logo
Nebulas spotted in Norfolk skies ahead of planetary parade

Nebulas spotted in Norfolk skies ahead of planetary parade

Yahoo27-02-2025
Giant clouds of dust and gas were spotted in Norfolk skies ahead of seven planets being visible at the same time.
Multiple nebulas, clouds of gas and dust that exist between stars, were seen by people across the county.
Trevor Mayes from Diss captured two nebulas on Tuesday night including the Horsehead Nebula.
The Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula were seen in south Norfolk (Image: Trevor Mayes)
This small dark nebula in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex takes the shape of a horse's head and is usually difficult to see.
Mr Mayes also spotted the Flame Nebula which is a large star-forming region.
READ MORE: 5 of the best places to see snowdrops in Norfolk this year
It is lit by the Alnitak star and is a vast cloud of gas and dust where new stars are born.
The two nebula sightings came after photographer Peter Everitt photographed the California Nebula from his back garden in north Norfolk on Monday.
The California Nebula was also seen (Image: Peter Everitt)
The star is located about 1,000 light years away and its name comes from its resemblance to the outline of California.
The sightings come just days before Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury and Saturn will all be briefly visible in the evening sky.
The planetary parade is a rare sight that has not been seen in 15 years.
It will be the last time seven planets can be seen simultaneously so well until 2040.
To best see the phenomenon sky gazers should look up after sunset at about 5.30pm on Friday.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The Prototype: There's Plenty Of Water On Mars For Future Colonists
The Prototype: There's Plenty Of Water On Mars For Future Colonists

Forbes

time11 hours ago

  • Forbes

The Prototype: There's Plenty Of Water On Mars For Future Colonists

In this week's edition of The Prototype, we look at water on Mars, how new technology could end animal testing, a possible vaccine for HIV, and more. You can sign up to get The Prototype in your inbox here . A Martian glacier seen from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter NASA A lthough there are many who dream about one day living on Mars, there's been one challenge to plans for eventually settling on the Red Planet: access to water, which would be vital for any kind of community. But new findings show that water might be easier to find than expected. It turns out that Martian glaciers, once thought to be mostly rock intermixed with ice, are actually over 80% ice in regions across the planet's surface. In trying to figure out the puzzle of Martian glaciers, the researchers behind the new study realized that previous efforts to determine their composition were inconsistent. So one of the first things they did was standardize their approach. Using a radar instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been circling the planet for nearly two decades, the scientists found that the glaciers were mostly ice that was covered in rocks and dust. Moreover, they found that glaciers on different parts of Mars–even on opposite hemispheres–had virtually identical ratios of water. That will make it easier for future Martian citizens to access water, increasing the odds that a permanent colony on the planet might happen one day. Stay tuned. How AI And Mini-Organs Could Replace Testing Drugs On Animals Illustration by Macy Sinreich for Forbes; Images by Svetlana Shamshurina; Serhii Borodin; Kristina Velickovic; Nosyrevy via Getty Images At Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, researchers have created something extraordinary: tiny, beating lab-grown 'hearts.' Visible only under a microscope, the diminutive innards are called organoids. They can be grown in a matter of days from a patient's own stem cells, and their doctors use them to screen for the best medicine for their condition, sparing months of trial and error. They're also core to the future of drug testing, and someday perhaps the end of the lab rat. Animal testing has been mandated by law since 1937, when a new formulation of a common antibiotic had a poisonous new ingredient — and killed more than 100 people. Nearly a century later, drugs are still being pulled from shelves because they have toxic effects, even though animal testing showed they were safe. Now, politicians, scientists and entrepreneurs are pushing for new, more accurate ways to test drugs before they get to human clinical trials — potentially saving lives and billions of dollars in the process. In 2022, a group of scientists ran an experiment with 27 known drug compounds that animal studies had shown to be safe. Some of them had turned out to have toxic side effects and had been pulled from the market after they'd killed people. The researchers tested the 27 compounds on a new technology called 'organ-on-a-chip': similar to organoids, 'organ chips' have clusters of cells embedded in a diminutive electronic device that can simulate an organ's behavior. The researchers found that liver organs-on-a-chip accurately predicted which compounds were dangerous, an advancement that might someday lead to significant cost savings in the extremely expensive drug development process. More accurate testing using organ chips could save the industry over $3 billion a year, the study's authors calculated. On top of safety, cost is another reason to move away from animal testing. Today, pharma companies often spend more than $2 billion to bring a single drug to market, with the industry spending nearly $300 billion a year on research & development. But despite these vast R&D expenditures, more than 90% of drug candidates fail. It's a wasteful process, contributing to the flabbergasting prices of drugs that do make it to market. Read the whole story at Forbes . DISCOVERY OF THE WEEK: MRNA VACCINES MIGHT PREVENT HIV INFECTION Scientists have made great strides in treating HIV since the 1980s, though after decades of work, a vaccine still remains elusive. But a new study of an mRNA vaccine against the virus offers hope. A clinical trial of 108 healthy adults found that it triggered the immune system to develop antibodies against HIV while having few serious side effects. More study is needed before any kind of vaccine hits the market, but the authors stated that this approach using mRNA vaccines offers a lot of future promise. FINAL FRONTIER: THIS STAR SYSTEM MIGHT HAVE FIVE LIVABLE PLANETS Astronomers have found a new planet around L 98-59, a red dwarf star that's just 35 light-years away from Earth. What's interesting about the planet is that it lies in the 'habitable zone' of the star–meaning it's at the right distance for temperatures allowing liquid water to flow. Even more interesting: this is the fifth such planet to be found around L 98-59 over the past decade. All of the planets have roughly similar masses and sizes to Earth, as well. Next up, astronomers hope to study the system using the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope to learn more about these worlds. WHAT ELSE I WROTE THIS WEEK In my other newsletter, InnovationRx, Amy Feldman and I looked at how Trump's tariffs on European drugs will hit American consumers, Halle Berry's menopause startup, how robots eliminate the need to do open heart surgery for a valve replacement, and more. I filled in this week on my colleague Thomas Brewster's cybersecurity newsletter, The Wiretap, where I took a look at how OpenAI's agent casually proved it wasn't a bot, pro-Ukrainian hackers taking down Russia's national airline and Apple's efforts to combat text message spam. SCIENCE AND TECH TIDBITS Self-driving taxi company Waymo announced that it will be expanding its services to Dallas next year. The robot cars are currently available in five U.S. cities and will also be launching in Miami and Washington D.C. in 2026. Elon Musk's brain-computer interface company Neuralink is joining a research project aimed at developing a bionic eye, reports Bloomberg . Fusion power company Helion has broken ground on its first nuclear fusion plant in Malaga, Washington. The company has a contract with Microsoft to power its data centers in the region. Commercial space company Firefly Aerospace, which is so far the only company to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon's surface, has been awarded a $177 million contract from NASA to deliver rovers and scientific instruments to the lunar South Pole. PRO SCIENCE TIP: GET IN THE TRENCHES IF YOU WANT TO SPEAK YOUR MIND AT WORK Two new studies on the workplace both shared a result you may not find surprising: the folks who tend to agree with their bosses a lot tend to get promoted more than people who challenge them. That's true even though there's a wealth of papers finding that empowering employees willing to challenge the company line is better for results in the long run. But there's one way the studies found that internal critics can still get promoted and empowered: if they exhibit helpful behaviors and are willing to roll up their sleeves when the going gets tough. 'If an employee was willing to buckle down and put in the work when the chips were down, such as helping leaders with heavy workloads, leaders were not threatened when that employee highlighted problems or raised concerns,' study co-author Bradley Kirkman said in a statement. WHAT'S ENTERTAINING ME THIS WEEK I recently read the book Assassin's Anonymous by Rob Hart. It's a spin on the old story of the world's deadliest assassin, who has been retired until his past inevitably catches up to him. But there's a catch: he's also in a 12-step program with other assassins, working to break the patterns that led him to become a killer, and he's about to get his one-year chip. So now he needs to deal with his enemies using non-fatal solutions. It's a perfect summer beach read. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes Thwarted By Regulators, Vindicated By Wall Street: Design Startup Figma's CEO Is Now A Multi-Billionaire By Iain Martin Forbes How A 60-Year-Old Drug Developer Built A $4.4 Billion Biotech Treating 'Butterfly Skin Disease' By Amy Feldman Forbes How Halle Berry Became The New Face Of Menopause By Maggie McGrath

A ‘Planet Parade,' A ‘Black Moon' And A Meteor Shower: The Night Sky In August 2025
A ‘Planet Parade,' A ‘Black Moon' And A Meteor Shower: The Night Sky In August 2025

Forbes

timea day ago

  • Forbes

A ‘Planet Parade,' A ‘Black Moon' And A Meteor Shower: The Night Sky In August 2025

August is one of the best months of the year for stargazing, and 2025 is no exception. Whether you're scanning the eastern sky at dusk or venturing out before sunrise, there's something to see almost every night. The Perseids return, the Milky Way arches high overhead, and a rare 'planet parade' delivers four bright objects in the morning twilight. Here's everything you need to know about the night sky in August 2025: 1. A Full 'Sturgeon Moon' When: dusk on Friday and Saturday, August 8-9 Where: eastern horizon This month's full moon will occur early on Aug. 9, but both Aug. 8 and Aug. 9 will offer dramatic moonrises. Look east shortly after sunset to watch the sturgeon moon rise, appearing a lovely orange color. 2. A Conjunction Of Venus And Jupiter When: before dawn on Tuesday, Aug. 12 Where: east-northeast horizon In a rare planetary pairing, Venus and Jupiter will be separated by just one degree in the pre-dawn sky. This is a striking sight for the naked eye, with the two brightest planets close together, just above the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise. 3. Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks When: around midnight, August 12-15 Where: northeast to overhead The Perseids reach their maximum overnight on Aug. 12-13 evening, but a 91%-lit gibbous moon will wash out all but the brightest. For the best chance, head out before midnight and keep your back to the moon. Better still, wait until Aug. 15, when the night sky will be much darker, and there will still be an elevated rate of meteors. 4. A Planet Parade When: one hour before sunrise, Sunday to Wednesday, August 17–20 Where: eastern sky For four consecutive mornings, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury form a graceful arc in the pre-dawn sky. The waning crescent moon moves past them each morning, getting slimmer each day. The highlight comes Aug. 20 when a 9% crescent moon sits next to Venus. 5. Milky Way At Its Best When: after astronomical twilight, all month Where: southeast to the zenith August's moonless evening sky — from Aug. 16-26 — brings some of the clearest views of the Milky Way for northern observers. On moonless nights, trace its arc through the Summer Triangle stars high in the southeast and down to the galactic core near the constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius in the south. Do whatever you can to escape light pollution, using a light pollution map or staying overnight in an International Dark Sky Place. 6. A 'Black Moon' When: Saturday, Aug. 23 Where: all-sky Today's new moon has a special name — a seasonal 'black moon,' the third new moon in a season of four. Although not visible itself, its presence means an entire night of dark, moonless night skies ideal for stargazing, astronomy and astrophotography. 7. Venus And The Beehive Cluster When: before dawn on Sunday, Aug. 31 Where: east-northeast sky Look east an hour before sunrise to find brilliant Venus. Nearby, through binoculars, you'll spot the faint but pretty Beehive Cluster (M44). This open cluster in the constellation Cancer is one of the most beautiful sights in the night sky — especially when paired with a bright planet. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

Existing NASA Spacecraft Could Intercept the Weird Interstellar Object Cruising Into Our Star System
Existing NASA Spacecraft Could Intercept the Weird Interstellar Object Cruising Into Our Star System

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Yahoo

Existing NASA Spacecraft Could Intercept the Weird Interstellar Object Cruising Into Our Star System

Earlier this month, astronomers noticed a mysterious object speeding toward the inner solar system from outside of our star system. It's an exceedingly rare occurrence, marking only the third confirmed interstellar object to have ventured into our solar system, all of which have been detected since 2017. Harvard astronomer and alien hunter Avi Loeb was quick to raise the tantalizing — albeit admittedly far-fetched — possibility that the object, dubbed 3I/ATLAS, could have been an alien probe sent to us by an intelligent civilization. And now, in a twist right out of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 "2001: A Space Odyssey," he's suggesting a way that we could use an existing spacecraft to intercept the object's path to test that very hypothesis. In a yet-to-be-peer-reviewed paper, the researcher argued that NASA's Juno spacecraft, which was designed to study Jupiter and launched in 2011, could get eerily close to 3I/ATLAS by March 14, 2026. Juno would have to apply a thrust of 1.66 miles per second on September 14, 2025, Loeb calculated, to intercept the mysterious object's path. "The close encounter of 3I/ATLAS to Jupiter provides a rare opportunity to shift Juno from its current orbit around Jupiter to intercept the path of 3I/ATLAS at its closest approach to Jupiter," he wrote in a new blog post about the proposal. While it's technically not a rendezvous — the object's "excessively high hyperbolic speed" wouldn't allow for such a meeting — Juno's arsenal of scientific instruments "can all be used to probe the nature of 3I/ATLAS from a close distance," Loeb argued. Whether the spacecraft, which has been soaring through space for 14 years now, would have enough fuel to even pull off such a stunt remains unclear. But Loeb argues it could "rejuvenate Juno's mission and extend its scientific lifespan beyond" the potential intercept some eight months from now. The news comes as scientists are still racing to get a better sense of 3I/ATLAS' exact nature. Last week, the recently inaugurated Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile had a closer look, finding that the object is roughly seven miles wide, making it the largest interstellar object ever spotted. The prevailing and most widely accepted theory suggests that 3I/ATLAS is a comet, with previous observations supporting the idea that its coma, or surrounding cloud of ice, dust, and gas, was anywhere up to 15 miles across. The Vera C. Rubin observations identified large amounts of dust and water ice surrounding its solid nucleus, as detailed in a July 17 preprint, further adding evidence that it's a comet. Yet many questions surrounding its origin remain a mystery. Some researchers believe it came from our galaxy's "thick disk," a dense layer that features chemically distinct populations of stars. Other researchers suggest it could be around three to 11 billion years old, dating it back to the earliest days of the Milky Way. It seems unlikely that NASA will find Loeb's suggestion compelling enough to fire up Juno's thrusters for an intercept. But it's an extremely rare opportunity to finally get a close glimpse of an interstellar visitor nonetheless — so hopefully they're at least checking his math to see if it's possible. More on 3I/ATLAS: Scientist Suggests Tests to See if Large Object Headed Toward Earth Could Be an Alien Spacecraft Solve the daily Crossword

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store