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How and when to see the Geminid meteor shower
The Geminid meteor shower lights up the night sky. Credit: Asim Patel, Attribution (CC BY 4.0)

Stargazers will have a chance to enjoy one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year later this week, as the Geminids reach their peak.

Under perfect conditions, up to 150 meteors an hour could light up the night sky from Thursday into Friday (December 14–15), although the majority of observers can expect to see closer to 40 or 50 an hour as long as skies are clear.

Most meteor showers are caused by comets but the Geminids are unusual because they originate from the debris of an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon.

They also have a greenish hue when they burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, rather than being colorless or white like other meteors. This is because of their —oxygen, magnesium and nickel usually produce a green color.

The good news for skywatchers is that the arrival of a new moon that is just 1% illuminated should make for ideal viewing conditions, because there will less to weaken what should be a dazzling show.

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Paris (AFP) Dec 12, 2023
A French-led consortium said Tuesday it has received funding for its project to develop an innovative low-cost small rocket called "Baguette One" and launch it into space. HyPrSpace along with a joint venture of Italian defence firm Leonardo and French IT firm Thales, and CT Engineering are pursuing the 35-million-euro ($38-million) project that aims to demonstrate a new type of rocket engin

Permafrost thaw: a silent menace

Tuesday, 12 December 2023 10:00
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Video: 00:05:47

Ice is without doubt one of the first casualties of climate change, but the effects of our warming world are not only limited to ice melting on Earth’s surface. Ground that has been frozen for thousands of years, called permafrost, is thawing – adding to the climate crisis and causing serious issues for local communities.

Scientists estimate that the world’s permafrost holds almost double the amount of carbon that is currently in the atmosphere. When permafrost warms and thaws, it releases methane and carbon dioxide, adding these greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and making global warming even worse.

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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 07, 2023
The United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have jointly unveiled a significant trilateral initiative known as the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC). This collaboration aims to bolster space domain awareness by providing 24/7, all-weather capabilities to detect, track, identify, and characterize objects in deep space. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) underpinning this project

HyperScout H Readies for ESA's Hera Mission

Tuesday, 12 December 2023 08:42
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Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 07, 2023
HyperScout H, developed by cosine, has a rich history in Earth observation, but its origins lie in planetary science. Now, it's returning to its roots as an integral part of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera mission. The HyperScout H hyperspectral imager has reached a series of significant milestones, signifying its readiness for the mission. The HyperScout H imager has successfully c
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Paris, France (SPX) Dec 07, 2023
In a groundbreaking discovery, an international research team, led by a CNRS scientist, has unveiled the role of galactic winds in regulating the growth of galaxies, including those over 7 billion years old that are actively forming stars. This revelation, made possible through the use of the MUSE instrument integrated into the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, sheds light on
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Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 12, 2023
Beijing-based private space company LandSpace has unveiled the ZQ-3 carrier rocket, a new addition to its lineup that promises significant advancements in rocket technology. The announcement, made by LandSpace's founder and CEO, Zhang Changwu, at a recent news conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, details the rocket's design and capabilities, indicating a fresh approach in rocket en
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Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 12, 2023
Neumann Space, an Australian-based innovator in space technology, has recently made headlines with the successful completion of the first series of on-orbit tests of its Neumann Drive, a leading propulsion system designed for small spacecraft. This significant achievement marks Neumann Space as the first commercial entity to fire a thruster in space that utilizes Molybdenum, a solid metallic pro
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 12, 2023
The Space Launch System (SLS), NASA's super-heavy lift rocket designated for the Artemis II mission, is rapidly approaching a significant milestone. Teams at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are finalizing preparations on a critical component of the SLS - the Orion stage adapter. This component serves as the crucial link between NASA's Orion spacecraft and the rocket's
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Kirtland AFB NM (SPX) Dec 12, 2023
Over the last several years, the Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, unveiled two programs, Defense Deep Space Sentinel, or D2S2, and Oracle, to develop cislunar space situational awareness, or SSA, capabilities. Both programs are now under a single umbrella known as the Oracle family of systems, with D2S2 renamed Oracle Mobility, or Oracle-M, and the original Oracle gaining the designation
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Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 12, 2023
In a recent scientific breakthrough, an international team of researchers has provided new insights into the nature and composition of the asteroid Ryugu, enhancing our understanding of water- and carbon-rich celestial bodies within the solar system. This study, pivotal in the field of planetary science, was made possible by analyzing samples returned to Earth by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft, a miss

MAVEN observes the disappearing solar wind

Tuesday, 12 December 2023 07:26
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Boulder CO (SPX) Dec 12, 2023
In December 2022, NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission observed the dramatic and unexpected "disappearance" of a stream of charged particles constantly emanating off the Sun, known as the solar wind. This was caused by a special type of solar event that was so powerful, it created a void in its wake as it traveled through the solar system. Due to this event, MAVEN'
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 12, 2023
In a significant development for heliophysics research, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory has unveiled HelioCloud, a collaborative, cloud-based platform designed to transform how scientists and students access, analyze, and visualize the vast and complex datasets inherent to the study of the sun and its influence on the solar system. HelioCloud emerges as a novel solution
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Vancouver, Canada (SPX) Dec 12, 2023
Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global leader in IoT solutions, has achieved a significant milestone with its satellite communication module, the CC200A-LB, now certified by major international regulatory bodies, including CE, FCC, IC, and RCM. This recent development confirms the module's compliance with satellite network standards across key global markets: Europe, North America, Canada, Austral
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