Category Archives: Current events

JWST Launches Tomorrow! (Screams Internally)

Posted on December 24, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Disclosure: I am a NASA postdoc. However, all opinions are my own. Hi, everyone. Just a PSA that the James Webb Space Telescope lifts off tomorrow morning from French Guiana. (Yes, on Christmas Day.) The launch is at 7:20 AM … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Space, Space exploration | Tagged , | Comments Off on JWST Launches Tomorrow! (Screams Internally)

The Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars Tomorrow!

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Tomorrow is a big day in the world of planetary science. NASA’s Perseverance rover (formerly Mars 2020) will be landing on Mars at 3:55 PM EST. This is something that brings back memories for me. Eight and a half years … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Space exploration | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars Tomorrow!

Happy Science Fiction Day!

Posted on January 2, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Today, January 2, is the observed birthday* of Isaac Asimov, one of the most prolific science fiction (and science fact) authors of the twentieth century. In Asimov’s honor, January 2 is celebrated each year as National Science Fiction Day. (Which … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Happy Science Fiction Day!

Cosmos: Possible Worlds Premiers on Fox Tomorrow

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

Back in March, I posted about the new season of Cosmos. This is Neil deGrasse Tyson’s second follow-up to Carl Sagan’s classic series. He already did Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey in 2014, which I enjoyed and reviewed extensively at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Science, TV Reviews | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Cosmos: Possible Worlds Premiers on Fox Tomorrow

Life on Venus? Not so fast.

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

The big (and I mean BIG) astronomy news of the day is the announcement of possible (and I mean possible) signs of life on Venus—specifically, the detection of the molecule phosphine (PH3) in the upper atmosphere. The researchers, a large … Continue reading →

Posted in astronomy, Current events | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Mars Perseverance Launch Is Tomorrow

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

Space news of the day: NASA’s Perseverance rover (formerly Mars 2020) will launch at 7:50 am EDT tomorrow morning on its mission to Mars. (It was originally supposed to be July 17, but it was delayed due to equipment problems.) … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Space exploration, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

SpaceX’s First Human Spaceflight Is Tomorrow!

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

Astronauts have not blasted off to space from American soil in nearly nine years. But tomorrow, that finally changes. SpaceX will launch its first ever crewed mission, Crew Dragon Demo-2, tomorrow at 4:30 pm Eastern Time. The rocket will ferry … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Space exploration | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on SpaceX’s First Human Spaceflight Is Tomorrow!

Cosmos Season 3 Starts Tomorrow!

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

Correction: as of March 10, Cosmos is NOT available on Disney Plus. As far as I can tell, you can currently get it only on cable services like Hulu Live TV or YouTube TV. (Ugh. If I wanted to pay … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Science, TV Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A New Potentially Habitable Planet from TESS

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

This week is what many call the “Super Bowl of Astronomy”: the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), held this year in Honolulu. I am not there, sadly, but I am involved in one of the big press … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Space | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on A New Potentially Habitable Planet from TESS

Jim Peebles: Co-Winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

Today is one of the most important days of the year in my line of work: the Nobel Prize award ceremony. The Nobel Peace Prize probably gets the most attention (good and bad) of the six prizes from the public, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Science | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment