Space

British amateur astronomer, Sir Patrick Moore, used to say that the best first telescope isn’t a telescope at all — it’s a pair of binoculars. Telescopes are wonderful — the things you can see through them can be jaw-dropping — but they can so easily extinguish enthusiasm for the night sky. Telescopes can take a beginner’s eyes from the sky at the wrong time by requiring attention to…

Although it is marketed as a white-light solar telescope, the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope is really a nighttime scope (which can be purchased on its own) alongside a detachable solar filter from Thousand Oaks. This may be a perk for users who don’t own a telescope and want to purchase a kit that’s ready for both solar and lunar viewing. However, it’s likely not of…

Starfish Space will make history next year, if all goes according to plan. The Washington-based company just scored a $52.5 million contract to deorbit satellites for the U.S. Space Force, the first deal ever signed for such end-of-life disposal services for a constellation in low Earth orbit (LEO). The agreement calls for Starfish Space to use one of its Otter spacecraft to haul down at least one…

Solar system comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) makes its closest approach to the sun today (Jan. 20) during an event known as perihelion, when it will pass a little over half the Earth-sun distance from our parent star, causing it to brighten significantly. Comet Wierzchos makes its closest flyby at 1:24 p.m.EST (1824 GMT) on Jan. 20, passing the sun at a distance of 52.6 million miles (84.6 million…