Ever since Perseverance , the car-sized rover, landed on the surface of Mars on Feb. 18, renewed interest in the red planet has soared. One of the questions that has been asked in recent weeks, is where is it in the current night sky?
Mars has actually been a rather prominent evening object for several months, and in fact at one-point last October it was the third-brightest object in the nighttime sky.
But that has all changed and Mars has since diminished considerably in brightness. Nonetheless it is still readily visible to the unaided eye and on Friday evening (March 19) you'll be able to readily identify it thanks to its proximity to our nearest neighbor in space: the moon .
Not to change the topic here:
Watch as the Moon muscles in on Mars' Taurus action – Astronomy Now
Early evenings sees Mars, the red planet, putting on a good showing among the stars of Taurus, the Bull. Mars lies not far from the splendid Pleiades open cluster (Messier 45) and the more sprawling, 'V'-shaped Hyades open cluster, which is adorned by foreground Aldebaran (alpha [α] Tauri), the bright red giant star. This picturesque scene is then embellished further by the presence of a pretty crescent Moon.
Despite Mars being way past last October's magnificence, it remains a relatively bright object shining at around magnitude +1.1. At October's opposition, the red planet shone brightly at magnitude –2.8, but since then Mars has retreated to a distance of around 242 million kilometres (151 million miles), four times as far away.
'For All Mankind' sneak peek: Tracy Stevens takes another small step on the moon in 'The Weight'
The next episode of " For All Mankind " shows the wonderful reaction of astronaut Tracy Stevens when she finally gets to start another mission — and the technical problem that holds her up.
As shown in a preview clip of the midseason episode that airs Friday (March 19), Stevens gently jumps down the lunar module ladder and takes a good look at Jamestown, the fictional NASA moon base. Rolling hills of lunar regolith decorate the view. "This is beautiful," Stevens says in awe.
NASA completes engine test firing of moon rocket on 2nd try – 104.5 WOKV
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — (AP) — NASA completed an engine test firing of its moon rocket Thursday, after the first attempt in January ended prematurely.
This time, the four main engines of the rocket's core stage remained ignited for the full eight minutes. Applause broke out in the control room at Mississippi's Stennis Space Flight Center once the engines shut down on the test stand.
NASA officials called it a major milestone in sending astronauts back to the moon, but declined to say when that might occur or even whether the first test flight without a crew would occur by year's end as planned.
Other things to check out:
Grow with KARE: Planting a moon garden | kare11.com
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Just like some of us work the night-shift (I've been there) there are pollinators that pull the overnights too!
To support those moths, bats, beetles, and even some species of bees, you need a moon garden filled with flowers that bloom at night.
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Moon frolic daylily and Toltec sundial daylily are two of the perennials that bloom in the dark, even though their names suggest otherwise. Moon frolic is a pretty lavender, while Toltec sun is bright yellow and fragrant. Both want full sun.
Rights of the Moon Declaration -- Now, It's the 'Rights of the Moon' | National Review
(a) the right to exist, persist and continue its vital cycles unaltered, unharmed and unpolluted by human beings;
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(c) the right to be defined as a self-sustaining, intelligent, cohesive, intact lunar ecosystem, beyond current human comprehension;
(e) the right to remain a forever peaceful celestial entity, unmarred by human conflict or warfare.
Don't laugh. As I have repeatedly documented here, environmentalists are increasingly embracing "nature rights," and the movement is growing in scope and influence. Five rivers and two glaciers have now been granted human-type rights to "exist and persist." So have two glaciers. These are geological features .
Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
Galileo will help Lunar Pathfinder navigate around moon
Navigation satellites like Europe's Galileo constellation are intended to deliver positioning, navigation and timing services to our planet, so most of the energy of their navigation antennas radiates directly toward the Earth disc, blocking its use for users further away in space.
"But this is not the whole story," explains Javier Ventura-Traveset, leading ESA's Galileo Navigation Science Office and coordinating ESA lunar navigation activities. "Navigation signal patterns also radiate sideways, like light from a flashlight, and past testing shows these antenna 'side lobes' can be employed for positioning, provided adequate receivers are implemented."
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