Lifeboat Foundation

Earth has acquired a second “mini-moon” about the size of a car, according to astronomers who spotted the object circling our planet.

The mass—roughly 1.9−3.5 meters (6−11 feet) in diameter—was observed by researchers Kacper Wierzchos and Teddy Pruyne at the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona on the night of February 15.

“BIG NEWS. Earth has a new temporarily captured object/Possible mini-moon called 2020 CD3,” likely to be a C-type asteroid, Wierzchos tweeted on Wednesday.

In 2019, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope celebrated the full mechanical and electronic assembly of the world’s largest, most powerful space science observatory ever built. Meaning that Webb’s two halves have been physically put together and its wiring harnesses and electronic interfaces have been fully connected.

Following assembly, the Webb team moved on to successfully send deployment and tensioning commands to all five layers of its sunshield, which is designed to unfold in space, and protect the observatory’s mirrors and scientific instruments from light and heat, primarily from the Sun.

“This has been an amazing journey to get here. The James Webb Space Telescope is now one complete assembly, and known to be the most powerful space telescope ever created by humankind,” said Mark Voyton, Webb Observatory Integration and Testing, and OTIS Manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.

It’s been with us for three years, astronomers say. Sadly, it’ll probably be gone by spring.

Astronomers discovered a ‘minimoon’ that’s been orbiting Earth for about three years, and may soon leave our planet’s orbit.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A communication satellite almost out of fuel has gotten a new life after the first space docking of its kind.

Why is there something rather than nothing? We’re finally making enough antimatter to extract an answer – and it might reveal the dark side of the universe too.

Planetary imaging is a fun and rewarding hobby that allows beginners and advanced amateur astronomers to delve into astronomical imaging without much of the expense and complexity of deep space astrophotography. There are also quite a few opportunities for planetary imagers to contribute to some significant scientific research. However, it is important to first understand what equipment is needed to successfully capture images of the solar system. In addition, some basic understanding of our atmosphere and optics are required, which will be addressed in this write-up.

Astronomers have announced that Earth has a new mini-moon, a small asteroid apparently captured into Earth orbit 3 years ago. It’s been designated 2020 CD3.

The magnetic field in one zone on Mars is about 10 times stronger than scientists expected, and it’s changing rapidly.

New data gathered from NASA’s InSight lander, which has been on the Red Planet for a little over a year now, shows that the planet’s magnetic field fluctuates rapidly. InSight is the first landing mission to carry a magnetic sensor, which allows it to measure these fields from up close.

Astra and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are readying for the first launch in a dual-mission “launch challenge”. Astra, the launch contractor, is currently conducting final preparations ahead of the launch of their Rocket 3.0 vehicle, nicknamed “1 of 3”. Both missions will launch from the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA) in Kodiak, Alaska. The first launch attempt is scheduled for 3:30 PM ET on February 27. The window stretches until March 1.

Astra and the DARPA launch challenge

Thursday’s launch will be the third for Astra, coming after two launches in July and November 2018. Both launched from the PSCA in Alaska. These were originally believed to be failures. However, Astra stated that the first was successful, and the second was only “shorter than planned”. Neither were designed to reach orbit, as they didn’t have functioning second stages.