Tag: night

science

Jupiter and Saturn to appear closest in night sky in hundreds of years

[email protected]_84

Keep a close look at the sky in December and you may see a very rare event.

Lesley Hauler

December 2, 2020, 11:43 PM

6 min read

Keep a close look at the night sky in December and you may see a rare occurrence between the two biggest planets in our solar system.

From now until Dec. 21, Jupiter and Saturn will continue to get closer until they are just 0.1 degrees apart and form a “double planet,” according to NASA. And there’s a chance you’ll be able to see it for yourself.

The space agency describes the rarity of the 2020 event in-depth in its December Skywatching page. The rare event is officially called a “great conjunction.”

“These occur every 20 years this century as the orbits of Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn periodically align making these two outer planets appear close together in our nighttime sky,” NASA writes.

NASA program

… Read More
science

Bright Fireball Lights Up Night Sky In Japan Over The Weekend [VIDEO]

[email protected]_84

KEY POINTS

  • A bright fireball was spotted in western Japan, on Sunday
  • Several cameras captured the moment that the bolide illuminated the surroundings
  • The event was reportedly seen in various regions in Western and Central Japan

A fireball event was spotted in Japan over the weekend. The event was so bright that it momentarily lit up the night sky. 

A bright fireball was spotted at about 1:34 a.m. local time, Sunday in western Japan. According to the International Meteor Organization (IMO), witnesses said that there was a “rumbling noise” then the sky went “totally bright.”

In the video shared by Japan Broadcasting Corporation, NHK on Twitter, a bright greenish ball can be seen streaming in the sky at various locations. It can be seen falling for a few seconds before illuminating the night sky for a brief moment then fizzling out in an instant. 

A video shared by

… Read More
science

Lunar eclipse coming Sunday night, though it might be hard to see

[email protected]_84

The celestial bodies are aligning for a show this weekend, though clouds over Portland might block it from view.

A penumbral lunar eclipse will take place late Sunday night in Monday morning, Nov. 29 to 30, according to NASA, gradually darkening the face of the moon for more than four hours. It will be the second lunar eclipse visible in Oregon this year, following a previous penumbral eclipse in July.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth’s shadow falls over the moon, and it can only happen at a full moon when then sun, Earth and moon all align. A penumbral eclipse is much more subtle than a total or even partial eclipse, as only the lighter outer shadow of the Earth (called the penumbra) darkens the moon.

During a penumbral lunar eclipse, the moon gradually grows a little darker until the maximum eclipse, after which it gradually lightens again.

… Read More
science in the news

One night tracking mysterious colugos across treetops in Malaysia

[email protected]_84

My companions scanned the treetops with binoculars and a thermal-imaging monocular. I stared at the branches and leaves, pretending I knew what to look for. It was a cool June evening just before sunset on a village road on Langkawi Island, Malaysia.

“There’s one! Up there,” one of the biologists called out. I squinted at the spot, about five meters up the tree trunk, and saw only a brown knob speckled with gray. Where? Then the knob stirred. Its top edge rose and turned, and I was staring into a pair of bulging eyes set on a small head with a short snout.

My first colugo. The size of a house cat, colugos are nocturnal mammals that live in trees. Colugos are also called “flying lemurs,” which is a misnomer because they cannot fly and they are not lemurs. A colugo has a cape of skin that stretches from its

… Read More
technology current events

Trivia Night! Happy Hour! Team Building! Main Event Launches All-new, Live-hosted Virtual Experiences Platform Nationwide

[email protected]_84

PLANO, Texas, Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The events of 2020 have transformed our daily lives in many ways, especially social behaviors and interactions. Do you miss trivia night with your BFFs? Happy Hour with co-workers? Team building with your colleagues or worried about how those annual office holiday parties are going to look like this year? So are we!

That’s why Main Event, the Plano, Tex.-based social entertainment brand famous for its huge venues that include state-of-the-art laser tag, bowling, virtual reality, arcade games, billiards and events, is launching an enterprise-wide series of Virtual Experiences designed to bring the thrill of play and teamwork that is such a part of the brand’s in-person identity to virtual guests nationwide.

Main Event Virtual Experiences targets groups, companies, social networks, holiday parties and more with a one-of-a-kind virtual party and team building platform that features live hosts taking participants through trivia,

… Read More
technology articles

The Global Night Vision Scope Market is expected to grow by $ 205.16 mn during 2020-2024 progressing at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period

[email protected]_84

Global Night Vision Scope Market 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the night vision scope market and it is poised to grow by $ 205. 16 mn during 2020-2024 progressing at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period.

New York, Nov. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report “Global Night Vision Scope Market 2020-2024” – https://www.reportlinker.com/p04793421/?utm_source=GNW
Our reports on night vision scope market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors.
The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by the increasing global military spending and cost competitiveness of night vision scope. In addition, increasing global military spending is anticipated to boost the growth of the market as well.
The night vision scope

… Read More
science

Astronauts board SpaceX rocket for night launch, no Musk

[email protected]_84

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Four astronauts climbed aboard a SpaceX rocket Sunday for a night ride to the International Space Station, with the prospects of good weather improving but the company’s leader sidelined by COVID-19.

Vice President Mike Pence planned to be at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for the long-awaited start of regular crew rotations aboard privately owned and operated capsules. It also marked only the second time in nearly a decade that astronauts were set to rocket into orbit from the U.S.

“Game day!” NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, the crew commander, tweeted before suiting up and heading to the launch pad in a Tesla Model X. The astronauts’ flashy white suits with black trim matched their rides, made by Elon Musk’s two main companies: SpaceX and Tesla.

Once seated in the Teslas, the astronauts exchanged high-fives and hand embraces with their children and spouses, who huddled at the

… Read More
science

SpaceX aims for night crew launch, Musk sidelined by virus

[email protected]_84

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX aimed for a Sunday night launch of four astronauts to the International Space Station, although the prospects of good weather were just 50-50 and its leader was sidelined by COVID-19.

Vice President Mike Pence was expected at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for the long-awaited start of regular crew rotations aboard privately owned and operated capsules. It also marked only the second time in nearly a decade that astronauts were set to rocket into orbit from the U.S.

“Game day!” tweeted NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, the crew commander.


As nearby towns braced for an onslaught of spectators, SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk disclosed via Twitter that he “most likely” has a moderate case of coronavirus, despite mixed test results.

NASA policy is that anyone testing positive for the virus to quarantine and remain isolated.

Musk remained upbeat. “Astronaut launch today!” he tweeted Sunday

… Read More
science

Two meteor showers are bringing shooting stars and fireballs to the night sky this week

[email protected]_84

Between coronavirus, wildfires and the presidential election, 2020 has been an overwhelming year. But it has also brought breathtaking celestial activity, including a once-in-a-lifetime comet, a close approach with Mars and countless meteor showers. 

November is no exception, as the Leonid and Taurid meteor showers promise to light up the night sky with shooting stars and bright fireballs. In addition, November also brings a supermoon, as well as the infamous cluster of stars known as the Pleiades. 

What are the Leonids and the Taurids? 

The Leonids is a major meteor shower that lights up the sky every year from November 6 to November 30. The shower brings bright, colorful meteors that travel at speeds of 44 miles per second — some of the fastest all year, according to NASA.

Leonids are famous for their fireballs and Earthgrazer meteors. Fireballs are massive explosions of light and color, longer than an

… Read More
science daily

Light pollution at night severely disrupts the reproductive cycle of corals — ScienceDaily

[email protected]_84

The daily light-dark cycle arising from the earth’s rotation is centrally important to biology. Marine organisms, particularly coral reefs, rely on natural light cycles of sunlight and moonlight to regulate various physiological, biological and behavioral processes.

Artificial light produced by powerful street lamps, billboards, sports and industrial facilities, hotels, and office buildings effectively extends the day for work and leisure activities. But while artificial light at night (ALAN) is one of the most important human technological advances, the alteration of natural light cycles has many undesirable effects on the earth’s ecosystems. These include skyglow, light trespass, glare, and over-illumination, collectively referred to as light pollution.

Due to the high rate of urban development in marine coastal areas around the world, light pollution could further threaten coral communities’ populations, which are already under severe degradation. A new study led by researchers from Bar-Ilan University in Israel demonstrates how light pollution is

… Read More