Jupiter and Saturn often look far apart — two separate specks puncturing different parts of the night sky. But later this month, the two largest planets in the solar system will come so close to each other that they may appear to be overlapping, according to NASA, creating a kind of "double planet" that has not been visible since the Middle Ages.
"You can actually see it with your own eye. It doesn't have to be measured with sophisticated instruments," Michael Brown, an astronomer at Monash University in Australia, told The Washington Post. "The two objects are appearing very close in the sky, but ultimately they're very far away from each other."
Many things are taking place:
Op-ed | No, Mars is not a free planet, no matter what SpaceX says - SpaceNews
"For services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship or other colonization spacecraft, the parties recognize Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities. Accordingly, Disputes will be settled through self-governing principles, established in good faith at the time of the Martian settlement."
First, under Articles I and III of the treaty, international law applies in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, and influences all activities conducted thereby. Accordingly, Mars cannot be considered a "free planet" left to "self-governing principles” of dubious nature and origin, because it is rather fully subjected to the rule of law.
Oberlin artist Julia Christensen plans space art project for mission to planet 4.2 lightyears
Artist Julia Christensen, a fluent writer and thinker, works in a variety of electronic and traditional media. Courtesy Hyatt Mannix
OBERLIN, Ohio — Julia Christensen , an associate professor of integrated media art and chair of Studio Art at Oberlin College, had an epiphany that left her in tears during a visit to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in the early 2000s.
Taking a break from her master's degree studies in electronic music and recording media at Mills College in Oakland, Christensen was transfixed by what she called the "ferocious intentionality'' of brushstrokes in a particular painting, and how they evoked the artist's "strength and conviction.''
Japan retrieves asteroid samples in hunt for origins of planets | Reuters
TOKYO/MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Japan has retrieved a capsule of asteroid dust from Australia's remote outback after a six-year mission that may help uncover more about the origins of the planets and water, the Asian nation's space agency said on Sunday.
The mission of the Japanese spacecraft, Hayabusa2, spotlights Asia's growing role in space exploration, with a Chinese robotic vehicle collecting lunar samples last week for the first time since the 1970s.
Quite a lot has been going on:
Planetary conjunction among 5 top astronomy events this month | king5.com
December features some of the longest nights of the entire year, and the long nights will bring plenty to see ranging from one of the best annual meteor showers to an uncommon planetary meet-up on the day of the winter solstice.
The jam-packed list of astronomical events will be perfect for people of all ages, and although all of them can be seen with the unaided eye, one event in particular will be perfect for those who have a telescope.
The December sky will also offer plenty to see on a nightly basis as long as cloud-free conditions prevail. Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, will rise every night in the southeast before midnight and will appear below the constellation Orion. Above the famous constellation, the Pleiades star cluster will be visible with numerous stars glowing in a close bunch. The darker the sky, the greater the number of stars that will be visible in the cluster.
'Christmas Star': Double planet sighting, meteor shower expected to light up December skies
A brilliant Geminid meteor shower is expected to illuminate the night skies in mid-December. Skywatchers will have another rare visual feast with a "double planet" sighting on Dec. 21.
Stargazers won't be disappointed with the radiant Geminid meteor shower that's expected to light up the night skies in mid-December. To add to this celestial event, skywatchers will have another rare treat with a "double planet" sighting on Dec. 21.
Hundreds of shooting stars will illuminate the horizon in a spectacular Geminid meteor shower, which will be active for the next couple weeks through Dec. 17 , according to NASA.com. Expect the meteor shower to peak around mid-Sunday, Dec. 13 through the early morning of Dec. 14.
Can hemp help save the planet? - Down to Earth
Hemp and marijuana are often described as cousins because they come from the same cannabis plant. But unlike marijuana, hemp has low levels of the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), meaning smoking it has little effect. Today hemp is recognised as one of the world's most ecological agricultural crops, prompting a comeback in Europe.
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Franck Barbier has been growing hemp for the past decade, alongside other crops, on his property an hour away from Paris.
What Role do Radioactive Elements Play in a Planet's Habitability? - Universe Today
On Earth, the internal heating caused by the slow decay of the heavy radioactive thorium and uranium drives plate tectonics, which may be necessary for maintaining Earth’s magnetic field. This field is what protects Earth from radiation, cosmic rays, and prevents our atmosphere from being stripped away. This is why exoplanet-hunters and astrobiologists believe that magnetic fields could be critical to habitability.
In fact, it was the work of astronomy and astrophysics professor Natalie Batalha with the Astrobiology Initiative at UCSC that sparked the interdisciplinary collaboration that led to this study. As she explained in a UCSC Newscenter release , planetary dynamo has been tied to habitability in several ways:
Happening on Twitter
The two largest planets in our solar system are coming closer together than they have been since the Middle Ages https://t.co/fyyjVKF5ch CNN Sat Dec 05 06:01:05 +0000 2020
Planetary Kiss, coming to a sky near you on 21 Dec. https://t.co/VKw87rXyq2 https://t.co/mxISnNvvwn Cmdr_Hadfield (from Earth) Sun Dec 06 10:43:53 +0000 2020
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