On Good Friday, March 27, 1964, south-central Alaska heaved under one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded, registering a 9.2 on the Richter scale.
On February 9, 1913, lucky observers witnessed the Great Meteor Procession, when bright meteors soared horizontally across the sky in a stately marching rank for minutes at a time.
Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager, a military test pilot, became the first to break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. Afterwards, he was dubbed “the fastest man alive.” He died December 7 at age 97.
Iconic Arecibo telescope is now slated for decommissioning. But its multi-faceted legacy will live on. In 1974, for example, Arecibo sent earthlings’ first intentional message to the cosmos.
On this date in 1877, American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered the first small moon known to be orbiting Mars. Scientists now think this moon – called Phobos – is the latest incarnation of a cyclic ring-moon formation process that goes back billions of years.
Today is the anniversary of The Day the Earth Smiled, the 3rd-ever image of Earth from the outer solar system, taken by the great Cassini spacecraft on July 19, 2013.
Yuri Gagarin was a Russian pilot who became the first human to travel to space, in 1961. His fascinating story -plus links to Yuri’s Night celebrations that you can join online – here.
In 1543, Copernicus tried to show the world that medieval beliefs of an enclosed, Earth-centered universe were wrong. Instead, he said, Earth revolves around the sun. His work set off what’s known today as the Copernican Revolution.
On this date in 1930, Clyde Tombaugh was searching for a 9th planet when he discovered Pluto. In doing so, he unknowingly opened the door to the vast “3rd zone” of our solar system, known today as the Kuiper Belt.
After 24 successful missions, shuttle launches seemed routine. That’s why those watching the launch of the space shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986, started out excited, but soon were in a state of disbelief. Then NASA confirmed the worst.
Voyager 2 swept closest to Uranus on this day 34 years ago. During its visit, the spacecraft sent data that revealed 2 new planetary rings, 10 new moons, radiation belts, and a very unusual magnetic field.
Born on today’s date in the year 1656, English astronomer and mathematician Edmond Halley was the first to predict the return of a comet. Today, Halley’s Comet – the most famous of all comets – bears his name.
Our global human population was estimated to reach 6 billion on today’s date in 1999. Eleven years later, in 2011, Earth had gained another billion people. Today – October 12, 2019 – it stands at about 7.7 billion, according to United Nations estimates.
On October 6, 1995, astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz announced the momentous discovery of the 1st planet in orbit around a distant sunlike star. 51 Pegasi b has about half the mass of Jupiter. It orbits a star not unlike our sun.
As you check your local weather forecast today, give a nod to Albert J. Myer, born on this date in 1828, who helped to establish the US National Weather Service.
Pioneer 11 was the first spacecraft ever to encounter Saturn. A true pioneer, it paved the way for 2 more sophisticated missions – the 2 Voyagers in 1980 and ’81 – and Cassini from 2004 to 2017.