technical updates

The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ is one of the best telescopes for beginner-to-intermediate stargazers who want to view deep-sky objects and appreciate assistance in manually locating the targets. Right now, the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ is 17% off, down to just $414.99 , its cheapest since Prime Day in June. In our Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ review , our expert tester Damian Peach awarded it an impressive 4 out of 5-star. Damian noted that it was an exquisite telescope for the beginner and added that the StarSense Explorer telescope was fully equipped, supplied with just about everything the skywatcher needs for a successful observing session under the stars. It only missed out on the perfect score as Damian felt it would benefit from additional high-powered eyepieces to achieve more detailed views. However, at this discounted price, it's one of the best begi...

The United States will soon have a new service academy — or something like it, anyway. President Donald Trump today (Aug. 28) signed an executive order creating the U.S. Space Academy, an institution of higher learning that will train students for a career studying, exploring, exploiting or helping to protect the final frontier. "It'll serve both the United States Space Force as well as NASA and the civilian spaceflight industry, and it'll attract, train and graduate the very very best of our nation," Trump said today during a ceremony at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, at which he awarded the Artemis II moon astronauts the nation's highest space honor. President Donald Trump awarded the four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II moon mission the Congressional Space Medal of Honor at Johnson Space Center on Aug. 28, 2026. They, in turn, gave him a flight jacke...

Warning: Potential "Silo" Spoilers Ahead! Get back in the Silo if you aren't up to date! Apple TV's " Silo" season 3 is nearing its final two episodes, depicting the Before Times’ doomsday silo project as well as the shakeup inside Silo 18 with Juliette’s memory returning. The ongoing tempest includes Camille Sims (Alexandria Riley) having to prevent a Safeguard extermination as the new Head of IT this year, and the revelation of ex-security chief Robert Sims (Common) regarding Bernard (Tim Robbins). With the married couple of Robert and Camille Sims careening off onto very different moral trajectories, Camille must confront troubling truths as her conscience plummets into the pits of Hades, while Robert is on a profound journey of salvation. "The writers are incredible on this show, and we were so excited when we first saw what they were going to do," Rile...

Beneath the rocky slopes of Mount Timpanogos lies far more ice than anyone walking across the surface might suspect. Researchers used gravity measurements to map the buried glacier in 3D and found it is about 83% ice, with enough frozen water to fill 600 Olympic swimming pools. Their findings suggest rock glaciers form as falling debris buries persistent snow and preserves it for thousands of years. Similar formations around the world may collectively store tens of gigatons of hidden water. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/CMwJP2n

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have studied 72 young, sun-like stars. As a result, they found that forming planets is a real race against time. This is because the material that serves as the building blocks for planets is constantly escaping the swirling platters of gas and dust, or protoplanetary disks , that wrap around infant stars. Some types of planets may find their formation window closing sooner than others. The team's research represents the most in-depth investigation yet into how matter escapes these protoplanetary disks and how this escape gives rise to different stages of planet formation around sun-like stars. All in all, the study helps paint a better picture of how and why our solar system took the shape it did around the infant sun around 4.6 billion years ago. "Gas giants like Jupiter must assemble their massive atmospheres while the disk...

Jonny Kim is leaving NASA to continue his military career. The 42-year-old astronaut, who has one of the most jaw-dropping resumes of any person alive, is departing today (Aug. 27) after nine years with the agency. He has one mission under his belt, a long-duration flight to the International Space Station (ISS). "Jonny has been an integral part of the agency, and his immeasurable impact will be felt for generations to come," Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, said in a statement today . "From advancing groundbreaking science to inspiring the next generation, Jonny has been an incredible source of inspiration to our nation. His exceptional talent, determination, and grit will leave a lasting legacy at NASA." NASA picked Kim as part of its 2017 astronaut class, the 22nd in the agency's history. He and his 11 fellow selectees nickn...