Update 9:27 p.m.: NASA and SpaceX have postponed the Crew-8 launch to 10:53 p.m. Sunday, citing poor conditions in the Dragon spacecraft's flight path.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 11:16 p.m. EST to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the four Crew-8 members aboard the Dragon Endeavour capsule from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.
However, the Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron only pins the odds of "go for launch" conditions at 40%, citing threats of precipitation, cumulus clouds and a moderate-to-high risk of poor ascent corridor weather.
The Falcon 9 is projected to fly in a northeasterly trajectory. The rocket's first-stage booster will target landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station 7 minutes, 38 seconds after liftoff, generating sonic booms in Brevard County.
FLORIDA TODAY's Space Team will link to NASA TV coverage and provide mission updates starting about 7:15 p.m. at floridatoday.com/space.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
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Cavum clouds are an odd phenomenon that have been mistaken for flying saucers.NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview
A NASA satellite snapped a photo of giant ring-shaped clouds over the Gulf of Mexico.
You can see this phenomenon, called cavum clouds, from the ground and in space.
Cavum clouds have a natural explanation but have been mistaken for aliens and other odd phenomena.
Earlier this year, NASA's Terra satellite was zipping over the Gulf of Mexico when one of its instruments snapped a photo of some odd-looking clouds.
The clouds looked like someone had taken a hole punch to the sky.
This unusual phenomenon isn't new. Researchers have been documenting it since the 1940s, according to NASA. But it wasn't until about 15 years ago that scientists finally found an explanation.
The features are officially called cavum clouds, but are sometimes nicknamed hole-punch clouds or fallstreak holes. They're so big that you can see them from the ground and in space.
From the ground, they can look like this:
Cavum cloud as seen from the ground.pr2is/Getty Images
It's no wonder that people have mistaken them for flying saucers or other unusual phenomenon. They don't look like your average cloud.
And, in fact, they aren't your average cloud. If it weren't for human technology, cavum clouds would never exist.
They form when airplanes fly through banks of mid-level altocumulus clouds — clouds made of supercooled droplets — according to a pair of studies published in 2010 and 2011.
Researchers from NASA's Langley Research Center found in 2010 that the more shallow the angle that the plane takes to pass through the clouds, the larger the cavum left behind will be.
The analysis showed that any type of plane can produce cavum clouds.
NASA's Terra satellite captured photos of a "cluster" of cavum clouds near the west coast of Florida on January 30. The more than 1,000 flights per day coming from the Miami International Airport are a major contributor to the phenomenon, according to the agency.
The Odysseus lander has sent back a final image from the moon's surface in a "farewell transmission" before it plunges into the lunar night.
The first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon in 50 years has fallen silent just one week after touching down.
The lander, built by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines, arrived at the lunar south pole at 6:23 p.m. EST on Feb. 22, making it the first U.S. lander to park on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
But Odysseus' journey wasn't without its trials. First, a malfunction with the craft's landing lasers forced it to use a backup, and the lander then snapped one of its six legs upon touchdown, causing it to fall and bump its head against a rock.
Now, as lunar night approaches, flight controllers have ordered the face-planted craft to power down. Two to three weeks of bitter cold and darkness lie ahead. Without any sunlight striking the tipped spaceship’s solar panels, it's far from certain it will reawaken.
Odysseus sent one last photo to Earth before it powered down.
A full view of the lander's final photo before powering down.(Image credit: Intuitive Machines)
"Before its power was depleted, Odysseus completed a fitting farewell transmission. Received today, this image from February 22nd showcases the crescent Earth in the backdrop, a subtle reminder of humanity’s presence in the universe," Intuitive Machines wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday (Feb. 29) alongside the lander's possibly final photo. "Goodnight, Odie. We hope to hear from you again."
"I think what we're going to do is kind of tuck Odie in for the cold night of the moon and see if we can't wake him up here when we get a solar noon here in about three weeks," Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus said at a news conference on Wednesday (Feb. 28).
Odysseus launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Feb. 15 and entered lunar orbit on Feb. 21. It completed one tight loop above the lunar surface before slowing for landing with a few well-timed engine bursts.
The lander arrived close to the Malapert A crater at the lunar south pole. The region has long tantalized scientists because it contains water ice, which could one day be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel, according to NASA.
The Odysseus mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which the space agency established to incentivize the development of private-sector lunar landers. NASA intends to contract these companies to transport cargo and scientific equipment to the moon.
Article From & Read More ( 'Goodnight, Odie': Odysseus, the 1st US moon lander since Apollo, shares farewell image after lunar face-plant - Livescience.com )
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Astronomers are encouraging everyone within the path to enjoy this rare sight for the last time until August 2044 — but only if they can do so safely. And sunglasses won’t be enough to protect your eyes for this celestial event.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun’s face.
Those within the path of totality, or locations where the moon’s shadow will completely cover the sun, will see a total solar eclipse. People outside the path of totality will still be able to see a partial solar eclipse, where the moon only blocks part of the sun’s face.
If your location only affords a view of the partial solar eclipse, some of the sun’s powerful light will always be visible. And any glimpse of the sun’s brightness with the naked eye is not only uncomfortable, it’s dangerous.
Why you shouldn’t look directly at the eclipse
The only time it’s safe to view the sun without eye protection is during the “totality” of a total solar eclipse, or the brief moments when the moon completely blocks the light of the sun, according to NASA.
Directly staring at the sun can result in blindness or disrupted vision. During the 2017 total solar eclipse, a young woman was diagnosed with solar retinopathy, retinal damage from exposure to solar radiation, in both eyes after viewing the eclipse with what doctors believed were eclipse glasses not held to the safety standard.
There is no treatment for solar retinopathy. It can improve or worsen, but it is a permanent condition.
Using eclipse glasses and solar viewers
To view the eclipse, wear certified eclipse glasses or use a handheld solar viewer. Separately, you can observe the sun with a telescope, binoculars or camera that has a special solar filter on the front, which acts the same way eclipse glasses would.
“You need certified ISO 12312-2 compliant solar eclipse glasses. There are plenty of safe sellers online,” said Alex Lockwood, strategic content and integration lead for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters. “We cannot stress enough how important it is to obtain a pair of safe certified solar eclipse glasses in order to witness this annular event.”
Sunglasses won’t work in place of eclipse glasses or solar viewers, which are 100,000 times darker and held to an international safety standard.
The lenses of solar eclipse glasses are made of black polymer, or resin infused with carbon particles, that blocks nearly all visible, infrared and ultraviolet light, according to The Planetary Society. Sunglasses don’t block infrared radiation.
Put on your eclipse glasses before looking up and remember to turn away from the sun before you remove them again. Always keep an eye on any children wearing eclipse glasses to make sure they don’t remove them while looking at the sun.
If you normally wear eyeglasses, keep them on and put eclipse glasses over them or hold a handheld viewer in front of them, according to the American Astronomical Society.
Don’t look at the sun through any unfiltered optical device — camera lens, telescope, binoculars — while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer, according to NASA. Solar rays can still burn through the filter on the glasses or viewer, given how concentrated they can be through an optical device, and can cause severe eye damage.
It’s also possible to use welding filters to view the eclipse safely because the international safety standard was partially derived from using such filters to view the sun.
Welding filters made of tempered glass or metal-coated polycarbonate and with a shade number of 12 or higher allow for safe viewing, but many find shade 13 or 14 to be the best and similar to wearing eclipse glasses, according to the American Astronomical Society. Just know that the sun will appear green instead yellowish-orange or white. These filters aren’t usually on the shelf at supply stores, but they might be available online.
Auto-darkening or adjustable welding helmets aren’t recommended because they may not darken quickly enough to view the sun.
Keep your glasses
As long as the eclipse glasses or solar viewers you’re using comply with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard and aren’t torn, scratched or damaged in any way, they don’t “expire” and can be used indefinitely. Also, there is no limit on how long you can view the sun while wearing them.
Some glasses and viewers carry outdated warnings about using the glasses for more than three minutes at a time or recommend throwing them away after more than three years, but these do not apply to ISO 12312-2-certified viewers, according to the American Astronomical Society.
Save your eclipse glasses and viewers for future eclipses by storing them at room temperature in an envelope or their original packaging to avoid scratches.
Never use water, glass cleaner, baby wipes or other wet wipes to clean eclipse glasses — the moisture could cause the cardboard frames to detach from the lenses. Instead, carefully wipe the lenses clean with a tissue or cloth.
Indirect viewing of the eclipse
If you don’t have certified glasses on hand, eclipses can also be viewed indirectly using a pinhole projector, such as a hole punched through an index card. These work when you stand with your back to the sun and hold up the card. The pinhole projects an image of the crescent or ring-shaped sun on the ground or other surfaces.
But never face the sun and look directly at it through the pinhole.
Other pinhole projectors you may already have on hand include colanders, straw hats or anything with small holes in it. Or you can simply hold up your hands, space out your fingers and cross them over each other to create a waffle pattern. The small space between will reflect the sun’s crescent during a partial eclipse or a ring during the annular eclipse.
Standing by a leafy tree? The small spaces between leaves will dapple patterns of the eclipse phase on the ground.
Article From & Read More ( Here’s what can happen when you view an eclipse incorrectly — and how to avoid that this April - CNN )
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A pair of orcas working in concert have been killing great whites along a stretch of South African coastline since at least 2017, plundering the sharks’ nutrient-rich livers and discarding the rest.
Scientists have been trying to make sense of the hunting approach, which has driventhe sharks away from some parts of the coast around Cape Town, and now research has revealed a startling new twist in the behavior that could offer clues on what it might mean for the wider marine ecosystem.
Scientists witnessed one of the hunters, a male orca known as Starboard, single-handedly kill a 2.5-meter (8.2-foot) juvenile white shark within a two-minute time frame last year.
“Over two decades of annual visits to South Africa, I’ve observed the profound impact these killer whales have on the local white shark population. Seeing Starboard carry a white shark’s liver past our vessel is unforgettable,” said Dr. Primo Micarelli, a marine biologist at Italy’s Sharks Studies Centre and the University of Siena who was aboard one of two vessels from which researchers observed the attack.
“Despite my awe for these predators, I’m increasingly concerned about the coastal marine ecology balance,” Micarelli said in a statement.
It’s not unprecedented for orcas, highly intelligent and social animals, to hunt large animals individually. However, it’s the first such occurrence involving what is one of the world’s largest predators — the great white shark — the researchers reported in a study published Friday in the African Journal of Marine Science.
Starboard’s kill is at odds with more widely observed cooperative hunting behavior among orcas, which can surround large prey, such as sea lions, seals and sharks, and use their combined intelligence and strength to attack, said lead author Alison Towner, a doctoral researcher at Rhodes University.
Previously observed attacks on great whites involved between two and six orcas and took up to two hours, according to the study.
“This sighting revealed evidence of solitary hunting by at least one killer whale, challenging conventional cooperative hunting behaviors known in the region,” said Towner, who has studied great white sharks for 17 years, learning about their movement patterns through tagging data, in a statement.
“These are groundbreaking insights into the predatory behavior of this species,” she said. “The presence of these shark-hunting killer whales possibly ties into broader ecosystem dynamics. Rapid developments in this phenomenon, make it challenging for science to keep pace.”
Port and Starboard
The event detailed in the study took place on June 18, 2023, 800 meters (875 yards) offshore close to Seal Island near Mossel Bay — about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Cape Town — where people on two vessels were observing the orcas.
Less than an hour after arriving, a shark appeared near the surface, and researchers, tourists and others on board witnessed Starboard grip the left pectoral fin of a shark and “thrust forward with the shark several times before eventually eviscerating it” in less than two minutes, the study said.
Later Starboard was photographed from one of the vessels with a “bloody piece of peach-colored liver in its mouth,” according to the study. Starboard’s male companion, Port, was observed around 100 meters (328 feet) away while the kill took place and didn’t get involved.
The duo is well-known among the study’s authors and has been involved in hunting and killing great white sharks for many years. The orcas’ dorsal fins are bent in opposite directions — the inspiration for their names.
The two travel huge distances along South Africa’s eastern coastline up as far as Namibia. Researchers suspect they first started targeting great whites in 2015. It wasn’t until 2022 that aerial footage first captured the orcas killing a great white shark, Towner said.
“While we don’t have solid evidence on the specific drivers, the arrival of the killer whale pair could be linked to broader changes in the ecosystem,” Towner said. “It’s clear that human activities, such as climate change and industrial fishing, are stressing our oceans. To fully grasp these dynamics, additional research and funding are essential.
“There are still plenty of unanswered questions about these shark-hunting killer whales and where they came from.”
The killer orcas are scaring off great white shark populations, but researchers don’t know where the sharks are relocating. “As they relocate, they might end up overlapping with heavy commercial fisheries,” Towner added.
The distinct smell of shark liver in the air and gulls diving toward a slick on the water’s surface, as well as a second shark carcass measuring 3.55 meters (11.6 feet) discovered nearby, led onlookers to believe another great white might have been killed before the boats’ arrival that day, the researchers said.
The kill by a lone orca might have been made possible by the prey’s smaller size as a juvenile great white, according to the study. Adult great whites have a maximum length of 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) and mass of 2.5 tons.
The swiftness of the attack may reflect Starboard’s skill and efficiency as a predator, which could be a response to the stress of spending time hunting close to shorelines in areas where humans are abundant, the study suggested.
“We cannot speculate that this killer whale has become more sophisticated but the rapid time frame he killed the shark in does show incredible skill and proficiency,” Towner said via email.
The livers of great whites are huge organs, about a third of their body mass, and rich in lipids, and the orcas discard the rest of the carcass — selective feeding behavior that’s known among other carnivores, such as harbor seals, brown bears and wolves, according to the study.
“The observations reported here add more layers to the fascinating story of these two killer whales and their capabilities,” Dr. Simon Elwen, founding director and principal scientist at Sea Search Research & Conservation and a researcher at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, said in a statement.
“As smart, top predators, killer whales can rapidly learn new hunting techniques on their own or from others, so monitoring and understanding the behaviors used here and by other killer whales in South Africa is an important part of helping us understand more about these animals,” added Elwen, who wasn’t involved in the research.
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If you think seeing a total eclipse of the sun will be a cheap thrill, you’re mistaken.
On Monday April 8, the US will experience its first total eclipse since 2017 — and the cost to witness it is already soaring.
The “zone of totality,” where you can see the sun vanish completely, goes from Mexico’s Pacific coast on a north-easterly path through Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine before passing through Canada’s maritime provinces.
NY Post/Mike Guillen
And on that path, your money can already vanish.
The whole cycle of the eclipse takes two and a half hours, but totality, when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, turning day into night, lasts just under four minutes.
In Killeen, Texas, Fairfield Inn by Marriott is offering rooms for $809 on April 8. One week later, the same accommodation runs $103.
On the upside, those who splurge for eclipse pricing will not be lonely in Killeen.
It is located in Bell County, where the population of 400,000 is expected to double and one of the judges there, David Blackburn, has already issued a local disaster declaration. The county’s schools will be closed on April 8, and residents are asked to stock up on food and gasoline.
This is the black orb that everyone wants to see. APTerre Haute, Indiana’s Holiday Inn is charging astronomical fees for those who want to watch the eclipse from the city that is known for its federal death cell. Holiday Inn
In Terre Haute, Indiana, best known for the federal death cell, the Holiday Inn Express normally comes in at $135 a night but is booked out on Sunday night before the eclipse and comes in at $459 for those who stay to party.
Further northeast, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, has a one-bedroom Airbnb at $1,350.
In Cleveland, Ohio, virtually every hotel is sold out Sunday night, but Airbnbs are available. A one bedroom apartment downtown is priced at $3,500 for just one night.
Would-be eclipse guests tried getting a room for the South Side Inn’s standard rate. They did not succeed. South Side HotelThis one bedroom apartment in downtown Cleveland may lead to prime eclipse viewing but it will leave you in the red. AirBnb
Further northeast, in Burlington, Vermont, rooms at the South Side Inn are usually around $120.
But during days surrounding the big event, they’re a stunning $1,585 per night. Two weeks later, it’s less than one-tenth the price at $120.
That high tariff encourages would-be guests to angle for the good rate. “A couple claimed they were coming to town for their daughter’s wedding that weekend,” South Side owner Greg Nixon told The Post.
“They wanted a room [at the standard price]. We told them that we couldn’t do it. I felt terrible. But, on the way out, the man said, ‘Actually, there is no wedding.’ He was lying. He totally had me.”
The sneaky couple might have done better to contact First Unitarian Universal Society, a church in Burlington.
David Makepeace has spent some $250,000 on chasing eclipses. This next one is a bargain at $1,800. Courtesy of David Makepeace
“Congregants are renting out whatever accommodations they have,” Reverend Karen G. Johnston told The Post. “Whatever gets paid will be a donation to the church. A fold-out sofa went for $100.”
Airfares are also up. Flying from New York to Cleveland for a one-night chance to see the eclipse runs $946 on United; the same flights the next week come in at $520.
Meanwhile Delta is charging $749 for a flight from Austin, TX, to Detroit, Michigan, that is designed for in-air eclipsing, though the airline claims no responsibility for weather or take-off delay. “For flights likely to operate within the path of totality, we’re seeing fares [up to] four times higher than other parts of the day on April 8, in some cases,” Sean Cudahy, aviation reporter at the Points Guy, told The Post.
Serious eclipse hunters can’t take chances on missing the action due to human or natural occurrences. Joe Rao, a former meteorologist on 1010 WINS radio, has seen 13 eclipses. He will not miss this one.
Poster hyping the eclipse in New York points out all the spots for excellent viewing and elevated hotel rates. @JoeRaoWeather/X
“I have hotel reservations in Texas, Plattsburgh, Syracuse and Arkansas; plus we have relatives near Cincinnati,” Rao told The Post. “One day before, I’ll figure out the best place, go there and cancel the others.”
As for the flights, Rao is confident that last-minute deals will avail themselves. “I’ll do what I have to do,” he said.
Then there are those who will not have to worry about 11th hour air accommodations because they fly private. “I have a group that will be chasing the eclipse on one of our jets,” Michael Giordano, a partner at Cirrus Aviation Services, told The Post.
“At the last minute, they will go to wherever is best that day, watch from the tarmac, get back on the plane and fly home.”
Those who are watching the eclipse will do well to view it through glasses designed specifically for that purpose. A_Bruno – stock.adobe.com
Eclipse chaser David Makepeace, a media producer, says hotels are “gouging” and he is heading to Mazatlan, Mexico, leading a group who will see the natural wonder from the beach.
“We were originally going to South Texas, but it wound up being $900 per night to stay at roadside motels,” Makepeace told The Post.
Instead it is $1,850, all-inclusive for seven nights in Mexico — although Mazatlan is in Sinaloa drug-cartel country. “I think the risk is minimal. I don’t think it benefits the cartels to involve us.”
Makepeace claims to have blown some $250,000 on seeing 26 eclipses, including trips to Antartica, the Libyan desert and an atoll off Australia which cost $24,000 for a group, arriving on a chartered oil-rig service ship.
Asked what makes the cost worthwhile, Makepeace said, “The hair on the back of your neck will stand up and chills will run down your spine while seeing a total eclipse. You cannot prepare yourself physically and emotionally for what you will see. It’s a big, existential moment.”
And the price of eclipse glasses to watch is far cheaper: as little as $2.50 a pair.
Astronomers have discovered that a planet-birthing disk of gas and dust that surrounds an infant star is drenched with enough water to fill Earth's oceans three times over.
Water, a key element needed to form and sustain life as we know it, has always been considered to play an important role in forming planets. This is the first time that astronomers have been able to map the distribution of water in a cool, stable disk of gas, or "protoplanetary disk," that is ideal for planet formation.
The team behind the breakthrough used the Atacama Large Millimeter/ submillimeter Array (ALMA) to zoom in on water vapor locked up in gas and dust within a protoplanetary disk surrounding the sun-like star HL Tauri, located 450 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Taurus.
"I had never imagined that we could capture an image of oceans of water vapor in the same region where a planet is likely forming," Stefano Facchini research leader and an astronomer at the University of Milan, said in a statement. "Our results show how the presence of water may influence the development of a planetary system, just like it did some 4.5 billion years ago in our own solar system."
HL Tauri is part of one of the largest and closest star-forming regions to Earth called the Taurus Molecular cloud, which contains a stellar nursery of hundreds of newborn stars called T Tauri stars. ALMA's sensitivity allowed astronomers to determine the distribution of water in different regions of the HL Tauri disk.
The most significant volume of water in the disk was found in a curved gap that scientists have known about for some time. Ring-shaped grooves in the disk are thought to be carved out as forming planets orbit young stars, gathering mass like a snowball rolling down a hill. Finding water in one of these grooves suggests it is being accrued by budding planets. If true, that water would've impacted their chemical compositions.
"Our recent images reveal a substantial quantity of water vapor at a range of distances from the star that includes a gap where a planet could potentially be forming at the present time," Facchini added.
The region of space that is home to HL Tauri seen as part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2.(Image credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2)
Not only does this discovery mark an important development in our understanding of planet formation, but it also represents quite an achievement for ALMA. Distinguishing water at such incredible distances is made pretty tricky for ground-based telescopes due to the obscuring effects of vapor in Earth's atmosphere.
ALMA is comprised of an array of telescope antennas located in the Atacama Desert region of Northern Chile. At an elevation of 16,400 feet (4,999 meters), ALMA lives high in the dry atmosphere of Chile, minimizing the effect water vapor has on its observations.
"To date, ALMA is the only facility able to spatially resolve water in a cool planet-forming disk," Wouter Vlemmings, team member and a professor at Chalmers University of Technology, said in the statement.
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Astronomers may soon be able to see this planet-forming disk in even greater detail. Not only is ALMA undergoing upgrades, but work is underway in Chile on the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Both of these instruments could soon use their "high and dry" status to help astronomers better understand the role of water in planet formation.
"It is truly remarkable that we can not only detect but also capture detailed images and spatially resolve water vapor at a distance of 450 light-years from us," team member and University of Bologna astronomer Leonardo Testi said.
The team's research was published on Thursday (Feb. 29) in the journal Nature Astronomy.
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