Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 11, 2025 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher As the colorful political alliance of President Donald Trump and the world’s wealthiest man Elon Musk was historic in its scope and had a clear impact on the early space policy of Trump’s second term, their first week of June 2025 titanic political bust-up must […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 28, 2025 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher China’s first asteroid sample return mission on May 29, 2024, is set to begin a much larger program of asteroid exploration-exploitation to assist military-space ambitions. The program would also assist longer range Chinese ambitions to create outposts into the Solar System. On May 29, from […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 26, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, MAY 26 ■ Catch the brightest asteroid, 4 Vesta, before it fades further. It’s nicely placed high in the south-southeast after the sky is fully dark (at least two hours after sunset now) in a moonless dark sky. It’s almost a month past opposition but still about […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 19, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, MAY 19 ■ The brightest asteroid, 4 Vesta, is nicely placed in a moonless dark sky in late evening. It’s about two weeks past opposition and still about magnitude 6.0. It’s located 24° below Arcturus, near the Virgo-Libra border, and about 9° and 10° above Beta and […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 16, 2025 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher In December 2017, President Donald Trump revived the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) manned mission to the Moon after it had been cancelled by President Barack Obama in 2010. Then, in his Jan. 20, 2025 inauguration speech, Trump lifted NASA’s goals higher by declaring, […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 14, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, APRIL 13 ■ Vega, the bright “Summer Star,” rises in the northeast these evenings. How early or late depends on your latitude and also on your longitude within your time zone. Exactly where should you watch for Vega to come up? Spot the Big Dipper […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 8, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, APRIL 6 ■ The Big Dipper stands high in the northeast these evenings, tipping over to the left dumping water. Its handle plus the two stars of its bowl closest to the handle form a broad, rough arc. To the right of the arc, not […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, March 31, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SATURDAY, MARCH 29 ■ A partial eclipse of the Sun happens for northeastern North America, Greenland, Iceland, and most of Europe. For most the northeastern U.S. and the Canadian Maritimes, the eclipse will already be under way at sunrise. SUNDAY, MARCH 30 ■ Mars is passing 4° south of […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, March 24, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, MARCH 24 ■ Many binocular observers check in on the 5th-magnitude open cluster M41 just 4° due south of Sirius. But how many then look the other way from Sirius for the open cluster M50? It’s 10° north-northeast from Sirius, dimmer, smaller and more subtle than […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, March 10, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, MARCH 10 ■ Mars, Pollux, and Castor in Gemini pass nearly overhead soon after nightfall this week, if you live in the world’s mid-northern latitudes. Mars is still the brightest. Pollux and Castor go smack overhead if you’re near latitude 30° north. Those “twin” heads of […]