Come along on a guided tour of the stars and planets that you’ll see overhead during October. Ponder the Moon’s whereabouts; spot four planets and a fast-moving comet, and watch for meteors shed by Halley’s Comet.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Perseverance Finds a Strange Black-and-White Striped Rock on Mars
The hits just keep on coming from the Mars Perseverance rover. It’s exploring Jezero Crater on the Red Planet, looking for evidence of microbial life in the planet’s ancient (or even recent) past. Recently it spotted a very strange-looking rock with black and white stripes. Its appearance and location sparked a lot of questions. Perseverance team members have named it “Freya Castle.”
The Milky Way's 2 biggest satellite galaxies are oddly lonely, study finds
The Milky Way's system of small, orbiting satellite galaxies is quite unusual, a new 12-year study of other galaxies in the local universe has found.
Was the Moon Captured?
The general consensus is that Theia crashed into Earth billions of years ago and led to the formation of the Moon. The story doesn’t end there though since there are a few lines of evidence to suggest the Moon could have been captured by the gravitational pull of the Earth instead. The orbit of the Moon is one such observation that leads to a different conclusion for it’s in-line with the plane of the ecliptic rather than the Earth’s equator. A team of researchers have suggested capture theory was the Moon’s origin.
The ESO Releases the Most Detailed Infrared Map of our Galaxy Ever Made
Despite decades of large-scale optical surveys, there are still mysteries about the Milky Way galaxy that astronomers are eager to resolve. This is particularly true of its internal structure and the core region, which is difficult to survey due to clouds of gas and dust in the interstellar medium (ISM). This material absorbs visible light, making fainter objects difficult to see in optical wavelengths. Luckily, advances in infrared astronomy have enabled surveys of the Milky Way that have revealed things that would otherwise remain invisible to us.
Heart tissues beat half as strongly on the ISS as they do on Earth
Using an "organ-on-a-chip" device, scientists have found that heart tissues beat half as strongly on the International Space Station as they do on Earth.
Stranded Astronauts To Get Their Ride Home
You might remember the story of the two astronauts on board the International Space Station that went for an 8 day mission, that was back in June 2024! Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been stranded there ever since but their ride home has just arrived at the ISS. A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov has just docked so that the two can join the Expedition 72 crew already on board. There are now 11 people on boar the ISS but the Crew-9 capsule will return in February carrying Wilmore and Williams finally back home.
Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' surprisingly adheres to the laws of physics, scientists find
The artist's work demonstrates an innate understanding of Kolmogorov's theory of turbulence.
ULA rolls Vulcan Centaur rocket to pad ahead of 2nd-ever launch (photos)
United Launch Alliance has rolled its second Vulcan Centaur rocket out to the pad ahead of launch, which is scheduled to take place on Friday (Oct. 4).
Find your way across countless young stars in this image of a faraway stellar nursery (image)
A new telescope image reveals in intricate detail a slice of a well-studied faraway stellar nursery.
What time is the annular solar eclipse on Oct. 2?
Here's what time the "ring of fire" annular solar eclipse on Oct. 2, 2024 will occur as well as the annular eclipse times and durations for locations in the path of annularity.
Solar eclipse livestream: Watch the annular eclipse online on Oct. 2
You can watch the annular solar eclipse live on Oct. 2 with this free livestream. Here's how.
Original full-size space shuttle mockup to be restored for Downey display
A full-size mockup of the space shuttle orbiter that was built as a contractor's showcase model before NASA decided on the spacecraft's final design is heading back on display in Downey, California.
Historic Amateur Observatory Destroyed in California Wildfires
The Clinton B. Ford Observatory, once used for variable star observations, has fallen to wildfires.
NASA's Chandra X-ray telescope sees streams of gas cross in distant galaxy cluster (image)
NASA's Chandra X-ray telescope detected two new streams of gas trailing behind a galaxy within a cluster called Zwicky 8338, creating a "chaotic landscape."
An October Annular Solar Eclipse Rounds Out 2024
A remote annular solar eclipse bookends the final eclipse season for 2024.
Supermassive black hole jets mysteriously ignite nova explosions, Hubble Telescope finds
Hubble Space Telescope observations suggest supermassive black hole jets double the frequency of nova explosions. But how?
ULA rolls its Vulcan rocket to the launch pad ahead of second test flight
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket made the one-third of a mile journey from its Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station late in the morning on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. The rocket will fly ULA’s second certification mission set to launch no earlier than Friday, Oct. 4. Image: Will Robinson-Smith/Spaceflight Now
United Launch Alliance returned to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 with its Vulcan rocket ahead of the vehicle’s second launch. ULA needs to successfully fly this second certification mission before it can begin launching national security payloads for the U.S. Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office.
ESA releases new strategy for Earth observation
ESA has released its new Earth Observation Science Strategy, Earth Science in Action for Tomorrow’s World. Responding to the escalating threats from climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and extreme weather and the need to take action to address these threats, this forward-looking strategy outlines a bold vision for Earth science through to 2040.
Why space archaeologists are finding more Mayan ruins than ever before (exclusive)
More Mayan sites have been found in the last 10 years than in the preceding 150. Here's how space technology is helping archaeologists uncover ancient ruins.
