ultra-rare solar eclipse is happening in Singapore on Boxing Day – here’s where to see the 1-min ‘ring of fire’

https://www.businessinsider.sg/an-ult...

[Bernard]

Ring of fire? Hmmm …. Johnny Cash?

Planet Profiling (Cheops? A pharaoh???)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-en...

[Alexis]

A remarkable couple of years for space. There is discovery almost every day!

[Bradley]

Indeed

[Bernard]

Starliner blasts off

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-en...

[Ian]

Bernard wrote: "Starliner blasts off

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-en..."

But misses its destination. Software problem? Boeing's auto-fly systems are having a bad trot.

[Bernard]

It could be. Software bugs are ubiqitous. But it could be an old fashioned hardware problem.

[Bernard]

Just a note to say hello to the winter solstice.

[Grasshopper, Administrator]

Hello & Goodbye to the longest night of the year!

[Ian]

Bernard wrote: "It could be. Software bugs are ubiqitous. But it could be an old fashioned hardware problem."

Unlikely. as the motors are still firing and they intend to bring the craft down to Earth. Their problem was they could not dock.

[Ian]

Re, the starliner - it WAS a software problem, sort of. The excuse now is the clock on the starliner had a different time from a clock on the main motor, so the final motors fired prematurely, putting it in the wrong orbit. Reminds me of a Mars probe failure - there two teams involved in programming, and one used US units and the other used metric units. Someone should check these things because that is a lot of money wasted on something trivial, like failure to have everything using the same time or the same units.