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Why we need in-orbit refueling to return to the Moon

16 September 2026 at 18:54

When the Artemis 2 crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10, the excitement was palpable — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen had swung around the Moon, broken a human spaceflight distance record, and come home safely. But for the Artemis program, it was just the beginning. Between April’sContinue reading "Why we need in-orbit refueling to return to the Moon"

The post Why we need in-orbit refueling to return to the Moon appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

How to ask Siri AI from Spotlight on your Mac in macOS 27

16 September 2026 at 07:13

To ask Siri AI a question on a Mac running macOS 27, press Command-Space bar to open Spotlight, type your question or request, and press Return. Once Siri AI (Beta) is turned on, Apple’s Mac User Guide says Spotlight “becomes the place where you start a conversation with Siri.” From that one window, Apple says, […]

The post How to ask Siri AI from Spotlight on your Mac in macOS 27 appeared first on The Mac Observer.

NASA’s New X-59 Test Pilot Gets Behind Controls for Ground Test

16 September 2026 at 00:37
A man seated inside an aircraft cockpit adjusts a helmet, with the open canopy above him.
Mike Lippert, one of NASA’s X‑59 test pilots, sits in the cockpit of the agency’s X‑59 quiet supersonic research aircraft for the first time during an engine run at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. Lippert is the third X‑59 pilot supporting NASA’s Quesst mission, which will demonstrate quiet supersonic flight over U.S. communities and gather public feedback on the aircraft’s quieter sonic “thump.”
NASA/Carla Escamilla

This summer, NASA test pilot Mike Lippert powered up the X‑59 cockpit for the first time, running the aircraft’s engines on the ground during a key step in his months of preparation and training to fly the experimental aircraft. 

“Getting into the cockpit of the X‑59 felt very comfortable,” said Lippert, the newest X-59 test pilot for NASA’s Quesst mission. “The whole team has done a tremendous job of making sure I am trained and prepared.”

Lippert’s first powered interaction with the aircraft demonstrated how mentorship works in NASA’s test pilot community. The X‑59’s two established pilots, Nils Larson and Jim “Clue” Less, guided him throughout the test. Larson monitored Lippert’s coordination with the control room, while Less answered questions and provided coaching. 

Their feedback, along with insights from experienced engineers, turned the startup sequence into a detailed training exercise to strengthen Lippert’s understanding of the X‑59’s systems and the pace of test operations. 

The X-59 is a revolutionary design, shaped to create a quiet thump instead of a sonic boom when flying faster than the speed of sound. The test pilots’ experience and skill will allow NASA to safely test the aircraft, then eventually fly it over U.S. communities to gather data on how the public perceives the sounds it makes. 

The engine run also introduced Lippert to the X‑59’s maintenance crew. As the test progressed, Lippert saw how the cockpit and control room work together during critical operations. Watching the real-time rhythm, he said, provided a better understanding of how NASA’s flight test teams align to ensure safety and precision. 

Lippert credited the test team’s operating practices and leadership for helping him prepare for flight. He spent extensive time in the X-59’s high-fidelity simulator — designed to match the aircraft’s cockpit — for training, aircraft familiarization, and mission rehearsal. The simulation team’s members are absolute experts on the aircraft and have been key contributors to his training and the program as a whole, Lippert said. 

Lippert said he felt energized after powering on the aircraft’s systems for the first time, adding the milestone left him feeling ready for upcoming test flights. The X-59 will continue to progress through envelope expansion and test its performance under various flight conditions. In the coming months, it will advance toward acoustic validation flight tests to study the sonic thumps it is designed to make.

Learn more about the Quesst mission on NASA’s site.  

The post NASA’s New X-59 Test Pilot Gets Behind Controls for Ground Test appeared first on NASA Science.

U.S. confirms it has weapons in orbit

15 September 2026 at 21:54

In a groundbreaking announcement, the U.S. Space Force stated publicly on Monday, Sept. 14, that it currently has on-orbit weapons in space. Department of the Air Force Secretary Troy Meink’s keynote address at the 2026 Air and Space Cyber Conference focused on plans to modernize the Air Force against AI-powered weapons and capabilities wielded byContinue reading "U.S. confirms it has weapons in orbit"

The post U.S. confirms it has weapons in orbit appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

SpaceX declares Starship ready for orbit, sets launch date next week

15 September 2026 at 19:48

Pending regulatory approval, SpaceX said today it intends to launch its 14th Starship mission as early as September 22. This flight is notable, as it will be the first time that SpaceX attempts to launch the experimental vehicle into orbit.

The company set a target liftoff time of 7:15 am local in Texas (12:15 UTC), with a 75-minute launch window. Sunrise in Brownsville, Texas, is 7:17 am CT, so the launch could make for some striking imagery.

The super heavy lift rocket will be carrying 26 of the larger V3 Starlink satellites into an orbit 275 km above the Earth. In an update on its website, SpaceX said the Starship upper stage will seek to complete six orbits around the Earth before completing its mission after about 10 hours.

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SpaceX declares Starship ready for orbit, sets launch date next week

15 September 2026 at 19:48

Pending regulatory approval, SpaceX said today it intends to launch its 14th Starship mission as early as September 22. This flight is notable, as it will be the first time that SpaceX attempts to launch the experimental vehicle into orbit.

The company set a target liftoff time of 7:15 am local in Texas (12:15 UTC), with a 75-minute launch window. Sunrise in Brownsville, Texas, is 7:17 am CT, so the launch could make for some striking imagery.

The super heavy lift rocket will be carrying 26 of the larger V3 Starlink satellites into an orbit 275 km above the Earth. In an update on its website, SpaceX said the Starship upper stage will seek to complete six orbits around the Earth before completing its mission after about 10 hours.

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TestFlight Fixes and Wishes

15 September 2026 at 15:00

Just as I was heading into the final stretch of review season, TestFlight was updated to reverse an update I wrote about in July. That update added search, which was one of my longstanding wishes for TestFlight. However, for some users, the update also changed the sorting of betas from reverse chronological order to alphabetical, including active betas alongside expired ones. As someone who reviews a lot of apps, that made TestFlight barely usable.

With the latest update, I’m happy to report that the sorting order has been restored to reverse chronological order. The most recently updated betas appear at the top of the list, and when you want to find something older, search is a great option. Returning to reverse chronological order may seem like a small thing, but it’s made a world of difference in keeping up with the apps I test.

Search was near the top of my list of TestFlight wishes for years, and its addition made a meaningful difference to the app’s usability. But I’ve had a lot of TestFlight wishes over the years that are scattered across multiple articles, so I thought I’d share what else I’d like Apple to tackle with TestFlight:

  • Performance. I test a lot of apps, which slows TestFlight down on every Apple platform. The issue isn’t as severe today as it was when I wrote about it in 2023, but the slowness is still bad enough to make the app hard to use. Whatever the issue is, I’d love to see the list loading time reduced and scrolling through a list of apps become as smooth as it is in the App Store.
  • Add filtering, sorting, and folders. Search is a step in the right direction, but allow me to sort by date, developer, category, and other metadata. I’d also like to be able to filter by installation status, so I can just see the betas I’ve installed or haven’t installed yet. User-defined folders for organization would be a nice bonus too.
  • Hide inactive and expired betas. I’ve thought about TestFlight’s expired betas section a lot and can’t think of a single reason it exists from a tester’s perspective. Let me hide or exclude expired and withdrawn betas.
  • Fix TestFlight emails and automatic updates. TestFlight email notifications can only be turned on or off on a per-beta basis. Adding a global switch would help a lot with managing these messages. Also, automatic updates of betas have never worked on my iPhone, and I’ve talked to others who have the same problem.
  • Restore usable betas after a device migration. Apple’s migration from one device to another has gotten much better over the years, but it still does not migrate TestFlight betas, leaving me with a bunch of broken apps on my iPhone every fall.
  • Indicate when a beta has been released on the App Store. This strikes me as easy to request, though I’m sure is difficult to implement, but I’d love to know when a beta has been superseded by an App Store version, so I can grab the stable release if I want and know I can publish a review about an app without having to check the App Store repeatedly myself.

The bottom line is that while TestFlight is once again usable, it could be much better. I recognize that TestFlight isn’t an app used by most people, but like Apple’s own OS beta testing program, TestFlight betas are an important part of developers’ workflow. They provide QA feedback and a promotional channel that the friction encountered by TestFlight users undermines.

I’m glad TestFlight continues to get meaningful updates. I just hope it gets more attention going forward.

Sept. 15, 2017, Cassini’s Grand Finale

15 September 2026 at 14:00

After over 7,000 days in space, the Cassini mission ended on Sept. 15, 2017. Since its Oct. 15, 1997 launch, the spacecraft had returned a wealth of new knowledge and images of Saturn and its moons. Thanks to Cassini’s observations, researchers discovered liquid methane lakes on Titan, the potential habitability of Enceladus and the geysersContinue reading "Sept. 15, 2017, Cassini’s Grand Finale"

The post Sept. 15, 2017, Cassini’s Grand Finale appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Europe launches two Earth-observation satellites amidst a busy week for China

14 September 2026 at 21:13

Rocket launches this week On Monday, Sept. 14 at 9:21 p.m. EST, Avio — a publicly traded Italian aerospace company headquartered near Rome — is set to launch a Vega C rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana, carrying two Earth-observation satellites for the European Space Agency (ESA). The first, Sentinel-3C, is theContinue reading "Europe launches two Earth-observation satellites amidst a busy week for China"

The post Europe launches two Earth-observation satellites amidst a busy week for China appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Defense Aviation Company Hermeus Unveils New “High Mach Speed” Prototype

11 September 2026 at 14:32

Defense aviation company Hermeus has announced the development of Ramjet-X, its next-generation ramjet propulsion test vehicle capable of carrying test payloads to high Mach speeds.

The company said Ramjet-X, designed to launch mid-flight from a carrier aircraft, offers the key advantages of competitive high-Mach test platforms while keeping costs low enough for a wider range of mission profiles.

Pre-flight testing of Ramjet-X is already underway, with its first official prototype test flights expected in 2027.

Ramjet-X Will Launch Mid-Flight from Quarterhorse

Most conventional jet engines can’t achieve supersonic speeds without dumping raw fuel into an afterburner and literally rocketing past the sound barrier. To travel at high Mach speeds without relying on rocket-style propulsion, engineers have turned to ramjet engines.

While ramjets are effective, they rely on the high-speed influx of air to operate. This limitation means aircraft equipped with this type of propulsion must be propelled to higher speeds by another craft or booster rocket before they can engage.

High-Mach Ramjet propulsion requires rapid air influx to enable combustion. Image Credit: Hermeus

In an email to The Debrief, a Hermeus spokesperson explained that current options often rely on “large and expensive” boosters that are discarded after each test. Conversely, Ramjet-X relies on the company’s reusable aircraft to reach launch velocity.

“Ramjet-X is designed to be carried by Quarterhorse, which provides the speed and altitude required for deployment,” the company told The Debrief.

Ramjet-X is launched by Quarterhorse mid-flight. Image Credit: Hermeus

The company could not disclose what speed Quarterhorse must achieve before it can launch Ramjet-X. However, the spokesperson did note that the launch craft is designed to return to home base for future missions.

When asked about Ramjet-X’s specific operating velocity once it disengages from Quarterhorse and engages its ramjet propulsion system, the company could only say the vehicle will operate at “High-Mach speeds.”

Conventional ramjets use a combination of high-velocity air and fuel to achieve extreme velocities. Hermeus said they cannot disclose specifics about Rocket-X’s fuel requirements.

Mission Profiles and Repeatable Architecture

Because of the sensitive nature of potential future missions, Hermeus was cautious about sharing specifics of any planned missions. The company also couldn’t provide technical details on what a typical mission profile might look like.

However, a Hermeus spokesperson told The Debrief, the vehicle’s architecture “allows customers and partners to integrate payloads, sensors, communications and computer systems, autonomy, material samples, propulsion technologies, and other experimental hardware and software onto Ramjet-X for testing in representative sustained high-Mach conditions.”

Ramjet-X will enable “high-Mach” tests. Image Credit: Hermeus

Hermeus also highlighted the potential cost savings of a “repeatable platform, launch architecture, and flight-test infrastructure,” designed to dramatically lower costs without sacrificing versatility or reliability.

“Instead of relying on a large dedicated expendable booster to accelerate the test vehicle into its ramjet operating regime, the launch aircraft provides much of that energy and then returns to fly again,” the company told The Debrief. “This architecture allows Hermeus to fly more by reducing the cost of expendable launch hardware.”

“High-speed flight testing is extremely expensive, and you don’t get many shots at it,” Hermeus CEO Zach Shore explained.

“Another Order of Magnitude Reduction”

Hermeus said specific unit costs are not currently available. However, they said a projected cost per minute of high-Mach test time “is in the low $100k’s per minute.” For comparison, the company highlighted the historic and current costs of high-Mach flight testing.

“Most of the below comparisons are rocket-based but will give you an idea how costly high-Mach tests are and why Ramjet-X will fundamentally change the equation,” Hermeus told The Debrief.

Older examples include NASA’s X-43, which achieved around 21 seconds of high-Mach flight, and the Air Force’s X-51, which achieved around 350 seconds. Hermeus said both multi-year efforts cost around $450 million each in today’s dollars.

Current options include rocket-powered test flights aboard Rocket Lab’s HASTE, which Hermeus said run $10-20 million each, “not including the expendable cruise or glide vehicles.” The company also pointed to Stratolaunch Talon-A missions.

“Even though fully reusable, (they) are $10-12m per flight for a few min of on-condition time,” the company told The Debrief.

Conversely, Hermeus said its current projections of less than a million per minute offer potential customers “another order of magnitude reduction in the problem that matters most.”

“Ramjet-X is being designed around simplified manufacturing, rapid production, and expendability in meaningful quantities rather than the traditional model of building a small number of highly bespoke high-speed test articles as was done in other high-speed airbreathing flight test programs like X-43 and X-51,” the company told The Debrief. 

Development of Ramjet-X is already well underway

When detailing the newly announced Ramjet-X’s benefits, Shore noted that their system gives them a way to place new systems into sustained high-Mach environments “without building an expensive one-off test program every time.”

“Bringing speed, sustained flight, and scalability all into one system lowers the barriers to gathering extremely valuable data from these conditions and accelerates programs for both us and our customers,” the Hermeus CEO explained.

When announcing Ramjet-X, Hermeus said the vehicle’s ramjet engine is already undergoing extensive testing at its Florida-based HEAT facility. Future tests will occur at the company’s California headquarters, with the first flight tests planned for 2027. 

Christopher Plain has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Reporter at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his novels at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org.

25 years ago, a NASA astronaut witnessed the tragic 9/11 attacks from space. Here's what he saw.

11 September 2026 at 13:00

Frank Culbertson had a birds-eye view of one of the most memorable and tragic events in American history.

The NASA astronaut was the only American off of Earth on Sept. 11, 2001. He was circling the planet aboard the International Space Station (ISS) when terrorists flew commercial jets into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing more than 2,700 people.

The ISS passed over New York shortly after the attacks took place, so Culbertson saw the devastation from an eerie remove. He shared his thoughts with Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in real time, chronicling the tragedy like no one else could.

satellite photo of a large city on a bay, with a river running through it and smoke rising from the center of the city

The aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trace Center in New York City, as seen by the astronauts onboard the International Space Station on Sept. 11, 2001. (Image credit: NASA)

"We could see New York City and the smoke from the fires," Culbertson said. "Our prayers and thoughts go out to all the people there and everywhere else here — I'm looking up and down the East Coast to see if I can see anything else — and to the people in Washington."

Terrorists hijacked four commercial planes on 9/11, flying two of them into the World Trade Center and one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Passengers on the fourth plane overpowered the hijackers, forcing it to crash in a field in Pennsylvania rather than hit the terrorists' intended target, which was likely the U.S. Capitol building or the White House.

"I hope that the people responsible are caught and brought to justice as soon as possible," Culbertson added. "But first, our prayers and condolences to all involved. And I just wanted the folks to know that their city still looks very beautiful from space. I know it's very difficult for everybody in America right now, and I know folks are struggling very hard to to deal with this and recover from it. But the country still looks good, and, for New Yorkers, your city still looks great from up here."

Culbertson gave a more complete accounting of his thoughts in an open letter, which he published a day after the attacks.

"The world changed today. What I say or do is very minor compared to the significance of what happened to our country today when it was attacked," he wrote.

"It's horrible to see smoke pouring from wounds in your own country from such a fantastic vantage point," Culbertson added. "The dichotomy of being on a spacecraft dedicated to improving life on the Earth and watching life being destroyed by such willful, terrible acts is jolting to the psyche, no matter who you are."

a man floats in zero gravity holding a camera in each hand

NASA astronaut and ISS commander Frank Culbertson on Sept. 17, 2001 aboard the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA)

Culbertson arrived at the ISS on Aug. 12, 2001 aboard the space shuttle Discovery along with cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin. The trio comprised Expedition 3, the third-ever crewed mission to the orbiting lab, which ran through December of that year.

We're now up to Expedition 75, and there have been no breaks: The ISS has been continuously staffed by rotating astronaut crews since November 2000.

Expedition 3 was Culbertson's third and final spaceflight. He retired from NASA in August 2002 and went to work in the private sector. Among other roles, he led human spaceflight efforts at Orbital Sciences Corp., which built the Cygnus ISS resupply spacecraft. Cygnus still flies today, for the aerospace giant Northrop Grumman, which bought Orbital Sciences in 2018.

Culbertson, 77, retired from Northrop Grumman in 2018. He currently serves on the board of directors of the nonprofit Space Foundation, among other roles.

two male astronauts hold up a bag full of small american flags inside a spacecraft

NASA astronauts Mark Kelly (left) and Dan Tani hold a bag of American flags on the flight deck of the space shuttle Endeavour. The flags carried on the shuttle included 6,000 small U.S. flags, one U.S. flag that was recovered from the debris of the World Trade Center, a Marine Corps flag that was retrieved from the Pentagon, and an American flag from the State of Pennsylvania. (Image credit: NASA)

You can read more about Culbertson's experiences on NASA's dedicated 9/11 page. That page also outlines how the agency helped emergency managers assess the damage in New York City just after the attacks and discusses some of the ways NASA has honored 9/11 victims and their families over the years.

For example, NASA flew nearly 6,000 small American flags on the STS-108 mission of the space shuttle Endeavour, which launched on Dec. 5, 2001 and landed 12 days later.

"Students working out of Johnson Space Center in Houston assembled commemorative packages that included the space‑flown flags, which were then presented to victims' families," NASA officials wrote about the project. "Distribution began on June 14, 2002 — National Flag Day — during a ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History’s Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York."

Como acelerar o processo de indexação do Spotlight [iPhone, iPad e Mac]

11 September 2026 at 12:00

Os corajosos que instalaram as versões beta do iOS 27, do iPadOS 27 e do macOS Golden Gate 27 certamente devem ter notado um aviso no topo do aplicativo Ajustes (Settings) sobre uma indexação do Spotlight em andamento.

Isso ocorre porque o Spotlight indexa o conteúdo do seu dispositivo para que seja possível pesquisar tudo o que está nele.

No caso de uma atualização de software (como as betas), o índice do Spotlight é atualizado quando você instala novos aplicativos ou recebe novos emails e mensagens de texto, por exemplo.

Usando truques simples — nem sempre bem-vindos, é verdade —, é possível acelerar o processo de indexação (que pode levar horas ou dias, dependendo da quantidade de conteúdos). Veja como! 😉

  1. Deixe o seu dispositivo sem uso, ou seja, de forma que você fique um tempo sem mexê-lo;
  2. Conecte o iPhone, iPad ou Mac à energia;
  3. Conecte o aparelho à internet usando uma rede Wi-Fi ou Ethernet, caso os emails ou outros dados precisem ser baixados para a indexação.

A Apple afirma que é possível que sejam vistos, durante esse processo de indexação, alertas como:

  • Um indicador de progresso na parte superior da janela do Spotlight ou da Siri no Mac, que é aberto quando você pressiona a combinação ⌘ command barra de espaço;
  • Uma notificação abaixo do seu nome nos Ajustes do iPhone ou iPad;
  • Um alerta do Mail de que a indexação está incompleta.

Como está o progresso aí para você?

BlitzWill BW-CLT2 Smart Ceiling Light Combines Everyday Illumination With RGB Ambience

11 September 2026 at 10:16

Ceiling lights are usually one of those home products that disappear into the background once they are installed. BlitzWill BW-CLT2, however, takes a different approach by combining a conventional main ceiling light with a separate RGB ambient-lighting effect.

The result is a fixture designed to handle two different jobs: providing practical illumination for everyday activities while also giving a room a more customizable atmosphere when bright white lighting is not what you want. The BlitzWill BW-CLT2 is designed to replace a conventional ceiling fixture with a more flexible smart home lighting setup.

The 40cm BlitzWill BW-CLT2 supports adjustable color temperature from 2700K to 6500K and can be controlled through an app, voice commands, or a remote control. It also supports DIY scene settings, giving users more control than a basic on/off ceiling lamp.

One Ceiling Light, Two Different Lighting Roles

The combination of adjustable white light and RGB effects also makes the BW-CLT2 more versatile than a basic smart LED ceiling light.

For normal use, the primary light can provide the room’s everyday illumination. The adjustable 2700K–6500K range gives users the flexibility to move between warmer and cooler-looking white light depending on the time of day or the atmosphere they want.

The RGB section serves a different purpose. Instead of replacing the main light, it can be used to add color around the room and create a softer background effect.

That separation makes the design more practical than an RGB-only lamp. You can keep the main light focused on visibility while using the colored lighting to change the mood.

2700K to 6500K Gives More Control Over the Room

A fixed-color ceiling lamp can work perfectly well, but it gives you little flexibility once the fixture is installed.

The BW-CLT2 takes a more adaptable approach with a 2700K–6500K adjustable color-temperature range. Warmer settings can suit relaxed evening use, while cooler white light can be more appropriate when you need a brighter, more functional environment.

This makes the light suitable for spaces that serve multiple purposes. A bedroom, study, living room, or gaming area can all require different lighting at different times.

Rather than buying separate lights for different situations, the BW-CLT2 puts those adjustments into one ceiling fixture.

Smart Controls Make Daily Adjustments Easier

Another advantage is that the BW-CLT2 is not limited to a physical wall switch.

The product supports app control, voice control and a dedicated remote, giving users several ways to change the lighting.

App-based control is particularly useful for people who prefer adjusting lighting from a phone, while the remote provides a more traditional option for quick changes.

The combination also means the light does not have to be treated as a purely decorative smart-home gadget. It can still be operated in a straightforward way when you simply want to change the lighting without opening an app.

DIY Scenes Are More Useful Than They Sound

The BW-CLT2 also includes a DIY scene mode, which is one of the features that separates it from a basic adjustable LED ceiling lamp.

Instead of repeatedly changing brightness, color temperature, or RGB effects manually, users can create lighting combinations suited to particular situations.

For example, one setup could prioritize a brighter white light for working, while another could use warmer illumination with RGB ambience for watching movies or relaxing.

The important point is not simply that the lamp has RGB lighting. It is that the different lighting elements can be used as part of a more personalized room setup.

Is the 40cm Size a Good Fit?

At 40cm, the BW-CLT2 occupies a middle ground between small decorative fixtures and larger ceiling panels.

That makes it potentially suitable for bedrooms, smaller living spaces, studies, gaming rooms, and other areas where a large ceiling fixture may look excessive.

However, buyers should consider the dimensions of their room before choosing it. A 40cm fixture may be a sensible fit for a compact or medium-sized space, while a much larger room could require additional lighting.

What Buyers Should Consider

The BW-CLT2 makes the most sense for people who want more than basic ceiling illumination.

Its strongest feature is arguably the combination of practical white lighting and RGB ambience. The adjustable 2700K–6500K range handles everyday lighting needs, while the RGB system and DIY scenes add a more decorative element.

It is also worth remembering that smart-lighting features are most valuable when you actually plan to use them. If you only need a simple ceiling lamp that stays at one brightness and color, a conventional LED fixture may be enough.

For users who want to experiment with room lighting, however, the BW-CLT2 offers considerably more flexibility in a single fixture.

BlitzWill BW-CLT2: A Flexible Upgrade for a Smart Home

BlitzWill BW-CLT2 Smart Ceiling Light is less about adding another colorful gadget to a room and more about combining several lighting functions into one ceiling fixture.

Its 40cm form factor, adjustable 2700K–6500K white lighting, RGB ambience, multiple control methods, and DIY scene support give it a broader role than a standard ceiling lamp.

Banggood’s EU-direct listing currently shows the BW-CLT2 at around $52.99, although the final price can change with promotions, region, taxes, and availability.

For shoppers looking to make a room more adaptable without filling the ceiling with multiple lighting fixtures, the BW-CLT2 is an interesting option worth considering.

The post BlitzWill BW-CLT2 Smart Ceiling Light Combines Everyday Illumination With RGB Ambience appeared first on IGeeKphone China Phone, Tablet PC, VR, RC Drone News, Reviews.

iOS 27 May Get Mac’s Edge Light Feature: Here is How It Would Work

11 September 2026 at 08:19

Apple’s Mac Edge Light feature could expand to the iPhone, according to an unconfirmed code finding shared by researcher pdfu on X. The post points to iOS 27 release-candidate code and a device subtype that appears to reference iPhone Duo. This is not an Apple announcement, and it does not prove that Edge Light will […]

The post iOS 27 May Get Mac’s Edge Light Feature: Here is How It Would Work appeared first on The Mac Observer.

Physicist does the math on Star Trek’s “Picard maneuver”

10 September 2026 at 18:54

It turns out Jean-Luc Picard was an even better starship helmsman than the writers knew. A physicist has gone through the details of a warp-speed trick from the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation and found a subtlety the show missed. But instead of a plot hole, the detail he found actually makes the maneuver more impressive… as well as a great opportunity to teach about a lesser-known feature of the theory of relativity.

Níckolas de Aguiar Alves, a physicist at the Federal University of ABC in Brazil, first watched Next Generation as a master’s student. When he got to the episode "The Battle" in the show’s first season, the plot reminded him of his relativity coursework.

In "The Battle," a Ferengi leader reminds Picard of a battle he fought years ago as captain of a ship called the Stargazer. Under fire from a mysterious attacker, Picard’s ship’s shields were down. He had to get closer without taking a hit, so he made a gamble. Picard ordered the Stargazer to charge the enemy ship at warp speed (meaning faster than light), then stop abruptly and fire. By going faster than light, Picard anticipated that the other ship would see two images of the Stargazer: where it reached warp speed and where it stopped. If they fired on the wrong image, they would miss the Stargazer, and Picard could win the battle.

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Physicist does the math on Star Trek’s “Picard maneuver”

10 September 2026 at 18:54

It turns out Jean-Luc Picard was an even better starship helmsman than the writers knew. A physicist has gone through the details of a warp-speed trick from the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation and found a subtlety the show missed. But instead of a plot hole, the detail he found actually makes the maneuver more impressive… as well as a great opportunity to teach about a lesser-known feature of the theory of relativity.

Níckolas de Aguiar Alves, a physicist at the Federal University of ABC in Brazil, first watched Next Generation as a master’s student. When he got to the episode "The Battle" in the show’s first season, the plot reminded him of his relativity coursework.

In "The Battle," a Ferengi leader reminds Picard of a battle he fought years ago as captain of a ship called the Stargazer. Under fire from a mysterious attacker, Picard’s ship’s shields were down. He had to get closer without taking a hit, so he made a gamble. Picard ordered the Stargazer to charge the enemy ship at warp speed (meaning faster than light), then stop abruptly and fire. By going faster than light, Picard anticipated that the other ship would see two images of the Stargazer: where it reached warp speed and where it stopped. If they fired on the wrong image, they would miss the Stargazer, and Picard could win the battle.

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Sept. 10, 1933: The birth of Yevgeny Khrunov

10 September 2026 at 14:00

Yevgeny Khrunov was born Sept. 10, 1933, in Prudy, Russia. A Soviet Air Force pilot, he was selected as one of the first cosmonauts on Feb. 25, 1960, along with 19 others including Yuri Gagarin, Aleksei Leonov, and Andriyan Nikolayev. Though not part of the Vanguard Six, Khrunov would make history on the Soyuz 4/SoyuzContinue reading "Sept. 10, 1933: The birth of Yevgeny Khrunov"

The post Sept. 10, 1933: The birth of Yevgeny Khrunov appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

NASA’s Swift Observatory resumed science observations, at least for now

9 September 2026 at 21:07

NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is back to business after months flying in a stripped-down mode while it waited for a rescue mission that ultimately failed. On August 26, the agency switched Swift’s Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope and X-ray Telescope back on. A third instrument, the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), remains offline while a team works to return it to data collection in the coming weeks. 

Earlier this month, Link, the Katalyst Space spacecraft that was originally set to rescue Swift conducted in-space tests and maneuvers to test its capabilities for future, and hopefully successful, missions. 

“Katalyst continues to demonstrate as many of LINK’s capabilities in space as possible, to collect data to inform future spacecraft servicing technology and operations,” per a statement from NASA on September 4. 

It also snapped a few photos of Swift from about 9 miles away. “We got so close, but so far,” Katalyst’s CEOGhonhee Lee told the Associated Press. 

LINK fires all three of its xenon-fueled thrusters simultaneously in this image captured by the spacecraft on August 30, 2026. Image: Katalyst Space.
LINK fires all three of its xenon-fueled thrusters simultaneously in this image captured by the spacecraft on August 30, 2026. Image: Katalyst Space.

The shutdowns, put in place in February, were part of an effort to give Swift more time. The observatory has studied powerful explosions called gamma-ray bursts since 2004. Unlike other low-orbit satellites, Swift does not have a propulsion system that can counteract the pull of the Earth orbit. At the same time, increased solar activity has caused the Earth’s upper atmosphere to expand, increasing the atmospheric drag on Swift faster than anticipated. 

That force would eventually cause the satellite to fall into the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up. So, in 2025, NASA enlisted Katalyst Space to build Link to capture Swift and lift it into higher orbit. However, those plans were scrapped on August 19 after Link went into an uncontrollable spin. 

With science operations now resumed, NASA believes Swift will reach an altitude 185 miles (300 kilometers) for the next one to two months. After that threshold, “operating the telescope becomes difficult, and the spacecraft’s rate of descent quickly increases,” the agency explained in a statement. 

At that point, the satellite’s 22-year observation of the cosmos will finally come to an end. It’s expected to fall back to Earth sometime between October and late December. One thing is for certain, Swift served us well. 

The post NASA’s Swift Observatory resumed science observations, at least for now appeared first on Popular Science.

WhatsApp testa nova barra lateral no iPadOS e miniatura de mídias em conversas no iOS

9 September 2026 at 14:42

Depois de ganhar o Liquid Glass, a versão do WhatsApp para iPad começará a receber outra novidade de design para parte dos seus usuários: uma nova barra lateral.

A reformulação da interface aproximará a versão de iPad daquilo que é visto no macOS, com a nova versão da barra lateral abrangendo conversas, atualizações, comunidades, chamadas e Meta AI, além da seção “Mais” (que engloba conversas favoritadas, trancadas e arquivadas, bem como os status do mensageiro da Meta).

WhatsApp is rolling out a redesigned navigation interface for iPad!

WhatsApp is bringing the same sidebar from the Mac app to iPad, making it easier for users to navigate the interface on a larger screen. The update is also compatible with Liquid Glass.https://t.co/vVfpctrXul pic.twitter.com/uUYQ8cPak5

— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) September 8, 2026
O WhatsApp está lançando uma interface de navegação redesenhada para iPad!

O WhatsApp está trazendo a mesma barra lateral do aplicativo para Mac para o iPad, facilitando a navegação dos usuários na interface em uma tela maior. A atualização também é compatível com Liquid Glass.

wabetainfo.com/whatsapp-is-ro…

A quem desejar que a conversa ocupe mais espaço da tela, será possível ocultar a barra lateral por meio de um botão localizado no canto superior direito da interface. Para exibi-la novamente, bastará tocar no botão da barra lateral na barra de guias superior, exibido quando a barra lateral é ocultada.

Por ora, a novidade está sendo testada com os usuários da versão beta do WhatsApp via atualização mais recente do TestFlight, além de alguns usuários da versão mais recente do aplicativo da App Store. É provável que não demore muito para que a funcionalidade chegue a todos os usuários.

Pré-visualização de miniaturas em conversas

Para os usuários de iOS, a Meta também implementou um recurso que já vinha sendo testado na versão de Android: a pré-visualização de mídias e figurinhas em uma miniatura exibida na própria seção de conversas.

Miniatura para mídia e figurinha na aba de Conversa do WhatsApp
Imagem: WABetaInfo

Até o momento, a única forma possível de pré-visualizar mídias e figurinhas no WhatsApp era segurando a conversa, caso contrário o aplicativo só fazia uma menção textual ao material enviado.

O recurso já foi disponibilizado para uma parcela dos usuários que instalaram a versão mais recente do WhatsApp na App Store.

via WABetaInfo [1, 2]

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