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Post office in Titusville to reopen after mercury contamination, USPS says
Read full article: Post office in Titusville to reopen after mercury contamination, USPS saysThe U.S. Postal Service says it’s ready to resume operations at a post office in Titusville that was closed for weeks over mercury contamination.
Child ejected in crash as Florida man fled traffic stop at 100 mph, police say
Read full article: Child ejected in crash as Florida man fled traffic stop at 100 mph, police sayMultiple people were injured, including a child, when a Florida man fleeing from a traffic stop in Melbourne crashed into at least five vehicles late last month, officials said.
2022 space auction at Titusville museum features 400 rare cosmic collectables
Read full article: 2022 space auction at Titusville museum features 400 rare cosmic collectablesThe American Space Museum & Walk of Fame in Titusville is auctioning off an array of “rare and historic” space items this weekend.
European-Japanese space mission gets 1st glimpse of Mercury
Read full article: European-Japanese space mission gets 1st glimpse of MercuryA joint European-Japanese spacecraft got its first glimpse of Mercury as it swung by the solar system’s innermost planet while on a mission to deliver two probes into orbit in 2025.
New push on to expand nuclear radiation compensation in US
Read full article: New push on to expand nuclear radiation compensation in USA bipartisan group of lawmakers is renewing a push to expand a U.S. compensation program for people who were exposed to radiation following uranium mining and nuclear testing carried out during the Cold War.
Events expanding to mark 100 years since John Glenn's birth
Read full article: Events expanding to mark 100 years since John Glenn's birthA three-day celebration of what would have been history-making astronaut John Glenn’s 100th birthday has begun in his birthplace and childhood hometown in Ohio, even as further plans are announced.
Jupiter, Mercury to get up close and personal Friday morning
Read full article: Jupiter, Mercury to get up close and personal Friday morningORLANDO, Fla. – Skywatchers will want to set their alarms for this one as the largest planet in our solar system hangs out with the smallest. Similar to the Great Conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn in December, Jupiter and Mercury will form a conjunction of their own before sunrise Friday. Conjunction between Jupiter and MercuryMercury is typically difficult to see in the sky due to its proximity to the sun and its size. Jupiter and Mercury will rise above the eastern horizon around 5:30 a.m. Friday and gradually get higher in the sky. AdThe window to view the planets will be short as the sun rises a little more than an hour later.
Backyard astronomers will not want to miss these 5 events in 2021
Read full article: Backyard astronomers will not want to miss these 5 events in 2021Total Lunar Eclipse (May 26)May’s total lunar eclipse will be the first total lunar eclipse in the Americas in more than two years. In a total lunar eclipse, the moon turns a red, rusty color, often referred to as a blood moon. In Central Florida, it will be a partial lunar eclipse as the Moon will set prior to totality. Partial lunar eclipse (Nov 19)November’s lunar eclipse will be partial, meaning the Earth’s shadow will never fully engulf the Moon, but it’s going to be close. In the pre-dawn hours of the 19th, Central Florida will actually see more of the Moon covered than in May’s total eclipse (partial for Central Florida).
Space probe makes first Venus fly-by on way to Mercury
Read full article: Space probe makes first Venus fly-by on way to MercuryBERLIN – A spacecraft bound for Mercury swung by Venus on Thursday, using Earth's neighbor to adjust its course on the way to the solar system’s smallest and innermost planet. Launched almost two years ago, the European-Japanese probe BepiColombo took a black-and-white snapshot of Venus from a distance of 17,000 kilometers (10,560 miles), with some of its own instruments in the frame. The fly-by is the second of nine so-called planetary gravity assists that the spacecraft needs for its seven-year trip to Mercury. BepiColombo will make one more fly-by of Venus and six of Mercury itself to slow down before its arrival in 2025. The last spacecraft to visit Mercury was NASA’s Messenger probe, which ended its mission in 2015 after a four-year orbit.
Looking back on American human spaceflight history: Mercury, Gemini paved way for moonshot
Read full article: Looking back on American human spaceflight history: Mercury, Gemini paved way for moonshotLeading up to the May 27 launch of NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken we’re taking a look back at milestones in U.S. human spaceflight that paved the way for future astronauts, starting with the Mercury and Gemini projects. (NASA)A chimpanzee named Enos launched in the Mercury spacecraft on an Atlas rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Feb. 20, 1962: First American to orbit EarthPresident John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson greet astronaut John Glenn. (Image: LBJ Presidential Library/NASA)Less than a year after the second human spaceflight from the U.S., Astronaut John Glenn Jr. made history becoming the first American to orbit the Earth three times. (Image: NASA History Office) (WKMG 2020)While the Mercury spacecraft could only carry one astronaut, Gemini was designed to fly the first two-person crew.
Look Up! Supermoon, planets to dazzle Monday’s sky
Read full article: Look Up! Supermoon, planets to dazzle Monday’s skyORLANDO, Fla.- – March’s full “worm” moon will be a supermoon, meaning the moon is full while also in perigee, or closest approach to Earth. Monday’s supermoon will appear to be the second-biggest full moon of the year. The March full moon is referred to as the worm moon because the ground begins to thaw and earthworms soon reappear for spring. Before sunrise, opposite of the supermoon in the western sky, will reside four planets in the east. Your photo comes right into the Pinpoint Weather Center!
Mark your calendars: Top astronomical events of 2020
Read full article: Mark your calendars: Top astronomical events of 2020ORLANDO, Fla- – The transit of Mercury highlighted the 2019 astronomical calendar and once again in 2020, planets will steal the show. The moon puts on a bright display first with the first supermoon of 2020. They will be joined by a crescent moon Dec. 16 and reach their closest point Dec. 21. The two planets won’t be this close again until 2040. The next total eclipse will be a lunar eclipse in 2022.
Mercury putting on rare show Monday, parading across the sun
Read full article: Mercury putting on rare show Monday, parading across the sunCAPE CANAVERAL, FL – Mercury is putting on a rare celestial show next week, parading across the sun in view of most of the world. Unlike its 2016 transit, Mercury will score a near bull's-eye this time, passing practically dead center in front of our star. Earthlings get treated to just 13 or 14 Mercury transits a century. Mercury is 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) in diameter, compared with the sun's 864,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers.) Although the trek will appear slow, Mercury will zoom across the sun at roughly 150,000 mph (241,000 kph).
Which otherwise-obscured planet will be visible during eclipse?
Read full article: Which otherwise-obscured planet will be visible during eclipse?For those who will be witnessing totality during the Great American Eclipse on Monday, you’re in for a real treat: not only will you see the sun completely blocked by the new moon -- so long as it’s not cloudy -- but it will get eerily dark. Birds may become confused or stop flying. And if you know where to look, you may even be able to spot a hidden planet.
Mickey Mouse likeness found on Mercury
Read full article: Mickey Mouse likeness found on MercuryDisney is known as the happiest place on Earth, but Mickey Mouse has seemingly left his imprint on Mercury, too. Three craters resembling the head of the iconic Disney character have been photographed by NASA's Mercury orbital spacecraft Messenger. Mercury, the planet nearest to the sun, has numerous craters, and the ones resembling Mickey Mouse's head are located in the southern part of the planet. The photo is part of the collection of almost 90,000 images taken by Messenger over the year-long preliminary mission of the spacecraft.