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Astro Bob's Backyard Astronomy
After a little break (of 25 years or so) Bob King is celebrating his retirement with a return to The North 103.3's airwaves!After almost 40 years with the Duluth News Tribune, Bob is now retired. But scratch a print guy and you'll find a radio guy; King and then-UMD Planetarium Director Glen Langhorst hosted Startalk on KUMD for several years in the early '90s.Listen for Astro Bob every other Tuesday at 8am on Northland Morning.

Astro Bob's Backyard Astronomy: the "Wright Brothers Moment" and a big Pink Moon

The North 103.3 | By Lisa Johnson
Published April 20, 2021 at 1:17 PM CDT
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Flickr

NASA engineers got their "Wright Brothers moment" Monday when the solar-powered Ingenuity helicopter climbled straight up about ten feet, hovered, and dropped down again, the 40 second flight making history.  (You can see the video here: "NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight")

Not only did the little helicopter land safely back at what NASA has designated "Wright Brothers Field," it carries a piece of fabric from the Wright brother's first biplane.

Credit Jeremy Gillard/Flickr
A composite image of 232 photos "stacked" to form the trails. Lyrid meteor shower 2013

Meanwhile, back on boring old Earth, we have the Lyrid meteor showers to look forward to Thursday morning around 3:00am...

Credit Jim Mullhaupt/Flickr

And April's full moon will be coming up pink on April 26. Yet another "super moon," this one will appear about 7% larger and 15% brighter than "regular" full moons.

As always, you can read more from Astro Bob at his blog Astro Bob or at Astro Bob: Celestial happenings you can see from your own back yard
Tags
Environment & Outdoors NASABob KingMarsAstro Bob's Backyard AstronomyLyrid Meteor ShowersIngenuityHelicopterPink Moon
Lisa Johnson
Lisa Johnson started her broadcast career anchoring the television news at her high school and spinning country music at KWWK/KOLM Radio in Rochester, Minnesota. She was a reporter and news anchor at KTHI in Fargo, ND (not to mention the host of a children's program called "Lisa's Lane") and a radio reporter and anchor in Moorhead, Bismarck, Wahpeton and Fergus Falls.Since 1991, she has hosted Northland Morning on KUMD. One of the best parts of her job includes "paying it forward" by mentoring upcoming journalists and broadcasters on the student news team that helps produce Northland Morning. She also loves introducing the different people she meets in her job to one another, helping to forge new "community connections" and partnerships.Lisa has amassed a book collection weighing over two tons, and she enjoys reading, photography, volunteering with Animal Allies Humane Society and fantasizing about farmland. She goes to bed at 8pm, long before her daughter, two cats, or three dogs.
See stories by Lisa Johnson
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