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Posts by
Deborah Byrd
Estimate suggests Milky Way mass of 1.6 trillion suns
New estimate of Milky Way mass doesn't mean our galaxy has 1.6 trillion stars. It includes the mass of the dark matter halo thought to surround our Milky Way.
December 17, 2012
Will you still see meteors tonight, December 14, 2012? Yes!
The peak of the Geminid meteor shower is past - but only barely. If you watch late tonight or in the wee hours tomorrow, you should still see some meteors.
December 14, 2012
6.4-magnitude earthquake off coast of Baja California
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami warming following the earthquake, which occurred at 2:36 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
December 14, 2012
Asteroid Toutatis passed within 18 lunar distances on December 11-12
Here are images, videos and info from the sweep past Earth of this 3-mile-wide (5-km-wide) space rock.
December 13, 2012
Saturn’s large moon Titan has mini Nile, scientists say
Titan's Nile is no dry riverbed. It appears to be filled with liquid, presumably ethane mixed with methane.
December 12, 2012
New meteor shower might coincide with 2012 Geminids!
Debris left behind by Comet Wirtanen might produce 30 meteors per hour, added to 100 meteors per hour from the Geminids. That would be an awesome meteor show!
December 11, 2012
Close pass and possible asteroid eclipse tonight of 2012 XE54
Astronomers discovered the asteroid yesterday. It might enter Earth's shadow in the next few hours and pass slightly more than half the moon's distance a few hours after that.
December 10, 2012
No global dust storm for Mars this year?
On November 10, a major dust storm broke out in Mars' southern hemisphere. By early December 2012, the storm was dying down.
December 10, 2012
Video: Moon phases for all of 2013
The video was created with data from from the Clementine moon mission of 1990s, plus measurements from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, orbiting now.
December 8, 2012
Strong 7.3-magnitude earthquake and small tsunami strike northeastern Japan
Same region as powerful 9.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked Japan in March, 2011. No reports of injuries or damages. No risk of a widespread tsunami.
December 7, 2012
