Image processing is a bit like polishing cosmic jewels. The beauty is already there, but a little effort can help make it really shine. Judy Schmidt is one of these cosmic jewelers; she processes space image data to draw out the beauty (and science) that would otherwise be invisible to human eyes. Judy joins this week’s Planetary Radio to talk about her work. Plus, you’ll hear from DART Coordination Lead Nancy Chabot about the mission’s smashing success. Pictured: A large collage of planetary nebulas processed by Judy Schmidt. Image credit: NASA/ESA/Judy Schmidt.
JWST has found carbon dioxide in an exoplanet’s atmosphere, and this is big news. The space telescope’s discovery of CO2 in the atmosphere of a gas giant exoplanet may indicate that it will be able to detect molecules (rather than a single elements) in the atmospheres of terrestrial exoplanets, which has never been done before. This bodes well for the study of exoplanets, particularly those with Earth-like characteristics.
Even though Artemis I didn’t launch, its popularity captured attention. A recent article from the Tampa Bay Times explored the enormous public interest in rocket launches that was on display when thousands of people flocked to Florida to witness the launch that ended up being scrubbed. Planetary Society members were among those interviewed about their passion for space science and exploration.
The Planetary Society is heading into classrooms. Our lighthearted, kid-friendly Random Space Fact video series was recently picked up by Epic!, an online platform that shares e-books, videos, and other learning content with schools, libraries, and home-schoolers. The series is also available for free on our website’s kids section and YouTube channel.
