If you weren’t lucky enough to witness the April 8th total solar eclipse in person, you still have a chance to see the phenomenon for yourself. Today, the eclipse began just a few minutes past 11 a.m. on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. Incredible footage shared by NASA shows the spectacular moment when the solar eclipse reached totality over Mazatlan, Mexico. Other cities in the eclipse’s path include: Dallas, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Cleveland, Ohio; and Burlington, Vermont. NASA’s mobile-friendly “Eclipse Explorer” invites curious astronomers to take a closer look at the 2024 solar eclipse’s path.
But we know what you really came here for — awesome video footage of the eclipse. Well, look no further. The video below shows NASA’s very own telescope feed, currently live on YouTube. Make sure to skip around to see views of the solar eclipse in several different cities.
Star Citizen, the space game-slash-dogfighter-slash-simulator from Cloud Imperium, is more expensive than the biggest AAA games combined
Star Citizen, the space game-slash-dogfighter-slash-simulator from Cloud Imperium, is officially more expensive than the biggest AAA games combined. The Star Citizen funding page updated with a new funding total: $598,220,048 (thanks, PlayerAuctions).
Yes, that’s half a billion dollars to make one video game.
For context, that’s more than the three most expensive AAA games cost to make combined. Grand Theft Auto V from Rockstar cost $137 million; Red Dead Redemption 2, also from Rockstar, was estimated to cost about $170 million; and Cyberpunk 2077 from Witcher-maker CD Projekt RED cost the studio $174 million.
Star Citizen began development in 2012 and makes money primarily by selling unique ships with special features to players that they can use in the game – if the game actually existed in playable form, which it doesn’t, at least not in full. Prospective fans have spent thousands of dollars over the past decade for the promise of something they may eventually have if the game ever launches, though they can tinker around with one of the many bug-filled, incomplete Star Citizen alpha builds.
Cloud Imperium’s handling of the simulation game‘s development hasn’t been without controversy. In 2019, an extensive report from Forbes included allegations of poor management and questionable use of funds from former development team members, most of whom believed the game would never actually launch. They alleged that the studio head, Chris Roberts, has no vision for the game and just keeps adding planned features and concepts despite knowing they’re impossible to deliver.
Still, people continue to believe in the idea of Star Citizen. CCU Game, an app that helps would-be players track their purchases and buybacks, shows that Cloud Imperium received $113 million in pledges in 2022 – the game’s announcement anniversary – and has already brought in $49 million in the first five months of 2023.
The most powerful rocket ever built met an eventful end
The most powerful rocket ever built has officially launched.
With the test flight of SpaceX’s unmanned starship on on Thursday from Boca Chica, Texas, scientists have moved one small, but vastly important step closer to a new space age.
The starship took off after a few delays, reached maximum dynamic pressure and lasted about four minutes before exploding at the end of its Stage 1 burn. At that point the unmanned spaceship was attempting to separate from the booster and ignite second stage engines. It would’ve been a smashing success if accomplished.
Overall, this was a massive win for SpaceX and its engineers. The fact that starship made it off the launch pad is an achievement years in the making. You can read more about all the impressive specs and stats in this wonderful breakdown from USA Today here.
But that’s not what this post is for. We’re here to watch the best clips of the big rocket going boom.
With Halloween on the horizon, one spooky fact lingers in everyone’s mind. Soon, the year will come to an end. Only a little over two months remain in 2022. While there will be plenty of time ahead to stress about the holidays and reflect on your year, put away those concerns for now and focus on something fun. Today, the world experienced the last solar eclipse of the year.
The partial solar eclipse began on Oct. 25 at 4:58 a.m. and ended at 9:01 a.m. ET. Though the eclipse was only visible in parts of Europe, northeast Africa, and western Asia, people worldwide can enjoy a video of the four-hour eclipse process on YouTube.
If you’re an astronomy enthusiast, check out this For The Win gallery of stunning eclipse images, too. Is one gallery not enough to sate your space curiosity? Check out this list of even more incredible celestial events from 2022.
Dedicated stargazers know how frustrating light pollution can be. In a city full of artificial lights, starry skies fade and leave only a handful of the brightest stars and planets visible. Meanwhile, less developed areas enjoy stunning night skies unobstructed by artificial lighting. While good stargazing spots can be found in countless small towns, where are the best places to see the stars? According to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), International Dark Sky Parks make for an unparalleled stargazing experience.
“An IDA International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) is a land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment,” the IDA website explains.
If you’re ready for an out-of-this-world stargazing experience, visit these 14 IDSP locations for unbeatable night-sky views.
Add some wonder to your August by watching the Perseid meteor shower. Throughout the month, meteors from Comet Swift-Tuttle will shoot across the night sky to dazzle stargazers. Here’s what you need to know about these falling stars and how to see them.
Between August 11 and 13, the Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak. Don’t go making plans to watch the sky just yet, though. A full moon on August 11 will likely obscure views of the meteors. Still, astronomy enthusiasts can keep an eye out for the Perseids in the days leading up to the full moon. Stay up late or set an alarm for the dark hours before dawn to catch the clearest glimpses of these celestial bodies.
“Sadly, this year’s Perseids peak will see the worst possible circumstances for spotters,” NASA astronomer Bill Cooke said on NASA Blogs. “Most of us in North America would normally see 50 or 60 meteors per hour, but this year, during the normal peak, the full Moon will reduce that to 10-20 per hour at best.”
Avid skywatchers have more than the Perseids to look forward to, though. As the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory shares in the video below, Jupiter and Mars are visible in August’s sky. The Summer Triangle and the constellation Cygnus will also shine brightly for eagle-eyed stargazers.
If yesterday’s James Webb Space Telescope image release left you craving more celestial wonders, look no further than tonight’s Buck Moon. Described by Almanac.com as “the biggest and brightest supermoon of the year,” the Buck Moon reached peak illumination at 2:38 p.m. EDT. Watch the sky for a glimpse of the full moon tonight, and mark your calendar for more cool moon phases coming later this month.
Also called “Moon When the Chokecherries are Ripe” by the Dakota people, the Buck Moon is just one of July’s interesting astronomical occurrences. Additional moon phases to watch for this month include the last quarter moon on July 20 and the new moon on July 28. When you look up at the sky to enjoy these moon phases, keep an eye out for the Summer Triangle, too. The stars Vega, Altair, and Deneb make up the three corners of the Summer Triangle. Check out this star map to help guide your stargazing.
If the weather in your area blocks the Buck Moon tonight, tune into a moon livestream. On YouTube, live videos like this one let you observe the full moon and chat with other space enthusiasts. Need even more ways to look at the moon? Check out the gallery of Strawberry Moon photos below, or this gallery of super flower blood moon photos.
Today, NASA unveiled images from the James Webb Space Telescope. The infrared images show the deepest and sharpest view of the distant universe to date. These glimpses into space represent 120 hours of observation and come after the telescope began capturing data a few weeks ago. Now available to the public, the Webb images invite people to explore distant galaxies and learn more about this scientific achievement.
“It’s an emotional moment when you see nature suddenly releasing some of its secrets,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said at a news conference on Wednesday. “With this telescope, it’s really hard not to break records.”
IMAGE: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Meet Webb’s First Deep Field, the first James Webb Space Telescope image. The incredibly detailed capture shows galaxy cluster SMACS 0723. To generate this view, Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) composited several images at various wavelengths. This technology allows the world to see SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago.
“Webb can see backwards in time just after the big bang by looking for galaxies that are so far away, the light has taken many billions of years to get from those galaxies to ourselves,” Jonathan Gardner, NASA’s Webb deputy senior project scientist, said during the recent news conference.
Curious to see just how much NASA’s technology has improved? Compare the James Webb Space Telescope images to those captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Twitter user @Johnnyc1423 created a helpful slider tool that compares images from the two telescopes. Currently, the tool features images of SMACS 0723, Southern Ring Nebula, Stephan’s Quintet, and Carina Nebula.
The new images represent a significant moment in scientific discovery and come after many years of collaboration. As NASA explains, “Thousands of scientists, engineers, and technicians from 14 countries, 29 U.S. states, and Washington, D.C. contributed to build, test, and integrate Webb.”
See a gallery of the images here, and stay updated as NASA releases further information.
