streaks

Meteor streaks through Jupiter’s atmosphere as NASA spacecraft watches

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When a rogue meteor careened through the atmosphere of Jupiter last year, it caught the attention of NASA’s Juno spacecraft in orbit around the giant planet. The brief and sudden flash in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere was spotted by NASA’s Juno spacecraft in April 2020. But, while the burst of light didn’t last long, it drew … Read more

Real shooting stars exist, but they aren’t the streaks you see in a clear night sky

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This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Idan Ginsburg, Academic Faculty in Physics & Astronomy, Georgia State University “I see thy glory like a shooting star.” So says the Earl of Salisbury as he ruminates about the future in Shakespeare’s “Richard II.” Shooting stars — … Read more

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites leave streaks in asteroid-hunting telescope’s images

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A prime ground-based observatory that scans the sky for exploding stars and dangerous near-Earth asteroids is struggling with disruptive light streaks from SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellite constellation, a new study revealed.  The observatory, called the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), opened its telescope eye in California in 2017. Scanning the entire sky every two days, the … Read more

SpaceX Satellites Have Invaded Astronomers’ Views of The Sky, And It’s Getting Worse

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With the rapid expansion of commercial space, there is a growing number of satellites in orbit around our planet. Most of these are in low-Earth orbit, which is becoming increasingly crowded.   This has led some to be concerned about a catastrophic rise of space debris, as well as a growing frustration by astronomers due … Read more