Alex R. Howe
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My blog of science, science fiction, and more.
The header image is a rendering of a possible future skyhook-space station. Search Blog
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Recent Posts
Category Archives: Current events
JWST Launches Tomorrow! (Screams Internally)
Disclosure: I am a NASA postdoc. However, all opinions are my own. Hi, everyone. Just a PSA that the James Webb Space Telescope lifts off tomorrow morning from French Guiana. (Yes, on Christmas Day.) The launch is at 7:20 AM … Continue reading
Posted in Current events, Space, Space exploration
Tagged James Webb Space Telescope, JWST
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The Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars Tomorrow!
Tomorrow is a big day in the world of planetary science. NASA’s Perseverance rover (formerly Mars 2020) will be landing on Mars at 3:55 PM EST. This is something that brings back memories for me. Eight and a half years … Continue reading
Posted in Current events, Space exploration
Tagged mars, Mars 2020, Mars Perseverance, nasa
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Happy Science Fiction Day!
Today, January 2, is the observed birthday* of Isaac Asimov, one of the most prolific science fiction (and science fact) authors of the twentieth century. In Asimov’s honor, January 2 is celebrated each year as National Science Fiction Day. (Which … Continue reading
Posted in Current events
Tagged Isaac Asimov, National Science Fiction Day, Science Fiction Day
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Cosmos: Possible Worlds Premiers on Fox Tomorrow
Back in March, I posted about the new season of Cosmos. This is Neil deGrasse Tyson’s second follow-up to Carl Sagan’s classic series. He already did Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey in 2014, which I enjoyed and reviewed extensively at the … Continue reading
Posted in Current events, Science, TV Reviews
Tagged carl sagan, cosmos, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, neil degrasse tyson
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Life on Venus? Not so fast.
The big (and I mean BIG) astronomy news of the day is the announcement of possible (and I mean possible) signs of life on Venus—specifically, the detection of the molecule phosphine (PH3) in the upper atmosphere. The researchers, a large … Continue reading
The Mars Perseverance Launch Is Tomorrow
Space news of the day: NASA’s Perseverance rover (formerly Mars 2020) will launch at 7:50 am EDT tomorrow morning on its mission to Mars. (It was originally supposed to be July 17, but it was delayed due to equipment problems.) … Continue reading
Posted in Current events, Space exploration, Uncategorized
Tagged Mars 2020, Mars Perseverance, Mars rover
1 Comment
SpaceX’s First Human Spaceflight Is Tomorrow!
Astronauts have not blasted off to space from American soil in nearly nine years. But tomorrow, that finally changes. SpaceX will launch its first ever crewed mission, Crew Dragon Demo-2, tomorrow at 4:30 pm Eastern Time. The rocket will ferry … Continue reading
Posted in Current events, Space exploration
Tagged Crew Dragon, Demo-2, space flight, SpaceX
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Cosmos Season 3 Starts Tomorrow!
Correction: as of March 10, Cosmos is NOT available on Disney Plus. As far as I can tell, you can currently get it only on cable services like Hulu Live TV or YouTube TV. (Ugh. If I wanted to pay … Continue reading
Posted in Current events, Science, TV Reviews
Tagged carl sagan, cosmos, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, National Georgraphic, neil degrasse tyson
1 Comment
A New Potentially Habitable Planet from TESS
This week is what many call the “Super Bowl of Astronomy”: the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), held this year in Honolulu. I am not there, sadly, but I am involved in one of the big press … Continue reading
Posted in Current events, Space
Tagged #AAS235, AAS, exoplanets, TESS, TOI-700
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Jim Peebles: Co-Winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics
Today is one of the most important days of the year in my line of work: the Nobel Prize award ceremony. The Nobel Peace Prize probably gets the most attention (good and bad) of the six prizes from the public, … Continue reading
Posted in Current events, Science
Tagged cosmology, exoplanets, Jim Peebles, Nobel Prize, Nobel Prize in Physics
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