Space and Astronomy Megathread (MERGED) - Part 1

She says that she's been busy writing a book, which was why her channel was dead for months. She announced her return two weeks ago:



This was her first video back:

 

Yeah, I know. Just glad she's back.

 

Portugal Just Launched a National Space Agency!

Surprised that they didn't have one already.

 

NASA's Voyager and Pioneer Probes Launched Decades Ago and Are Still Out There. Here's Where They'll End Up.

 

Here's a great video about where the Voyagers are at the moment. A surprisingly emotional video.

 

Something Strange Punched a Hole in the Milky Way. But What Exactly Is It?

 

NASA drops insane map of 4,000 planets outside our solar system

 

This is not an April Fool's joke. It appears that soon everyone on Earth can be as rich as Jeff Bezos !! There's more than enough Gold to make everyone on Earth Rich $$ ! Or maybe not, there's only One thing that prevents this from happening, Economics !

Giant asteroid could make us billionaires

Why 16 Psyche, a gaint asteroid full of gold, won't make us richer

 

Gold is only a rarity because of its quantity and availability on earth. But if our species is going to move beyond this planet and is going to start mining off planet we're going to have to accept and allow things like gold to become common. We shouldnt not mine certain minerals just to artificially maintain archaic economic status quos. Just like how salt is no longer a precious mineral that only the rich can afford. If there is an asteroid with that much gold it should be mined of all its gold, brought to earth, and it should be used. I'm sure there are many many many applications and future innovations that require gold but are currently being put on hold or hampered by gold scarcity and it's current value on earth.

 

"Curiosity’s Mastcam snapped the panorama images from a location 327 meters (1,073 feet) above the rover’s landing site, which is out of view behind a slight rise. But nearby Yellowknife Bay, where Curiosity found carbon compounds and evidence of an ancient freshwater lake environment, is visible, along with weathered relics of ancient stream beds that once carried water into Gale Crater some three billion years ago."

Article with more info: Curiosity snaps spectacular Mars panorama – Astronomy Now

 

Very impressive.

 

I've been watching documentaries all week because of the anniversary. I really loved the 8 Days one from PBS as the audio captured a lot of the down moments from the astronauts that we don't normally see. It humanizes them.

 

So what is with the rash of Area 51 videos on YouTube as of late?

 

Ancient Mars tsunami hints at surprisingly wet world


That's interesting

 

Jupiter just got slammed by something so big we saw it from Earth

 

A couple of short, educational “dramas” about how hard it might be to find Earth-like exo-planets:


*


h/t Phil Plait

 

Asteroid warning: Apocalyptic 'God of Chaos' powering towards Earth in time for 2029 | Science | News | Express.co.uk

"The asteroid Apophis is set to “skim the surface” of the planet in 2029 at an astounding distance of just 19,000 miles. Educational YouTube channel Second Thought explained in a video released on Friday: “Many scientists are keeping a close eye on the asteroid Apophis, which in 10 years will pass just 19,000 miles from Earth - basically skimming the surface in cosmological terms. To put in perspective just how close it will be, consider the fact Apophis will pass between weather satellites and the Earth."

 

I looked this up and I see only tabloids picking up this story. As far as I can tell, the chances of it hitting Earth in 2029 are pretty slim. Besides, Climate Change will be halfway done killing us anyway.

 

Apophis seems to be the go-to asteroid for the doomsayer crowd. Several years ago, there was concern about a possible 2029 impact. It was soon determined, however, that this wouldn’t happen. But then there were additional concerns that the 2029 close encounter would alter Apophis’s orbit and could setup an impact in 2036. For this to happen, Apophis would have to make a precisely defined flyby in 2029 - through a so-called “gravitational keyhole.” And according to the best calculations, Apophis will miss the keyhole.