Shining Star (but just barely)

Air Date: July 18, 2017

The smallest star ever just found, called ELBM-J0555-57Ab, is just about the size of Saturn but 300 times as massive. That makes it just 8% of the sun’s mass, yet it’s just big enough to actually BE a star according to thermonuclear fusion principles.

48 years ago this week, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. They spent 21 hours on the moon and were outside just 2.5 hours.

The Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter flew over the Great Red Spot last week. Just 2,200 miles above the cloudtops, the photos released last Friday show amazing detail. Scientists hopefully will learn more about the great storm and Jupiter’s inner atmosphere.

A thin crescent moon joins Venus in the pre-dawn sky on Thursday. From 4:40 a.m. to 4:50 a.m. you’ll also see ISS fly from NNW to E and it goes right under Venus and the moon!

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.