News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
New Scientist’s weekly round-up of the best books, films, TV series, games and more that you shouldn’t miss Humans 23 February 2022 Read Carbon Queen is Maia Weinstock’s account of the remarkable life of nanoscience pioneer Mildred Dresselhaus, who, from the 1950s, defied society’s expectations of women to become an influential scientist and engineer. Daniel … Read more
Satellites orbiting Earth are capturing a detailed view of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. Today (Feb. 24), Russia invaded Ukraine with attacks that have killed dozens already, NBC has reported. As part of this invasion, which has prompted the U.S. to execute new sanctions, Russia seized control over the region around the Chernobyl power plant, which … Read more
Helicopters in Belgorod in Russia, as seen on Feb. 13, 2022. (Image credit: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies) Satellites can see military activity in Russia from space. Russia’s military activity continues to spark international concern and conversation. Russia has now sent military troops into Ukraine for “peacekeeping” operations, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday … Read more
A new collision-warning system could help satellite operators sleep a little easier. The prototype system, developed by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is designed to alert operators when their spacecraft may be on a collision course with another object. That’s a real and growing concern, given how crowded Earth orbit is becoming. … Read more
When a volcano in Tonga erupted on January 15, it gave satellites their first glimpse at a plume of volcanic ash shooting into the mesosphere, the third layer of Earth’s atmosphere. According to NASA, the Tonga event was the largest volcanic eruption since satellites began monitoring our planet. As the Pacific volcano shot a burst of ash … Read more
The number of active satellites in the night sky has more than doubled since 2019 – from around 2,200 to 5,000. That is mostly due to Starlink, a SpaceX project aimed at providing internet anywhere in the world through ‘mega-constellations’ of satellites. Since it began, Starlink has launched over 2,000 satellites. Unfortunately, the thousands of … Read more
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has launched a new center to fight the threat of satellite megaconstellations, which it now describes as worse than urban light pollution. The Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference will be run jointly by the U.K.-headquartered Square Kilometer Array Observatory organization and … Read more
A stunning new video from SpaceX captures what it’s like to watch a rocket launch from mid-air and then witness the booster return to Earth. The video, captured by a flying SpaceX drone, shows the company’s launch of the classified NROL-87 satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The mission lifted off on a Falcon … Read more
Beijing National Stadium and Blue Cube (Image credit: MAXAR) The Winter Olympics of 2022 are here and Maxar Technologies has released satellite images revealing what many of the venues in Beijing and around China look like from space. The winter games are taking place in Beijing, the same host city as the 2008 Summer Olympics. … Read more
Three years ago, astronomers were reeling from the launch of the first 60 satellites of SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, which aims to provide broadband internet access worldwide. The satellites left bright traces on astronomical images, posing “an existential threat to observation from the ground,” said astronomer Debra Elmegreen, president of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), at … Read more