Astronomy General Space Discussion

[ferball]

Most amazing aurora in Tassie tonight.

 

[CD Xbow]

Starship V launch tonight at around 11 pm EST. Will it go bang! Can Starship splash down successfully? Can the chopsticks catch the booster?

 

[Bender571]

Caught the booster!

 

[CD Xbow]

Caught the booster!

Yes. Amazing feat.
Starship hit the target and gave us a kaboom.
Next flight must be to do a return landing for Starship.

 

[CD Xbow]

Scientists have discovered a second large impact crater dated to 66 mya, the same age as the Chicxulub crater which is impact that is thought to have caused the Dino's to perish. This one is off the coast of Africa and the impacting body was a little smaller than at Chicxulub. The crater has been imaged using 3D seismic data. It's possible they were originally one object that fell apart as it neared Earth.

The Dino-Killing Asteroid May Have Actually Been a One-Two Punch

New 3D mapping adds crucial information to our understanding of this ancient event.

www.popularmechanics.com

This one is for the scholars and looks at the strength of the data suggesting asteroid impacts cause mass extinctions. I can only give a summary because it's mostly behind a paywall though they give you enough to get an idea.

'In summary, of the 18 extinctions, one confirmed impact-induced mass extinction and 3-5 possible impact-enhanced biotic crises can now be considered in terms of any extraterrestrial forcing. This tentative conclusion is only superficially consistent with the simplistic assertion in the recent literature of four ‘mass extinctions’ associated with the four largest impacts, as much substantial evidence is still needed. In fact, well-documented volcanic cataclysms are currently shaping the mainstream neo-catastrophic geology.'

The impact catastrophism and Alvarez theory of mass extinctions in a retrospective, perspective and prospective: towards the Phanerozoic impact event stratigraphy

Despite several, sometimes prominent propagators, meteorite impact research had a long period of peripheral status until the 1980s. Since then there h…

www.sciencedirect.com

 

[CD Xbow]

It's all happening! Busier than trade week, at least. NASA Europa clipper mission launched successfully on a Falcon Heavy this morning.

NASA begins mission to explore prospect of life on Jupiter’s moon

Follow the latest news headlines from Australia's most trusted source. Read in-depth expert analysis and watch live coverage on ABC News.

www.abc.net.au