Heads up: Big meteor shower this weekend
The Orionids meteor shower will produce some stunning sky watching this weekend. Here’s what to know:
- Peak visibility will be from midnight Saturday to just before dawn Sunday – wherever you are in North America
- As many as 60 shooting stars could be seen each hour – about three times the usual count
- The stars will appear to fall from above Betelgeuse, the bright orange star on the shoulder of Orion
More in our story here: http://usat.ly/RLfVMo
Or if you prefer someone read these facts to you, here’s a video: http://usat.ly/T5rWzG
This photo released by NASA today shows the final stages of a titanic galaxy merger – when two become one.
More images from space this week: http://usat.ly/UfnEaD
The space shuttle Endeavour will go right past Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood as it makes its way to its permanent home at the California Space Center. Meantime, there’s a model shuttle holding its spot.
More photos of Endeavour’s journey: http://usat.ly/RlQuRv
(Photo by Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images)
Scientists at the controls of NASA’s Curiosity rover report that its first chemistry tests of a Martian rock revealed a surprise: The Mars rock looks a lot like volcanic ones found on Earth.
Womp.
Can you identify this eyeball?
A huge, softball-sized eyeball has washed up on the shores of Pompano Beach, Fla., and it has been sent off for study.
All that’s known right now about it is that it’s, it’s big and it’s blue.
More: http://usat.ly/TDedS2
(Photo by Carli Segelson, AP)
Have you ever wondered what would happen if the plane you were on crashed? Does bracing really help? Where’s the best place to sit? And, fundamentally, are planes designed so that you could survive?
In the premiere episode of “Curiosity,” which airs on the Discovery Channel at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, an international team of experts explores these questions by deliberately crashing a full-size passenger airplane into the remote desert along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The experiment of crash-testing an entire plane, something not tried since NASA did it in 1984, looks at what happens during a plane crash and the science behind passengers’ best chance for survival.
We have early details, ahead of the show airing. Check out the story, videos and interactive of what happens.
(Photos by Vance Jacobs for the Discovery Channel.)
Great image from NASA of the Blue Moon over Cincinnati on Friday, the day of Neil Armstrong’s memorial service there.
A Blue Moon is the rare second Full Moon in the same month.
Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA
I am, and ever will be, a white socks, pocket protector, nerdy engineer.
Neil Armstrong, in 2000.
The first man on the moon died today at age 82.
Here it is: the first color image of Mars from the Curiosity rover.
Also: NASA releases low-res video of Mars rover descent
(Photo: NASA)
