Carnival of Space 403: On the Frontier of Space Science News

Image Credit & Copyright: Larry Van Vleet (LVVASTRO)

Welcome to another edition of Carnival of Space! This is a series hosted by many space science bloggers and you can find the entire list over at Universe Today. Well with no further delay let’s jump into the best science stories of the week!

Close Encounter of the Asteroid Kind – 2015 HD1 Skims By Earth Tonight

Our first story comes from our awesome friends over at Universe Today. Are you a fan of asteroids or learning about how Earth manages to avoid these potentially destructive forces? Well check out the full story about how we had a close encounter with asteroid 2015 HDI.

Star Wars teaser evaluated using planetary science impact modeling software.

Here’s a story by Lounge of Lab Lemming that goes into the planetary science behind Star Wars. If you were ever curious on if some of the scenes in Star Wars could actually happen in the way it was portrayed then you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Check out the full story here.

Happy Birthday, Hubble: Seeing the Universe in a New Light

The Electromagnetic Spectrum. NASA’s Great Observatories (Compton, Chandra, Hubble and Spitzer) and the electromagnetic thermometer scale. (Credit: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)

Happy birthday to one of the most beloved science instruments on Earth – Hubble Space Telescope! Here’s a wonderful article written by one of the science visualization lead for NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory – Kimberly Arcand. She takes us through the gorgeous images Hubble has shown us over the years. Check out the full story here.

Curiosity rover finds more evidence for possible liquid water brines on Mars

Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Going over to Mars we find our friend Curiosity analyzing martian soil for more evidence on if microbes could live or survive on this planet. However, our story has more than just that. Curiosity finds more evidence of possible water brines. Read more over at The Meridian Journal for the full story.

New NASA NExSS coalition to lead search for life on distant exoplanets

Image Credit: NASA

Our next story comes from the Meridian Journal again except we dive in something a little more ambitious. NASA has formed a group of researchers dedicated to analyzing exoplanets and identifying which ones could support life. This group is called NExSS and you can read the rest of the article here and learn more about what NASA has planned.

Archeoastronomy: 5000 years old PETROGLYPHS site @ Ait Ouazik, Southern Morocco

Check out Links through Space’s new post and follow their Astronomy Club’s travel post series on their Astronomy trip to the Sahara, Southern Morocco and enjoy the astronomy behind it. This week it’s all about Archeoastronomy!

Repairing a Lens: Urban Astronomer

Astrophotographers are passionate about their hobby and spend a lot of money on their equipment, so it can be heartbreaking when something gets damaged. With luck and a little care, however, even apparently serious problems can be fixed at home, as Urban Astronomer found out. Check out the full article here!

Chandra Science on State Street

Check out this news story coverage on the first annual Science on State Street festival. This took place on April 25th on the Framingham State campus.

Spectacular 5th SpaceX Launch in 2015 Sets Record Pace, Clears Path for Critical Flights Ahead

treak shot taken from VAB roof of dusky blastoff of SpaceX Falcon 9 on April 27, 2015 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Credit: SpaceX

Here’s an awesome story on how Space X set an internal record pace between blastoffs of their spectacular Falcon 9 rocket. Check out the full story here.