The Sky Tonight

December 30, 2015

Russia Postpones Plans on Extensive Moon Exploration Until 2025
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 30, 2015
The Russian space agency Roscosmos will give up on manned flights to the Moon and related activities at least until 2025, the Russian Izvestia newspaper reported Tuesday, citing the updated version of the Federal Space Program (FSP). According to the FSP for years 2016-2025, the Russian space industry will refrain from creating a lunar landing complex, a lunar orbital station, a lunar space suit and the system of robotic software for Moon flights, the newspaper said. In 2012, Russian Deputy ... read more

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Astronomers look to high-mass stars for clues to the origins of life New research out of Japan promises to bolster the search for the origins of life in the distant cosmos. ... more		Description of mechanism that halts solar eruptions Among the most feared events in space physics are solar eruptions, massive explosions that hurl millions of tons of plasma gas and radiation into space. These outbursts can be deadly: if the first m ... more		Asteroid 2003 SD220 Sleighs by Earth on Christmas Eve During the month of December, the Planetary Radar Group at Arecibo Observatory has observed near-Earth asteroid (NEA) 2003 SD220, which will have its closest approach to Earth on December 24. Althou ... more
				Monkey King in China dark matter space quest sends data home China's first telescope tasked with searching for signs of the elusive dark matter formally began its quest Thursday when it sent home its first set of observation data. The Dark Matter Partic ... more		Ringing in a new way to measure and modulate trapped light Researchers working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a novel way to noninvasively measure and map how and where trapped light vibrates within microscale op ... more

Lowdown on Ceres: Images From Dawn's Closest Orbit NASA's Dawn spacecraft, cruising in its lowest and final orbit at dwarf planet Ceres, has delivered the first images from its best-ever viewpoint. The new images showcase details of the cratered and ... more		Railways: Ensuring readiness in case of space weather events The JRC has been looking into the risks of space weather impact on critical infrastructures. A new report explores the rail sector's vulnerability and the potential impacts, in particular through in ... more		Sidekick autonomy software guides YFQ-42A test mission for CCA program Infleqtion lists shares on NYSE as neutral atom quantum firm Top Chinese gaming companies continue to challenge		Black holes could grow as large as 50 billion suns Black holes at the heart of galaxies could swell to 50 billion times the mass of the sun before losing the discs of gas they rely on to sustain themselves, according to research at the University of ... more
				Dwarf planet Ceres: water vapor in Occator crater When the Sun shines into the Occator crater on the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres, a kind of thin haze appears above its brightest spot. This can be seen in images taken by the camera system aboa ... more		NASA offers sneak peak at Christmas Eve asteroid New images, shared Wednesday by NASA, showcase the size and shape of the Christmas Eve asteroid - the highest resolution images to date. ... more

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

Auroral mystery solved: Sudden bursts caused by swirling charged particles Auroras are dimly present throughout the night in polar regions, but sometimes these lights explode in brightness. Now Japanese scientists have unlocked the mystery behind this spectacle, known as a ... more		Physicists on cutting edge in search for dark matter China is joining the global competition on a scientific frontier-the search for dark matter-with new research instruments and facilities in place that heighten anticipation for answers. On Thu ... more		Solar-driven ionosphere charges may nudge stressed faults toward rupture Stable black carbon in mangrove soils boosts coastal climate role Low crystallinity iron minerals show promise for chromium cleanup and carbon storage		Einstein's Cross under the gravitational microlens Spanish astrophysicists obtain precise measurements for an object orbiting a black hole five billion lightyears away, which would be like spotting a one euro coin from two and a half trips around th ... more
New study asks: Why didn't the universe collapse? The models that best describe the Big Bang and birth of the universe have one glaring problem. Most of them predict a collapse almost immediately after inflation. ... more		Serpentinization: Nutrients of biological organisms in hydrothermal fields The discovery of hydrothermal fields at ocean floor opens a new chapter for marine sciences. Fluids in hydrothermal fields are hot and acidic, where at least 400 different biological organisms have ... more		Is evolution more intelligent than we thought Evolution may be more intelligent than we thought, according to a University of Southampton professor. Professor Richard Watson says new research shows that evolution is able to learn from pre ... more		Engineers demo first processor that uses light for ultrafast communications Engineers have successfully married electrons and photons within a single-chip microprocessor, a landmark development that opens the door to ultrafast, low-power data crunching. The researcher ... more

	A quantum of light for material science The basic building blocks of atoms, molecules and solids are positively charged nuclei and negatively charged electrons. Their mutual interactions determine most of the physical and chemical propert ... more		Jefferson Lab Accelerator delivers its first 12 GeV electrons The newly upgraded accelerator at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has delivered full-energy electrons as part of commissioning activities for the ongoi ... more

AALTO plans Zephyr stratospheric hub in northern Australia and seeks local payload partners

Ancient guano drove Chincha coastal power

UAH lands first DARPA award for biological sciences department

Surface physics: How water learns to dance		Giant comets may threaten Earth: astronomers		Chandra Finds Remarkable Galactic Ribbon Unfurled		Researchers at Gothenburg create focused spin wave beams		New Electron-Positron Collider Launched in Siberia
Twisted magnetic fields give new insights on star formation		Wukong's journey to the darkness		Dark Universe Mission ready to take shape		New study details skeleton of the Milky Way galaxy		China receives message from dark matter probe

History of Andromeda Galaxy Studied Through Stellar Remains

Cassini Completes Final Close Enceladus Flyby

Gemini and Keck Put New Spin on Galaxy Formation

A cosmic clumpy doughnut around black hole

The awakened force of a star

Rare full moon on Christmas Day

The Puzzle of the Origin of Elements in the Universe

Meanwhile, in a galaxy not so far, far away

Euclid dark Universe mission ready to take shape

LADEE Mission Shows Force of Meteoroid Strikes on Lunar Exosphere

Cassini Closes in on Enceladus, One Last Time

Nearby star hosts closest alien planet in the 'habitable zone'

Survey Maps Neutral Hydrogen in Northern Sky

Canada delivers Laser Altimeter for OSIRIS-REx spacecraft integration

S3 delays ZeroG launch and IPO campaign

Asteroid WT24 looks even better second time around

ALMA reveals planetary construction sites

VERITAS detects gamma rays from halfway across the universe

Hubble sees the force awakening in a newborn star

Quasar outburst revises understanding of universe, quasars

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