Special to CosmicTribune.com, July 24, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher While the ongoing and unpredictable United States presidential campaign promises to highlight partisan political divisions on numerous issues, the last decade has seen U.S. space policy tending toward a basic consensus stressing three pillars that can be credited, two to Republicans and one to Democrats. […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, July 22, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, JULY 21 ■ This evening you’ll find that the low Moon forms a huge, nearly vertical line with Altair about three fists above it and Vega the same distance above Altair, near the zenith. ■ Look a finger-width at arm’s length above Altair for its […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, July 10, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher The China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) coalition to establish permanent Moon bases in the 2030s has gained new members in recent months: Nicaragua and Thailand in April; Serbia in May; and on July 3 Kazakhstan became the 12th member state of the ILRS. Though […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, July 8, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, JULY 8 ■ Hercules crosses the zenith these evenings. And in the western edge of the Hercules Keystone, how many times have you pointed a scope at old friend M13, the great globular cluster? You do that not just because it’s one of the finest globulars in […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 30, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SATURDAY, JUNE 29 ■ Right at nightfall, look for the Big Dipper hanging straight down in the northwest. Its bottom two stars, the Pointers, point to the right toward modest Polaris, the end of the Little Dipper’s handle, due north. SUNDAY, JUNE 30 If you […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 26, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher In the last week China has advanced its ambitions for Moon control and space control via two operations: first on June 26 China recovered the world’s first Moon samples from the far side of the Moon; and on June 23 the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 24, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, JUNE 24 ■ After dark look south for orange Antares, “the Betelgeuse of summer,” nearing the meridian. (Both are 1st-magnitude “red” supergiants). Around and upper right of Antares are the other, whiter stars of upper Scorpius, forming their distinctive pattern. ■ Also right after dark, spot […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 19, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher China has presented evidence that its manned Moon program is real, not just an endless collection of journal articles, power point briefings and curious models. On June 14 the principal Chinese state owned space conglomerate, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), conducted a […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 17, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, JUNE 17 ■ Have you ever knowingly seen even a bit of the constellation Centaurus? Famous Alpha Centauri never gets above the horizon unless you’re as far south as San Antonio or Orlando (latitude 29° N). But fairly easy from much farther north is Theta Centauri, […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 9, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, JUNE 9 ■ The Big Dipper has now swung around to hang down by its handle high in the northwest after dark. The middle star of its handle is Mizar, with tiny little Alcor right next to it. On which side of Mizar should you […]
