Launched on May 18, 1969, the Apollo 10 lunar mission sent three men, Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young, and Eugene A. Cernan, into orbit around the moon, the first mission in history to do so. When their command module, nicknamed "Charlie Brown", orbited to the far side of the moon, communication with Earth was impossible, since the moon readily blocked radio transmissions. However, in place of mission control’s far away voice, the crew instead picked up on a mysterious transmission, according to a new documentary.
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has released an animation on their website that illustrates how average global surface temperatures have risen since record-keeping started in the late 19th century. The video helps to visually illustrate the rise of Earth’s temperatures, spanning a 135-year period from when temperature records were first recorded, in 1880, through 2015, the hottest year on record.

The baseline average used in the video was derived from temperature averages from 1951 through 1980, with blue colors representing below-average trends, and orange representing above average temperatures.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also released a similar video, showing the same warming trend over the past 135 years. read more

Astronomers may be in for a treat early next month, as asteroid 2013 TX68 may make a close pass to Earth sometime between March 3–8, 2016, making it possible that it will be visible through telescopes. Despite how close it is expected to come to us, NASA doesn’t expect it to hit Earth — this time.
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