Joe Palka
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
By some estimates, the population declined by 97%.
Sightings of blue whales remain rare.
The researchers could only confirm 12 sightings off the coasts of Namibia and South Africa between 1964 and 2025.
But most occurred since 2012, seeming to confirm predictions that whales are slowly returning to the waters of the southern Atlantic.
Similar increases were seen for sightings of fin whales, another endangered species.
The telescope has the working title of the Habitable Worlds Observatory.
As the name suggests, the goal is to make measurements of planets that might, possibly, harbor some form of life.
To do that, aerospace engineers will need to develop some new technologies.
For example, sun shields that can block the light from the stars around which the distant planets rotate, and cameras that can be pointed precisely for long periods of time so they can capture the faint light from these distant objects.
Scientists will also have to decide what types of signals will convince them that a planet orbiting another star might actually harbor life.
Assuming all the technical hurdles can be overcome, launch of the habitable world's observatory is likely more than a decade away.
The telescope has the working title of the Habitable Worlds Observatory.
As the name suggests, the goal is to make measurements of planets that might, possibly, harbor some form of life.
To do that, aerospace engineers will need to develop some new technologies.
For example, sunshields that can block the light from the stars around which the distant planets rotate
and cameras that can be pointed precisely for long periods of time so they can capture the faint light from these distant objects.
Scientists will also have to decide what types of signals will convince them that a planet orbiting another star might actually harbor life.
Assuming all the technical hurdles can be overcome, launch of the habitable world's observatory is likely more than a decade away.