Carnival of Space 644: Awesome Space Stories of the Week

Hello space fans and welcome to another edition of Carnival of Space 644. It’s a space community-driven post where we gather the best space stories of the week and share them with you. You can check out the archive of all the past Carnival Space over at Universe Today here.

NextBigFuture – US Space Force Will Be Created Tonight (Dec 20)

We’re starting off our first story with NextBigFuture article on how Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act 2020. It’s a hefty one that creates the new Space Force agency along with many other changes. Read the article for more information here.

NextBigFuture – Boeing Starliner Fail and 737 Max Halt Caused by 1997 Shift From Engineering Focus

Our next story focuses on Aerospace company Boeing. Boeing is going through some hard times and analysts can trace it back to new leadership and a merger that changed Boeing’s focus from engineering to management. Check out the article for more information and resources on how Boeing lost its way and what exactly it failed at.

Universe Today – Waiting for Betelgeuse: What’s Up with the Tempestuous Star?

Orion rising - Alberta - Alan Dyer — Orion rising on December 21, 2019 with yellow-red Betelgeuse at upper centre reportedly dimmer than usual as it drops to one of its occasional dim episodes as a long-period variable star. It is a red supergiant that varies between 0.0 and +1.3 magnitude. \r\rThis is a stack of 6 x 1-minute tracked exposures plus a single exposure through the Kenko Softon A filter to add the star glows. All on the iOptron Sky Guider Pro and with the stock Canon 6D MkII and 35mm lens at f/2.8. Taken from home in Alberta on a partly cloudy and foggy night.

Our third story is with Universe Today on the infamous Betelgeuse. This star is a beautiful and bright one to point out in the Orion constellation as pictured above from Alan Dyer. However, this star started to dim a lot or at least more than anticipated. This stirred the community and wondering what is happening with this gargantuan star. Universe Today has more on that and you can read the full story here.

Universe Today – Halo Around a Pulsar could Explain Why We See Antimatter Coming from Space

Here’s a fascinating story around a nearby pulsar by Universe Today. Astronomers have been watching this pulsar and may help them uncover a mystery that’s been alluding them for some time. The puzzle is where does all this antimatter that is near-Earth come from? Is it because of the halo around this nearby pulsar? To find out read the rest of this great article here.

Universe Today – Our Guide to the December 26th Annular ‘Ring of Fire’ Eclipse

What a way to close out 2019 with a beautiful annular solar eclipse. Universe Today walks you through what solar eclipses are, how to prepare for them, and all the details you need to ensure you make the best of this event. Read the full story here.

Universe Today – Black Holes Were Already Feasting Just 1.5 Billion Years After the Big Bang

Black Holes - Quasar — This illustration depicts a gas halo surrounding a quasar in the early Universe. The quasar, in orange, has two powerful jets and a supermassive black hole at its centre, which is surrounded by a dusty disc. The gas halo of glowing hydrogen gas is represented in blue. A team of astronomers surveyed 31 distant quasars, seeing them as they were more than 12.5 billion years ago, at a time when the Universe was still an infant, only about 870 million years old. They found that 12 quasars were surrounded by enormous gas reservoirs: halos of cool, dense hydrogen gas extending 100 000 light-years from the central black holes and with billions of times the mass of the Sun. These gas stashes provide the perfect food source to sustain the growth of supermassive black holes in the early Universe.

Universe Today brings another wonderful story around black holes. A mystery that surrounds black holes goes back to how it all began, the Big Bang. Astronomers wonder how the universe evolved in the beginning since supermassive black holes play a critical role in forming galaxies, like our own, and producing more stars and cosmic gas. Well, astronomers may have found a large reservoir of cooled hydrogen. This means it might have provided a food source for supermassive black holes. Read the full article to learn more about what astronomers discovered.

Universe Today – Starliner Launches But it Can’t Reach the Station

Here’s a story from Universe Today on Boeing’s failed mission to the ISS. The launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft went successful but just couldn’t close it out when it got to the ISS. The Starliner couldn’t dock with the ISS due to a mishap. This means that Boeing now has delayed their planned crewed flight until next summer. Check out the full story from Universe Today to learn what failed exactly and what this implies for Boeing’s future.