For decades‚ astronomers have said that one of the most optimal places to build large telescopes is on the surface of the Moon. The Moon has several advantages over Earth- and space-based telescopes that make it worth considering as a future home for giant observatories. A new paper lists all the advantages‚ including how telescopes on the lunar surface wouldn’t be blocked by an atmosphere or impacted by wind‚ and how the low gravity would allow gigantic structures to be built that could be upgraded over time by astronauts. “Progress on the big questions in astronomy‚ such as life on certain exoplanets or dark matter‚ will ultimately require high angular resolution‚ a large collecting area and access to the full optical spectrum‚” write French astronomers Jean Schneider‚ Pierre Kervella‚ and Antoine Labeyrie. “All astronomy will benefit from the advantages provided by the localization on the Moon.”   And even though it might be decades before we have a permanent presence on the Moon‚ the astronomers suggest we should start with small telescopes now. Graphic depiction of A Lunar Long-Baseline Optical Imaging Interferometer: Artemis-enabled Stellar Imager (AeSI). Credit: Kenneth Carpenter Over the years‚ scientists and engineers have proposed various ideas for lunar observatories as part of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program. Back in 2005 there was a proposal for a deep-field infrared observatory near one of the lunar poles using a rotating liquid mirror. Earlier this year‚ a team from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center proposed a design for a lunar Long-Baseline Optical Imaging Interferometer (LBI) for imaging at visible and ultraviolet wavelengths. Additionally‚ astronomers have advocated building radio telescopes on the far side of the Moon‚ since this “radio-quiet” zone always faces away from Earth and would provide the perfect location to study a variety of astronomical phenomena that can’t be observed in low radio frequencies from our planet‚ or even by Earth-orbiting space telescopes. In their new paper‚ Schneider‚ Kervella and Labeyrie say that Moon offers a combination of three distinct advantages for astronomical observing. Its lack of atmosphere allows access to the entire spectrum‚ including the visible‚ ultraviolet‚ and infrared. Astronomers wouldn’t have to deal with atmospheric turbulence‚ and the Moon’s low gravity and absence of wind make it possible to install extremely large telescopes with very large instruments. This is impossible for satellites in orbit. Additionally‚ telescopes on the Moon would allow for the instruments to be upgraded and to have a very long lifetime‚ which is impractical for space satellites due to their limited amount of fuel. “The Moon offers the possibility of installing large telescopes or interferometers with instruments larger than those on orbiting telescopes‚” the astronomers write. Using a variety of observational techniques‚ from photometry to high contrast and high angular resolution imaging‚ the astronomers suggested several ambitious science cases that could be tackled‚  including observations of our own Solar System – including our own planet Earth — as well as distant exoplanets and possible exomoons. They add that very high angular resolution would allow for the imaging of exoplanet transits or even the stellar glint on exo-ocean. An artist’s conception of a potentially-habitable exomoon. Credit: NASA In the extragalactic domain‚ telescopes on the Moon could allow for the study of the distribution of dark matter or observing the gravitational lensing of quasars. Other lunar telescopes could investigate the unexplored Dark Ages of the early universe‚ a time before and during the formation of the very first stars and galaxies. The best location for a lunar telescope depends on two factors: the physical conditions of the site (temperature‚ soil quality‚ solar illumination) and its scientific objectives. “For example‚ telescopes pointing towards Earth must be placed on the near side of the Moon‚” they said. “From the point of view of target observability‚ they can be placed almost anywhere. At the lunar poles‚ only half the sky is visible‚ but all the time. At the lunar equator‚ the whole sky is visible‚ but only half the time. For observations of or towards the Earth‚ the optimum is not far from the lunar equator.” However‚ putting observatories on the lunar surface does present several problems‚ including incessant dust‚ the proclivity for incoming meteoroids‚ or dealing with other surprises like lunar seismology (Moonquakes).   With the ultimate science goals above in mind‚ the astronomers said that a small 30 cm to 1 meter class telescope will explore significant science cases. Even though this first lunar telescope would be a prototype‚ it would still be astronomically valuable. It could perform observations that would be complimentary to the James Webb Space Telescope or the Hubble Space Telescope. But for the future‚ a 20-meter mirror would provide resolution 3 times greater than the JWST‚ and by integrating‚ or leaving the “shutter” open for long periods‚ objects 100 times fainter could be observed. Further reading: Astronomy from the Moon in the next decades: From Exoplanets to Cosmology in Visible Light and Beyond The post What Kinds of Astronomy Could Be Done With a Telescope on the Moon? appeared first on Universe Today.

The hidden benefits of microdosing.

"Awful." The post The band David Bowie called “The Velvets without Lou” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Owen Shroyer breaks down the latest developments in the Republican primary and beyond -- tune in! Owen Shroyer breaks down Trump’s epic South Carolina primary victory and what it means for Nikki Haley‚ who is still refusing to drop out after losing every single primary thus far. Tune in! Tune into this live broadcast at MadMaxWorld.TV and spread the word!

from Jim Fetzer:  TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

from State Of The Nation: THE PELOSI CONSPIRACY Really‚ how did a seriously senile‚ often batty and drug addled Nancy Pelosi ever ascend to the House Speakership in the first place? The Black Nobility‚ that’s how! TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/ State of the Nation California Representative Nancy Pelosi was reinstalled as House Speaker back in […]

Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott sided with former President Donald Trump during an interview over the weekend on the Alabama Supreme Court’s recent ruling that frozen embryos should be considered human beings. Abbott made the remarks during a Sunday interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash when asked if he agreed that embryos are human beings. “Well‚ listen‚ obviously‚ there’s some uncertainty lingering from this‚ but‚ candidly‚ let’s go back to President Trump‚ because President Trump put out a statement on this that I think a lot of people agree with‚” Abbott said. “And that is a goal that we all kind of want to achieve. And that is‚ we want to make it easier for people to be able to have babies‚ not make it harder. And the IVF process is a way of giving life to even more babies. And so what I think the goal is‚ is to make sure that we can find a pathway to ensure that parents who otherwise may not have the opportunity to have a child will be able to have access to the IVF process and become parents and give life to babies.” “And because this is a relatively new issue‚ we’re just going to have to find ways to navigate laws and fact situations that are very complicated‚” he said. Bash then asked Abbott if he would push his state legislature to come up with laws that deal with this question and keep IVF legal. “So‚ for one‚ I have no doubt that Texas will be among the states that will be addressing this issue when we can bring together all the different fact scenarios about what could happen‚” he said. “Listen‚ as you know‚ Texas is a pro-life state. And we want to do everything possible that we can to maintain Texas being a pro-life state. But‚ at the very same time‚ I think Texans agree with what President Trump said. And that is‚ we as a state want to ensure that we promote life‚ we bring more life into the world‚ and we empower parents to be able to have more children.” WATCH: “No one really knows what the potential answers are.” .@GregAbbott_TX reacts to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that embryos are human beings in an interview with @DanaBashCNN. pic.twitter.com/nmI4McL8mO — State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) February 25‚ 2024