The moon will meet up with Mercury, the solar system's smallest planet and the closest to the sun, in the evening sky on Wednesday, May 17.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Axiom Space's Ax-2: What to know about the 2nd private astronaut mission to the space station
Here's what you need to know about the four-person Ax-2 mission to the International Space Station, which is scheduled to launch on May 21.
Origami heat shield: reusable for reentries
Image: Origami heat shield: reusable for reentries
Astronomers Want Your Help to Identify Risky Asteroids
You, too, can be an asteroid hunter — thanks to a citizen-science project launched by the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. And you might even get a scientific citation.
New Photos from NASA's Perseverance and Juno
NASA spacecraft are constantly sending back images from across the solar system. Here are two that caught our eye.
It’s Time to Figure Out How to Land Large Spacecraft Safely on Other Worlds
One of the most iconic events in history is Apollo 11 landing on the lunar surface. During the descent, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin are heard relaying commands and data back and forth to mission control across 385,000 kilometers (240,000 miles) of outer space as the lunar module “Eagle” slowly inched its way into the history books.
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight CubeSat mission ends before entering orbit around moon
This screenshot from NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System 3D visualization tool shows Lunar Flashlight making its close approach with Earth late on May 16. The CubeSat was expected to pass about 40,000 miles (65,000 kilometers) from our planet’s surface over Brazil’s east coast on May 17.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s small Lunar Flashlight spacecraft, sent to the moon last year to search for water ice deposits at the moon’s south pole, will not be able to complete its science mission after a problem with the probe’s propulsion system.
Meet the 4 astronauts of SpaceX's Ax-2 mission for Axiom Space
The second all-private mission to the International Space Station by Axiom Space will launch no earlier than May 21. Learn more about the 4 crew members on board.
Seismic Waves Help Map the Core of Mars for the First Time
More than a hundred years after geologists first observed how seismic waves traveled through Earth, they’ve achieved another seismic first. This time, they measured “core-transiting seismic waves” moving through Mars. The InSight lander’s seismic instrument tracked shockwaves generated by an earthquake and an impact event. Their behavior revealed for the first time that Mars very likely has a liquid core. It’s made of a single blob of molten iron alloy.
Ax-2 private astronauts can't wait for their May 21 SpaceX launch to the space station
The four astronauts of the upcoming Ax-2 mission are eager to leave Earth and head for the International Space Station.
The Moon has a Solid Core Like the Earth
Some fifty years ago, the Apollo Program sent the first astronauts to the Moon. In addition to the many science experiments they conducted on the surface, the Apollo astronauts brought back samples of lunar rock for analysis. The Soviet Luna program sent several robotic missions to the Moon around the same time that conducted sample-return missions. The examination of these rocks revealed a great deal about the composition of the Moon and led to new theories about the formation and evolution of the Earth-Moon system.
Titanic cosmic bubbles blown by the Milky Way are surprisingly complex
The eRosita bubbles of hot gas that extend 36,000 light-years out from our Milky Way galaxy are more complex than previously thought, a new study reveals.
Astronomers Find a “Red Nova”: A Main-Sequence Star Just Eating its Planet
Back in 2020 astronomers observed a Red Nova, which while enormously powerful, is on the low side of energetic events in the universe. Now an astronomer has studied the event in close detail and has come to the conclusion that we have just witnessed a star destroying its own planet.
Private servicing mission could extend life of NASA's Chandra space telescope
As space companies target possible servicing missions to the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, the long-running Chandra observatory is also on the list for a tune-up.
Twitter is still vital for the space community. A former NASA astronaut explains why
Twitter provides an important platform for science communicators, but many in the scientific community have expressed misgivings about remaining on the platform.
Halley's Comet
Halley's Comet, also known as Comet Halley, is one of the most famous comets in our solar system. It is named after the astronomer Edmond Halley, who calculated its orbit and accurately predicted its return. Here are some key facts about Halley's Comet:
See Jupiter hide behind the moon during a lunar occultation early on May 17
Early in the morning on Wednesday, May 17, gas giant Jupiter and its four bright Galilean moons will pass behind a very thin crescent moon.
Galactic Black Hole Winds Blow Up to a Third the Speed of Light. The Impact on Their Galaxies is Impressive.
They are known as ultra-fast outflows (UFOs), powerful space winds emitted by the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at the center of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) – aka. “quasars.” These winds (with a fun name!) move close to the speed of light (relativistic speeds) and regulate the behavior of SMBHs during their active phase. These gas emissions are believed to fuel the process of star formation in galaxies but are not yet well understood. Astronomers are interested in learning more about them to improve our understanding of what governs galactic evolution.
Cosmic monsters found lurking at heart of ancient star clusters by the James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope has shown that supermassive stars may lurk at the heart of globular clusters born shortly after the Big Bang.
New Clues to the Formation of Globular Clusters: Their Ultramassive Stars
Globular clusters are odd beasts. They aren’t galaxies, but like galaxies, they are a gravitationally bound collection of stars. They can contain millions of stars densely packed together, and they are old. Really old. They likely formed when the universe was only about 400 million years old. But the details of their origins are still unclear.
First Vulcan rocket rolls back to hangar for ‘adjustments’ prior to test-firing
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket rolls out to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral on May 11. Credit: United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance’s first Vulcan rocket was filled with methane and liquid oxygen propellants at Cape Canaveral last week for a tanking test, but managers decided to move the rocket back inside a hangar for a few adjustments before proceeding with an engine test-firing.
