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Astronomy News - 2021

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mafa ii
Astronomy News - 2021

Have you heard of astronomy news? Astronomy is a field that seeks to understand the universe in all its glory, from the very far away, to the very near and to everything in between. If you are a true professional or even a student of the night skies then you know that there are many different ways to go about learning about astronomy. There are publications, websites, books and even videos out there to help inform and train our imaginations about the various ways to explore space and the astronomy news websites.

One thing that has fueled much of the interest in astronomy news over the past decade is the discovery of the dwarf planet Pluto. Before it was discovered, astronomy was mostly focused on planets, comets and moons. Getting information about other heavenly bodies was a difficult task at best. The discovery of Pluto thrust this field into the limelight and changed the way we view astronomy forever. If you are an astronomy enthusiast, then this news will thrill and astound you.

We have all learned about the Great Rift in the Milky Way, and about Halley's Comet. While most of us are only vaguely aware of it, astronomers are well versed in keeping track of these heavenly bodies through telescopes. If you have ever wondered how the planets of the outer solar system got here, then you might want to keep reading. Telescopes are a tool for scientists to gain a better understanding of the universe and to learn more about our own solar system. This in turn can lead to greater discoveries and hopefully, a better understanding of our place in the cosmos.

Speaking of discovery, one event that is grabbing headlines all over the world is the European Space Agency's plan to send a probe onto an asteroid. If you were to do an online search for that, you would find hundreds of hits. Many people are intrigued by the prospect of finding an undiscovered planet like the one the Europeans are hoping to find. The possibility of finding life is exciting not only because it opens up the possibility of new worlds and possibilities, but also because it is one more leap towards expanding human knowledge of the cosmos. Imagine if we did find evidence of alien life. That alone would be fascinating.

A European Space Agency probe could possibly bring back data about the composition of water ice and the other elements that make up the moon. We know very little about comets other than to say they consist mostly of hydrogen and that they orbit around many other smaller objects. Studying a comet could tell us a great deal about its makeup and allow us to learn more about the moon, Mars, and even the interior of the Earth. And who knows, perhaps someday we will be able to send astronauts to explore those icy worlds.

One other news item that is of interest to people who are very familiar with telescopes is a device called a Doppler telescope. This instrument has changed the way we view black holes. For years, we have thought that these mysterious balls of space were nothing more than holes in the sky. Now we know better. The Doppler is giving scientists a much closer look at this phenomenon.

In astronomy news, we'd say the Doppler is an interesting piece of technology. The name refers to a particular effect it has: it changes the speed of the telescope. So if you had a Doppler telescope, you could take a picture of a star at night and see it with your telescope at the same time. It makes the star seem closer or further away depending on how the Doppler is set.

That is only one of the stories in the astronomy section this month. There was a big piece in the New York Times on the formation of an asteroid. A Japanese research team made the discovery that nearly a mile wide asteroid was creating the largest ripples in space. We can't wait to see what else astronomers discover about our solar system and beyond!

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