Astronomy news

• 'Star Wars: Visions' Volume 2 blasts back onto Disney+ this year for Star Wars Day

  08-02-2023 23:00 via space.com
  
  Disney+ released a list of all nine animated shorts for the new season of "Star Wars: Visions" which premieres on Star Wars Day, May 4, 2023.
  
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• Tiny NASA moon probe can't reach lunar orbit as planned

  08-02-2023 22:53 via space.com
  
  After launching with SpaceX in December 2022, Lunar Flashlight ran into trouble in deep space. Now the mission is eyeing a high-Earth orbit that will allow monthly moon flybys.
  
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• Don't panic: Ingenuity helicopter reaches 42 flights on Mars

  08-02-2023 22:30 via space.com
  
  As Ingenuity scouts for Mars sample return, NASA says the milestone flight and larger Perseverance rover mission represents 'the meaning of life, the universe and everything.'
  
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• James Webb Space Telescope pushed past its limits to observe DART asteroid crash

  08-02-2023 22:00 via space.com
  
  The James Webb Space Telescope had to perform outside of its design limits to observe the collision of NASA's DART probe with asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in September last year, NASA has revealed
  
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• Virgin Orbit's failed debut UK rocket launch traced to '$100 part:' report

  08-02-2023 21:00 via space.com
  
  Virgin Orbit's debut Cornwall orbital launch ended in failure Jan. 9, and early stages of the investigation point to an inexpensive part in rocket LauncherOne.
  
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• ESA successfully unfurls sail to drag spacecraft out of orbit

  08-02-2023 20:00 via space.com
  
  The European Space Agency has successfully unfurled a sail aboard a used cubesat to help drag the spacecraft down into Earth's atmosphere and out of orbit.
  
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• See the green comet near Mars in the night sky this week

  08-02-2023 19:09 via space.com
  
  Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be positioned close to Mars in the Taurus constellation from Feb. 9 through Feb. 14, making it easier to locate as it dims in the night sky.
  
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• Space claw! Sun shoots powerful flare that knocks out shortwave radio (video)

  08-02-2023 18:00 via space.com
  
  The sun is growing more active in its regular 11-year-cycle and has a huge sunspot serving as a hotbed of flares and other activity.
  
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• A dwarf planet beyond Neptune has a mysterious ring that astronomers can't explain

  08-02-2023 17:00 via space.com
  
  A mini-planet orbiting in the frigid outer reaches of the solar system has a Saturn-like ring of dust and debris that defies the rules of physics, a new study has revealed.
  
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• A fleet of gamma-ray burst detecting cubesats could help crack mystery of neutron star mergers

  08-02-2023 16:00 via space.com
  
  A constellation of tiny satellites could revolutionize the study of the most energetic explosion in the cosmos and help astronomers untangle the mysteries of colliding neutron stars.
  
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• 15 Feb 2023 (7 days away): Mercury at aphelion

  08-02-2023 15:06 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury reaches its furthest point from the Sun.
  
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• Watch Russia launch cargo mission to space station early Thursday

  08-02-2023 15:00 via space.com
  
  Russia will launch a robotic cargo mission to the International Space Station early Thursday morning (Feb. 9), and you can watch the action live.
  
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• Save $200 on the Nikon D850: An impressive DSLR camera for professionals

  08-02-2023 14:58 via space.com
  
  This Nikon D850 deal is not only a brilliant camera but comes with an additional free bundle worth $180 to add to your photography arsenal.
  
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• 08 Feb 2023 (7 days ago): α-Centaurid meteor shower 2023

  08-02-2023 14:47 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The α-Centaurid meteor shower reaches its peak.
  
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• 08 Feb 2023 (6 days ago): α-Centaurid meteor shower 2023

  08-02-2023 14:47 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The α-Centaurid meteor shower reaches its peak.
  
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• 08 Feb 2023 (5 days ago): α-Centaurid meteor shower 2023

  08-02-2023 14:47 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The α-Centaurid meteor shower reaches its peak.
  
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• 08 Feb 2023 (4 days ago): α-Centaurid meteor shower 2023

  08-02-2023 14:47 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The α-Centaurid meteor shower reaches its peak.
  
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• 08 Feb 2023 (3 days ago): α-Centaurid meteor shower 2023

  08-02-2023 14:47 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The α-Centaurid meteor shower reaches its peak.
  
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• 08 Feb 2023 (2 days ago): α-Centaurid meteor shower 2023

  08-02-2023 14:47 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The α-Centaurid meteor shower reaches its peak.
  
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• Turkey earthquake devastation spotted by satellites (photos)

  08-02-2023 14:45 via space.com
  
  The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake Monday (Feb. 6) and aftershocks is estimated to be at least 11,200 people in the region, according to reports.
  
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• Defying gravity: How video games play with gravity and zero-g

  08-02-2023 14:30 via space.com
  
  Float on over here as we look at some of the most interesting uses of gravity and weightlessness in video games.
  
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• The Alpha-Centaurids meteor shower peaks tonight for Southern Hemisphere skywatchers

  08-02-2023 14:00 via space.com
  
  The annual meteor shower Alpha-Centaurids peaks on Wednesday (Feb. 8) as Earth passes through a cloud of debris left by an unknown comet - but only for skywatchers in the Southern Hemisphere.
  
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• US military begins recovering Chinese spy balloon debris (photos)

  08-02-2023 12:00 via space.com
  
  Recovery teams have already found some pieces of the Chinese surveillance balloon, which an F-22 fighter jet shot down on Saturday (Feb. 4).
  
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• Massive comet hurtling past the sun is chasing its tail

  08-02-2023 12:00 via space.com
  
  The massive comet 96P Machholz is currently headed through the inner solar system, and a closer look at this unusual 4-mile-wide space snowball reveals that it's chasing its own tail.
  
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• 15 Feb 2023 (7 days away): Conjunction of Venus and Neptune

  08-02-2023 01:15 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Venus and Neptune share the same right ascension, at a separation of 0°00'.
  
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• 14 Feb 2023 (6 days away): Lunar occultation of Delta Scorpii

  08-02-2023 01:15 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Delta Scorpii (Dschubba), creating a lunar occultation visible from countries and territories including Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Guyana amongst others.
  
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• 13 Feb 2023 (5 days away): Moon at Last Quarter

  08-02-2023 01:15 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon rises in the east at around midnight and appears high in the sky at sunrise.
  
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• 11 Feb 2023 (3 days away): Conjunction of Mercury and Pluto

  08-02-2023 01:15 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury and Pluto share the same right ascension, at a separation of 1°34'.
  
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• 08 Feb 2023 (Today): NGC 2808 is well placed

  08-02-2023 01:15 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The globular cluster NGC 2808 (mag 6.2) in Carina culminates at around midnight local time.
  
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• 08 Feb 2023 (Today): α-Centaurid meteor shower 2023

  08-02-2023 01:15 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The α-Centaurid meteor shower reaches its peak.
  
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