Astronomy news

• Virgin Galactic to ground its VSS Unity space plane next year: report

  09-11-2023 23:26 via space.com
  
  Virgin Galactic plans to pause flights with its VSS Unity suborbital space plane next year to ramp up work on its next-generation 'Delta class' vehicles.
  
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• Mars, Earth, or deep space? ESA narrows down finalists for a future space mission

  09-11-2023 23:00 via space.com
  
  After a rigorous selection process, ESA has arrived at three medium-sized space mission ideas for the future. Before the winner is selected, read on to decide your favorite.
  
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• 1st black hole ever imaged by humans has twisted magnetic fields and scientists are thrilled

  09-11-2023 22:29 via space.com
  
  Observations from the Event Horizon Telescope show that the supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy M87 has twisted magnetic fields that help matter and light escape from the immense gravity in its vicinity.
  
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• Frank Borman, Apollo 8 astronaut who led first flight to the moon, dies at 95

  09-11-2023 22:10 via space.com
  
  Former NASA astronaut Frank Borman, who in 1968 led the first mission to fly humans to the moon, has died. Borman lifted off twice: on the Gemini 7 mission in 1965 and Apollo 8 into lunar orbit.
  
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• Powerful new thrusters for NASA's moon-orbiting Gateway space station get a test (photo)

  09-11-2023 22:00 via space.com
  
  The propulsion system for NASA's planned moon-orbiting Gateway space station has been undergoing qualification testing at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
  
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• James Webb Space Telescope uses cosmic magnifying glass to spot Christmas Tree Galaxy Cluster

  09-11-2023 21:12 via space.com
  
  The James Webb Space Telescope used a galaxy as a cosmic magnifying glass to find transient objects in the "Christmas Tree" cluster, a Winter Wonderland of even more galaxies.
  
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• James Webb Space Telescope gets ready for the holidays with a cosmic Christmas Tree (image)

  09-11-2023 21:12 via space.com
  
  The James Webb Space Telescope used a galaxy as a cosmic magnifying glass to find transient objects in the "Christmas Tree" cluster, a Winter Wonderland of even more galaxies.
  
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• Build your own AI-powered Perseverance Mars rover with this new DIY kit

  09-11-2023 20:59 via space.com
  
  A new robotics kit is coming for DIYers out there, but this one has an out of this world twist: It's a miniature robotic replica of the NASA Mars Perseverance rover.
  
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• Astronauts might be able to grow plants on the moon, thanks to a few Earth microbes

  09-11-2023 20:30 via space.com
  
  Microbes could help unlock vital nutrients in lunar soil to one day help farms sustain astronaut crews on the moon, a new study reports.
  
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• 18 Nov 2023 (9 days away): Mars at solar conjunction

  09-11-2023 20:26 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mars is unobservable as it passes around the far side of the Sun – marking the end of one apparition and the beginning of the next.
  
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• 15 Nov 2023 (6 days away): The Moon at perihelion

  09-11-2023 20:26 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its orbit's closest point to the Sun, which happens each month around the time of new moon.
  
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• Between Venus' atmospheric currents, a layer of reactive oxygen

  09-11-2023 20:00 via space.com
  
  Scientists found atomic oxygen buried between two dominant currents in the hellish planet's atmosphere.
  
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• NASA’s robotic prospectors are helping scientists understand what asteroids are made of, setting the stage for miners to follow someday

  09-11-2023 19:00 via space.com
  
  Some companies hope to one day search for deposits that are literally out of this world — on asteroids.
  
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• 2nd rocket booster lifted into place for space shuttle Endeavour LA exhibit

  09-11-2023 18:00 via space.com
  
  For the second time, the largest part of a space shuttle-era rocket booster has been taken vertical as part of the display of the orbiter Endeavour at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
  
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• SpaceX will launch the Space Force's mysterious X-37B space plane on a Falcon Heavy rocket Dec. 7

  09-11-2023 17:42 via space.com
  
  U.S. Space Force's X-37B reusable space plane is set to take off on its seventh mission on Dec. 7, 2023, its first launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
  
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• NASA's modified U-2 spy plane is hunting for 'strategic minerals' in the desert. Here's why

  09-11-2023 17:00 via space.com
  
  NASA is flying the agency's high-altitude ER-2 aircraft over the American Southwest in order to map deposits of minerals that are critical for electronics manufacturing.
  
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• NASA's hunting for 'strategic minerals' in the desert with a modified U-2 spy plane. Here's why

  09-11-2023 17:00 via space.com
  
  NASA is flying the agency's high-altitude ER-2 aircraft over the American Southwest in order to map deposits of minerals that are critical for electronics manufacturing.
  
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• A satellite's very tiny camera took a very blurry picture of Earth — and it's perfect

  09-11-2023 16:00 via space.com
  
  ESA's TRISAT-R satellite has a camera that's only about the size of a coin, yet it managed to capture a view of our entire world.
  
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• September launch failure likely caused by 'electrical arc,' Rocket Lab says

  09-11-2023 15:00 via space.com
  
  Rocket Lab has identified an unwanted 'electrical arc' as the likely cause of its September launch failure, though the company's investigation continues.
  
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• Artemis moon astronauts will need oxygen. NASA wants to extract it from lunar dust

  09-11-2023 14:00 via space.com
  
  NASA wants to figure out how future moon-dwellers can produce, capture and store breathable oxygen from lunar soil.
  
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• 14 Nov 2023 (5 days away): Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury

  09-11-2023 12:22 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Mercury share the same right ascension, at a separation of 1°39'.
  
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• 13 Nov 2023 (4 days away): Uranus at opposition

  09-11-2023 12:22 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Uranus lies in the opposite direction to the Sun in the sky, making it optimally positioned to be observable for much of the night.
  
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• SpaceX will launch Ireland's 1st-ever satellite this month

  09-11-2023 12:00 via space.com
  
  EIRSAT-1, a student-led gamma-ray astronomy cubesat, is due to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at the end of November.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (Yesterday): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (Yesterday): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (9 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (9 hours ago): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (8 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (8 hours ago): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (7 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (7 hours ago): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
  Read more

• 09 Nov 2023 (5 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (5 hours ago): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
  Read more

• 09 Nov 2023 (47 minutes ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (47 minutes ago): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (4 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (4 hours ago): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (3 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (3 hours ago): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (23 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (23 hours ago): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
  Read more

• 09 Nov 2023 (22 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
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• 09 Nov 2023 (22 hours ago): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
  Read more

• 09 Nov 2023 (21 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
  Read more

• 09 Nov 2023 (21 hours ago): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
  Read more

• 09 Nov 2023 (20 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
  Read more

• 09 Nov 2023 (20 hours ago): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
  Read more

• 09 Nov 2023 (2 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
  Read more

• 09 Nov 2023 (2 hours ago): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
  Read more

• 09 Nov 2023 (19 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Venus

  09-11-2023 11:34 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa, Asia, Europe, Greenland, Russia, Corsica, Guernsey, Svalbard, Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Shetland, Orkney, Northern Ireland and RAF Akrotiri.
  
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