Past Our Horizons

Science fiction as a genre has existed almost as long as storytelling itself. Jules Verne wrote of travel to the moon in the eighteen hundreds. The Princess of Mars, upon which Disney’s recent film John Carter of Mars was based, was published in the early part of the twentieth century. Even in Ancient Greece there was sci-fi: Lucian of Samasota wrote of creatures that resided on the sun and the moon in the second century C.E. That’s right – nearly two thousand years ago, someone wrote a book about aliens. Philosophy, science, and literature have always sought to reach beyond our planet, and the general public devours stories that combine this super-terrestrial striving with the very human desire for adventure and exploration.

Last week, NASA released a panoramic photo taken by Opportunity, the sole remaining functioning Mars rover since Spirit fell silent in August 2010. (The new Mars rover, Curiosity, will not land until this August). This beautiful image (which you can click to make massively large) was seen worldwide – the alien landscapes of Mars brought home to Earth. This is the power of space exploration. Children dream of becoming astronauts. Consumers in cafés discuss the possibility of alien life. Dreams of exploring other planets, other galaxies, and even other universes enthrall the public. It is possibly the single greatest way to popularize science as a whole.

Read more at The Inclusive.

The Transit of Venus

Today, we will have the opportunity to experience something that truly deserves the over-used phrase "once in a lifetime."  Venus will be passing directly between Earth and the sun and will be visible with the correct equipment.  The next time this particular phenomenon will occur will be in 2117 - 105 years in the future.  Even with all the advancements in modern medicine, it's unlikely that anyone will be around long enough to see this event twice.

Hapless Star Devoured by Black Hole

Black holes: infinitely deep pits from which nothing can escape. They’ve captured the imaginations of scientists, writers, and the general population, and are commonly found in science fiction, pop culture, and common vernacular. But despite our interest in black holes, we actually know very little about them.

This year has been awash with tales of black holes devouring other cosmic entities. In February, NASA reported that the supermassive black hole at the center of our very own galaxy was “snacking” on asteroids. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins have detected a supermassive black hole approximately two billion light years from us that recently swallowed an entire star.