When Camilla Parker Bowles, The Duchess Of Cornwall, Visited Abu Dhabi In 2016, She Was The First Member

There’s a biological reason why we can’t resist puppy dog eyes. Sustained eye contact significantly raises oxytocin levels in both humans and dogs, which encourages love, trust, and bonding. This response isn’t even found in hand- raised wolves, which suggests humans and dogs may have co-evolved to share this trait in order to be companions. Source Source 2 Source 3

According to his biographer, 24-year-old Abraham Lincoln had to settle a financial dispute by betting a gambler he could lift a barrel of whiskey off the floor and hold it while taking a ‘drink out of the bunghole.’ If he lost, the gambler got a fur hat; if he won, the gambler got nothing. So Abe dropped to a squat, lifted the barrel to his mouth, performed a reverse keg-stand, and won the bet. Source

If a person has experienced just one episode of depression in their lifetime, there’s a 50% chance they will have a second. If that happens, they become 80% more likely to endure it a third time. Source

Dumbbell Nebula

js

Uranus was almost named ‘George.’ Source Source 2 Source 3

Stephen Hawking says humans have 1,000 years to leave Earth

Famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has  grim news for humanity: We have 1,000 years to get off Earth or we’re totally screwed. The 74-year-old  delivered a speech on Tuesday at the Oxford Union in which he said “I don’t think we will survive another 1,000 years without escaping beyond our fragile planet.” He believes it will become impossible for us to keep living here.

follow @the-future-now

Solar System: Things to Know This Week

Our solar system is huge, let us break it down for you. Here are a few things to know this week:

1. Juno Eyes on Jupiter

After a journey of more than five years, the Juno spacecraft is ready for its detailed look at Jupiter—arrival date: July 4. Using Eyes on the Solar System and data from the Juno flight team, you can take a virtual ride onboard the spacecraft in the “Eyes on Juno” simulation.

2. Taking a Spacecraft for a Spin

Preparations for the launch of the OSIRIS-REx asteroid mission are spinning up, literally. Here, the spacecraft can be seen rotating on a spin table during a weight and center of gravity verification test at our Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff is scheduled for Sept. 8. This spacecraft will travel to a near-Earth asteroid called Bennu and bring a small sample back to Earth for study.

3. Long-Range (Or at Least Long-Distance) Weather Report

Our Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquires a global view of the red planet and its weather every day. Last week, dust storms continued along the south polar ice cap edge. Northern portions of Sirenum, Solis, and Noachis also experienced some local dust-lifting activity. A large dust storm propagated eastward over the plains of Arcadia at the beginning of the week, but subsided just a few days later over Acidalia.

4. Hello from the Dark Side

The New Horizons spacecraft took this stunning image of Pluto only a few minutes after closest approach in July 2015, with the sun on the other side of Pluto. Sunlight filters through Pluto’s complex atmospheric haze layers. Looking back at Pluto with images like this gives New Horizons scientists information about Pluto’s hazes and surface properties that they can’t get from images taken on approach.

5. A Titanic Encounter

On June 7, our Cassini orbiter will fly very close by Saturn’s giant, haze-shrouded moon Titan. Among the targets of its observations will be the edge of the vortex that swirls in Titan’s thick atmosphere near its south pole.

Want to learn more? Read our full list of the 10 things to know this week about the solar system HERE. 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

NGC 6888: The Crescent Nebula by Michael Miller, Jimmy Walker