We Had A Visitor From Outside The Solar System, Check Out This Video About The Interstellar Asteroid

This month in space

Astronomical & Astrological Events in November 🌌

November 1st: Moon at Aphelion; Jupiter conjunct Haumea

November 2nd: Saturn square Chiron; Moon conjunct Eris

November 3rd: Jupiter quintile Pluto

November 4th: Full Moon in Taurus; Taurids Meteor Shower

November 5th: Mercury enters Sagittarius; Moon at Perigee; Taurids Meteor Shower

November 7th: Venus enters Scorpio

November 10th: Moon conjunct Ceres; Last Quarter Moon in Leo

November 11th: Saturn trine Uranus; Venus conjunct Haumea

November 13th: Venus conjunct Jupiter

November 14th: Close approach of the Moon and Mars; Moon conjunct Makemake

November 16th: Moon conjunct Haumea and Venus

November 17th: Leonids Meteor Shower

November 18th: New Moon in Scorpio; Mars conjunct Makemake; Leonids Meteor Shower

November 20th: Moon conjunct Mercury; Moon at Perihelion 

November 21st: Sun enters Sagittarius; Moon at Apogee

November 22nd: Neptune Direct; Jupiter sesquiquadrate Chiron; Moon conjunct Pluto; Mercury at Greatest Brightness

November 24th: Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation

November 26th: First Quarter Moon in Aquarius

November 28th: Mercury at Dichotomy; Mercury conjunct Saturn

November 30th: Moon conjunct Eris

Carbon dioxide in atmosphere hits highest level in 800,000 years, study says

Carbon dioxide levels surged at record breaking speeds last year, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached its highest level in 800,000 years in 2016, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Monday.

Carbon dioxide levels “surged” at record breaking speeds last year, with globally averaged concentrations of CO2 hitting 403.3 parts per million in 2016 compared to 400 parts per million in 2015, according to the WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.

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Solar System: 10 Things to Know This Week

Every day, our spacecraft and people are exploring the solar system. Both the public and the private sectors are contributing to the quest. For example, here are ten things happening just this week:

1. We deliver. 

The commercial space company Orbital ATK is targeting Saturday, Nov. 11 for the launch of its Cygnus spacecraft on an Antares rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Cygnus is launching on a resupply mission to the International Space Station, carrying cargo and scientific experiments to the six people currently living on the microgravity laboratory. 

2. See for yourself. 

Social media users are invited to register to attend another launch in person, this one of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This launch, currently targeted for no earlier than December, will be the next commercial cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The deadline to apply is Nov. 7. Apply HERE.

3. Who doesn’t like to gaze at the Moon?

Our Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) sure does—and from very close range. This robotic spacecraft has been orbiting Earth’s companion since 2009, returning views of the lunar surface that are so sharp they show the footpaths made by Apollo astronauts. Learn more about LRO and the entire history of lunar exploration at NASA’s newly-updated, expanded Moon site: moon.nasa.gov

4. Meanwhile at Mars…

Another sharp-eyed robotic spacecraft has just delivered a fresh batch of equally detailed images. Our Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) surveys the Red Planet’s surface daily, and you can see the very latest pictures of those exotic landscapes HERE. We currently operate five—count ‘em, five—active missions at Mars, with another (the InSight lander) launching next year. Track them all at: mars.nasa.gov.

5. Always curious. 

One of those missions is the Curiosity rover. It’s currently climbing a rocky highland dubbed Vera Rubin Ridge, turning its full array of instruments on the intriguing geology there. Using those instruments, Curiosity can see things you and I can’t.

6. A new Dawn. 

Our voyage to the asteroid belt has a new lease on life. The Dawn spacecraft recently received a mission extension to continue exploring the dwarf planet Ceres. This is exciting because minerals containing water are widespread on Ceres, suggesting it may have had a global ocean in the past. What became of that ocean? Could Ceres still have liquid today? Ongoing studies from Dawn could shed light on these questions.

7. There are eyes everywhere. 

When our Mars Pathfinder touched down in 1997, it had five cameras: two on a mast that popped up from the lander, and three on the rover, Sojourner. Since then, photo sensors that were improved by the space program have shrunk in size, increased in quality and are now carried in every cellphone. That same evolution has returned to space. Our Mars 2020 mission will have more “eyes” than any rover before it: a grand total of 23, to create sweeping panoramas, reveal obstacles, study the atmosphere, and assist science instruments.

8. Voyage to a hidden ocean.

One of the most intriguing destinations in the solar system is Jupiter’s moon Europa, which hides a global ocean of liquid water beneath its icy shell. Our Europa Clipper mission sets sail in the 2020s to take a closer look than we’ve ever had before. You can explore Europa, too: europa.nasa.gov

9. Flight of the mockingbird. 

On Nov. 10, the main belt asteroid 19482 Harperlee, named for the legendary author of To Kill a Mockingbird, makes its closest approach to Earth during the asteroid’s orbit around the Sun. Details HERE. Learn more about asteroids HERE. Meanwhile, our OSIRIS-REx mission is now cruising toward another tiny, rocky world called Bennu.

10. What else is up this month? 

For sky watchers, there will be a pre-dawn pairing of Jupiter and Venus, the Moon will shine near some star clusters, and there will be meteor activity all month long. Catch our monthly video blog for stargazers HERE.

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Lamborghini’s New Concept Electric Car is Energy Storage On Wheels http://futurism.com/lamborghinis-new-concept-electric-car-energy-storage-on-wheels/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=tumblr&utm_medium=futurismnews&utm_content=Lamborghini%27s%20New%20Concept%20Electric%20Car%20is%20Energy%20Storage%20On%20Wheels

Four cheetah cubs learn a brutal lesson. Warning: graphic footage. 

We just uncovered new clues about how to secure human longevity

If you want to survive, get stressed and stay alive.

A new study from Northwestern University suggests a little stress can actually have a positive effect on cellular health.

As humans grow older, their cellular machinery responsible for carrying out quality control on the protein-folding process begins to fail. The damaged proteins that are produced as a result are responsible for conditions like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Read more here. 

Jeff Bezos: “We Have to Go to Space to Save Earth”