Millions Witness Rare Total Solar Eclipse Across North America
Millions of people from Mexico to Canada and across the United States were treated to a spectacular celestial event on Monday as they witnessed a rare total solar eclipse
Nasa is planning to launch a telescope that will ride on a SpaceX rocket designed to hunt for 20,000 new worlds, the Guardian writes.
The planet-hunting spacecraft Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, baptised Tess, is set to take off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The USD 200 million mission is the first to take a ride on a Falcon 9, a rocket made by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, which received such as certification in February.
Moreover, Tess will be thrown into a highly elliptical orbit around Earth, something that has never been attempted before. The space telescope will be flying as far out as the moon and scan the sky for planets, then come back towards Earth to send home its data. Each orbit will take nearly 14 days.
Based on Kepler observations, there are more than 2,300 “exoplanets,” something that transformed scientists’ understanding of planets beyond the solar system. That is why, astronomers now believe that the Milky Way is home to at least two billion potentially habitable planets. However, Kepler only had access to a fraction of the sky and most of the stars it studied are extremely faint, making it hard for astronomers to look more closely at the planets.
Tess will make up for that, as it will spend two years observing 200,000 of the brightest stars in the sky, most of them located no more than 300 light years away.
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has dismissed concerns over the possibility of Russia launching an attack on NATO member states, stating that such fears are unfounded
The United Nations has officially designated July 11 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre
Ukrainian intelligence has been implicated in the terrorist attack at Moscow's Crocus City Hall, according to Russian security services
The United States has introduced a new visa restriction policy targeting individuals in Georgia who are complicit in undermining democratic processes and institutions
Russia is preparing to identify American assets for potential confiscation in retaliation for any seizure of its own assets in the United States
Moscow has issued a stern warning, stating that it will target British sites if British weapons are used by Ukraine to strike Russian territory
Sofia Airport's Terminal 3 Construction Set to Begin in Early 2026
COVID-19 Impact: Bulgaria's Grim Milestone as Highest Death Rate in EU