Omer Tarsuslu/Anadolu/Getty Images
Scientists say a lunar time scale is needed before astronauts return to the moon, seen in the evening sky in Kars, Turkey, on May 18.
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It’s easy to take the moon for granted as a silver orb in the night sky, providing a soft glow most evenings. But have you ever wondered what time it is on the moon?
As multiple nations race to establish a human presence on the lunar surface, experts say it’s time to establish a timeline for Earth’s natural companion. Otherwise, things can go wrong.
Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity decades ago has changed the way we understand time and time even flows differently depending on where the clock is located on Earth. Determining a lunar time scale will be even more challenging.
The new measurement system, which NASA and its international partners must agree on, will have to account for the fact that seconds tick faster on the Moon. Over time, those seconds add up.
But it will be crucial for astronauts living in lunar habitats and traveling around in lunar buggies, who need to know exactly what time it is.
Joe Skipper/Reuters
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (left) and Sunny Williams were prepared for launch Saturday, but officials cleaned up the Boeing Starliner mission moments before liftoff.
Boeing officials canceled the long-awaited first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft moments before liftoff on Saturday.
An automatic hold was triggered by the ground launch sequencer, the computer that essentially launches the rocket, a few minutes before the scheduled launch time of 12:25 p.m. ET, and mission teams are still evaluating the cause of the problem.
It is possible that the Starliner will be ready to launch again as soon as Sunday if the problem can be easily resolved.
Veteran NASA astronauts Sunny Williams and Butch Wilmore remain safe and exited the capsule and will be ready for the next Starliner launch attempt when all systems are ready to go.
The sunspot clusters responsible for the May 10 solar storm that painted skies around the world with colorful auroras are back.
Experts predict the auroras could dance over the northern and upper Midwestern states on Saturday, but there’s also a chance for more dazzling displays next week as sunspots face Earth directly.
Meanwhile, a “planetary parade” will soon occur, in which six planets appear lined up in the sky, with optimal viewing in North America and Europe just before sunrise on Sunday. Expect to catch a glimpse of Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter, but Uranus, Mercury, and Neptune probably won’t be visible to the naked eye.
And the Devil’s Comet will make its closest approach to Earth on Sunday as well, but is likely to be seen only by those in the southern hemisphere using binoculars or a telescope.
Perth Museum, Culture Perth and Kinross/Chris Rinn
A digital reconstruction of the face of a Bronze Age woman has gone on display at the Scottish Museum and Art Gallery in Perth.
About 4,000 years ago, a woman living in Bronze Age Scotland probably received an accidental blow to the head, causing her to die in her 30s.
Now visitors to the Perth Museum and Art Gallery can see a blinking, expressive digital version of her face, thanks to a recreation by Dr Chris Rinn, the craniofacial anthropologist and forensic artist who examined her skull.
Other facial reconstructions on display at the museum include an Iron Age man who could have belonged to a group called the Picts, and a young murder victim who lived in medieval Scotland.
In addition, scientists have found evidence that ancient Egyptian doctors tried to remove a cancerous tumor from the skull of a young man more than 4,000 years ago.
The remains of 28 horses buried nearly 2,000 years ago at Villeilleau-sur-Indre in central France are puzzling to archaeologists – especially because the cause of the horses’ deaths is still a mystery.
The nine graves date to between 100 BC and 100 AD, and all the horses were carefully laid to rest in the same position at the same time.
The adult stallions may have been killed in battle during the Gallic Wars, when Julius Caesar conquered Gaul, or they may have been part of a ritual sacrifice, according to the researchers.
Separately, an extremely complete Stegosaurus fossil will be auctioned this summer, but paleontologists are concerned about where it will end up.
Ari Kankainen
People first noticed “salty licorice” cats with a distinctive white fur pattern in the Finnish village of Petäjävesi more than 15 years ago.
When people first started noticing cats with striking fur patterns living in the Finnish village of Petäjävesi in 2007, scientists sat up and took notice.
The cats sported ombre locks of fur that were dark at the root and faded to white. And now researchers know what’s creating their unusual coat pattern: a mutation affecting a gene called KIT, which controls hair color.
The cats are named “salt licorice” cats, named after salmiak, a popular Finnish treat made of black licorice speckled with white salt.
Check out these intriguing new findings:
— Archaeologists excavating Pompeii in southern Italy have discovered children’s sketches depicting scenes of gladiators and hunters fighting animals, suggesting young children witnessed the violence firsthand.
— Observations of asteroid Dinkinesh captured by NASA’s Lucy mission reveal that a solar-triggered earthquake may have created a puzzling bilobed moon orbiting the space rock.
— The modern cockroach has a surprising history that began more than 2,000 years ago, and the insect’s path to becoming a pest involved hitchhiking in the lunch baskets of soldiers and travelers.
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