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SPACE: Japan Copper Bombs an Asteroid

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A Japanese spacecraft deployed a heavy, explosive-packed copper plate toward the asteroid Ryugu in an attempt to create an artificial crater last night (April 4), but it’s still unclear how the dramatic operation went. The Hayabusa2 spacecraft, which has been studying the 3,000-foot-wide (900 meters) Ryugu up close since last June, released a 4.4-lb. (2 kilograms) hunk of copper late last night, along with a camera known as DCAM3 to record this “Small Carry-on Impactor” (SCI) operation. “The spacecraft state is normal and it was confirmed that the evacuation operation, the separation of the SCI and DCAM3 went as planned. The … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Hunter, by Dez Schwartz

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Hunter

QSFer Dez Schwartz has a new MM paranormal/vampire book out: Hunter. Dr. Grady Hunter has a vampire infestation on his hands in the town of Shady Pines, but he’s been deserted by those best suited to help. After enlisting Chris Reed, a techno-mage, they find the vampires might only be the tip of a deadly iceberg. Returning home from his dream travels, Ethan Roam is eager to experiment with his newly discovered powers. But Ethan isn’t the only familiar arrival in Grady’s life. As more reminders of his dark past crop up, Grady and Ethan are swept up in a … Read more

SPACE: Scientists Detect Starquakes On Distant Sun

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sun quakes - pixabay

A NASA space observatory called TESS has, for the first time, detected a planet orbiting a star with visible starquakes. That’s a big deal, both because it shows the capabilities of the newly active TESS planet-hunting satellite and because it allowed astronomers to precisely characterize a newfound “hot Saturn.” That exoplanet revealed itself to cameras on TESS (short for Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite). “This is the first bucketful of water from the fire hose of data we’re getting from TESS,” Steve Kawaler, a professor of astronomy at Iowa State University and co-author of a paper on the new research, said … Read more

Me me Monday!

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Welcome to M3: ME ME MONDAY at our FB discussion group – your chance to pop in and tell us about your latest success. Have a new book or short story coming out? Let us know. Just sell something? Let us know so we can cheer you on. HOW IT WORKS: I’ll pin this topic to the top of our FB discussion page for the day. –Please post your announcement as a separate post so we can comment on yours specifically –Check out the other posts and congratulate and share them too! And congratulations!!!

U=(N/T)M*G: Hexagon

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Floating cities. When I first saw the phrase, I was thinking something more space-like. Great, domed orbital platforms nestled in the yellowish hue of Venus’ atmosphere. Maybe serenely sitting above the great storms of Jupiter or Saturn. A way of living off in the middle distance of the future. These cities are reality on the cusp of fruition, but not in the clouds of our gas giants or even in orbit around our own planet. Think a little closer to the ground. Or water, as it were. A group of innovators have presented the U.N. Habitat Council with a plausible, … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: Winter Twilight, by Richard Amos

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QSFer Richard Amos has a new MM urban fantasy out in his Coldharbour Chronicles series: Winter Twilight. Everything hits the fan as the clock runs down… Jake Winter is dealing with revelations about the white eye guy, losing Dean to the thrall of Lilisian, as well as the loss of one of his powers. Add to the mix that he’s stuck in the beast realm, cut off from his guardians with some crazy beast priests wanting his head on a spike, and it’s enough to tear him apart.  But there is hope… An unexpected helping hand is offered from a … Read more

FOR READERS: Talk About Tolkien

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Tolkien 1916

FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Kari Trenten: Did you grow up reading Tolkien? Were you a hobbit (or an orc) before it was cool? let’s talk about our Tolkien memories, and our favorite works of his (and why). Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat

SPACE: The Raging Rivers of Mars

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Mars was wet, until suddenly it wasn’t. Scientists have long seen dry riverbeds slashed across the surface of Mars as evidence that water once flowed freely on the planet. And in 2012, NASA’s Curiosity space rover sent back images of smooth, round pebbles from the bottom of one such riverbed, their lack of rough edges evidence that water had once flowed over them. Now, a new study published today (March 27) in the journal Science Advances catalogs those rivers and reports that their waters likely flowed heavily well into the last epoch, before Mars entirely dried up. “It’s already hard … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: Chasing Fate, by Jacki James

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QSFer Jacki James has a new MM paranormal book out: Chasing Fate. It’s time to put away silly ideas about whether or not you should be an Alpha and accept that it was never up to you in the first place. You can’t protect what’s yours unless you claim it and take your rightful place. Chase Coleman is content with the life he’s made for himself as Sheriff of a sleepy little West Texas town. He might have walked away from his role as the Alpha apparent of his home pride but he didn’t regret making the choice to live as … Read more

#OWNVOICES: People of Color

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We’re starting a new thing on Saturdays on the QSF Facebook group – #ownvoices. Each week, we’ll feature a different group of writers who don’t get the attention they should. Today, we’re featuring authors who are people of color and who write similar characters. #ownvoices If you’re an author of color, tell us about yourself, your experiences author, and the books you write (especially those with similar characters – with links, please). If you’re not, you can still participate – share your favorite PoC authors and their works that include those characters. Note: This is NOT a chat to list … Read more