For a few weeks in the summer of 2020, if you had been looking up on a clear night, there is a chance you might have spotted a rare visitor to our part of the Solar System. Through binoculars, it had the shape of a classic comet – a bright nucleus and long tail formed by ice being blasted into gas by the heat from the Sun. It could even be seen by the naked eye in the Northern Hemisphere during early July .
But then it disappeared. No one who saw that comet – given the catchy name of C/2002 F3 (Neowise) – will ever see it again. Nor will their children. Or indeed will several generations after their children's children. This particular comet is not due to be seen again for another 6,800 years .
Extremely eccentric minor planet to visit inner solar system this decade
The object in question is designated 2014 UN271, and it was only recently identified in data from the Dark Energy Survey captured between 2014 and 2018. Size estimates place it anywhere between 100 and 370 km (62 and 230 miles) wide. If it's a comet, it's quite a big one, especially for one coming from the outer solar system.
But by far the most intriguing thing about 2014 UN271 is its orbit around the Sun. This thing is extremely eccentric, journeying between the inner solar system and the Oort cloud that marks the boundary of interstellar space over a period of 612,190 years.
Kids can learn about Earth, solar system at Kearney Area Children's Museum | State and Regional
Exhibits allow children to use their imaginations at play. Kearney Area Children's Museum will celebrate its 30th anniversary with "KACM Remix" 4-8 p.m. May 16.
KEARNEY — A traveling exhibit, Discover the Sun, Earth, Universe, has opened at the Kearney Area Children's Museum at 5827 Fourth Ave. It can be seen through December.
Packed with engaging, hands-on interactive exhibits and dazzling imagery, this 600-square-foot exhibition will connect visitors with NASA science research and launch them on a journey to explore the universe.
Space: Why the Mars fascination?
Last month, China became the latest country to confirm touchdown on the Red Planet, having successfully landed its Zhurong rover on the Martian surface. China's mission to Mars began last year around the same time that the US and the UAE also launched theirs.
Mars missions appear to be the flavour of the moment and there is certainly good reason for this. The Red Planet, with its Earth-like temperatures and atmosphere, is the most realistic extraterrestrial world ripe for human colonisation. Geological features like sedimentary rock formations, polar ice caps, and volcanoes also serve as compelling reasons for sustained interest in Mars. But this isn't to say that the solar system isn't teeming with other cosmic objects that deserve exploration.
Valley nonprofits invited to apply for a free solar system, courtesy of SRP | Local News |
Springdale set to flip switch for solar energy
SPRINGDALE -- The city will flip the switch Friday to convert the Springdale Recreation Center to electricity provided by solar power and to save an estimated $24,000 a year.
Officials have signed an agreement with Ozarks Electric Cooperative to provide the city with power for 20 years from the 7,000-panel, 25-acre solar park on a mountain top north of Lincoln. The array contains 1,182 panels that will be dedicated to capturing power for Springdale, which the city will buy as electricity from Ozarks. Today's Power, a subsidiary company of the cooperative, built, operates and maintains the farm.
Tantalizing Pluto views suggest active surface but won't be seen again for 161 years | Space
For a brief moment in time in July 2018, the solar system aligned to show Earth the fully sunlit disk of Pluto , an arrangement that won't occur again for 161 years.
Planetary scientist Bonnie Buratti was ready: She had been waiting for a decade for the opportunity to catch the rare sight in hopes of filling a gap in knowledge that even the carefully planned New Horizons mission couldn't tackle. The result is an enigmatic plot of light from Pluto and its moon, Charon.
U.S. solar capacity passes 100 gigawatts, but challenges persist
The United States is now home to over 100 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity, according to a new report, although rising costs could pose challenges to the sector.
The figures come from the latest U.S. Solar Market Insight report, released on Tuesday by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie.
It found that America's solar industry installed slightly more than 5 GW of photovoltaic capacity in the first three months of 2021. This represents a record for the first quarter and is 46% higher than the same period in 2020.
New stamps from the Postal Service celebrate a decade of watching the sun
The U.S. Postal Service issued a set of stamps to celebrate a decade of watching the sun from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, according to NASA. The Sun Science stamps draw attention to the different views of the sun as seen from the SDO.
"I look at each of these pictures from the Solar Dynamics Observatory and am reminded of how they help us learn more about the Sun and the way its constantly changing atmosphere can affect Earth and the planets," said Dr. Nicky Fox, division director for NASA's Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, according to the news release from NASA.
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