In the night between July 27^th and 28^th, people living in the eastern hemisphere will be able to see a blood moon. Apart from this, skygazers will get another exclusive view, namely the longest lunar eclipse of the century. Unfortunately, the phenomenon won’t be visible for people in the US.

What is a blood moon?

A blood moon appears whenever a full moon looks bigger and brighter than usual. In most cases, it also acquires a reddish hue, thus the name of blood moon. However, such a phenomenon is not possible without a lunar eclipse, as this overshadowing is the one that gives the moon this strange color.

During an eclipse, the moon, the sun, and our planet are perfectly aligned. A lunar eclipse occurs whenever Earth falls right between the two, blocking the sunlight from reaching the moon. This alignment also makes possible the phenomenon that gives the moon its color.

Why does the moon appear red during a lunar eclipse?

Therefore, the blood moon appears red because of Rayleigh scattering. Since Earth is placed right in front of the moon, the sunlight first has to pass next to our planet. When this happens, it gets filtered through the atmosphere, highlighting certain shades in the spectrum.

Also, all the elements present in our atmosphere, such as pollution or dust, influence the shade of the blood moon. Dust and other thicker elements stop the blue waves in the light, but the red ones are stronger. Therefore, they are the only ones that reach the moon.

However, this lunar eclipse will be different. It will be the longest in the century, as several factors coincide and make it possible. When the moon is in its furthest point from Earth, it will also fall in the darkest part of its shadow. The blood moon is also the smallest of the year, which means it takes more time to get out of the shadow. As a result, we get the longest lunar eclipse of last 100 years.

Image source: Pixabay

Scientists have always wondered if we are the only intelligent life form in the universe, but no one managed to find an answer. There have been many claims on the subject, in spite of the lack of evidence, and they all produced the Fermi Paradox. Therefore, a team of researchers from Oxford University decided to reassess this paradox, thus finding a sad answer. According to their results, humans are the only intelligent civilization in the observable universe.

What is the Fermi Paradox?

The Fermi Paradox is, basically, a contradiction between some claims and the actual evidence. More precisely, many scientists have claimed there are other life forms in the universe, but no one could support them with evidence. Therefore, this paradox has been an impediment for SETI, or the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Therefore, researchers have decided to perform a new evaluation of the Fermi Paradox. To do this, they used the Drake Equation, specially designed in the ‘60s to calculate how likely alien life is. This equation should relate to any small piece of evidence that could be relevant. For instance, if there are many placed in the universe where aliens could hide, they might also host quite a big number of civilizations.

There are too many uncertainties about other intelligent life in the universe

For the study, researchers assessed the Fermi Paradox and all the information we have on the universe. By closely looking at it, they obtained only one result. The evidence is not enough to point to intelligent alien life in the Milky Way or in the observable universe.

The results brought to light many uncertain things about the universe. While some might say life could be possible, the results are way too unclear to formulate this as a fact. After obtaining the uncertainties, they distributed this number all across the universe. This way, the only possibility was that humanity was alone.

The study on this reevaluation of the Fermi Paradox was published online on arXiv.

Image source: PxHere

Astronomers know how dangerous space junk can be for rockets and spacecrafts, so they needed a quick solution. Therefore, a team of British researchers took the first-ever initiative to clean this space debris and developed a cleaning satellite. The mission, called RemoveDEBRIS, has just left the ISS and will soon reach the orbit.

Researchers needed a quick solution against space junk

Space junk is one of the most serious problems of astronomers. The amount of debris has got so high that it has now formed a compact layer around our planet, threatening satellites and other spacecrafts. Therefore, the British researchers decided to find a solution as soon as possible.

This way, they built a space junk remover called RemoveDEBRIS. Weighing around 100 kg, the spacecraft will travel on Earth’s orbit and hunt junk pieces. With the help of a harpoon and a net, it will attempt to catch the debris. However, this isn’t the only purpose of the cleaning satellite. RemoveDEBRIS is also equipped with advanced radars and cameras that will keep an eye on the flying space junk.

The satellite will pick up space debris while also making observations

This debris has become such a serious problem due to its speed. The isolated pieces of junk travel so quickly on the orbit that they pose a huge threat on all the spacecrafts nearby. In fact, researchers fear they might be dangerous for the ISS as well, so an intervention was more than necessary.

At the moment, the space junk satellite only runs as an experiment. However, once it’s done with all the observations, it will drag all the debris it caught outside Earth’s orbit. Instead from displacing it in outer space, the satellite will dump it in Earth’s atmosphere. Since the junk pieces aren’t so big, they will catch fire as soon as they enter the atmosphere.

The radars and cameras aboard RemoveDEBRIS are meant to measure the speed of the space junk and assess its potential dangers. This mission isn’t only about picking up space trash, but also about testing this equipment. If the results are good, researchers are going to incorporate the same technology in other spacecrafts.

Image source: Max Pixel

Stonehenge is one of the most remarkable monuments in the world since it was built with mathematic precision at a time when science achievements didn’t exist. A recent publication released on June 21^st claims the builders of the megalithic monument used the theorem of Pythagoras 2,000 years before the birth of the mathematician.

Stonehenge was built 2,000 years before the birth of Pythagoras

Stonehenge is a megalithic monument in southwestern England, perfectly aligned with the position of the sun on solstice days. Also, on certain dates, different rectangles, triangles, and other shapes appear on the ground. However, the monument becomes one of the biggest attractions on June 21^st, during the summer solstice, when the sun perfectly aligns with the stones.

Right on June 21^st, a team of contributors released a book called Megalith. This paper claims the builders of the monumental ensemble used the theorem of Pythagoras to put it up. However, Stonehenge was built in 2,500 BC, while Pythagoras was born in 570 BC. If this theory is true, it means they were capable of using advanced scientific knowledge when no one else was aware something like this is possible.

The monument could have been unconsciously aware of the theorem of Pythagoras

Of course, the builders weren’t aware they were doing science. However, they had good knowledge of cosmology, astronomy, and had been studying the complex cycles of nature. This allowed them to place the stones in the right positions to align them with the sun.

One of the authors that contributed to the book said they probably used pieces of rope to depict periods of time related to the sun and the moon position. This might have allowed them to make the necessary measurements for the building of Stonehenge.

This book shows that Stonehenge is a product of science rather than being a mythical construction. Since the monument is so old, people tend to regard the builders as primitives who worshipped the sun. However, they possessed great scientific knowledge even if they didn’t know it. Also, the hypothesis with the theorem of Pythagoras is really plausible.

Image source: Flickr

The discovery of new species isn’t so unusual in the scientific world, but these creatures become even more remarkable when they get named after famous people. Researchers have just stumbled upon two new species in a bed of fossils in southern Australia, and the two creatures received really popular names. The first one got the honor of being named after Obama, while the second one received the name of the British naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

Tiny fossil named after Obama

Naming fossils after famous people is a nice practice, as it can honor remarkable personalities who had great achievements. Therefore, for this recent discovery, researchers decided to pick two well-known people when they chose the names for the fossils.

The first creature lived in the oceans about 500 million years ago. It looked a lot like a disk and featured some spirals on its surface. However, it’s existence wasn’t too exciting, as researchers think it spent its life attached to the bottom of the ocean.

This unfortunate situation didn’t stop them from making the creature an exciting one. Therefore, they offered it the honor of being named after Obama. This way, the underwater fossil is now Obamus coronatus. The word coronatus is Latin for “crowned”, so the tiny creature really received an exquisite name.

The second fossils bears the name of Sir David Attenborough

The second fossil belongs to a creature that looked a lot like an egg and was about the size of a raisin. This time, researchers picked Sir David Attenborough to name it. The final result is Attenborites janeae, and it brings a tribute to another person as well. Jane Fargher is the co-owner of the place where these fossils were found, so janeae is a direct reference to her.

The creature named after Obama and the naturalist critter were both among the earliest animals on Earth. Researchers were amazed to discover they were preserved in such a good state, so they bring a valuable contribution to the records on biodiversity.

A study on the fossil named after Obama was published in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, as well as one on the findings in the respective fossil bed.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Scientists are now struggling to make one dream possible – bring humans to Mars. As different companies are now fighting over who is going to be first, a reputable astronaut remains skeptical. Chris Hadfield thinks none of the companies will succeed and humans won’t reach Mars too soon. Among his reasons, he states technical difficulties, blaming rockets as not being powerful enough for such a mission.

Hadfield is skeptical about a manned mission on Mars

Chris Hadfield is best known for his 2013 ‘stunt’, when he sang Space Oddity while he was aboard the International Space Station. Now, he returned with some controversial claims, destroying our dream to travel to Mars. He claimed there were too many obstacles, so humans won’t reach the Red Planet too soon.

Among the reason he stated, there were the means of transportation. At the beginning of this month, Boeing has claimed it would be the first to bring people on Mars. Then, SpaceX decided to challenge it, so they started a competition on who gets there first. However, Hadfield doesn’t trust any of the rockets to bring people there.

“I don’t think those are a practical way to send people to Mars because they’re dangerous and it takes too long.”

The future might not look that bad for space travel

These rockets need fuel to travel so far away. The current formula they use might be enough to propel the rockets into outer space. However, to reach Mars, they need more. Therefore, a manned mission might be way too dangerous, so Hadfield offers a different alternative. To better prepare for such a journey, he thinks these companies should first send robots on Mars.

However, Hadfield doesn’t think humans will never get on Mars. At the moment, such a mission sounds impossible, but he is optimistic. In the future, he is convinced scientists will be able to develop the necessary technology to reach the Red Planet. Given NASA’s recent experiments, we might be on the right track when it comes to fueling and rockets.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Curiosity wasn’t enough to cover the entire surface of the Red Planet, so NASA decided to send a second machine, the Opportunity Rover, to study Mars. However, the space agency was forced to delay the observations, as the little rover is currently facing some issues. Opportunity is struggling with a strong dust storm near the Perseverance Valley on Mars.

The Opportunity Rover is facing a tough moment

While facing all kinds of problems, Curiosity has at least one thing it shouldn’t worry about, and that is power. Unfortunately, the Opportunity Rover is less lucky, as it needs solar panels to function. This shouldn’t be a problem unless a dust storm comes along.

On June 1^st, NASA spotted the emergence of the storm and then, during the weekend, it saw it getting worse. By June 8^th, the storm spread over a huge area of about 7 million square miles, which is a lot more than the surface of North America. If the dust storm doesn’t calm down, the sunrays won’t reach the Opportunity Rover, preventing it from functioning.

The dust storm is the toughest the rover has ever experienced

The tiny machine is quite used to facing problems, as this isn’t the first issue it experienced. In 2007, for instance, it became non-functional for 12 days, while NASA had to interrupt communication with it to help it save power. However, this storm is a lot more serious than what Opportunity has ever experienced.

Researchers measure the level of darkness in the atmosphere in tau. During the 2007 incident, the Martian atmosphere reached 5.5 tau. Now, the current dust storm has brought the atmosphere to a darkness of 10.8 tau. This doesn’t only block the sunlight, but also makes the planet really cold. Since the Opportunity Rover relies entirely on solar power, it has been in crisis mode since June 6^th.

The situation is quite critical for the survival of the Opportunity Rover. While the lack of sun can be a serious blow, the dust might really help it by raising the general temperature at the surface.

Image source: USGS Astrogeology

NASA’s Kepler satellite made a stunning discovery during its K2 mission, highlighting the existence of two new planet formations relatively close to our own. One of them is a whole new solar system with three planets almost the size of Earth, while the second one sports planets of a much bigger size.

The new solar system has planets similar to Earth

If you ever thought of finding a new solar system similar to our own, the K2 mission turned it into reality. This new system is only 160 light-years away from Earth and took researchers by surprise. Three of its planets are incredibly similar to our own. In fact, one of them is precisely the size of Earth, while the other two are only a bit bigger.

However, don’t get too excited, as the new solar system can’t really be inhabited. All the three planets are extremely close to their sun, so the temperatures probably can’t sustain life. The discovery stays remarkable, as these planets are quite common in the universe. Therefore, researchers assumed they might be a little more hospitable than we would think.

The planets probably cannot sustain life

The second new solar system is a bit different, as its planets are much bigger than our own. In fact, they are called super Earths. Also, there’s one more thing worth mentioning about the two systems. Both of them have red dwarf stars at their center, which are smaller and less hot than our Sun.

Could this mean the planets might sustain life? The chances are quite slim, since the planets are still too close to the stars, but researchers will still continue their observations. The K2 mission spotted them as they passed in front of the stars, causing dips in their light. By studying these dips, researchers can find out more about the planets and the new solar systems.

Image source: NASA

On Wednesday morning, a new Russian expedition launched into space from Kazakhstan. Before reaching the rocket, the astronauts surprised everyone with a strange behavior. Apparently, they respected an old tradition where, before walking away from the bus that brought them to the rocket, they urinated on the right tire in the back. Where does this habit come from?

Why do astronauts urinate on a tire?

Many astronauts have some sort of tradition before they embark on a rocket, but the Russians amaze us with the most interesting one. As they get down from the bus that brought them to the launching site, they have to urinate on a tire in the back. The same applies for women, who have to do it in a cup and then splash the urine on the same tire.

This sounds really strange, so where does the habit to urinate on a tire come from? Astronomers were happy to explain, as they are paying a tribute to the first man who ever reached space, Yuri Gagarin. On April 12^th, 1961, launched on the first-ever trip to space from the same location in Kazakhstan. As his natural needs took over him, he had no other place to go than behind the bus.

What other tributes do astronauts pay to Gagarin?

This is probably the funniest way to pay tribute to the first astronaut in space. However, not everyone does it. All astronauts leaving from the same cosmodrome found nice ways to honor the memory of Gagarin. Some of them plant trees right where Gagarin planted his, visit his grave or his office that stays untouched since 1968, when the astronaut died.

Gagarin will remain the most important astronaut in Russia’s space history. It made the first big achievement in the field of space travel and is regarded today as a national hero. While the habit to urinate on a tire seems strange, Russian astronauts are proud to do it in Gagarin’s memory.

Image source: Pexels

One of the biggest scientific events of 2015 was the expedition to Pluto and the great observations made by the New Horizons spacecraft. The mission brought the first detailed photographs of the planet’s surface, so researchers discovered many formations they didn’t know were present there. At the bottom of a major mountain, they observed some interesting dunes that turned out to be made of methane.

Pluto sports some interesting methane dunes

The images of the surface of Pluto illustrated a lot of interesting formations. Among the most captivating finds, there was Sputnik Panitia, a plain covered entirely in ice. At the edge of this plain, there were some interesting formations that look like dunes and spread near the edge of the icy mountains.

Given the shape and location of these dunes, researchers ran some simulations and discovered their composition. The wind on Pluto also played an important role, as it might have triggered a process called sublimation. Through this process, solid nitrogen particles turned into gas while methane got released in the atmosphere.

Pluto has some striking Earth-like characteristics

Afterwards, this wind transported the methane particles across this ice plain. When it faced the mountains, it couldn’t go on, so they turned into these methane dunes. Given their good shape, researchers assumed the formations must be relatively new. More precisely, they must have formed about 500,000 years ago.

Such formations aren’t uncommon for planets with rocks and atmosphere. However, Pluto sports a ground temperature of -230 degrees Celsius with a really thin atmosphere. Despite all these factors, the methane dunes could still form on its surface. This phenomenon is extremely interesting, as it shows how mysterious Pluto is and how complex its geological processes are. In fact, these methane dunes are quite Earth-like.

The study on the strange formations on Pluto’s surface was published in the journal Science.

Image source: Wikipedia