Astronomy news

• Why Venus is now a slim crescent and will disappear from the evening sky this weekend

  11-08-2023 23:22 via space.com
  
  Venus is approaching 'inferior conjunction' as it swaps from being the 'Evening Star' to the 'Morning Star,' passing between Earth and the sun in the meantime.
  
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• NASA test-fires rocket motors that will help launch samples off Mars (video)

  11-08-2023 23:00 via space.com
  
  NASA has test-fired rocket motors as part of the development of an ascent vehicle designed to launch samples off the surface of Mars.
  
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• Win a free 'Asteroid City' Blu-ray and more in this Facebook giveaway!

  11-08-2023 22:43 via space.com
  
  Enter to win some cool "Asteroid City" merchandise in this free Facebook giveaway
  
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• Instruments for NASA's VERITAS Venus mission get a test in Iceland (photos)

  11-08-2023 22:00 via space.com
  
  This summer, the German Aerospace Center is testing instruments for NASA's VERITAS Venus mission on Iceland's lava flows, a stand-in for the hellishly hot planet.
  
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• After 17 years away, NASA's sun-studying spacecraft will visit Earth on Aug. 12

  11-08-2023 21:30 via space.com
  
  NASA's groundbreaking spacecraft STEREO-A will return to Earth for a flying visit on Saturday (Aug. 12). The spacecraft, which has been away for 17 years, will team up with other NASA missions during its return.
  
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• This shoebox-sized gadget will make sure astronauts breathe safely on NASA's Artemis moon missions

  11-08-2023 21:00 via space.com
  
  A multimillion-dollar laser air monitoring system onboard upcoming Artemis missions is expected to help protect astronaut health.
  
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• Asteroid struck by NASA's DART probe to be radar-scanned with Hera mission

  11-08-2023 20:00 via space.com
  
  The radar component for a CubeSat is being sent to study asteroid Dimorphos has been delivered to ESA for integration with its spacecraft.
  
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• Apple MacBook Air M2 15-inch laptop review

  11-08-2023 18:57 via space.com
  
  Apple’s MacBook Air M2 gets supersized, with predictably impressive results.
  
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• Ancient mud cracks on Mars suggest Red Planet may have been more habitable than thought

  11-08-2023 18:44 via space.com
  
  Ancient mud cracks found by NASA's Curiosity rover suggest that Mars underwent a repeated cycle of wet and dry spells that could have supported the emergence of life.
  
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• Aftermath of Hawaii's deadly wildfire inferno revealed in gut-wrenching satellite images

  11-08-2023 17:26 via space.com
  
  An out-of-control wildfire erupted on the drought-stricken island of Maui earlier this week, wreaking havoc on the Hawaiian town of Lahaina. Satellites provide a sobering view of the scope of destruction.
  
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• Vaonis' Hestia Kickstarter to turn smartphones into smart telescopes crosses $2 million with a week to go

  11-08-2023 17:20 via space.com
  
  A Kickstarter campaign for Hestia, a system that turns a smartphone into a smart telescope, has crossed the $2 million dollar mark with under a week left to go.
  
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• Everything we know about Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2

  11-08-2023 17:00 via space.com
  
  We’re diving back into the grim darkness of the 41st millennium once again, as Titus returns in Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2. For Ultramar!!!
  
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• Nightfox Swift night vision binoculars review

  11-08-2023 16:00 via space.com
  
  A budget pair of night vision binoculars that can be recharged as well as head-mounted for hands-free surveillance.
  
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• Cosmonaut Alexander Viktorenko, who flew to Mir space station four times, dies at 76

  11-08-2023 16:00 via space.com
  
  Russian cosmonaut Alexander Viktorenko has died at 76. Viktorenko's 19-year career included commanding four missions to the Mir space station.
  
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• Anycubic Photon Mono M5s review: 12K printing is here

  11-08-2023 16:00 via space.com
  
  Unbeatable print quality and smart tech make the Photon Mono M5s the 3D printer to beat going forward.
  
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• NASA's Parker Solar Probe to make closest flyby of Venus on Aug. 21

  11-08-2023 15:00 via space.com
  
  Thanks to some precise maneuvering on Aug. 3, NASA says Parker is on-track to make its sixth and closest flyby of Venus on Aug. 21.
  
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• Shiny Perseid meteors light up a dark sky in Portugal (video)

  11-08-2023 14:00 via space.com
  
  The Perseid meteor shower will bring shooting stars to your neighborhood on Aug. 11 and Aug. 12. You can get a preview of the spectacular show in this video.
  
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• Perseid meteor shower peaks this weekend — but 2028's show might be one for the ages

  11-08-2023 12:00 via space.com
  
  The annual Perseid meteor shower should put on a nice show this weekend — but a spectacular Perseid display appears to be in the cards five years from now.
  
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• Exoplanets in the Trappist-1 system more likely to be habitable than scientists once thought, study suggests

  11-08-2023 12:00 via space.com
  
  Exoplanets in the habitable zone of the Trappist-1 star, some 40 light-years away from Earth, are more likely to have liquid water than researchers previously thought, according to a new study.
  
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• Russia launches Luna-25 moon lander, its 1st lunar probe in 47 years

  11-08-2023 01:38 via space.com
  
  Russia reignited its moon exploration program today (Aug. 10), sending the Luna-25 lander toward Earth's nearest neighbor.
  
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• 16 Aug 2023 (5 days away): The Moon at apogee

  11-08-2023 01:24 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon recedes to its orbit's furthest point from the Earth, making it appear fractionally smaller than at other times of the month.
  
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• 16 Aug 2023 (5 days away): New Moon

  11-08-2023 01:24 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon disappears into the Sun's glare for a few days.
  
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• 15 Aug 2023 (5 days away): Messier 2 is well placed

  11-08-2023 01:24 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The globular cluster M2 (NGC 7089; mag 6.5) in Aquarius culminates at around midnight local time.
  
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• 14 Aug 2023 (4 days away): Messier 15 is well placed

  11-08-2023 01:24 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The globular cluster M15 (NGC 7078; mag 6.2) in Pegasus culminates at around midnight local time.
  
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• 13 Aug 2023 (2 days away): Venus at inferior solar conjunction

  11-08-2023 01:24 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Venus passes around the near side of the Sun.
  
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• 13 Aug 2023 (2 days away): Perseid meteor shower 2023

  11-08-2023 01:24 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak.
  
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