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Archive for the ‘Science!’ Category

Let Yourself Chill

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , , on June 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

A storm rolled through today and now strong winds gust through the trees, making me more than usually aware of the weather. Which is why this bit of magic caught my eye.

Hypnotic Film Transforms Satellite Data Into Stunning Film

At first glance, Water World looks more like a painting than satellite imagery. Deep teal and silver clouds swirl slowly across a darkened sky, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. But every formation seen in the film genuinely existed above Earth, recorded in remarkable detail by a weather satellite orbiting roughly 22,000 miles above the equator.

The article goes into more detail on the how and the why, or you could just put the video onscreen and let yourself chill.

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Photo by Billy Huynh on Unsplash

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A Cosmic Dance

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , on June 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

This week, Venus and Jupiter are in planetary conjunction, and unlike some astronomical events this one should be easy to see. 

Conjunction from Avebury

To see Venus and Jupiter together this month, you won’t need binoculars or even a telescope. Just look up after sunset and you’ll find them emerging as the sky grows dark near the western horizon.

Venus-Jupiter conjunction: Sky’s 2 brightest planets meet (includes a helpful video for orientation)

Venus and Jupiter – the sky’s 2 brightest planets – are shining together in the west after sunset. They were closest on June 8 and 9. But June overall offers your best opportunity to see them together.

Even more photos to pique your interest: 

Jupiter and Venus dazzle in planetary conjunction photos. Here are our favorites | Space

Enjoy the dance!

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Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash

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Another Thing About the Moon

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on May 31, 2026| Leave a Comment »

If you missed yesterday’s blue moon, don’t worry, it will still look full tonight too. And as I should also have mentioned, it’s a micromoon (the opposite of a supermoon). The moon is at apogee, or as far from us as it can get. Right now, that’s about 251,000 miles away. 

Here’s a NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day showing the difference between a supermoon and a micromoon. It’s not nothing! 

If you have a chance to see the (almost) full moon tonight, count yourself lucky. The next blue micromoon won’t happen until 2053.

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Photo by Federico Di Dio photography on Unsplash

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Blue Moon, Quite Soon

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , on May 29, 2026| 1 Comment »

Tomorrow night is the second full moon of May, which makes it a blue moon. They are rare but not very, as they happen every two or three years. The next one won’t happen until December 2028.

And this month, there’s a bonus!

Blue Moon, 4 planets to shine during the final weekend of May

People who step outside at the end of the month to catch a glimpse of the rare lunar event should also be able to spot Venus and Jupiter in the western sky about an hour after sunset. Meanwhile, early risers should be able to see Mars and Saturn in the eastern sky about an hour before daybreak.

I wanted to let you know a day ahead of time in case you, like me, like to have these things on your calendar!

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Photo by Eileen Rollin on Unsplash

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But What Does It Smell Like?

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , on May 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Surprising Truth About What Outer Space Smells Like

Some space veterans seemed to find this scent quite pleasant. “It is hard to describe this smell; it is definitely not the olfactory equivalent of describing the palate sensations of some new food that ‘tastes like chicken.’ 

Yes, these are the things I find interesting about space. Not the math (with apologies to all my math teachers ever) or the physics (with apologies to all the classes I never took), but the lived experience. 

When I’m thinking about a story and need to ground the reader, this sort of information is useful. What would it feel like, what would it taste like?

What would it smell like?

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Photo by Jonatan Pie on Unsplash

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What If They’re Already Here?

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , on May 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Recently, Neil deGrasse Tyson visited Stephen Colbert to talk about aliens and his new book Take Me To Your Leader: Perspectives On Your First Alien Encounter. He discussed aliens, why you probably shouldn’t shake hands, and how they might mirror what they see of humanity. 

It made me think of the story I wrote on that topic, and how I hope that humanity does more good than not. I’ve re-posted before but I like the story, so here it is again. Click through for the full piece.

We Are Mirrors | J.R. Johnson

You and Yours

I came from the stars to meet you. I was happy. Excited, even. First contact with your verdant world. Think of all that we could share with you.

“You” could have meant a lot of things. I started with one of the most populous. An insect.

I remember little of what it was like, a flash of light, a warm wriggle in a puddle after rain. The feel of wind in my wings.

It’s embarrassing to say this now, but I was promptly eaten.

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Photo by Dre Erwin on Unsplash

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Big Old Grin

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on May 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Here’s an interesting interview with astronaut and naval aviator Victor Glover, pilot for Artemis II’s Orion spacecraft.

Artemis II pilot talks about what it was really like to fly and land in Orion – Ars Technica

And when those parachutes came out, when the mains came out, it was like God himself led us down to the water. And I had a big old grin on my face. It was intense. It went from intense to pure elation.

If you are curious about what it’s like to pilot in space, the difference between a touchscreen controller and stick-and-throttle hand controllers, or the “very intense” 13 minutes and 36 seconds of reentry, read on.

I was!

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NASA/Jim Ross (left to right, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman)

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Comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , on April 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

NASA reminded me that we have a new, if transitory, neighbor in the skies overhead. The comet PanSTARRS is making a quick visit and tonight is the closest it will come to the sun.

APOD- 2026 April 18 – PanSTARRS and Planets

This is a good weekend for northern hemisphere comet watchers to try to catch PanSTARRS an hour or so before sunrise, as the comet grows brighter approaching its perihelion on April 19. On April 26 the comet makes its closest approach to our fair planet but by then will be difficult to see in the solar glare. Good views of this comet PanSTARRS in late April and early May will be from the southern hemisphere.

If your skies are clear and dark, check it out!

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Photo by Justin Wolff on Unsplash

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Welcome Home, Explorers!

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , on April 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Hooray!

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NASA / Josh Valcarcel

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It’s That Time!

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Today is the day, folks, when our friendly neighborhood astronauts make their (hopefully trouble-free) return to our home planet. 

As we wait for splashdown, anticipated to be just after 8pm EDT tonight, here is an interactive look at What’s Inside NASA’s Mission Control.

And to save you from tracking down one of the many (many) space-themed Artemis links I’ve put up over the past couple of days, you can watch tonight’s homecoming here starting at 6:30pm EDT!

NASA’s Artemis II Crew Comes Home (Official Broadcast) | NASA+

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NASA Crescent Earth Over Lunar Horizon

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