>Trust the writers, of THIS movie.
Best in the galaxy, they are.
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
August 12, 2024
Perseid Meteors over Stonehenge
What's happening in the sky above Stonehenge? A meteor shower: specifically, the Perseid meteor shower. A few nights ago, after the sky darkened, many images of meteors from this year's Perseids were captured separately and merged into a single frame. Although the meteors all traveled on straight paths, these paths appear slightly curved by the wide-angle lens of the capturing camera. The meteor streaks can all be traced back to a single point on the sky called the radiant, here just off the top of the frame in the constellation of Perseus. The same camera took a deep image of the background sky that brought up the central band of our Milky Way galaxy running nearly vertical through the image center. The featured image was taken from Wiltshire, England, being careful to include, at the bottom, the famous astronomical monument of Stonehenge. Although the Perseids peaked last night, some Perseid meteors should still be visible for a few more nights.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html?
Rare Perseid meteor shower and northern lights display excites stargazers worldwide
August 12, 2024
In a breathtaking display of nature's beauty, skywatchers worldwide witnessed a rare natural event: the Perseid meteor shower coinciding with the northern lights.
The Perseid meteor shower peak was anticipated, as it occurs annually when Earth passes through debris — small bits of ice and rock — left by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last approached Earth in 1992. However, the appearance of simultaneous auroras was unexpected.
While forecasters had predicted some geomagnetic activity over the weekend, prompting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center to issue a geomagnetic storm watch for Aug. 9 through Aug. 11, space weather can be unpredictable, and auroras only occur under just the right conditions.
However, everything fell into place over the weekend.
While some lucky stargazers managed to see fleeting glimpses of Perseid meteors, others witnessed the dancing northern lights and some were even lucky enough to witness the two at once!
This unique overlap allowed photographers to capture truly remarkable images.
Here, we take a look at some of the best.
https://www.space.com/perseid-meteor-shower-and-northern-lights-auroras-august-2024-photos
>>21391280 PB
SpaceX Starlink Mission Launch
On Monday, August 12 at 6:37 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This was the 17th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched SES-22, ispace's HAKUTO-R MISSION 1, Amazonas-6, CRS-27, Bandwagon-1, and now 12 Starlink missions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-10-7
SpaceX ASBM Mission
On Sunday, August 11 at 7:02 p.m. PT, SpaceX launched the Space Norway Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission mission (ASBM) to Molniya transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
This was the 22nd flight of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-1, Crew-2, SXM-8, CRS-23, IXPE, Transporter-4, Transporter-5, Globalstar FM15, ISI EROS C-3, Korea 425, Maxar 1, and 10 Starlink missions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=asbm
Rocket Lab launches sharp-eyed private radar satellite to orbit
August 11, 2024
Rocket Lab launched its 10th mission of the year on Sunday (Aug. 11), sending aloft an Earth-observing radar satellite for the California company Capella Space.
An Electron vehicle lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site on Sunday at 9:18 a.m. EDT (1318 GMT; 1:18 a.m. on Aug. 12 local New Zealand time).
The 59-foot-tall (18 meters) rocket did its job as planned. It deployed the spacecraft, called Acadia-3, about 57 minutes after liftoff into a circular orbit 382 miles (615 kilometers) above Earth.
Rocket Lab called Sunday's mission "A Sky Full of SARS." That's a nod to Acadia-3, which is a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite.
"A Sky Full of SARS" was Rocket Lab's fifth launch overall for San Francisco-based Capella Space, whose satellites return sharp imagery of Earth in all weather conditions, day or night — a key benefit of SAR tech.
"Capella Space provides easy access to frequent and timely information affecting dozens of industries worldwide, including defense and intelligence, supply chain, insurance, maritime and others," Rocket Lab wrote in the press kit for Sunday's mission, which you can find here.
"Its market-leading SAR satellites are matched with unparalleled data infrastructure to quickly deliver reliable global insights that sharpen our understanding of the changing world — improving decisions about commerce, conservation and security on Earth," Rocket Lab added.
"A Sky Full of SARS" was the 10th launch of the year for Rocket Lab, and the company's 52nd orbital mission overall.
Rocket Lab aims to make Electron's first stage reusable; it has recovered boosters from the sea multiple times to date and has even reflown an engine on a previous mission.
But no recovery operations were performed on "A Sky Full of SARS."
https://www.space.com/rocket-lab-capella-space-radar-satellite-launch-august-2024
Huge space radar station to be built in Wales
16:45, 11 AUG 2024
Plans to develop a major space radar station in Wales have been confirmed by the UK government.
Known as the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability or Darc, the Welsh site will be part of network of ground-based radars in Australia, Britain and the United States providing "global space monitoring" and the ability to track objects in deep space.
The Welsh Darc will be built at the Cawdor Barracks near St David's in Pembrokeshire - formerly known as RAF Brawdy - which is currently home to 14 Signal Regiment, a specialist electronic warfare unit.
In 2016 the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the barracks would close no earlier than 2028 and the regiment would redeploy.
Last year the UK Tory government announced Cawdor as the preferred location for the UK's contribution to Darc, and that plan has now been confirmed by the Labour government in Westminster.
Defence secretary John Healey said the redevelopment of the site would keep the barracks open and secure jobs and defence capabilities for the future. He said:
"Space plays a crucial role in our daily lives – used by everything from our mobile phones to banking services.
It is also used by UK Defence to conduct vital tasks such as supporting military operations, navigating forces and gathering intelligence.
This new radar programme will not only enhance our awareness of deep space, but also help protect our space assets alongside our closest partners."
The new deep space radar station will feature more than two dozen radar dishes each some 66ft or 20metres tall.
The MoD says it will secure long-term jobs and help protect essential satellite communication and navigation networks as well as benefitting the land, air, and maritime forces of the three participating countries.
But the plans have met with opposition from some locals with the Pembrokeshire Against the Radar group campaigning against the project.
Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said the government would work with the local community to ensure the success of the project. She said:
"The proposed redevelopment of Cawdor Barracks will help secure jobs in the area as well as protecting our national security.
This is an important project for Pembrokeshire and this government is committed to working with the local community to ensure it is a success."
Cawdor Barracks was opened as RAF Brawdy in 1944 as part of Coastal Command and was originally used for conducting anti-submarine patrols.
It was subsequently used for a variety of roles by both the RAF and Royal Navy over the following decades - including being home to the famous yellow helicopters of the Air Sea Rescue squadron - before being transferred to the Army in the 1990s and renamed.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/huge-space-radar-station-built-29717929
Jaime Maussan's historic interview with Congressman Tim Burchett
Aug 11, 2024
Join us in this historic interview in which the journalist and researcher, Jaime Maussan and Congressman Tim Burchett, talk about the decalcification of documents related to the UFO phenomenon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9L92P9eU3I