• Where is This? January 9, 2023 Quiz

    Take a look at the image above. Can you determine where this image originated? Take a guess and then check your answer by going to the “Where is This? The Answer Sheet” page.

  • Astronomy and ChatGPT: Do Your Own Homework

    While I recently used the new AI software ChatGPT (created by OpenAI, which was founded by Elon Musk and others) to draft up a poem, I did not use it to learn more about astronomy. Others have already attempted this and came back with mixed results. Last month, the website Astronomy reported back on its…

  • In Case You Missed It: More Trash, This Time on Mars

    In an earlier post, I noted the amount of poop as well as other trash left behind on the Moon from prior lunar missions. Well, Cagri Kilic, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at West Virginia University, also ventured a guess at the amount of human trash that has already accummulated on the surface of Mars. In…

  • Space Quote: Starlab to Replace the ISS

    “This partnership with Voyager Space is the first step toward fielding the next generation of space stations to serve international astronauts. We are excited to support a project aimed at changing history…This collaboration is an important step in making Starlab a reality, providing a foundation for long-lasting European and American leadership in space. Our team…

  • Pic of the Week: Disconnection Event

    This week’s image is from the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2022 contest. The image above is the winner of the 2022 contest. It is titled “Disconnection Event,” captured by Gerald Rhemann. Here is the language accompanying the winning image: Comet Leonard was discovered by GJ Leonard on 3 January 2021. It…

  • Space Stories: Passing of Apollo Astronaut Walter Cunningham, Opal on Mars, and Juno Recovers

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —NASA: “Apollo Astronaut Walter Cunningham Dies at 90“ Former astronaut Walter Cunningham, who flew into space on Apollo 7, the first flight with crew in NASA’s Apollo Program, died early Tuesday morning in Houston. He was 90 years old. “Walt Cunningham was a fighter pilot, physicist, and an entrepreneur…

  • Podcast: Discussing Science Fiction and Astronomy with Andy Weir & Rob Manning

    If you have not yet tapped into The Planetary Society’s podcast Planetary Radio, then now is the time to do so. Host Mat Kaplan and his guests had a great time on the recent podcast, One Last Blast: Author of ‘The Martian’ Andy Weir with JPL Chief Engineer Rob Manning. Both Andy Weir (author of…

  • NASA Claims U.S. in a Space Race with China, Again

    A recent Politico interview with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson covered old ground about the Chinese taking possession of the Moon and yet seemed to get some media play in the quiet post-holiday period. As I said, it is nothing new (see this earlier news clip) nor should it be a surprise. Yes, the U.S. is…

  • Top Astronomy Stories in 2022

    Given that 2022 was a busy year, I thought I would highlight the top astronomy stories on the site – the good and the bad covering space missions to TV shows. Unlike other websites, I waited until the new year to create the list just in case we were visited by extraterrestrials. In this way,…

  • Space Quote: Is Opaque SpaceX the Only Game in Town?

    “Nobody really knows anything about the financials of SpaceX…No balance sheet or financial report is available. We have a very large company of 10,000 people — a main contractor to NASA and the Defense Department — and there is absolutely no information available on its financial health.” -Statement by Pierre Lionnet, the research and managing…