Cosmic Chicago
Chicago's Independent Space News Outlet
Category: Astronomy
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Photos: Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 Over Illinois
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse passed over North America and the path of totality swept over a portion of southern Illinois. For four minutes and two seconds, darkness fell over the Land of Lincoln and thousands of people collectively looked up at the rare astronomical event. Because the city of Chicago would…
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Total Solar Eclipse Events in Chicago
Even though the city will only experience about 94% eclipse coverage for the total solar eclipse of 2024, there are several eclipse events in Chicago because it’s still an astronomical event worth viewing. To see the total solar eclipse, you need to travel to a location in the path of totality, with southern Illinois and…
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Photos: 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse from New Braunfels, Texas
On October 14th, 2023, an annular solar eclipse was visible across much of the western United States. This rare event provided viewers with the chance to witness a phenomenon known as a “ring of fire,” which occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, but a ring of light is still visible to…
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Field Museum Researcher On Team That Discovered 17 lb Meteorite in Antarctica
Field museum research scientist, Maria Valdes, was part of a team that found a rare 17-pound meteorite in Antarctica. The discovery of the meteorite, and four more, was made in December, which is summertime on the continent and a good time of year to hunt for meteorites. The research team included four international research scientists…
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Bright Meteor Flew Over Chicago, And We Captured It On Video
If you saw a bright flash of light or heard a boom overnight, you might have witnessed a bright meteor flying over the city of Chicago before it burned up and exploded in the atmosphere. At around 12:52 am CDT a bright meteor was reported flying overhead by individuals as far south as Alabama and…
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James Webb Space Telescope Releases First Images
After a successful launch and six months of on-orbit testing and calibration, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is fully operational. A report published July 12, 2022, states that “JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built.” During the six months of testing JWST made approximately 2,300 observations with its…
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How to See the Total Lunar Eclipse in Chicago
Tomorrow evening, May 15th, there will be a total lunar eclipse visible from Chicago. We haven’t been able to view a total lunar eclipse from the city in three years, so it’s definitely an exciting event worth staying up late for. The eclipse will begin just after 9:30 pm and end at 1:55 am, but…
