BREAKING! Milky Way’s black hole in new image
EarthSky
by Kelly Kizer Whitt
13h ago
The European Southern Observatory released this new image of the Milky Way’s black hole today (March 27, 2024). The newly release image shows the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy in polarized light. Polarized light lets astronomers map a black hole’s magnetic field lines. The discovery also suggests our galaxy’s black hole may be harboring a hidden jet. Image via EHT Collaboration/ ESO. Astronomers used the Event Horizon Telescope to capture the first polarized light image of the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*. This breakthrough suggests that all black ..read more
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Does Jupiter’s moon Europa have a habitable ocean, or not?
EarthSky
by Paul Scott Anderson
22h ago
View larger. | Jupiter’s ocean moon Europa as seen by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ SwRI/ MSSS/ Kevin M. Gill. Used with permission. Jupiter’s large moon Europa seems to have an ocean, buried beneath a crust of ice. Astronomers have long thought Europa’s ocean might be habitable by microbes or other organisms. That’s one reason a spacecraft, Europa Clipper, is scheduled to launch to Europa in October, 2024. Now a new study suggests Europa’s seafloor might not be geologically active enough for volcanos and hydrothermal vents. That would limit chemical reactions needed to ..read more
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Chimpanzees stayed in ‘invisible cage’ after zoo upgrade
EarthSky
by EarthSky Voices
22h ago
A new study shows that chimpanzees remained in their previous spaces in tight groups even after the zoo enlarged their enclosure. Image via Satya Deep/ Unsplash. By Luke Mangaliso Duncan, University of Warwick Captive chimpanzees are one of the most popular species kept in zoos because of their charismatic appeal and similarity to humans. They are the closest living relatives of humans because of the shared genes and behavioral and psychological similarities. Zoos are ethically bound to care for the animals they house. Many provide environments that care for animals’ welfare needs. However, th ..read more
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Fake eclipse glasses polluting marketplace, astronomers warn
EarthSky
by EarthSky Voices
22h ago
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Christopher Kipkemei shared this image of his daughter Imanda safely viewing an annular solar eclipse, as it developed over Syokimau, Kenya (just south of the equator) in 2020. Thank you, Christopher and Imanda! By the way, EarthSky has sold out of eclipse glasses. But – if you hurry – you hopefully can still find safe eclipse glasses via this reputable vendors list from the American Astronomical Society. And read the article below to learn how to avoid fake eclipse glasses, and check to be sure yours are safe. It is not safe to look directly at the sun wi ..read more
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Milky Way season is back! See photos here
EarthSky
by Kelly Kizer Whitt
1w ago
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ross Stone captured the Milky Way – the edgewise view into our home galaxy – from the Owens Valley Radio Observatory in California on March 12, 2024. Ross wrote: “Milky Way season has arrived. 4 a.m. may be a bit early, but now is the best time to be at the CalTech radio telescopes because it’s too cold for the rattlesnakes.” Eek! Good to know. And thank you, Ross!Milky Way season is here! You have to get up early in the morning to see it. But the starry arc of the Milky Way is rising again in our sky. And the EarthSky community of photographers have captur ..read more
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Penumbral lunar eclipse March 24-25, 2024
EarthSky
by Marcy Curran
1w ago
View larger. | Map showing the areas of visibility for the March 24-25, 2024, penumbral lunar eclipse. In a penumbral eclipse, the lighter outer part of Earth’s shadow falls on the moon. So this is a subtle kind of eclipse. You’ll need to look closely to notice it. Image via Dominic Ford from In-The-Sky.org. Used with permission.Penumbral lunar eclipse People in Japan, and eastern half of Australia, the Americas, the western half of Africa, western Europe – and several oceans and parts of Antarctic – will see a deep penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-25, 2024. This eclipse begins the eclipse ..read more
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Jupiter’s stormy weather on display in new Hubble images
EarthSky
by Paul Scott Anderson
1w ago
View larger. | NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured these views (opposite hemispheres) of Jupiter’s stormy weather. Image via NASA/ ESA/ STScI/ Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC). New images of Jupiter from the Hubble Space Telescope the whole of the gas giant as it rotates. These images provide insights into Jupiter’s stormy weather patterns. Jupiter’s weather is intense, due the fact that its atmosphere is tens of thousands of miles deep with no solid surface beneath. The thick jovian atmosphere hosts big and little storms, including cyclones and anticyclones, some larger than Earth. The new images sh ..read more
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Equinox sun above horizon all day, at the poles
EarthSky
by Theresa Wiegert
1w ago
The video above is from the South Pole during polar sunset in March 2022, when the sun goes from having been up for 6 months to being down for the next 6 months. So, during the equinox, the sun scrapes along the horizon during the entire day. But did you know that the equinox sun looks exactly the same at both poles at the same time? Video via South Pole Telescope. An EarthSky reader sent us a question awhile back – at the September equinox 2023 to be exact – to ask how an equinox looks at the North and South Poles. Would it, due to refraction, be above the horizon at both poles at the same t ..read more
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Titanosaurs were the biggest land animals Earth’s ever seen
EarthSky
by EarthSky Voices
1w ago
A Patagonititan titanosaur skeleton cast on display at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois. Titanosaurs were the biggest land animal ever seen on Earth. Image via Zissoudisctrucker/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Kristi Curry Rogers of Macalester College originally wrote this article for the Conversation. Edits by EarthSky. Titanosaurs, a lesser-known group of sauropod dinosaurs, flourished long after their more famous cousins vanished, thriving on all seven continents until an asteroid struck Earth. There were nearly 100 species of titanosaurs, varying greatly in size f ..read more
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Voyager 1 spacecraft has sent a (partly) decipherable message
EarthSky
by EarthSky Voices
1w ago
Artist’s concept shows Voyager 1 against a starry background. The spacecraft, launched in 1977, is no longer in our solar system. But it still communicates with Earth, and in November 2023 it started sending back gibberish. Now NASA engineers says they’ve been able to decipher a new message that Voyager 1 sent in March. Image via Caltech/ NASA-JPL. NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft launched from Earth in 1977. It passed out of the heliosphere – or sphere of our sun’s influence – in 2012. In all that time, Voyager 1 has been communicating with Earth. But since November 2023 – though still sending ra ..read more
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