Special to CosmicTribune.com, February 28, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher The second United States attempt to send an unmanned Moon Lander to the Moon apparently will end in mission termination on Feb. 27, while China on Feb. 23 revealed new information and projected confidence in its ability to send astronauts to the Moon before 2030. […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, February 26, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25 ■ Another way Sirius is special: it’s the bottom star of the bright, equilateral Winter Triangle. The other two stars of the Triangle are orange Betelgeuse to Sirius’s upper right (Orion’s shoulder) and Procyon to Sirius’s upper left. The Winter Triangle perfectly balances on […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, February 20, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher Last week, the Biden Administration sparked a crisis by warning without openly/publicly explaining that Russia was close to placing nuclear weapons in space, but then damaged its credibility as leader of the free world by trying to walk back the same threat. This crisis emerged […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, February 18, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18 ■ Canopus, the second-brightest star after Sirius, happens to lie almost due south of Sirius: by 36°. That’s far enough south that it never appears above your horizon unless you’re below latitude 37° N (southern Virginia, southern Missouri, central California). And near there, you’ll […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, February 14, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher The not-so-secret “secret” of the global “private” space sector is that successful private space companies usually achieve success due to the demand and subsidies provided by governments. President Ronald Reagan promoted the ambition that commercial space operators would someday vastly eclipse government space operations and […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, February 12-17, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12 ■ Orion stands his highest in the south by about 8 p.m. Under Orion’s feet, and to the right of Sirius, hides Lepus the Hare. Like Canis Major, this is a constellation with a connect-the-dots that really looks like what it’s supposed to be. […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, Feb. 7, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher As China and Russia have increased their open conventional military cooperation, and have explored covert nuclear military cooperation, it is likely that both have been pursuing military cooperation in space. On Feb. 1 the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a press release titled, “Press […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, February 4, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Today is the center of winter; we cross the midpoint between the December solstice and the March equinox at 10:16 a.m. EST (15:16 UT). That minute is the very bottom of the wheel of the year, astronomically speaking. In ancient Gaelic cultures this day […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, January 31, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher On Jan. 28, two days after the United States beseeched China to help stop Iranian-fueled warfare against Israel and Western shipping in the Middle East, Iran became the first Arab state to launch three satellites into space from one rocket, on its Simorgh (Phoenix) liquid-fueled […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, January 29, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, JANUARY 29 ■ After dark the Great Square of Pegasus sinks low in the west, balancing on one corner. Meanwhile, the Big Dipper climbs up in the north-northeast, tipping up on its handle. ■ Algol shines at its minimum light, magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual […]
