The Sky Tonight

December 31, 2015

Death rumors of Russian lunar program 'greatly exaggerated' - Deputy PM
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 31, 2015
Russia's deputy prime minister refuted rumors that the country's lunar program is in a crisis, saying that it in fact is far from being cut. Russia has not dropped its lunar program and rumors of it being stricken from the federal program are "greatly exaggerated," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Wednesday. On Tuesday, media reports suggested, citing the updated version of the Federal Space Program (FSP), that in 2016-2025 Russia would suspend creation of a lunar lending co ... read more

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Mysterious radio signals from space much better test of General Relativity A new way to test one of the basic principles underlying Einstein's theory of General Relativity using brief blasts of rare radio signals from space called Fast Radio Bursts is ten times, to one-hun ... more		South Korea to launch lunar exploration in 2016, land by 2020 South Korea plans to launch a lunar exploration project next year with a 2020 timeframe of landing a lunar vessel, the country's Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said as quoted by local ... 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		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

Aurora borealis could make New Year's Eve appearance Earlier this week, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center reported an M1 solar flare and associated coronal mass ejection. The resulting geomagnetic storm hit Earth Wednesday morning. ... more		Russia Postpones Plans on Extensive Moon Exploration Until 2025 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 ... more		HawkEye 360 expands signals intelligence network with operational deployment of Cluster 12 York confirms successful deployment and health of 21 satellites for SDA Tranche 1 mission Spain faces uphill battle to cut Israel military ties: experts		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

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

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		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		Climate change causing havoc with global water cycle: UN Schools shut, flights cancelled as Typhoon Ragasa nears Hong Kong Over 60,000 Europeans died from heat during 2024 summer: study		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
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		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

	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		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

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EU business lobby head says China rare earths snag persists

IEA feels the heat as Washington pushes pro-oil agenda

Giant comets may threaten Earth: astronomers		Chandra Finds Remarkable Galactic Ribbon Unfurled		Physicists on cutting edge in search for dark matter		Einstein's Cross under the gravitational microlens		New study asks: Why didn't the universe collapse?
Auroral mystery solved: Sudden bursts caused by swirling charged particles		Surface physics: How water learns to dance		Researchers at Gothenburg create focused spin wave beams		New Electron-Positron Collider Launched in Siberia		Twisted magnetic fields give new insights on star formation

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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

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