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RENEWABLE ENERGY COURSES
By: Renewable Energy Updates
Tags: Renewable Energy, Energy Courses, Mba Energy Management, Renewable Energy Programs, Renewable Energy Courses

Renewable energy field has great potential for jobs of the future. Besides, renewable energy is also critical for the safety of our planet. The existence of Cyborgs, Time Machine and Extinction of Humans by Machines are debatable. But, Climate Change is Real.

Energy plays a key role in the economy and environment. According to the experts including Bill Gates, there is a huge and growing demand for energy that’s “reliable, cheap, and clean.” Renewable energy is clean, affordable, and reliable, and has got the potential to counter poverty and climate change. The energy industry is considered as highly capital intensive along with the huge impact on employment. More importantly, hundred years from now, there might not be any fossil fuels left.

According to the latest report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the number of people employed in the renewable energy sector across the globe could rise to 24 million by 2030. According to forecasts, the global investment will reach USD $1.3 trillion per year in 2030. The report also stated that the renewables will add about $19 trillion to the global economy, and will create about 6 million jobs by 2050. According to World Economic Forum, the Advanced Energy vertical is a $1.4 trillion global industry, almost twice the size of the global airline industry, and nearly equal to worldwide apparel revenue.

Lets click on below links to study List of Masters , MBA or Bachelors programs in Renewable Energy Engineering

lets find the best masters degrees in renewable energy across the world

lets find the best management degrees in energy sector across the world

lets find the best masters degrees in renewable energy across the world ​

For more such Updates related to Renewable energy & Sustainability please visit our website renewableenergyupdates.in .
Putting Quality First
By: Global Leap Awards
Tags: Energy Access, Off Grid Solar Systems, Renewable Energy, Technology, Bangladesh

The global off-grid appliance market, despite recent growth, remains nascent in most of the world. Good-quality, energy-efficient off-grid appliances (“high performing appliances”) are more durable than their low-quality counterparts and enable consumers to maximize the value of their system by powering more devices. However, most consumers remain unaware of their benefits. High-performing appliances are often more expensive than traditional appliances. As a result, many consumers only consider the upfront purchase price of the appliance when making a decision or see it as a high-risk investment.

Consumer experience has a significant impact on off-grid appliance sales in Bangladesh. A positive personal recommendation is one of the most effective drivers of sales. If early adopters like Tarek are satisfied with energy-efficient appliances, their positive feedback would motivate more conservative buyers and stimulate market growth.

Since purchasing his appliance, Tarek has proved to be a strong referrer for his Rahimafrooz TV. “The picture quality is better than my previous TVs and I’ve recommended this TV to my customers,” he says with an inviting smile. Tarek’s positive experience with this TV is likely to be passed by word-of-mouth and directly lead to more purchases and thereby strengthen the process of market creation.

Tarek and his family with members of the Global LEAP Awards team.

—

About the Global LEAP Awards Customer Spotlight Series

The Global LEAP Awards is an international competition to identify and promote the world’s best off-grid appliances, accelerating market development and innovation. This unique program has evolved into a trusted global brand that serves as the de facto source of accurate, actionable information about the quality and energy performance of off-grid appliances, with support from Power Africa, UK aid, Energising Development, Powering Agriculture, and USAID, and in partnership with the Efficiency for Access Coalition.

This series tells stories collected through interviews with off-grid appliances customers who purchased their product through a Global LEAP Awards results-based financing (RBF) mechanism. Through its RBF, CLASP supported the delivery and enhancement of energy access for over one million beneficiaries across Bangladesh and East Africa. In Bangladesh alone, the RBF mechanism supported sales of about 194,000 energy-efficient off-grid fans and 7,000 best-in-class solar TVs. The series sheds new light on the impact, and thereby the real socio-economic value, of off-grid fans and TVs to appliance consumers in critical appliance markets like Bangladesh.
Off-Grid Photovoltaic Systems as the Future of Sustainable Energy
By: Bishka Zareen Chand
Tags: Photovoltaic, Energy, Renewable Energy, Energy Transition, Climate Change

Millions of people living in rural areas around the world do not have proper access to energy, especially due to lack of infrastructure. In general, power and electricity is distributed to different areas within a country through centralized grid systems that don’t often reach remote locations. This is in large part due to the fact that most of the energy produced globally still comes from fossil fuels, and the distribution of energy from the power plants is mostly concentrated within urbanized areas. Simply transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy would not solve this problem, because its root cause lies in the lack of access.

National grids often have limited capacity and undergoing rapid expansion may not always be feasible to implement in rural areas. This is because to develop the proper infrastructure and expand the central grid would require a large financial investment, as well as immense time and resources. In order to allow electricity to reach even the most underdeveloped and remote locations, one needs to deploy off-grid energy systems that aren’t dependent on existing distributional infrastructures. Photovoltaic systems, which convert light radiation into solar energy, offer a way to implement this solution..

A photovoltaic system is made up of a few different contraptions. There are solar panels that capture light and radiation, which are then converted into direct current (DC) electricity by an inverter. These systems are also usually set up on different types of mounts depending on where they are placed, and are sometimes fitted with solar trackers that signal the panels to tilt throughout the day according to solar irradiation angles, which maximizes the amount of light radiation that is captured each day (Afework et al 2020). Unlike traditional power plants that produce energy derived from fossil fuels, photovoltaic systems are like miniature power plants that can generate electricity on their own, rather than being tied to a centralized distribution system. Thus, this technology can be used to develop off-grid energy systems that can improve access to electricity and power in areas that lack proper infrastructure to be accommodated by the prevalent grid power system.
Going Green; Made Mainstream
By: Dakota Malone
Tags: Solar, Solarfarm, Renewable Energy, Helping Others, Community Solar

Going Green; Made Mainstream

Our company is on a mission to bring the right amount of education to the renewable energy space to help show people just how easy it is to utilize solar. Every single day we go to work with the intention of creating a positive impact in communities around the country through education and relationship building.

The options for solar are vast. For many, rooftop solar isn’t an option because of the cost, sun exposure, or property rights. Our solution was to partner with solar developers to create a new option for residents and business owners who care about the environment and want to see the positive impacts of renewable energy. This brings us to the opportunity of Community Solar.

Our role is to get you up to speed with the opportunity, explain exactly how it all works, and how you can get involved. Ultimately, we collect your information and submit your application to the farm to get you qualified! This entire process, which we pride ourselves on our speed, can take as little as ten minutes to get you enrolled.

The benefits for Community Solar include:

No-cost to get involved. This means you pay $0 to enroll into the farm.

No panels to install. We have the solar farms ready to go live- you just need to enroll your account. No changes to your property required.

Guaranteed discount. State-backed incentives give you solar credits which get applied to your bill.

Supports clean energy. Lower emissions for your energy grid by taking this easy action.

Support local jobs on the solar farms. We’re intertwining economics and the environment for an all-in-one-solution to help all.

Here’s a sixty-second video explaining how it works:

Right now, the opportunity is right in front of you. One simple decision to choose to make a difference for your home/business is a choice for your entire community. You can help serve in new ways that are bigger than you imagined by choosing to join a solar farm.

The world needs more people to take the step into renewables.

Are you going to be one of them?

Thanks for reading! IF you have any questions feel free to reach out to my email! dmalone@communitysolarauthority.com. Feel free to send me questions and I will answer ASAP!
Kommt wirklich Ökostrom aus meiner Steckdose?
By: Carsten Eckart
Tags: Strom, Solar, Energies, Renewable Energy, Climate Change

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
... are you familiar the with reflections of light, which the sun collects from other suns...
By: Christine Sander
Tags: Astronomy, Quantum Mechanics, Science, Quantum Physics, Astrophysics

... are you familiar the with reflections of light, which the sun collects from other suns... must read up on this once more for details...
Why 2021 will be a great year for science?
By: Rohan Agarwal
Tags: Astronomy, Coronavirus, Isro, Science, Spacecraft

Why 2021 will be a great year for science?

Coronavirus has affected everything, including the space science industries. Due to lockdown, many space missions were delayed or canceled.

But, in 2021 the year will be amazing. Let's have a look at some examples that why it will be a great year for the science industry.

vaccine for covid-19 may become widely available

Acc. to Reuters, the covid-19 vaccine may become widely available in the year 2021. Many labs are trying to make vaccines of covid-19 all across the globe. But they are yet to be approved by their country's medical council for late-stage trial and to prove they are safe and effective.

2. ISRO’s chandrayaan-3 will send a lander on the moon

Due to failure in landing in the chandrayaan-2 mission, the spacecraft lost its connection.

So, chandrayaan-3 will be a repeat mission of chandrayaan-2 but it will only include a lander and rover similar to chandrayaan-2, no orbiter.

3. NASA’s (perseverance rover) will land on Mars in search of alien life

The mission was launched on 30 July 2020, to mars will explore the jereto crator on Mars. It is one of the best JPL ( jet propulsion laboratory) machine and will land on 18 Feb 2021 on Mars in search of alien life

4. Spacex starship will take its first orbital flight

SpaceX starship is a reusable, two-stage orbiter, which is in developed since 2012 will be ready in April 2021 to take its first space flight.

*Space food will be making in for gaganyaan( India's 1st manned mission)*

A team is working on healthy meals for the gaganyaan space mission by different technologies eg. 3D printing food

5. Space food will be making in for gaganyaan( India’s 1st manned mission)

A team is working on healthy meals for the gaganyaan space mission by different technologies eg. 3D printing food

6. NASA will finally launch its most powerful telescope ( James well space telescope)

This telescope is postponed to launch since October 2018 and is designed to take place of the most successful telescope ever ( Hubble space telescope). It will provide improved & advanced technology in camera and will create a broad range of research across the field of cosmology.

Eg. the Existence of dark matter, the formation of first galaxies, gravitons.

7. LHC ( large hadron collider) will start smashing atoms again to find secrets of the universe.

The world's largest and highest- energy-consuming machine, located at CERN, Geneva is designed to collide particles nearly at the speed of light to find new answers to the several phenomena of the cosmos. Due it's shutdown from seven LHC experiment in 2019, it is estimated to bring back it in 2021

Thank you for reading 😊.

Please add your valuable feedbacks in the comment section.
Strange Signals struck the Earth from Proxima Centauri b
By: Hamza Abdullah
Tags: Astronomy, Space, Space Exploration

Proxima Centauri b is an exo-planet of nearby star system just 4.3 light years away from our host planet Earth. It orbits around the M-type red dwarf star Proxima Centauri — closest neighbor to the Yellow dwarf Sun of our solar system. Proxima Centauri b or Proxima b was discovered on 24 August 2016 and often categorized as super Earth due to its huge mass and similarities with blue planet. It’s presence within the habitable zone is still not definitive. Because it orbits around its star at a distance of just 7,500,000 km and subjected to 2000 times high wind pressure as of Earth.

Its similarities with the Earth is intriguing to scientific community. But our technological disadvantage is limiting us to further explore the tantalizing secrets of distant possibly habitable exo-planets.

Scientists are developing new ways to touch the surface of distant exo-planets including Proxima b. Starshot project is a research and engineering project by the Breakthrough Initiatives to develop a breakthrough propulsion and space transportation system i.e. light sail spacecraft named Spaceprobe, to be capable of making the journey to the Alpha Centauri star system 4.37 light-years away.
FACT: Mercury has the most elliptical orbit around the Sun.
By: Jacob Vandersluys
Tags: Astronomy, Science, Space, Education

Did you know that Mercury has the most elliptical orbit around the Sun? What this means is that Mercury’s distance from the Sun varies the most out of all the planets in our Solar system. Usually, Mercury is about 36 million miles from the Sun. But when it moves to its closest point from the Sun, the distance shrinks to 28 million miles. At its farthest, the distance of the planet is 43 million miles from the Sun. This difference in the distance has quite an impact on the amount of sunlight Mercury receives. When the planet is furthest out from the Sun, it receives twice less the amount as at its nearest.

Since you are reading this fact — the following related fact about orbits is also of interest.
Picture story of ISS
By: Pooja Rani
Tags: Astronomy, Internationalspacestation, Astronauts, Space

Through this cold night of winter, while we all are celebrating Christmas in our homes on Earth, there is a super-massive artificial satellite somewhere in the space, constantly orbiting around earth at a speed of 8 km-per-second, orbiting Earth 16 times a day, carrying at-most 10 humans, at an altitude of ~400 km. It’s called ISS or International Space Station.

The length of ISS is same as an American football field.

ISS is called the most expensive man-made object, costs around US$150 billion in 2010.

Providing safe home to space travellers since 2000.

Credits-nasa.gov

The space station is a work of five space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada).

There Are 9 People from 4 Different Space Agencies, Living and Working on ISS, in 2019. Credits-nasa.gov

ISS orbits the earth about every 90 minutes.

This makes astronauts living and working over there, enjoy 16 sunrises and sunsets in a day.

Sunrise Seen through The Window of ISS . Credits-nasa.gov

8 giant solar arrays cover the energy requirements of the station.

They rotate constantly to catch as much sunlight as possible.

They produce more power than the station needs at one time for station systems and experiments.

Solar Array Wing Panels on ISS. Credits-nasa.gov

Oxygen in the ISS comes from a process called “electrolysis,” which involves using an electrical current generated from the station’s solar panels to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen gas.

Water: In space, every drop counts.

Tanks of H20 can’t be constantly shipped up to the ISS, so the complex water systems on the ISS collect moisture from breath and sweat, urine from people and research animals, and runoff from sinks and showers to keep the station hydrated.

Due to low gravity, the water behaves differently in space, water bubbles form themselves, so they occupy a shape having the least amount of surface area, which is a sphere. On Earth, gravity distorts the shape, but not in space.

Astronaut Looking at Water Bubble Formed due to Low Gravity. Credits-nasa.gov

Coupla — A window with an extraordinary view of earth. Coupla stands for “dome”.

Many of the fantastic pictures of earth are taken from coupla.

Astronauts use coupla to see and control robotic arms outside the ISS and to observe docking & undocking of space crafts from ISS.

Coupla - A Dome Structured Window with 360 degree View having 7 glasses. Credits-nasa.gov

Marvelous View of Clouds through Coupla. Credits-nasa.gov

Astronaut Peeking through Coupla. Credits-nasa.gov

Merry Christmas From Space 2016. Credits-nasa.gov
AI identified more than 100,000 new craters on the Moon
By: Absolute Cosmos
Tags: Astronomy, Space, Moon, Artificial Intelligence, Moons Of Our Solar System

Moltke crater imaged from Apollo 10

According to a new study published in journal Nature Communications, our only natural satellite Moon has way more craters than we thought.

By using data gathered by Chinese lunar orbiters, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has detected more than 100,000 new lunar craters in the mid and low latitude regions.

Developing an AI to identify and locate impact craters on lunar surface has been a tough job, because of many shapes these craters can take. They are of different ages and all can not be round. Due to this their defining properties have eroded over the long time periods.

Before this scientists used to identify and locate lunar craters manually by studying images and then transferring them to moon globes. This new AI will speed up the crater identification process substantially.

As per research head Chen Yang (associate professor of Earth sciences at Jilin University, China)- this is the largest lunar crater database for the mid and low latitude lunar regions.

Formed during the meteor strikes, these impact craters cover majority of lunar surface, and can be considered as fossils on moon’s surface which record our Solar System’s history.

These fossils are of different sizes and shapes and can erode and overlap in time, making the identification and dating process difficult and time taking. Also, the process is subjective which leads to inconsistencies within existing databases.

Research scientists approached these issues with Artificial Intelligence. They fed the AI with previously detected impact craters and also trained it to identify the new craters.

AI then used data from Chinese Chang’e-1 and Chang’e-2 lunar orbiters, and identified 109,956 new impact craters on the lunar surface.

Significant number of these new impact craters are placed in size of small to medium category, they range from one to hundred kilometres in diameter.

AI also detected already eroded larger and irregular shaped impact craters, with some of them ranging up to five hundred and fifty kilometres in diameter.

AI recorded the location of each crater it identified and placed each into a predefined lunar geological era based on how much the impact crater had eroded.

The research team will be using data from recently launched Chang’e 5 lander to further fine tune their crater spotting AI. They also hope to use their AI on other objects/bodies of our Solar System.

for more information: Lunar impact crater identification and age estimation with Chang’E data by deep and transfer learning

https://theabsolutecosmos.blogspot.com.
The ‘Great Conjunction’ of Saturn and Jupiter
By: Maanas Kunchala
Tags: Astronomy, Science

Saturn and Jupiter formed a double-planet on the 21st of this month.

What is a conjunction?

A ‘conjunction’, as defined in astronomy is the event where two celestial objects meet in a straight line as observed from the Earth. This year’s great conjunction is considered ‘great’ as two of the largest planets in our solar system — Saturn, and Jupiter, line up, appearing to form a ‘double-planet’.

For those wondering, a double planet is a system of two celestial objects that are of planetary mass, or are both considered to be planets. Connecting to this similarity in mass, the center of mass of both the objects combined are to be exterior to both objects.

During a conjunction, both planets orbit very close to each other as viewed from Earth, and slowly appear to be coming closer until they seem to merge into one single entity. They appear this way because of the fact that they act as points on a straight line joining Earth, Saturn, and Jupiter.

Saturn-Jupiter double planet.

The great conjunction of 2020 took place on the 21st of December, 2020. It occurs approximately every 20 years, but this year the planets are the closest to be visible in the night sky in 800 years, with a separation of only 0.1 degrees (~6 arcminutes). The last conjunction to be as close and visible was on the 4th of March, 1226. The last conjunction to be as close, but not visible was on the 16th of July, 1623. This was about 400 years ago.

The minor separation angle makes Saturn and Jupiter look very to each other when viewed from Earth (almost touching each other), when in reality, the planets are about 730 million kilometers apart during the conjunction. The last great conjunction occurred about 20 years ago in 2000, where the planets were about 68.9 arcminutes apart.

It is estimated that the next close conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter will take place on the 18th of March, 2080, where the separation will be about 0.4 degrees (~24 arcminutes apart). This is the next closest double-planet after this year’s conjunction.
FACT: Mercury is covered in hundreds of craters.
By: Jacob Vandersluys
Tags: Astronomy, Education, Science, Facts

Did you know that Mercury is covered in hundreds of craters, making it the most cratered planet in the Solar System? Out of all these craters, the largest one is Caloris Planitia, measuring a whopping 960 miles wide. Another interesting fact in relation to Mercury’s craters is that all of them are named after artists. The craters bear distinguished names like Bach, Beckett, Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Goya, Goethe, Horace, Ibsen, Imhotep, Keats, Kuiper, Lennon, Twain, Melville, Milton, Moliere, Mozart, Ovid, Picasso, Poe, Raphael, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Wagner, Yeats, Hemingway, Botticelli, Tolkien, Beethoven, Dali, Bronte, Byron, and Dickens. A very creative planet indeed…
Some things I’ve found useful for night sky photography
By: Bob Koure
Tags: Astronomy, Travel, Public Lands, Environment, Photography

If you’re looking for dark skies, check the Dark Site Finder website.

For seeing the cloud cover forecast, check Clear Outside (also useful for figuring if you’re going to have a spectacular sunrise or set).

If you want to figure when a particular object in the sky (including the Milky Way) lines up with a foreground you have in mind, I’ve found PhotoPills (Android + iOS) to be about the most useful tool out there.

For aurora forecasts, look at SpaceWeather. They track not just coronal ejections, but their magnetic orientation (N or S). Only one can get inside our magnetosphere (which one depends on which pole you’re nearest to).

You absolutely need a solid tripod, tall enough that you can point a camera at the sky and still look through the viewfinder — and a way to trip the shutter without touching the camera (remote release or shutter delay). PhotoPills can also help you calculate the longest exposure you can take without getting star trails.

I’ve recently started using an ‘entry’ level tracker (rotates the camera so the stars are effectively still) from MoveShootMove. So far, I’m quite pleased. Also, given that I can use smaller apertures with my FF camera, this probably also would allow someone with a smaller-than-FF sensor camera take good night sky photos. Note that with a tracker, your foreground will blur, so you need to take a foreground shot and a tracked shot separately and merge the two together (I’d been using PhotoShop for this for decades; I’m now using Affinity Photo with as-good results).

Finally, Streamlight has a headlamp called the Bandit. This is available in a red LED version (long press of the on/off button switches between white and red). Very useful for getting to a site without losing my night vision. Available on amazon, but they pop up on ebay periodically for less than a third the amazon price.
FACT: Planets and moons make sounds!
By: Jacob Vandersluys
Tags: Astronomy, Science, Space, Education

Did you know that planets and moons make sounds! Sounds?! Yes, really. Now how is this possible you ask when there is no sound in space? Good question! Turns out planets and moons can create sounds from interactions of charged particles from the solar wind, ionosphere, and planetary magnetosphere.… Who would have known! Want to hear for yourself what planets sound like? Our friends over at NASA have put the following video online so you can do so. I am told that the sounds are quite spooky…
The 12 Top Astronomy News Stories of 2020
By: James Maynard
Tags: Astronomy, Space, 2020, Space Exploration, Science

Presenting the 12 top astronomy news stories of 2020 advancing our knowledge of the Universe.

The top astronomy news stories of 2020. Image credit: See individual stories.

All in all, 2020 was a year filled with unexpected news, challenges, and setbacks. And, despite everything, every month also offered new discoveries about the Universe we all inhabit.

Discoveries were made, theories updated, and we lost one of the greatest telescopes in the world. Astronomers, like everyone else, were inundated with the challenges this year presented to people around the globe.

But still, science advanced.

Let’s look at the top astronomy news stories of 2020, focused on the top story in astronomy and space exploration from each month.

January

Inouye Solar Telescope Scores Big with First Video of Sun

The most advanced solar telescope in the world just dropped their first public video of the Sun, and it is stunning.

The Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope opened in January 2020, providing astronomers a unique tool to observe our parent star. Image credit: NSO/NSF

Astronomers using the new Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii have released their first public images of the Sun, and they are the most detailed images of our parent star ever taken. Images from the next-generation National Science Foundation (NSF) solar observatory reveal details on the surface measuring just 30 kilometers (18 miles) in diameter.

The new four-meter (157 inch) instrument (the largest solar telescope in the world) recorded images and video of turbulent plasma on the surface of the Sun, providing an unprecedented level of detail for solar researchers.

Read more on Medium

The closest images of the Sun were also recorded by the ESA Solar Orbiter in 2020 — we take a look in on these remarkable images
FACT: even though Mercury is incredibly hot, there is ice there.
By: Jacob Vandersluys
Tags: Astronomy, Science, Space, Education

Did you know that even though Mercury is incredibly hot, there is ice there? The ice is buried deep beneath the planet’s caverns where sunlight can’t get to it. It’s been leftover from ice comets that have collided with the planet over the years. Most ice is evaporated instantly but traces of it land in spots where the sun doesn’t reach it. Over millions of years, Mercury has accumulated billions of tons of ice. If a planet has an area that sunlight never reaches, it’s called a Cold Trap. All of Mercury’s ice is hiding in Cold Traps.
The Biggest Known Star
By: Omar Delawar
Tags: Astronomy, Autonomia, Cosmos, Universe, Cosmology

The biggest known star is an absolute monster of a star called: UY Scuti

It’s 1700 times bigger* than our sun!

Let’s put that into perspective, here’s our planet (Earth) next to our sun (true to scale):

A close up of the previous photo in case your mind isn’t fully blown yet:

Here is our sun next to UY Scuti:

If we replaced our sun with UY Scuti, it would extend past the orbit of Jupiter:

If the Earth was the size of a tennis ball 🎾, UY Scuti would be this big:

Do you feel small yet?

Stay frosty =)

*1700 times the sun’s diameter but in terms of volume over 5 billion suns could fit inside UY Scuti! Wow! 🤩

Edit: As of 2020, UY Scuti has been officially dethroned as the largest star by Stephenson 2–18, another red supergiant with a diameter that is 2150 bigger than our sun and in terms of volume over 10 billion suns could fit inside of it. To give you some perspective, if we were to put Stephenson 2–18 into the middle of our solar system, it would extend past the orbit of Saturn! What a beast! Here is a graphical size comparison between the two and our sun:
The Great conjunction & Winter Solstice —
Tags: Astronomy, Space

This year’s Winter solstice coincides with a special astronomical event — “The Great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn”. This is a rare planetary alignment which has occurred in almost 400 years.

When Jupiter and Saturn converge, the two planets may appear as one big bright star that will be easily visible in the night sky. The two planets appear incredibly close to one another as they line up with the Earth in their respective orbits.

It has been observed that the planets have being moving closer to one another for few weeks. On December 21, they will be closest to each other. This phenomenon will be easily visible to naked eyes and can be seen in the Northwest direction after sunset. To the viewers it will look like one big star but they still will be hundreds of millions of miles apart from each other.

This conjunction is also special because it falls on the day of Winter Solstice. The solstice is the longest night of the year, so this will give people a chance to see this phenomenon and observe our solar system.

It is also known as “Christmas star” as this conjunction appears on the first day of winter in northern hemisphere few days before Christmas.
The largest Galaxy in the universe!
By: Hasneen Bahar
Tags: Astronomy, Space, Cosmos, Science, Galaxies And Planets

The largest Galaxy in the universe!

Researchers may have found the largest Galaxy in the universe. The universe is mostly empty space, in fact matter comprises just a mere 4.2× 10 power 21 percent of the universe.

It can take any form, including gas clouds, rocks and stars; scattered across the vast emptiness.

The matter can clump up due to Gravity and form the massive structures we know as galaxies. Galaxies are made of stars and their planets, as well as gas and dust.

These clusters of matter can come in many shapes and sizes.

In our universe, there are four types of galaxies.

we have spiral galaxies, like the Andromeda galaxy, which is our nearest Galatic neighbor.

Barred spiral galaxies are similar to spiral galaxies, but they have a bright bar of stars.

Our milky way galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy. There are also elliptical galaxies like the Messier 32 galaxy found near Andromeda.Finally there are Irregular galaxies which get their name for their lake of a distinct shape.



We also categorize galaxies by size. There are three Galatic size categorize: dwarf, mid-range spiral and gigantic elliptical. Even dwarf galaxies, which are the smallest type can be light years and contains tens of millions of stars. The largest galaxies can have a trillion stars.

Recently, astronomers found a galaxy whose mass blew away the competition. IC 1101 is a galaxy located roughly one billion light years away and it is the largest galaxy ever observed. It has a mass of nearly 100 trillion stars and is roughly 6 million light years in diameter.This massive galaxy is large enough to not only consume the milky way with ease, but it could also swallow out nearest neighbors and all of us.

1C 1101 is hypothesized to have been formed by the collision of smaller galaxies. It is believed that many of these colliding galaxies were approximately the same size as our own.

Astronomers used telescopic observation to study the galaxy from Earth. While studying light from galaxy, researchers made a surprising discovery.

It a galaxy has a blue tint, it is indicative of active star formation.Despite its massive size, 1C 1101 has a yellow tint. This is surprising because it indicates that 1C 1101 is creating new stars very slowly. The sluggish start generation could spell the doom for the galaxy, unless it continues to collide with smaller galaxies.

1C 1101 could continue to die off and fade away forever.
Don’t forget to check the sky at sunset for a vision not seen in 800 years.
By: Joseph Serwach
Tags: Astronomy, Christmas, Science, Star Of Bethlehem, Sunset

Everything Shortform is a publication for Medium stories 150 words and less. Rapid reads to capture your attention and direct it towards further reading or short expressions readers can gulp down in one bite. Use Everything Shortform to get your point across quickly.
Astrophysics
By: Jess Hackett
Tags: Astronomy, Creative Writing, Poetry On Medium, Poetry, Aspiring Writer

Gravity: not a being pulled down, but

rather, a caving in on oneself. To curl, to

ball up, pulling toward the center. This

collapsing which creates an

expansion. An eventual running

into other caved-in beings. A meeting of

entities suctioned inward, and a joining.

Melding together in earnest, an attempted resistance

to the irreversible expansion, we cling to other

bodies. Desperate, hungry, guarded, pleading. A

tether to something we hope is less vacant, a terrifying

and shuddering desire for proximity, a longing for

shared isolation. This timid revealing of existence, an

unburdening of the self, a plea to voice what remains

heavy. Stagnant. Unmoving.
Cometan Celebrates 2020 Winter Solstice with his annual Stellara Statement
By: Cometan
Tags: Astronomy, Winter Solstice, Space, Outer Space, Solstice

“Tomorrow marks the Winter Solstice of 2020, an important day for followers of Astronism and for all stargazers throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Observed by star worshippers and astrologers since prehistoric times, the Winter Solstice signals the peak of darkness for humanity to observe the wonders of the astronomical world. But also, the solstice marks a new beginning for all of us as the nights become gradually lighter, a new beginning that is sorely needed during these times of hardship. So, if weather permits, please don’t forget to peer up to the stars this evening alone or with loved ones to marvel at The Cosmos, of which we make up such a small and insignificant part. Here I am pictured with my Golden Orrery ready to enjoy today’s astronomical festivities.”

— Cometan
Will You See the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn?
By: James Maynard
Tags: Astronomy, Jupiter, Saturn, Space, Science

Jupiter and Saturn will be closer in the sky than they have been since the Middle Ages on December 21. Will you see it?

Here’s the latest predictions for the Great Conjunction of 2020. Image credit: The Cosmic Companion / Components from Pixabay.

On Monday, December 21, Jupiter and Saturn will appear closer in the sky than they have been seen since the Middle Ages.

This once-in-a-lifetime event is visible from most areas of the world — provided the sky is free of clouds. However, the latest predictions show clouds covering much of the United States and Europe.

What’s Happening?

Jupiter and Saturn will appear so close together in the southwestern sky on December 21 that they appear as a single object in this skymap. Image credit: The Cosmic Companion / Created in Stellarium

The two largest planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, have been drawing close to each other for weeks. On December 21, the pair will be closer in the sky than they have been seen in centuries.

The planets are easily visible in the southwest sky (Jupiter is far and away the brightest object in that region of the sky, and Saturn shines nearby).

Jupiter and Saturn will not be this close until the year 2080.

Viewing from The United States

Clouds are expected to cover much of the northern United States, while offering amateur astronomers in southern states a perfect view of this once-in a-lifetime event. Image credit: NOAA/NWS

Clouds will cover most of the northeast of the United States, as well as the Pacific northwest. Most southern states are expected to experience clear skies on December 21.

Amateur astronomers in New England, New York, and Great Lakes regions should try to see this approach on nights just before or after the Great Conjunction.

Observing the Great Conjunction from Europe

Europe is not the place to be for people wanting to see the Great Conjunction of 2020. Image credit: Meteox.com

Most of the United Kingdom is expected to be covered by clouds during the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.

The best viewing should be seen in southern Spain and Italy.

Amateur astronomers in Europe, like those in the northern United States, should seek chances to see Jupiter and Saturn in the days before and after the main event.

Seeing the Great Conjunction

A backyard telescope will reveal the rings of Saturn and several moons orbiting both planets. Image credit: The Cosmic Companion / Created in Stellarium

Jupiter and Saturn, known since ancient times, can be seen without the aid of binoculars or telescopes.

However, using a backyard telescope, it will be possible to view the rings of Saturn, as well as several moons orbiting each of the largest planets in our Solar System.

If possible, go to an area with dark skies after sunset, with a clear view to the southwest. Bring warm clothes, a hot drink, and enjoy the view.

For those fortunate enough to see this rare spectacle live, this will be a sight to remember for a lifetime.
Astronomers Just Discover Cosmic ‘Superhighway’ Network For Super Fast Travel Through Solar System
By: Rabinder Kumar
Tags: Astronomy, Space, Research, Space Exploration, Science

Courtesy: Nataša Todorović, Di Wu and Aaron Rosengren/Science Advances

Researchers from Serbia have discovered a invisible structure generated by gravitational interactions in our Solar System, have created a “space super highways” network that allow objects to travel more faster than before.

“These Cosmic highways could be used for our space explorations, to investigate comets and asteroids.”

Such routes can drive comets and asteroids near Jupiter to Neptune’s distance in under a decade and to 100 astronomical units in less than a century.

These superhighways are made of numerous diverse series of arches inside visible Structures known as Manifolds-generated by individual planets and intermingle in a way that allows objects to reach Neptune from Jupiter in decades rather than hundreds of thousands or millions of years.

Unsplash

By using a tool know as Fast Lyapunov Indicator (FLI), they were successful to detect the structure of space manifolds in our solar system, usually it is used to detect chaos.

“we use the FLI to detect the presence and global structure of space manifolds, and capture instabilities that act on orbital time scales; that is, we use this sensitive and well-established numerical tool to more generally define regions of fast transport within the Solar System”, the researchers wrote in their paper

Later, they have found the most noticeable arch structures are linked to Jupiter and the strong gravitational forces it exerts.

By using Computational models, they found that particles were able to reach Uranus and Neptune from Jupiter within an average of 38- 46 years.They also noted that the bulk of the particles were able to reach a distance of 100 astronomical units in under 100 years.
2020 has been a difficult year, one that most of us will never forget.
By: Cate Harris. Gmail.Com
Tags: Astronomy, Winter Solstice, Planets, 2020, Stars

2020 has been a difficult year, one that most of us will never forget. We welcomed a new decade with hopes for the future, only to have them trampled by the deadly pandemic that was making its way across the world.

As if to soften the blow of such a difficult year, the Universe offers us a spectacular once-in-a-lifetime experience where we can witness the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn as they align beautifully to form what has been called ‘the Christmas Star’. This is the first time in almost 800 years — since 1226 AD — that we will be able to witness this incredible cosmic event in the night sky.

The ‘Christmas Star’ will be visible on 21st December, approximately 45 minutes after sunset, wherever you are in the world. Don’t miss this event folks — it’ll be out of this world!
We are a Human Being. We are a species who since our birth till death had tried to figure out each and everything happening in this Universe Logically. Logic, which is created by us. Before we…
By: Ritwik Sanyal
Tags: Astronomy, Universe, Big Bang Theory, Space

We are a Human Being. We are a species who since our birth till death had tried to figure out each and everything happening in this Universe Logically. Logic, which is created by us. Before we existed, was there any logic? How creation will come into existence if creator do not exist.

So, let’s try to make out like this:

There was nothing before the Bing Bang. Nothing means nothing.

There is no logical explanation of before Big Bang as there was no Logic.

Physical laws will never be applied as there was no physics
The Truth About: The WOW! Signal
By: Michael East
Tags: Astronomy, Mystery, Culture, Science, Aliens

The fact that the signal was never heard again despite many attempts puzzled researchers, with it unlikely that a deliberate alien signal would only be transmitted once. Equally, this would seem to also discount many theories that it was a natural phenomenon, unless it had been a singular and possibly unique event. Yet, scientists regularly discover new wonders in space, colliding black holes, glitching pulsars, and gamma-ray bursts being among the many discoveries noted for their loud and unusual noise. One theory suggested as to the origin of the signal was that the real source was actually on Earth itself, simply being reflected back at the planet off space debris. Scientists at SETI investigated the theory at length. They concluded this to be highly unlikely as the 1420 MHz spectrum is protected for use by astronomic facilities, meaning no domestic usage is allowed. Equally, the requirements for a signal to be bounced back so effectively are highly unlikely.

Teams at SETI also discounted the possibility of a satellite transmission, aircraft signals and broadcast beams. The mystery has persisted until this very day, with a 2017 theory by Antonio Paris, a teacher from Florida, being equally dismissed. Paris had speculated that the signal had been hydrogen from a cloud surrounding two comets that were known to be in the sky at the time. However, scientists and members of the original SETI team debunked the theory, stating that the comets hadn’t been in the beam at the right time and that they cannot have possibly emitted at the strength observed.

Researchers have long attempted to receive the signal a second time, with Ehman searching for months afterwards using Big Ear. His efforts were in vain, however. Ten years later in 1987 and again in 1989, the astronomer and data scientist Robert H. Gray used the META array at Oak Ridge Observatory to also try and find the signal, similarly to no result. Other attempts were made in 1995, 1996 and 1999, but nothing like the WOW! Signal was ever heard again.
Colonising Planets Beyond Mars
By: Sam Woolfe
Tags: Science Fiction, Astronomy, Space, Space Exploration, Science

Right now the goal of SpaceX is to colonise Mars. This is the nearest planet that we could feasibly travel to and inhabit. Soon our technological capabilities will allow us to travel to, and live on, the red planet in a cost-efficient and sustainable way. Science fiction will become reality. But there is no reason that our thirst for space exploration and colonisation would end on the Red Planet. Many sci-fi books deal with the topic of space colonisation. Colonising planets other than Mars could become a reality in the future. But which ones planets are good candidates?

Continue reading…
Catching the Tail of a Meteor
By: Eric S Johnson
Tags: Astronomy, Meteor Showers, Contrail, Astrophotography

This is what you missed last night

Time to take a break from the “dreary science”, i.e., economics.

One of my other hobbies is astro-photography. I have two telescope systems, one in Aspen, Colorado, the other one in San Diego. You will be surprised how many good images I have captured on my driveway in coastal San Diego with its still air.

Both systems are configured exclusively for taking pictures, you can see samples of my work at:

www.MountainsAndSky.com

Last night was the peak of the Geminids Meteor shower, so I decided to capture some meteors.

First step was setting up my Canon EOS 6D outdoors where I had a northerly view of the constellation Gemini. I wanted each 30 second picture to be the same part of the sky, so the camera had to be mounted on a tracker. I use an iOptron Sky Tracker, which is then mounted on the tripod.

I think that the air temp was about 15 deg F.

Set the camera ISO to 2000, and used a 24mm wide angle zoom lens with the aperture set at the minimum f stop of 1.4, meaning that the opening was wide as possible, letting in as many photons as possible. This does make focusing more sensitive, so I used the “live view” mode at 10X zoom to manually adjust my focus.

The histogram of a test 30-second image confirmed that my settings were good, plenty of gathered photons, no saturation.

Final step was using the remote timer to tell the camera to take 30-second images over and over.

An hour later I checked the camera and saw that it was covered in frost. Temp was now about 10 deg F. Darn. Note to self, next time put a heated strap on the camera. Expecting the worst, I took the camera inside and inspected the images.

The good news is that the lens was not covered in frost for most of the images, and a quick scan showed that I had captured a few meteors, plus some airplanes and satellites.

This is what a raw image looked like:

While I did capture that meteor on the left, “a pretty crappy picture Eric”, might be your first thought. No problem, time to apply my post-processing magic (a software package called Pixinsight), which converts a crappy image to something like this:

Nice. The Milkyway is quite defined, those red blotches are nebula’s, and the small group of stars in the upper right is the Seven Sisters, otherwise known as Pleiades.

The stars being small and round tells me that the focus and sky tracking were both spot-on.

I then processed the next 30-second image, this is what I saw:

Hello! What is that red thing where the meteor was 30 seconds ago? Has to be a contrail from the passing of the meteor! Sun reflecting of the dust trail or glowing energized air? I honestly do not know, but suspect the latter as the sun had set some time ago.

I knew what I had to do next, take the next several images, process them all, crop them all, and make a short movie.

And this is it:

And that is what most of us missed last night, what the meteor left behind.

Eric