Monday, November 24, 2025
On this date in 1639, the first recorded observation of a transit of Venus was observed. Venus transits occur when the planet passes in front of the Sun when viewed from Earth. Transits of Venus are rare on a human time scale as they come in pairs separated by eight years, followed by spans of over 121 and 105 years, respectively.
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
On this date in 1960, the first atomic reactor for research and development began operation at Richland, Washington. The plant was built to determine the suitability of plutonium as a reactor fuel. There was a need to recycle plutonium resulting from weapons production. Plutonium would go on to be used as a power source in deep space missions, including the Voyager space probes.
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
On this date in 1965, France would launch its first Satellite, Astrix-1. France became only the third country in space, joining the United States and the Soviet Union.
Thursday, November 27, 2025
On this date in 2005, the Japanese probe Hayabusa grazed the surface of the asteroid Itokawa, retrieving material to return to Earth for study. Tiny grains of asteroidal material were returned to Earth aboard the spacecraft in June of 2010.
Friday, November 28, 2025
On this date in 1967, the first pulsar was detected by Jocelyn Bell working at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory in Cambridge, England. Pulsars are neutron stars with exceedingly rapid spins creating regular radio pulses.
Saturday, November 29, 2025
On this date in 1962, the British Aircraft Corporation and French airline company, Sud Aviation, agreed to jointly design and manufacture a 100-seat supersonic passenger airliner that would become the Concorde. Within the decade, the first Concorde broke the sound barrier on October 1, 1969. Passenger flights began on January 21, 1976, making the Concorde the first and only commercial aircraft capable of supersonic speeds.
Sunday, November 30, 2025
Today, the planet Mars reaches apogee. Apogee is furthest point in a planet’s orbit from the Sun. Mars will next return to perigee – its closest point to the Sun – in February 2027.
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