On Saturday (Sept. 23) at 2:50 a.m. EDT (0650 GMT), autumn begins astronomically in the Northern Hemisphere, and spring starts in the South.
Space News & Blog Articles
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This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 22 – October 1
The bright Moon steps east night by night under Altair, then Saturn, then the Great Square of Pegasus. Meanwhile, Deneb replaces Vega as the zenith star; welcome to fall.
Earth from Space: Scorched Rhodes
Image: This summer, Europe experienced a relentless heatwave, fuelling wildfires in several countries. This Copernicus Sentinel-1 image shows the burn scars left by fires on the Greek island of Rhodes.
Solar Sails Could Reach Mars in Just 26 Days
A recent study submitted to Acta Astronautica explores the potential for using aerographite solar sails for traveling to Mars and interstellar space, which could dramatically reduce both the time and fuel required for such missions. This study comes while ongoing research into the use of solar sails is being conducted by a plethora of organizations along with the successful LightSail2 mission by The Planetary Society, and holds the potential to develop faster and more efficient propulsion systems for long-term space missions.
FAA proposes rule to reduce space junk in Earth orbit
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a rule that would limit the amount of time that rockets' upper stages stay in orbit.
We need a better way to map Earth's magnetic field. Finding it could win 1 of these teams $2 million
Three teams have progressed through to the final round of the MagQuest Challenge to design a better way of measuring the shifts in the geomagnetic field.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover is Setting Records on Mars
NASA’s Perseverance Rover has been exploring Mars for more than 900 sols. It’s the most scientifically advanced rover ever built and has opened our eyes wider to Mars and the possibility that it hosted life. The rover’s crowning achievement is preparing samples for eventual return to Earth, an important next step in understanding Mars.
Chinese launch startup's rocket fails during satellite launch
The Chinese launch company Galactic Energy suffered its first failure on Thursday (Sept. 21), resulting in the loss of a remote-sensing satellite.
This 3D Simulation of a Supernova Needed 5 Million Hours of Supercomputing
When the largest stars in the Universe run out of fuel, they detonate as supernovae, collapsing inward and leaving behind a neutron star, black hole, or just wholly vaporizing. What’s happening inside the unfolding explosion is difficult to understand, and especially so for so-called exotic supernovae, the rarest and brightest types of stellar explosions.
Blink-182's Tom DeLonge directs new UFO conspiracy flick 'Monsters of California' (video)
Screen Media Films has released a new trailer for Tom DeLonge's UFO conspiracy film 'Monsters of California.'
Close call! 2 huge pieces of space debris had a near-miss in Earth orbit
Two big pieces of space junk almost slammed into each other in low Earth orbit, highlighting the need to clear up space close to home.
Don't panic if you see balloons hovering during America's two upcoming solar eclipses
During the two upcoming solar eclipses, the National Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) will be livestreaming and doing science above 99.5% of the atmosphere.
Webb finds carbon source on surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa
Jupiter’s moon Europa is one of a handful of worlds in our Solar System that could potentially harbour conditions suitable for life. Previous research has shown that beneath its water-ice crust lies a salty ocean of liquid water with a rocky seafloor. However, planetary scientists had not confirmed whether or not that ocean contained the chemicals needed for life, particularly carbon.
OSIRIS-REx probe spotted returning asteroid sample to Earth (photo)
A ground-based telescope in the Canary Islands snapped a photo of NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe on Sept. 16, eight days before its asteroid sample lands on Earth.
New Horizon Prize in Physics awarded to scientists chasing mysterious black hole photon spheres
Alexandru Lupsasca and Michael Johnson won the physics prize for their work on photon spheres — weird rings of light around black holes that may reveal a theory of quantum gravity.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return needs an awesome soundtrack. Here's how you can submit your favorite songs
NASA's first asteroid sample will return to Earth next week, and you can help create the soundtrack for the spacecraft's epic touchdown.
Hypothetical 'dark photons' could shed light on mysterious dark matter
These massive particles could shed light on dark matter by revealing how this mysterious substance interacts with "normal" matter.
Who will get OSIRIS-REx's asteroid samples after they land this weekend?
NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe is set to deliver its bounty of asteroid samples to Earth on Sunday (Sept. 24). What is the ultimate fate of this space-rock stuff?
Tom Hanks returns to the moon with 'The Moonwalkers,' a new visual experience
What do you get when you combine the firm that made the Washington Monument into a Saturn V, the imagery of 'Apollo Remastered' and the actor who made 'Houston, we have a problem' a household phrase?
We Can't See the First Stars Yet, but We Can See Their Direct Descendants
If you take a Universe worth of hydrogen and helium, and let it stew for about 13 billion years, you get us. We are the descendants of the primeval elements. We are the cast-off dust of the first stars, and many generations of stars after that. So our search for the first stars of the cosmos is a search for our own history. While we haven’t captured the light of those first stars, some of their direct children may be in our own galaxy.
Artemis 2 astronaut crew suits up for moon launch dress rehearsal (photos, video)
The Artemis 2 crew did a launch day simulation on Sept. 20 for their 2024 moon mission. Seven key ground tests are planned by NASA in the coming months.
