The Cosmic Companion VIP Newsletter May 5, 2020

An interview with Dr. Ann Virkki of Arecibo Observatory who found the "face mask" on an asteroid. Plus: exploring the atmospheres of alien worlds and looking for life around white dwarf stars.

Hi everyone!

Welcome back to a very special episode of The Cosmic Companion VIP newsletter!

This week features a very special guest, as we welcome Dr. Ann Virkki to the show. She is head of planetary radar studies for Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. She recently made the news with the discovery of an unusual “face mask” on asteroid 1998 OR2, which passed Earth this week.

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In this week's episode of Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion, we learn the unfortunate fate of Comet Atlas, which recently shattered as it approached the Sun, quashing dreams of what could have been a magnificent celestial spectacle. Next, we will learn how temperatures seen on worlds orbiting alien stars are, often, lower than theories predict, and we will discuss a new model that could, potentially, explain these strange findings. We also take a look at how a new range of instruments, both on Earth and in space, could help us sea…