Skip to main content

Posts

November Podcast: Five Fascinating Stars

From :- Sky & Telescope By:  J. Kelly Beatty   Edited by: Amal Udawatta     During the last months of 2025, Saturn and the star Fomalhaut are the only two easy-to-spot objects in a southern sky full of faint constellations (as seen from mid-northern latitudes). Sky & Telescope Bottom of Form In this month’s Sky Tour astronomy podcast, we’ll watch two sets of shooting stars, spot some bright planets, point out a few late-autumn constellations, and put a spotlight on five interesting stars. November is the month when those of us in the U.S. and Canada adjust our clocks to “fall back” an hour to standard time. That takes place before dawn on November 2nd in the U.S. and Canada, a week later than it does for our friends in Europe. Mexico and tropical countries don’t make the change at all, nor do China or Russia. The return to standard time means that most of us are still heading home from work as evening’s twilight sets in. That’s just fine, though, ...
Recent posts

Scientists use James Webb Space Telescope to make 1st 3D map of exoplanet — and it's so hot, it rips apart water

   From - Space,com ,    By   Stefanie Waldek     Edited by  Amal Udawatta An artist's representation of WASP-18b, an exoplanet some 400 light-years from Earth.   (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech (K. Miller/IPAC)) Astronomers have produced the first-ever three-dimensional map of a planet outside our  solar system  — WASP-18b — marking a major leap forward in exoplanet research. Using the  James Webb Space Telescope , researchers applied a new technique called 3D eclipse mapping, or spectroscopic eclipse mapping, to track subtle changes in various light wavelengths as WASP-18b moved behind its  star . These variations allowed scientists to reconstruct temperature across latitudes, longitudes and altitudes, revealing distinct temperature zones throughout the planet's atmosphere. "If you build a map at a wavelength that water absorbs, you'll see the water deck in the atmosphere, whereas a wavelength that water does not ab...

Astronomers discover 2nd fastest asteroid in the solar system hiding in the sun's glare

   From- Space.Com    By  Elizabeth Howell     Edited by - Amal Udawatta Images from the night of 2025 SC79's discovery showing its motion relative to background stars.   (Image credit: Scott S. Sheppard) A newly found space rock almost broke a speed record. The  asteroid , called 2025 SC79, has a pathway within the orbit of Venus that zips around the  sun  in only 128 days, making it the second-fastest unique asteroid orbit in the solar system, according to a  statement  from Carnegie Science. 2025 SC79 is also a pretty big asteroid: roughly 0.4 miles (700 meters) long, or roughly the length of a skyscraper. Carnegie astronomer Scott Sheppard, a  noted discoverer  of small moons around  Jupiter , Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, spotted the asteroid on Sept. 27 hiding in the sun's glare. While 2025 SC79 will make no close approaches to Earth  for the foreseeable future , finding hidden asteroids is essenti...