Space
University Telescope Spots a Comet That Will Be Visible This Winter
Astronomers say it may be bright enough to see without binoculars by mid-January.
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August 2, 2027 · Spain, North Africa and Egypt · up to 6 minutes 23 seconds of totality.
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Space
University Telescope Spots a Comet That Will Be Visible This Winter
Astronomers say it may be bright enough to see without binoculars by mid-January.
FEATURE
Scroll to fly — five steps, seven months, one red planet.
Step 1 · Launch
Wait for the window
Earth and Mars line up for an efficient trip only about every 26 months. Miss it, and you wait two more years.
Step 2 · Leave Earth
Escape at 25,000 mph
To break free of Earth’s gravity, a spacecraft needs to reach roughly 25,000 miles per hour.
Step 3 · Cruise
Seven months of nothing
The trip takes about seven months. Engineers steer with small engine burns along the way.
Step 4 · Arrive
Seven minutes of terror
Landing takes about seven minutes from the top of the atmosphere to the ground — too fast for anyone on Earth to help, because signals take several minutes each way.
Step 5 · Explore
A day lasts 24 hours 37 minutes
On Mars you would weigh about 38% of your Earth weight. Sunsets there glow blue.
SKY TONIGHT
Live conditions at four of the darkest places in the US.
Cherry SpringsDark-sky park, Pennsylvania
1:18 am55°
Clear↑60° ↓46°
Big BendNational park, Texas
12:18 am62°
Clear↑75° ↓57°
Natural BridgesFirst dark-sky park, Utah
11:18 pm62°
Clear↑77° ↓57°
Death ValleyNational park, California
10:18 pm95°
Clear↑107° ↓79°
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