Technologies

What’s life like in space? Astronauts share moving memories in new film

In the documentary The Wonderful: Stories from the Space Station, astronauts’ candid testimonials about going to space shed light on their humanity.

Millions of Americans stared in horror on Sept. 11, 2001, as their TVs flashed with images of hijacked airplanes crashing into New York’s Twin Towers. Former NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson watched from the International Space Station.

He recounts the despair he felt in orbit while looking down on Earth. The ISS’s cameras deftly located a seemingly peaceful, cloudless sky above North America and caught sight of the thick shrouds of smoke ascending from lower Manhattan. His distance from the planet made him conscious of his safety from the chaos, a safety that almost felt unfair to him. Later, Culbertson learned one of the American pilots on the attack’s painfully long list of victims was his friend.

Like the entire nation, Culbertson was abruptly reminded of what it means to feel human.

Culbertson’s story is just one of many intimate anecdotes told by international astronauts in the new documentary The Wonderful: Stories from the Space Station. It’s already out in theaters in New York and Los Angeles and will be available for digital download on Sept. 17 from services including Amazon Prime Video, iTunes and Google Play.

Director Clare Lewins, known for her 2014 documentary I Am Ali, about boxer Muhammad Ali, focuses her film on the quiet emotions and experiences that accompany space travel. She does this by drawing attention away from the cosmos and putting its explorers at the forefront.

The Wonderful isn’t really a movie about space; it’s a story about the people who upended their lives to go there.

The film is strung together with music ranging from Claire de Lune to rock ‘n’ roll, sometimes a bit of an odd choice, and cinematic sequences of cruising over Earth that are occasionally a bit longer than needed. However, the movie’s carried by minimalistic scenes of astronauts simply narrating their memories of journeying to and making the ISS their home.

Some are remarkable accounts of the grandeur of the station’s solar panels or the car-crash-like descent back to Earth. Others are charmingly banal recollections, such as listening to Coldplay in a space capsule.

Docking on the ISS elicited an «Oh my!» from European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforreti and Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut, actually felt like one when she first saw her reflection during a spacewalk.

Scott Kelly viscerally describes the Earth’s atmosphere as a contact lens placed on the planet, and recalls his surprise when he finally was invited to interview at NASA. Like anyone vying for a new job, he worries about which suit to wear.

You can’t help but notice that many of the astronauts share unifying pasts of peering up at the sky, believing they’d one day float among the stars. Admittedly somewhat cliche, their wide-eyed childhood dreams reminded me of how lovely it is that humans have repeated the desire to shoot for the moon frequently enough for it to become a hallmark of our culture.

Interviews are also interspersed with touching details about what it’s like for families to suddenly be separated by the clouds.

In a powerful statement, former astronaut Cady Coleman’s husband, Josh Simpson, discusses how he felt when his wife’s rocket climbed into the night sky until it became a speck of light in the darkness. «It’s amazing to think that someone that you love is that pinpoint of light,» he says.

Astronauts themselves are asked how it feels to leave behind fathers, wives, brothers, children and friends — unsure if it would be their last goodbye — as the iconic 10…9…8 countdown is chanted during their rocket’s launch.

But the pain of leaving behind one family is soon alleviated by their entrance into another. Cristoforreti calls the experience of finally setting foot in the ISS a «new birth.»

Particularly, because the film’s testimonials represent global institutions including NASA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Russia’s Roscosmos, the movie successfully underlines the ISS’s role in providing an apolitical oasis for adventurers of the world to embark on the same mission.

Despite any minor shortcomings, it’s nearly impossible to watch this movie and not feel inspired. It’s a grounded version of the classic, epic space documentary that illustrates how incredible things can be achieved by humans — who eat the same food as the rest of us, listen to the same music and love their families the same way.

Coleman’s son summarizes The Wonderful best when he chuckles and describes his reaction when his friends ask him what it’s like to have an astronaut mother: «Well, it’s just mom.»

Technologies

iOS 17 Cheat Sheet: Your Questions on the iPhone Update Answered

Here’s what you need to know about new features and upcoming updates for your iPhone.

Apple’s iOS 17 was released in September, shortly after the company held its Wonderlust event, where the tech giant announced the new iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. We put together this cheat sheet to help you learn about and use the new features in iOS 17. It’ll also help you keep track of the subsequent iOS 17 updates.

iOS 17 updates

Using iOS 17

Getting started with iOS 17

Make sure to check back periodically for more iOS 17 tips and how to use new features as Apple releases more updates.

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

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See all photos

Technologies

Get Ready for a Striking Aurora That Could Also Disrupt Radio Communications

Don’t expect the storm to cause a lingering problem, though.

A geomagnetic storm is threatening radio communications Monday night, but that doesn’t mean you should be concerned. In fact, it may be an opportunity to see a colorful aurora in the night sky.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a geomagnetic storm watch after witnessing a coronal mass ejection from the sun on Saturday. The watch, which was issued over the weekend and will expire after Monday, said the onset of the storm passing over Earth on Sunday night represented a «moderate» threat to communications. As the storm continues to pass through, it could deliver a «strong» threat on Monday night that could cause radio communications to be temporarily disrupted during the worst of it.

Even so, NOAA said, «the general public should not be concerned.»

A coronal mass ejection occurs when magnetic field and plasma mass are violently expelled from the sun’s corona, or the outermost portion of the sun’s atmosphere. In the vast majority of cases, the ejection occurs with no real threat to Earth. However, in the event the ejection happens in the planet’s direction, a geomagnetic storm occurs, and the Earth’s magnetic field is temporarily affected.

In most cases, geomagnetic storms cause little to no disruption on Earth, with radio communications and satellites affected most often. In extreme cases, a geomagnetic storm can cause significant and potentially life-threatening power outages — a prospect that, luckily, the planet hasn’t faced.

Switching poles

Every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic poles switch, with the north pole and south pole swapping positions. During those cycles, the sun’s activity ramps up as it gets closer to pole-switching time. The height of its activity is called solar maximum, and scientists believe we either may be entering the solar maximum or may be already in it.

During periods of heightened solar activity, sunspots increase on the sun and there’s an increase in coronal mass ejections, among other phenomena. According to NOAA, solar maximum could extend into October of this year before the sun’s activity calms and it works towards its less-active phase, solar minimum.

Even when geomagnetic storms hit Earth and disrupt communications, the effects are usually short-lived. Those most affected, including power grid operators and pilots and air traffic controllers communicating over long distances, have fail-safe technologies and backup communications to ensure operational continuity.

But geomagnetic storms aren’t only about radios. In most cases, they also present unique opportunities to see auroras in the night sky. When the storms hit, the plasma they carry creates a jaw-dropping aurora, illuminating the night sky with brilliant colors. Those auroras can be especially pronounced during the most intense phases of the storm, making for nice stargazing.

If you’re interested in seeing the aurora, you’ll need to be ready. The NOAA said the «brunt of the storm has passed» and even if it lingers into Tuesday, there won’t be much to see after Monday night.

Technologies

Last Total Solar Eclipse for 20 Years Is Coming: How to See and Photograph It

It’s your last chance until 2044.

Get your eclipse glasses ready, Skygazers: the Great American Eclipse is on its way. On April 8, there’ll be a total eclipse over North America, the last one until 2044.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun and turning an otherwise sunny day to darkness for a short period of time. Depending on the angle at which you’re viewing the eclipse, you may see the sun completely shrouded by the moon (called totality) or some variation of it. The more off-angle you are and the further you are from the path of the eclipse, the less likely you’ll be to see the totality.

The 2024 total solar eclipse will happen on Monday, April 8. The Great American Eclipse will reach the Mexican Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT (2:07 p.m. ET), and then traverse the US in a northeasterly direction from Texas to Maine, and on into easternmost Canada. If you want a good look at it, but don’t live in the path of totality, you shouldn’t wait much longer to book accommodation and travel to a spot on the path.

Or how about booking a seat in the sky? Delta Airlines made headlines for offering a flight that allows you to see the entire path of totality. Its first eclipse flight, from Austin, Texas, to Detroit sold out quickly. But as of Monday, Delta has added a second flight from Dallas to Detroit, which also covers the path of totality. The airline also has five flights that will offer prime eclipse viewing.

Not everyone can get on one of those elusive eclipse-viewing flights. Here’s a look at other options to nab a chance to see this rare sight and what to know about it.

Total solar eclipse path

The eclipse will cross over the Pacific coast of Mexico and head northeast over mainland Mexico. The eclipse will then make its way over San Antonio at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET on April 8 and move through Texas, over the southeastern part of Oklahoma and northern Arkansas by 2:50 p.m. ET.

By 3 p.m. ET, the eclipse will be over southern Illinois, and just 5 minutes later, will be traveling over Indianapolis. Folks in northwestern Ohio will be treated to the eclipse by 3:15 p.m. ET, and it will then travel over Lake Erie and Buffalo, New York, by 3:20 p.m. ET. Over the next 10 minutes, the eclipse will be seen over northern New York state, then over Vermont. By 3:35 p.m. ET, the eclipse will work its way into Canada and off the Eastern coast of North America.

Best places to watch the Great American Eclipse

When evaluating the best places to watch this year’s total eclipse, you’ll first want to determine where you’ll have the best angle to see the totality. The farther off-angle you are — in other words, the farther north or south of the eclipse’s path — the less of an impact you can expect.

Therefore, if you want to have the best chance of experiencing the eclipse, you’ll want to be in its path. As of this writing, most of the cities in the eclipse’s path have some hotel availability, but recent reports have suggested that rooms are booking up. And as more rooms are booked, prices are going up.

So if you want to be in the eclipse’s path, and need a hotel to do it, move fast. And Delta’s eclipse-viewing flight from Dallas to Detroit has just four seats left at the time of publication.

Eclipse eye safety and photography

As with any solar eclipse, it’s critical you keep eye safety in mind.

During the eclipse, and especially during the periods before and after totality, don’t look directly at the sun without special eye protection. Also, be sure not to look at the sun through a camera (including the camera on your phone), binoculars, a telescope or any other viewing device. This could cause serious eye injury. Sunglasses aren’t enough to protect your eyes from damage.

If you want to view the eclipse, you’ll instead need solar viewing glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Anything that doesn’t meet that standard or greater won’t be dark enough to protect your eyes. Want to get them for free? If you’ve got a Warby Parker eyeglasses store nearby, the company is giving away free, ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses at all of its stores from April 1 until the eclipse, while supplies last.

If you don’t have eclipse viewing glasses handy, you can instead use indirect methods for viewing the eclipse, like a pinhole projector.

Read more: A Photographer’s Adventure With the Eclipse

In the event you want to take pictures of the eclipse, attach a certified solar filter to your camera. Doing so will protect your eyes and allow you to take photos while you view the eclipse through your lens.

There’s also a new app to help you both protect your eyes and take better photos of the eclipse on your phone. Solar Snap, designed by a former Hubble Space Telescope astronomer, comes with a Solar Snap camera filter that attaches to the back of an iPhone or Android phone, along with solar eclipse glasses for protecting your eyesight during the event. After you attach the filter to your phone, you can use the free Solar Snap Eclipse app to zoom in on the eclipse, adjust exposure and other camera settings, and ultimately take better shots of the eclipse.

2024 eclipse compared to 2017

The last total solar eclipse occurred in 2017, and many Americans had a great view. Although there are plenty of similarities between the 2017 total solar eclipse and the one coming April 8, there are a handful of differences. Mainly, the 2024 eclipse is going to cover more land and last longer.

The 2017 eclipse started over the northwest US and moved southeast. Additionally, that eclipse’s path was up to 71 miles wide, compared with a maximum width of 122 miles for this year’s eclipse. Perhaps most importantly, the moon completely covered the sun for just 2 minutes, 40 seconds in 2017. This year, maximum totality will last for nearly four-and-a-half minutes.