NASA April Skywatching Tips, Baseballs, and a Butterfly

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Last Updated on April 4, 2023 by Solar System Ambassador Pam Roller

Here are a few updates from our local Solar System Ambassador Pam Roller:

Solar System Ambassador Pam Roller

What’s Up in April 2023 Skywatching Tips from NASA

Credits: NASA/JPL, Preston Dyches

 Mercury reaches its highest in the evening sky for the year for Northern Hemisphere observers. The Moon makes its monthly rounds to pair up beautifully with several planets. And viewing conditions may be ideal for the annual Lyrid meteor shower, thanks to no interference from the Moon. The phases of the Moon are included.

NASA Baseball Fans Hit One Out of the Park for Rocket Science

Credits: NASA

A team of researchers and baseball fans at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia is using baseballs to help improve computer simulations that advance aerospace technologies. When a pitcher releases a baseball and it speeds toward the batter at 95 mph; the movement of the ball is impacted by complex forces of the air through which it is flying. But how does this relate to rocket science? Click the link above to find out. There are simulations and a video.

Welcome spring!

The Butterfly Nebula

Image Credit: NASAESAHubble; Processing: William Ostling

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