Visual Astronomy Display: March 2020

March 5, 2020 - Visual Astronomy Display, Wolbach Library - no comments

Last week, “human computer” Katharine Johnson passed away. Johnson’s calculations of orbital mechanics were instrumental to the success of NASA’s Apollo missions. One of the first African-American women scientists to work at NASA, Johnson’s time at NASA was fictionalized in the 2016 film Hidden Figures. This month’s playlist includes videos in her honor.

Highlights…

Katherine Johnson reflects on her time at NASA in a 2017 interview;
ESA engineer Advenit Makaya breaks down how we can use 3-D printing on the Moon;
Speaking of moons, the Earth has a temporary mini-moon the size of a car;
Could we communicate with aliens made of antimatter? MinutePhysics explains the barriers to communication at the molecular level;
Betelgeuse is going to explode! Just kidding…unless? The Science Channel describes the (hypothetical) end of the red supergiant’s life.