Category: Space

Uncommon Ice

Different Types of Ice Learning about Isabel Pulido’s NanoFreeze technology, which is helping preserve food in rural Colombia, led me to take a closer look at the science of freezing. At first, it seemed simple—ice is just frozen water. But I soon found out that water can actually freeze into nearly 20 different solid forms,… Continue reading Uncommon Ice

The Parade of Planets:

A Guide to this Upcoming Celestial Event Looking out my window one recent night, I noticed the crescent moon with three other bright points of light trailing in an arc. I had often seen Venus and, less often, Mars and Jupiter. I hadn’t noted that arc before, though I must have seen it. What was… Continue reading The Parade of Planets:

A Northern Light Show in Northern California:

The Aurora Borealis Illuminates the Sky In a rare celestial display, the Aurora Borealis painted the night skies over Northern California with glowing, spectral colors this past Friday and Saturday, May 10th and 11th. Stargazers and casual observers alike seldom see the Northern Lights so far south. What are the Northern Lights?  The Northern Lights… Continue reading A Northern Light Show in Northern California:

A Totality of Clouds

Last July, my friend Bette suggested we all come back in April for the coming total solar eclipse. “Upstate New York is right in the path of Totality.” As we sat on her sunny porch basking in the warmth of old friendships, I couldn’t think of a better place to view this spectacle. Wyoming Totality,… Continue reading A Totality of Clouds

Goodbye Moon?

“Some say the world will end in fire…” —Robert Frost As we prepare for a spectacular eclipse on April 8, 2024, we can reflect on a cosmic question. Are we losing our moon? Although the moon seems constant in its orbit about 384,000 km from earth, it is moving slowly away. Each year the moon… Continue reading Goodbye Moon?

Nancy Grace Roman:

Gazing Beyond the Stars Last week’s post referred to the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope and a reader asked, “Who is Nancy Grace Roman?” NASA astronomer Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, a tireless champion of the Hubble Space Telescope, became the first woman to serve as Chief of Astronomy at NASA. Her pioneering work laid the groundwork… Continue reading Nancy Grace Roman:

Lone Wanderers

“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;” from W. B. Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming.” Imagine a planet without a star to orbit, drifting alone through vast space. Such lone wanderers, known as rogue planets, are planets not bound to any star. Astronomers think a collision with another proto-planet knocked them out of their star… Continue reading Lone Wanderers

India’s Lunar Leap!

First Nation to the Moon’s South Pole! On August 23, 2023, India achieved a monumental milestone in the annals of space exploration: the successful landing of its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft near the moon’s south pole. While space missions might seem remote, this event holds more significance than you might think. Here’s why: Exploring New Frontiers: India… Continue reading India’s Lunar Leap!