Space News & Blog Articles

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When is the next solar eclipse?

It'll be about six months before skywatchers are treated to another solar eclipse — during which only part of the sun will be obscured from view.

How to watch ULA's 2nd-ever Vulcan Centaur rocket launch on Oct. 4

United Launch Alliance is set to launch the second test flight of its Vulcan Centaur rocket on Friday morning (Oct. 4), and you can watch the action live online.

Curiosity Mars rover's wheels are more battered than ever — but they still work

The latest photo of Curiosity's wheels shows new — but not debilitating — damage.

Could a New Sungrazer Comet Put on a Show at the End of October?

Could this be the next great comet? To be sure, these words have been said lots of times before. In a clockwork sky, how comets will perform is always the great wildcard. Comets from Kohoutek to ISON have failed to live up to expectations, while others like W3 Lovejoy took us all by surprise. But a discovery this past weekend has message boards abuzz, as an incoming sungrazer could put on a show right around Halloween.

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Gravitational Lens Confirms the Hubble Tension

We’ve known the Universe is expanding for a long time. The first solid paper demonstrating cosmic expansion was published by Edwin Hubble in 1929, based on observations made by Vesto Slipher, Milton Humason, and Henrietta Leavitt. Because of this, the rate of cosmic expansion is known as the Hubble constant, or Hubble parameter, H0. From this parameter, you can calculate things such as the age of the Universe since the Big Bang, so knowing the value of H0 is central to our understanding of modern cosmology.

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Can you see Earth's new 'mini-moon' with the naked eye?

On Sunday, Sept. 29, Earth captured a new "mini-moon" called 2024 PT5. The bus-size asteroid is expected to orbit our planet for 57 days, but is too small to be visible to amateur skywatchers.

BepiColombo spacecraft's flyby of Mercury begins unraveling the planet's magnetic mystery

The secrets of Mercury's strange magnetic bubble are gradually being unlocked by the BepiColombo spacecraft as it makes its rapid flybys of the world.

Biggest solar flare since 2017 erupts from sun and Earth is in the firing line (video)

On Oct. 3, the sun released the most powerful solar flare this solar cycle, a colossal X9.05 eruption — and it's heading for Earth.

In photos: Annular solar eclipse 2024 delights with stunning 'ring of fire' display

On Oct. 2, an annular solar eclipse turned the sun into an impressive "ring of fire." Here are some of the best photos of the dramatic display.

First moonwalker Neil Armstrong's speech notes posted online by Purdue

Neil Armstrong is perhaps best known for saying 12 words on July 20, 1969: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." But there's more to his record, as his alma mater can attest.

Top 'safety risk' for the ISS is a leak that has been ongoing for 5 years, NASA audit finds

The ISS has been dealing with a leak in its Russian segment since 2019. As NASA and Roscosmos work to solve it, a new report says the leak is a primary 'safety risk' to operations.

Aurora alert: Possible geomagnetic storm could spark northern lights as far south as Illinois and Oregon tonight

Aurora chasers are on high alert for possible geomagnetic storm conditions Oct.3 through Oct. 5 with northern lights possible as far south as Illinois and Oregon.

Sentinel-2 unveils the seasonal rhythm of intertidal seagrass

Thanks to an ESA-funded project and data from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, researchers have revealed seasonal variations in intertidal seagrass across Western Europe and North Africa. As a key indicator of biodiversity, these new findings offer valuable insights for the conservation and restoration of these vital ecosystems.

Mercury’s magnetic landscape mapped in 30 minutes

As BepiColombo sped past Mercury during its June 2023 flyby, it encountered a variety of features in the tiny planet’s magnetic field. These measurements provide a tantalising taste of the mysteries that the mission is set to investigate when it arrives in orbit around the Solar System’s innermost planet.

No place too remote: Enabling satellite connectivity from Pole to Pole

To achieve truly global connectivity, telecommunications satellites are essential. Through the Sunrise Partnership Project with Eutelsat OneWeb – part of Eutelsat Group – and support from the UK Space Agency, ESA is extending advanced 5G connectivity to areas beyond the reach of traditional ground networks.

Jets From Supermassive Black Holes Create New Stars Along Their Trajectory

Since the 1970s, astronomers have observed that supermassive black holes (SMBHs) reside at the centers of most massive galaxies. In some cases, these black holes accelerate gas and dust from their poles, forming relativistic jets that can extend for thousands of light-years. Using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, a team of astronomers observed the jet emanating from the center of M87, the supermassive galaxy located 53.5 million light-years away. To their surprise, the team observed nova erupting along the jet’s trajectory, twice as many as they observed in M87 itself.

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Annular solar eclipse 2024 wows skywatchers with 'ring of fire' over Easter Island & South America (videos, photos)

On Wednesday (Oct. 2), an annular eclipse swept over the Pacific Ocean, Chile, and Argentina, wowing skywatchers who were on hand to catch the "ring of fire" in all of its glory.

ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket is 'go' for 2nd-ever launch on Oct. 4

United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan Centaur rocket is 'go' for its second-ever liftoff, a test flight scheduled to launch on Friday morning (Oct. 4).

NASA Turns Off One of Voyager 2's Science Instruments

The two Voyager spacecraft have been speeding through space since 1977, powered by decaying chunks of plutonium that produce less and less energy every year. With less electricity available, NASA has decided to shut down one experiment on Voyager 2, the plasma science instrument. This device measures the quantity and direction of ionized particles passing the spacecraft. While Voyager 2 still has enough electricity to support its four other operational instruments, it will likely be down to just one by the 2030s.

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Sun unleashes monster X7.1 flare that could supercharge Earth auroras (video)

Just when we thought the sun was taking a bit of a break, the sunspot AR3842 fired off two powerful solar flares, including a monster X7.1.


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