Welcome to the ninth review of "Space and Astronomy" news, selected for you by Insane Curiosity Channel. The news, which will be weekly, will try to provide a quick overview of everything interesting that has happened in recent days in the field of astronomical research and space exploration.
Astronauts install new solar panels in 6-hour spacewalk on International Space Station
Working outside the International Space Station two astronauts successfully rolled out a new type of solar array, providing the orbiting outpost with its first power boost in decades.
China Orbital Station receives visit from three astronauts The Shenzhou-12 spacecraft docked with China’s space station module hours after launch from Jiuquan last June 16, marking the first crewed visit to the facility.
Shenzhou-12 and its crew of three launched on a Long March 2F from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 9:22 p.m. Eastern June, 16.
The spacecraft docked with the Tianhe space station core module at 3:54 a.m. June 17, six hours 32 minutes after launch.
Great Dimming of Betelgeuse star is solved. Maybe
Astronomers say they've put to bed the mystery of why one of the most familiar stars in the night sky suddenly dimmed just over a year ago. Do you remember? Betelgeuse, a red supergiant in the constellation of Orion, abruptly darkened in late 2019, early 2020.
China releases stunning images of Mars taken by its Zhurong rover
The Zhurong rover, named after a god of fire in Chinese mythology, landed on the Utopia Planitia region of Mars last May 15. This is China's first Mars mission, making it the second country to land a rover on the planet, after the United States.
The rover sent back its first images of Mars in May, several days after landing, showing a deployed ramp and the flat landscape where it arrived.
OK, It’s Time for Perseverance to get to Work
Given all of the news surrounding the landing and first few months of operation of the Perseverance rover on Mars, it might be surprising that its actual science mission hasn’t even started yet. That changed on June 1st when the rover officially kicked off its first science mission by leaving its landing site.
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Credits: Ron Miller
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