The Cosmic Companion VIP Newsletter October 27, 2019
Mars may have once been home to large salty lakes, the Universe may be expanding more quickly than we thought, and a massive asteroid may have caused a mass extinction on Earth 12,800 years ago.
Hi everyone:
Thank you so much for being a premium member! You are the people who really make this weekly newsletter happen, and I greatly appreciate your support!
In this episode of Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion, we will look at signs that Mars was once home to large salty lakes, a new measurement of the expansion rate of the Universe, and evidence that a large asteroid broke up before colliding with the Earth 12,800 years ago, resulting in a massive extinction.
As always, VIP subscribers (formerly premium subscribers) get to see the program before the general public!
Let’s take off!
Here’s the sneak preview of the newest episode of Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion!
I hope you enjoyed this episode, and a new one will come each week, in an exclusive preview for premium subscribers!
And my favorite astronomy-related cartoon of the week, from KXCD:

Rare Astronomy Photo
This spectrum of the Sun, taken October 24th, was created using the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, currently the largest solar telescope in the world (and the longest of all optical telescopes). The facility is currently being upgraded into a science education center (with live images of the Sun and Moon), and I happened to walk in the control room as the facilities were being tested:

Silly Astronomy:
Finally, here’s my astronomy of the week joke for you:
Q: How does the man in the moon cut his hair?
A: Eclipse it.
Thank you again for being a premium subscriber, and I’ll see you next week!
- James