• Television: Will We Ever See a Return of The Orville?

    While I am very happy with the sci-fi shows from this past summer, I would be happy to see the return Seth MacFarlane’s The Orville, if only rumors were true. Yes, the series seemed to start as a spoof of Star Trek, but it found its own unique footing and grew on me over time.…

  • This Should Not Be Necessary: The Acting NASA Administrator Responds

    Acting NASA Administrator had to time time out of his day (or at least a staff member had to) to respond to a dumb comment by, let us say, a less-than-scientifically minded Kim Kardashian. She had earlier shared her doubts about whether the United States ever placed astronauts on the Moon. Of course, it is…

  • Pic of the Week: Dead Comet From Halloween Past

    This spooky image of a dead comet was captured 10 years ago, but it still serves this purpose this time of year. It passed the Earth on Halloween evening that year at a distance of about 302,000 miles. Here is more from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Scientists observing asteroid 2015 TB145 with NASA’s Infrared Telescope…

  • Highlights from the 2025 International Mars Society Convention

    If you were unable to attend the 2025 International Mars Society Convention earlier this month in California, you can still get a taste of the event. The Mars Society has posted a one-hour video with highlights from the various presentations listed below: It certainly isn’t the same as being there, but it gives you some…

  • Astronomy Question: Star Trek and Founding Species

    Multiple Choice: In the television series Star Trek, which of the following was not a founding species of the United Federation of Planets, a collection of governments based on universal liberty and equality? A. VulcansB. AndoriansC. TellaritesD. Betazoids Take a guess and then check your answer by going to the “Astronomy Question Answer Sheet” page.

  • Space Stories: Space Observatory in Need of Rescue, Alien Comet Activates Earth Defense, and Japan Sends Cargo to the ISS

    Here are some recent space-related stories of interest. —KJZZ Phoenix: “Flagstaff-based Company Wins $30M Contract for NASA Space Rescue Mission“ A Flagstaff-based space company has won a $30 million contract to raise the orbit of a space-based NASA observatory next year before it can drop uncontrolled back into Earth’s atmosphere. NASA officials say they are in…

  • RIP: June Lockhart, Actress

    Actress June Lockhart passed away last Thursday at the age of 100. She had a storied career in both movies and television, including the 1960s television shows Lassie and Lost in Space. Lost in Space was a somewhat silly story about the Robinson family migrating from an overpopulated Earth to a exoplanet orbiting Alpha Centauri.…

  • Space Quote: Don’t Damage Discovery

    ”The Smithsonian estimates that transporting Discovery from Virginia to Houston could cost more than $50 million, with another $325 million needed for planning, exhibit reconstruction, and new facilities. These costs far exceed the $85 million appropriated in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, P.L. 119-21. Dedicating hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to move an…

  • Study Findings: A Less Terrifying Universe? Mundanity as an Explanation for the Fermi Paradox

    Abstract of the pre-publication study findings: Applying a principle of “radical mundanity”, this paper examines explanations for the lack of strong evidence for the presence of technology-using extraterrestrial civilizations (ETCs) in the Galaxy – the Fermi paradox. With this principle, the prospect that the Galaxy contains a modest number of civilizations is preferred, where none have…

  • Pic of the Week: Cat’s Paw Nebula

    This week’s image highlights a NASA poster that you can download (in a variety of versions). It shows the Cat’s Paw Nebula (NGC 6334) as captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Here is a short summary of what you are seeing from NASA: Located approximately 4,000 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius, the…