Asteroid Selfie
Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs epic close-up just 30 feet above asteroid Ryugu: https://www.cnet.com/news/japans-hayabusa2-spacecraft-snaps-close-up-just-30-feet-above-asteroid/
Hayabusa2 has been hanging out orbiting Ryugu for almost a year now, doing science, shooting cannonballs at it, snapping pics and, soon, snagging a material sample.
Originally posted on Twitter.
ISS Is Open For Business
NASA declares International Space Station ‘open for business,’ including private astronaut visits : https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/07/nasa-declares-international-space-station-open-for-business-including-private-astronaut-visits/
Got to pay for getting back to the moon at breakneck speed somehow, right?
Originally posted on Twitter.
The Hunter and La Silla
This stunning long-exposure photograph by ESO Photo Ambassador Petr Horálek captures the hive of activity at ESO’s La Silla Observatory, the distant glow of roads and settlements in the Atacama Desert, and the unmissable faint green radiance of airglow. https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1922a/
Originally posted on Twitter.
Mars 2020 Rover Has A Date With Jezero Crater
This is where the Mars 2020 Rover is heading. From this picture, I think you can guess why.
Jezero Crater is an ancient lake that formed inside an impact crater. Detailed study of the features of the lake led scientists to conclude that the lake is ancient and did not experience times when water went down. Due to its long lifespan as a lake, it’s possible that life may have developed in the lake. It’s possible, though not necessarily likely, that preserved signs of life are waiting to be discovered at Jezero Crater.
Originally posted on Twitter.
The Sky In X-Ray
NASA is building up a map of the entire sky seen in X-rays, line by line with its NICER experiment.
In this image, numerous sweeping arcs seem to congregate at various bright regions. You may wonder: What is being shown? Air traffic routes? Information moving around the global internet? Magnetic fields looping across active areas on the Sun?
In fact, this is a map of the entire sky in X-rays recorded by NASA's Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), a payload on the International Space Station.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-05/nsfc-nnm053019.php
Originally posted on Twitter.
The Stars Like Gods Paperack Proof
I curse the proof banner - but I adore the shiny.💖
Time for one more read-through!
P.S.: Yes, the barcode mashup is also due to it being a proof copy. 🤨
Originally posted on Facebook.
Boulders on Bennu
An abundance of boulders litters the surface of asteroid 101955 Bennu in this dramatic close-up from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Taken on March 28 from a distance of just 3.4 kilometers (2.1 miles) the field of view is about 50 meters across while the light colored boulder at top right is 4.8 meters tall. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190524.html
Incredible to think about, isn’t it?
Originally posted on Twitter.
KOTOR Reborn?
A New “Star Wars” Movie Based On “Knights Of The Old Republic” Is In The Works https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kateaurthur/new-star-wars-movie-knights-of-the-old-republic?bftwnews
The KOTOR games are the most unique, original, evocative storytelling in the Star Wars universe, so let the hype begin :).
Originally posted on Twitter.
Artemis
NASA’s full Artemis plan revealed: 37 launches and a lunar outpost: https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/05/nasas-full-artemis-plan-revealed-37-launches-and-a-lunar-outpost/
A thousand complications will likely delay it, but at least there’s an actual plan and a push to make it happen.
Originally posted on Twitter.
Heaven Is A Place On Earth
…and it’s called the Tattered Cover Bookstore
⠀
By sheer coincidence, Patricia Briggs was giving a talk and reading while we were there. About 60 people were crammed into the lower-level meeting space. #MrJennsen whispered sweet nothings in my ear about how that would be me at the podium one day 😉; I pshaw'ed him, went upstairs and bought some sci-fi books with beautiful covers.⠀
It's A Haunting Thing
Space artists weigh in on seeing the first image of a black hole: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2019/04/25/eht-black-hole-picture-space-artists
Originally posted on Twitter.
Solar System Posters
NASA’s artists have outdone themselves yet again. Download the individual posters (or the whole collage) in high resolution here: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/925/solar-system-and-beyond-poster-set.
Originally posted on Twitter.
Hello, Proofreading
A Cosmic Shot
A gloriously cosmic shot of this morning's SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral. After separation, the rocket's first stage boosts back toward the 'Of Course I Still Love You' droneship while the second stage pushes Dragon toward the space station. Images from Erik Kuna (@erikkuna).
Originally posted on Twitter.
Hubble Deep-Sky Mosaic
Via NASA: “This might be the most exciting “history book” we’ve ever read. Astronomers have put together the largest and most comprehensive image of the evolving universe — using 16 years’ worth of observations from Hubble. Take a peek at this deep-sky mosaic.” https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/hubble-astronomers-assemble-wide-view-of-the-evolving-universe
Make sure and check out the short video at the link for a mind-boggling sense of scale.
Originally posted on Twitter.
Avengers: Endgame (No Spoilers)
4.5 of 5 Glorious Stars 🌟
The half-star deduction is entirely on the first 1.5 hours, which honestly could have been cut to an hour without losing anything. The second 1.5 hours, though? OMG. 😲 Damn near perfection.
If you are remotely, even casually, invested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, see this movie. 🤗
Originally posted on Facebook.
Quadrantid Meteor Shower
Meteors, Comet, and Big Dipper over La Palma https://buff.ly/2Zphg5D. Image Credit: Vincent Duparc
Originally posted on Twitter.
A Geek's Guide to THE STARS LIKE GODS
I give you: A Geek's Guide To THE STARS LIKE GODS.🤓
The usual caveats: scenes are not necessarily chapters, the order may (but probably won't) change before release, etc.
For those of you who like to print these out, I’m providing a non-toner-depleting black and white version below as well.
Cover reveal and release date announcement coming next week!🤗
Andromeda Galaxy
The sharpest ever view of the Andromeda Galaxy. This is what a trillion stars look like! (Credit: NASA/ESA) : https://twitter.com/WorldAndScience/status/1119039189939642368
Originally posted on Twitter.