Star Trek: Into Darkness. PG. 2Hr 3 min.
The first movie, Star Trek, was released in 2009, and was well received by devoted Trekkies and newcomers. The sequel makes the drama and action bigger, while returning to what Star Trek is really all about: going boldly where no one has ever gone before.

It begins with a chase scene in which Captain Kirk and Bones are leading an indigenous population away from a volcano while Spock is rendering it inactive from within.

The film retains this intensity throughout, as it follows the Enterprise crew’s encounters with a rouge star fleet member. There are space battles and crashes in abundance. It is all visually stunning, and worth the 3D experience.

There is enough Star Trek lore to fuel more films, and a sequel is inevitable. If you are looking for something to see in theatres, this is the one.

Morry, Alicia. "Star Trek: Into Darkness lives up to the legacy." The Muse.com.
     N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2013.

Three planets will provide a celestial display starting this weekend when they begin moving into alignment:  Venus, Jupiter and Mercury, are shining in the western twilight sky, clustered closely. By June 5 they will be in a line.

The planets can be seen just above the horizon shortly after sunset.

Triple conjunctions are rare. The last one was in May 2011 and the next one will not occur until October 2015.

Venus and Jupiter shine so brightly that you might mistake them for one or two approaching airplanes with their landing lights turned on. On Sunday, Mercury forms the top of the triangle. Venus and Mercury will continue to climb higher into the evening sky, while Jupiter drops toward the sun.

Rivera, MIchael, ed. "Planetary alignment to draw eyes skyward this weekend."
     The Monitor. N.p., 24 May 2013. Web. 26 May 2013.

Asteroid Nine Times Larger Than Cruise Ship to Sail Past Earth

On May 31, 2013, asteroid 1998 QE2 will sail serenely past Earth, getting no closer than about 3.6 million miles (5.8 million kilometers), or about 15 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.

Asteroid 1998 QE2 was discovered August 19, 1998, by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  The asteroid, which is about 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) in size, was named by the NASA-supported Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Radar images from the Goldstone antenna could resolve features on the asteroid as small as 12 feet (3.75 meters) across, even from 4 million miles (6 million km) away.

“It is tremendously exciting to see detailed images of this asteroid for the first time.” Moreover, there are many more people involved in researching and understanding the nature of asteroids and comets, including those that come close to Earth plus those who are trying to find and track them in the first place.

In 2016, NASA will launch a robotic probe to one of the most potentially hazardous of the known NEOs. Aside from monitoring potential threats, the study of asteroids and comets enables a valuable opportunity to learn more about the origins of our solar system, the source of water on Earth, and even the origin of organic molecules that lead to the development of life.

NASA. "Asteroid 1998 QE2 to Sail Past Earth Nine Times Larger Than Cruise Ship."
     Nasa.gov. N.p., 25 May 2013. Web. 15 May 2013.