The total solar eclipse on April 8 is part of a repeating pattern of eclipses that last visited North America in 1970. Live Science explains why the same eclipse repeats every 54 years. https://flip.it/DgRlwI
#Science #SolarEclipse #Sun #Moon
moon
"The first photo of the Odysseus lunar lander on the moon, the first U.S. spacecraft to make a soft landing on the lunar surface in more than 50 years, was released Monday."
ABC News reports: https://flip.it/vLonPH
For more stories like this, follow "Space News": @space-news-science
Oh wow! Look at this image of the Odysseus Moon lander at the moment of touchdown, with its engines firing like mad to avoid a fatal skid.
Just released by Intuitive Machines.
Let's celebrate the moon this evening.
Winter’s last #moon. The sweetgum trees are already budded out for the spring, a season that comes early around these parts.
Don’t fuck with moon dust. No seriously, do not fuck with moon dust.
Absent any moisture or atmosphere, millennia of asteroid impacts have turned lunar regolith (soil) into a fine powder of razor sharp, glass-like particles. What’s more, the solar wind imparts an electric charge on the dust, causing it to cling to any and every surface it touches through static electricity. On earth, sand tends to get smoother over time as wind and water tumble the grains about, eroding their sharpness. Not so on the moon – lunar dust is sharp and deadly. This is Not A Good Time if you’re an explorer looking to visit our celestial neighbor.
During Apollo, the astronauts faced a plethora of unexpected issues caused by dust. It clung to spacesuits and darkened them enough that exposure to sunlight overheated the life support systems. Dust got in suit joints and on suit visors, damaging them. It ate away layers of boot lining. It covered cameras. Upon returning to the cabin, astronauts attempting to brush it off damaged their suit fabric and sent the dust airborne, where it remained suspended in the air due to low gravity.
Inhaling moon dust causes mucus membranes to swell; every Apollo astronaut who stepped foot on the moon reported symptoms of “Lunar Hay Fever.” Sneezing, congestion, and a “smell of burnt gunpowder” took days to subside. Later Apollo missions even sent a special dust brush with the team to help clean each other and equipment. We don’t know exactly how dangerous the stuff is, but lunar regolith simulants suggest it might destroy lung and brain cells with long-term exposure. 1
In fact the dust is so nasty that it destroyed the vacuum seals of sample return containers. We no longer have any accurate samples of lunar dust, “Every sample brought back from the moon has been contaminated by Earth’s air and humidity […] The chemical and electrostatic properties of the soil no longer match what future astronauts will encounter on the moon.” 2
Whats worse, the solar-charged dust gets thrown up off the moon’s surface via electrostatic forces. The moon doesn’t technically have an atmosphere, but it does have a thin cloud of sharp dust itching to cling to anything it can find.
And it probably isn’t just the moon. “A 2005 NASA study listed 20 risks that required further study before humans should commit to a human Mars expedition, and ranked "dust" as the number one challenge.” 3
The coolest solution I’ve heard about in next-gen spacesuit design is a mesh of woven wires layered into the suit. When activated, the wire mesh would form an anti-static electric field that repels dust. Quite literally a force field. 4
#astronomy #apollo #moon #lunardust
Finally we had clearing last night to capture the Earthshine Crescent moon in waxing phase with Jupiter plus four of its moons (out of 90+). The moon was about 20% illuminated.
From downtown Bellevue , Washington (bortle ~ 6-7)
#Moon #Jupiter #Astronomy #Science #Universe #Planets #Washington #PNW #Nighttime #Photography
For #silentsunday Winter window views.
Photographers will understand:
You get SO EXITED about a cool thing, you WILL hang out of windows / contort at weird angles *trying* to get the perfect shot.
MUCH much later:
1: Slowly realise how bloody freezing you are (in pyjamas/ forgot a coat)
2. How much your back now hurts :(
I think that's so important, not kit or ability level. The fun part. The silly part.
#photography #winter #nightsky #moon #forest #moondog #photooftheday
The so-called “great instability” event that sent gas giants careening through space until they settled into orbits occurred between 60 and 100 million years after the birth of the solar system. Migrating planets primarily Jupiter, it turns out, may have led to the formation of Earth’s moon. Live Science explains: https://flip.it/wWBTEy
#Science #Space #Jupiter #Earth #Moon #SolarSystem
Good Night Moon, see you later!
The ~98% Waxing Gibbous Moon setting over the Olympics/Seattle early this morning.
Taken from Bellevue
#Seattle #Washington #PNW #Moon #Cityscape #WaWx #Photography
Wow! I’m one of the earliest writers for which #Flipboard has enabled federation. I curate links on #space & #Moon exploration on there, which you can now follow from Mastodon or anywhere in the Fediverse @moonmehta!
Thank you @mike and @Flipboard. 🚀🌖
"How it started/how it's going," space edition:
On March 17, 2013 a flash appeared on the Moon. It was bright enough to see with the naked eye.
Now we can see the result: a new 18-meter-wide crater, blasted out by a watermelon-size meteoroid.
https://www.lroc.asu.edu/featured_sites/40 #science #space #NASA #astronomy #Moon
INCREDIBLE images from China's Chang’e 6 lander, which landed on the far side of the moon late on June 1 and lifted off in an ascent vehicle with the first lunar samples from the far side of the moon yesterday.
Image credit: CNSA
Shot the glowing Crescent Moonset from home tonight through some thin, dramatic cloud cover over the Sacred Heart Church, Bellevue, WA.
-Prints, frameable Cards & more available:
https://ez-lorenz.pixels.com/featured/crescent-moonset-over-the-sacred-heart-church-in-bellevue-wa-ez-lorenz.html
#Washington #PNW #Sunday #Moon #photography #Religion #Church #Prints #WallArt #HomeDecor #GreetingCards #GiftIdeas #ArtForSale #FediGiftShop
Romantic Paddle-boarding under the rising strawberry moon with Her Majesty watching over this couple on the first night of Summer.
#Seattle #Washington #PNW #Moon #Photography #Summer #SummerSolstice #Moonrise
Strawberry Moonrise on the first night of Summer over Lake Washington..
#Seattle #Washington #PNW #Moon #FullMoon #Photography #astrophotography #WaWx #Reflection #Moonrise #Summer #SummerSolstice
A vibrant full moon setting over the skyline of Seattle at dawn, casting a warm glow.
Wall Art and more for Home or Office: https://ez-lorenz.pixels.com/featured/a-vibrant-full-moon-setting-over-seattle-at-dawn-ez-lorenz.html
-Canvas Prints at half price for certain sizes upon request
#Seattle #Washington #PNW #Moon #Urban #Cityscape #Night #Prints #WallArt #HomeDecor #InteriorDesign #GreetingCards #Puzzle #Giftideas #FediGiftShop #FediArt #MastoArt #Art #Photography #PhotoFriday
Crescent Moonset few days ago as seen from my rooftop in Bellevue, WA
Sunshine is always beautiful..❤️💗
#Sunrise #Sunset #Nature #Beach #Beachview #View #ViewOfTheDay #Sun #Moon
Just a little lucky snapshot I got tonight.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mk III
TTartisan 500mm f/6.3
#aviation #moon #photography #sky #olympus #ttartisan #boeing #boeing737 #planespotting #planes
Here’s a wider view of the Waxing Crescent Moonset over Seattle in hazy conditions.
Single exposure, taken from Bellevue.
August 08, 2024
#Seattle #Washington #PNW #Moon #Photo #Photography #Night #NightPhotography #Skyline
Crescent Moonset (1.1%) in sunset afterglow tonight. Had a short window of opportunity to capture it before disappearing.