Geek News

New Horizons at Ultima Thule When we celebrate the start of 2019, on January 1 the New Horizons spacecraft will flyby Ultima Thule . A world of the Kuiper belt 6.5 billion kilometers from the Sun, the nickname Ultima Thule (catalog designation 2014 MU69) fittingly means "beyond the known world". Following its 2015 flyby of Pluto , New Horizons was targeted for this journey, attempting the most distant flyby for a spacecraft from Earth by approaching Ultima Thule to within about 3500 kilometers. The tiny world itself is about 30 kilometers in size. This year, an observing campaign with Earth-based teles copes determined the shape of the object to be a contact binary or a close binary sytem as in this artist's illustration. New Horizons will image close up its unexplored surface in the dim light of the distant Sun. December 29, 2018 via NASA https://go.nasa.gov/2QbI...

Environment The most mind-boggling statistic of the year, visualized. Less than 10 percent of all the plastic we've made has been recycled, but the enormity of that quantity is hard to really grasp. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2Q9TDrS"

Space The hole came from the inside. Earlier this week, a Russian cosmonaut who investigated the mysterious hole in the Soyuz capsule docked to the International Space Station revealed that the hole was… via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2EQAglO"

Environment It was an extreme year. In some regions, this was the first time in 37 years of water surveys that there was no cold pool. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2BJem0F"

Space What a strawberry moon? What is a worm moon? What is going on with my moon? Blue moons, strawberry moons, supermoons. For some reason your news aggregation algorithm of choice thinks you really really really want to know all about these moons. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2rYJ69i"

DIY Stop fighting over the thermostat. When the leaves turn, the battle over the thermostat begins. This year, skip the debate over the ideal temperature. Here's how to keep warm without blasting the heat. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2LEQNuu"

Technology A look back at 2018's big tech stories. Bring on 2019. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2SnWlvZ"

Technology It's 2018 and UX designers know us better than we know ourselves. Using Instagram feels increasingly terrible. But the numbers suggest the app is performing better than ever. What gives? via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2CBAlYT"

Aviation Exiting a speeding jet is no small feat. From parachutes for the balloon corps to the latest generation of high-speed ejection seats, here’s how we learned to make a swift aerial exit. From parachutes for the balloon corps to the latest generation of high-speed ejector seats, here’s how we learned to make a swift aerial exit. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2Q8c4x5"

NGC 1365: Majestic Island Universe Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 is truly a majestic island universe some 200,000 light-years across. Located a mere 60 million light-years away toward the chemical constellation Fornax , NGC 1365 is a dominant member of the well-studied Fornax galaxy cluster . This impressively sharp color image shows intense star forming regions at the ends of the bar and along the spiral arms, and details of dust lanes cutting across the galaxy's bright core. At the core lies a supermassive black hole. Astronomers think NGC 1365's prominent bar plays a crucial role in the galaxy's evolution , drawing gas and dust into a star-forming maelstrom and ultimately feeding material into the central black hole . December 28, 2018 via NASA https://go.nasa.gov/2SlQAPi ...

Gadgets The end-of-week dispatch from PopSci's commerce editor. Vol. 59. My job is to find cool stuff. Throughout the week I spend hours scouring the web for things that are ingenious or clever or ridiculously cheap. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2CBErAv"

DIY Force them to pay attention. What happens when a company won’t refund your purchase—or worse, refuses to answer the phone in the first place? Here’s how to get a response from customer service. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2QQhodT"

Space MU69 is far from your run-of-the-mill solar system object. Get ready to meet 2014 MU69 (unofficially known as Ultima Thule), an object a billion miles beyond Pluto and 4.1 billion from Earth itself. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2GIZ7KU"

Space It's actually more of a holiday yardstick. This season is full of stories about stars guiding travelers to far-off destinations, but new imagery from NASA shows off a stellar guide of a different sort. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2Rp74ZE"

Gadgets Bias lighting will enhance the picture of your screen in a dark room. Eye experts and home theater nerds recommend a little extra light in your home theater. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2TgXSUJ"

Science It takes the right gear. Volcano researcher Jessica Johnson explains how she scoops up 1800°F lava—and what scientists can learn from it. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2CBOGVk"