Explorer of the Year

Air Date: April 15, 2019

Image: EHT Collaboration

Next week, (Wednesday evening at the Union League in Philadelphia) the Geographical Society of Philadelphia will bestow its 128th Explorer of the Year honor – citing Derrick Pitts, Chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute and NASA Solar System Ambassador.

Previous Society recipients including; Theodore Roosevelt, John Glenn, Diana Nyad, and last year’s honoree, (photojournalist) Steve McCurry.

The first ever image of a Black Hole confirms Einstein’s suggestion that the event horizon should be visible.

Subsequent images will provide more information; this was just the first!

Think of it like viewing the first Hubble Space Telescope images ever and what the Hubble images look like now.

Google Lunar Xprize Contender and Israel’s first attempted lunar lander Beresheet crashed on the moon. SpaceIL is committed to try again.

Turning to the night sky; Mars is still holding on in the west after sunset; Jupiter and Saturn are now due South at 4:30am, with Venus and mercury low in the east. They will look beautiful in the brightening morning twilight as sunrise now comes at around 6:30am.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.