Special to CosmicTribune.com, July 8, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. The bright Moon crosses Scorpius and the Sagittarius Teapot for four nights. MONDAY, JULY 7 ■ To casual starwatchers or those with an obstructed northern view, Cassiopeia in July might sound as wrong as Christmas in July. But already Cas has passed its lowest evening position […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, July 2, 2025 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher If the Trump Administration cancels the Gateway small lunar orbiting manned space station, a key project the U.S.-led Artemis Program for lunar exploration, will China take advantage and launch its own “Sino-Gateway” that could greatly enhance China’s strategic position in the Earth Moon system? The […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 30, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, JUNE 30 ■ After nightfall, look due south for orange Antares nearly on the meridian. Around and upper right of Antares are the other, whiter stars forming the distinctive pattern of upper Scorpius. The rest of the Scorpion runs down from Antares toward the horizon, […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 24, 2025 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher In another setback to the United States Moon and Mars programs, on June 18 at the SpaceX “Starbase” in Boca China, Texas, the 36th SpaceX Starship for what would have been its 10th launch attempt, experienced a launch-pad Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (RUD) or massive explosion […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 23, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, JUNE 22 ■ Late these evenings, look south-southeast to south for orange Antares, the Betelgeuse of summer. Both are 1st-magnitude “red” supergiants, which are actually more like bright orange. Around and upper right of Antares are the other, whiter stars of upper Scorpius forming their […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 16, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, JUNE 16 ■ Mars and Regulus shine closest together in the west this evening, as shown below. Tonight they’re 0.8° apart (for the Americas), about the width of a pencil held at arm’s length. This is a great time to compare their contrasting colors in […]
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, June 9, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, JUNE 8 ■ The nearly full Moon (it’ll be full on Tuesday night the 10th) shines well to the upper right of Antares this evening, as shown below. MONDAY, JUNE 9 ■ Bright Arcturus, magnitude 0, shines pale yellow-orange very high overhead toward the south […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 4, 2025 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher While advanced Americans space companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin may now be leading the world in the development of advanced reusable heavy-lift space launch vehicles (SLVs), China is investing heavily in the development of similar reusable heavy lift SLVs, meaning […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 2, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. The waxing Moon passes Mars and Regulus, which are equal in brightness this week but, as ever, different in color. SUNDAY, JUNE 1 ■ Now the Moon leaves Mars behind to get chummy with Regulus, shining only about 1° from it this evening (depending on your […]
