Started by Nostromo, Aug 27, 2016, 03:31:59 PM
Quote from: The University of TokyoAt an altitude of 5,640 meters, the University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO), built on the summit of a desert mountain in northern Chile, is the highest astronomical observatory in the world, which should give it unrivaled capabilities, but presents some novel challenges.Astronomers will go through ever greater lengths to get a better view of the universe. Going back hundreds of years, some of the first lenses were made for telescopes to bring the heavens closer to Earth. Since then, there have been optical telescopes with mirrors as big as buildings, radio telescopes with antenna that stretched between mountaintops, and there is even a space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, farther than the moon. And now, the University of Tokyo has opened another groundbreaking telescope, funded partly by the Japanese government.
Quote from: The Gear JunkieThis pressurized vehicle was developed over a 5-year collaboration between Toyota and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Designed for bigger expeditions across the lunar surface, the experimental rover will now face the real test.NASA will help ferry the vehicle to the moon, along with several Japanese astronauts who will become the first non-Americans to explore our cosmic backyard. The space agency made the announcement this week, with a signed agreement between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Quote from: NASAThe discoveryA planet thought to orbit the star 40 Eridani A – host to Mr. Spock's fictional home planet, Vulcan, in the "Star Trek" universe – is really a kind of astronomical illusion caused by the pulses and jitters of the star itself, a new study shows.Key factsThe possible detection of a planet orbiting a star that Star Trek made famous drew excitement and plenty of attention when it was announced in 2018. Only five years later, the planet appeared to be on shaky ground when other researchers questioned whether it was there at all. Now, precision measurements using a NASA-NSF instrument, installed a few years ago atop Kitt Peak in Arizona, seem to have returned the planet Vulcan even more definitively to the realm of science fiction.
