Free Republic

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket is getting to take to the skies again as it launches the ViaSat-3 F3 mission to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. UPDATE: The launch attempt was scrubbed due to weather on April 27, 2026. Next launch attempt will be April 28. Scrub! SpaceX Falcon Heavy's first launch since 2024 delayed due to weather | 13:27 VideoFromSpace | 2.12M subscribers | 19,216 views | April 27, 2026

Explanation: Why does Comet R3 (PanSTARRS) have a wispy tail? The newest bright member of the inner Solar System, Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is already extending an impressive stream of glowing gas. This tail starts from an unseen central nucleus of dirty ice that is likely a few kilometers across. The nucleus is warmed by the Sun and emits a cloud of neutral gas into a coma that glows light green. Nuclear gas ionized by energetic sunlight is pushed away from the Sun by the solar wind into an ion tail that glows light blue. The wispy nature of the...