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Space News & Blog Articles
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Astronomers Finally Find a Second Asteroid in Earth’s Trojan Belt
Earth has a new companion. Asteroid 2020 XL5, a newly discovered kilometer-wide carbonaceous space rock, has been discovered at Earth’s L4 Lagrange point – a place where the gravitational forces of Earth and the Sun balance out, creating a stable point in which objects can become trapped. A new paper published this week in Nature Communications confirms that 2020 XL5 will be stuck at L4 for at least another 4000 years, shepherded silently through the Solar System by the gravitational tug of our home planet.
Photos: SpaceX launches Italian COSMO-SkyMed radar satellite
A spectacular launch from Cape Canaveral just after sunset Monday delivered to orbit Italy’s second satellite in a new generation of COSMO-SkyMed radar remote sensing spacecraft. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket put on a memorable sky show over Florida’s Space Coast during its climb into space and return to Earth.
'The Book of Boba Fett' chapter 5 is an incredible episode of 'The Mandalorian'
We'd hoped Boba Fett would've had a deeper story rather than simply serve to set up the third season of "The Mandalorian."
SpaceX set to launch top secret spy payload from California
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket sits horizontal at Space Launch Complex 4-East on Tuesday ahead of a mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. Credit: Brian Sandoval / Spaceflight Now
A classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office is closed up in the nose cone of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for liftoff Wednesday from California’s Central Coast, debuting a brand new booster that will land back near the launch site for reuse on another national security mission later this year.
A Chinese Space Tug Just Grappled a Dead Satellite
A Chinese satellite pulled a defunct navigation satellite out of the way of other satellites on January 22nd. The satellite, called SJ-21, appeared to operate as a space tug when it grappled onto the navigation satellite from the Chinese CompassG2 network. The operation details didn’t come from Chinese authorities but a report by ExoAnalytic Solutions, a commercial space monitoring company.
Powerful solar flare from recent sun eruption should reach Earth Wednesday
A powerful solar flare has been traveling through space and it will arrive at planet Earth Wednesday (Feb. 2).
New Milky Way mosaic reveals nearly 1,000 strange 'filaments' at the heart of our galaxy
A detailed new telescope image of the heart of our galaxy is now giving researchers their best view yet of hundreds of strange magnetic filaments seen nowhere else.
Mars rover Perseverance collects new sample after clearing pebble clog
NASA's Mars rover Perseverance has snagged a sample to replace the material that got stuck in its throat.
SpaceX's next Starlink mission may fly Wednesday, setting up rocket launch doubleheader
SpaceX appears to be targeting Wednesday (Feb. 2) to fly its next batch of Starlink satellites, setting up what could be a coast-to-coast launch doubleheader.
Space shuttle Challenger and the disaster that changed NASA forever
Space shuttle Challenger exploded just 73 seconds after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986, changing NASA's space program forever.
China’s Rover Finds That Regolith on the Moon’s far-Side is Stickier Than the Near-Side
We’re never able to see the far side of the moon from the Earth, but that doesn’t mean it’s that different. Recently rovers and satellites have started exploring the lesser-known side of the moon. They found a slightly different geology than that discovered on the near side, which might have implications for navigating the far side in the future.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope turns on cameras to look at first star target
Spacecraft controllers started powering up James Webb Space Telescope's four cutting-edge instruments as they prepare to take test images of the first star.
Earth has an extra moon, a Trojan asteroid that will hang around for 4,000 years
In 2020, astronomers thought they'd found something incredible: the second so-called Earth Trojan asteroid ever seen. Now, a new team of researchers has confirmed that it's real.
Astronomers Lined up Under an Asteroid’s Shadow to Measure its Size Precisely
Astronomers will go to great lengths for science. Recently, dozens of astronomers had the misfortune of traveling to one of the most tempting locales in the southwestern US – Las Vegas. But they weren’t there for the city’s bright lights – they were there to observe a very dim light of a star thousands of light-years away. And what they specifically wanted to see was the light from that star blink out for a few seconds. That lack of light provided the exact kind of data they needed to help them determine the size of Eurybates, one of the Trojan asteroids that will be the focal point of NASA’s Lucy mission.
Newly discovered asteroid just second of its kind
You may have heard of the Trojans, two vast swarms of asteroids that lead and trail Jupiter on its orbit around the Sun.
How many galaxies are there?
Astronomers say there are 100 billion to 200 billion galaxies in the universe. But accurately counting the number of galaxies depends on several factors.
Lunar New Year 2022 roars in with celebratory Google doodle
Today (Feb. 1) marks a new moon and the first day of a new lunar year.
Apply now for the 2022 YGT opportunities!
The 2022 ESA YGT opportunities are now open for applications. Positions are available in engineering, science, IT and business services. Find out more and apply now.
Looking four-ward to launch
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ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti is all smiles alongside her Crew-4 mates during a training session at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, USA.
Tim Russ: Actor, Director, and Amateur Astronomer
Tim Russ is best known for his role as Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager, but his affinity for space goes further than that — he's an amateur astronomer, too.
