In 1783, Louis-Sbastian Lenormand climbed to the top of an observatory tower in Montpellier, France, leaned over the edge, and jumped. An astonished crowd watched as he fell to the ground with the aid of a new contraption called the parachute and landed unhurt.
Tag Archives: observatory
Astronomy fans left disappointed after much-touted lunar impact
Stone circle suggests Stonehenge was part of funeral route
Stonehenge, an enigma to visitors and scientists alike for many years, may be less of a mystery after an “incredible” discovery announced to the world this week. Archaeologists have unearthed a new stone circle near Stonehenge that lends credence to the theory that the famous prehistoric monument in Britain was part of a funeral complex.
First rocky planet found outside solar system
‘Giga Galaxy Zoom’ offers tour of Milky Way
The name is already taken, but “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” might be a fitting title for a new interactive view of the Milky Way unveiled this week by the European Southern Observatory. The 800-million-pixel panorama shows an edge-on view of the plane of our galaxy, complete with points of interests such as the 12-billion-year-old, star-packed globular cluster Omega Centauri and the beautiful, reddish Rosette Nebula.