While many of us were celebrating the end of 2023 and the coming of 2024, the Sun was having its own celebration blasting an X5.0 flare from sunspot region 3536. Records show this to be the most powerful flare seen since 10 September 2017 when an X8.2 flare erupted. The flare is expected to arrive around Jan 2 – EEK that’s today! Get your aurora watching kit out!
Space News & Blog Articles
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Simulation Perfectly Matches What We See When Neutron Stars Collide
There are many mysteries in the world of astronomy and a fair number relate to the processes during the end of the life of a super massive star. Throw in the complexity of collisions and you have a real head scratching problem on your hands. In 2017 colliding neutron stars were detected and the data has allowed a new simulation to be tested with predictions beautifully matching observation.
You’ll Need all the Internet to Download the Full Resolution of this New Running Chicken Nebula Image
Over 6,000 light-years from Earth, an open star cluster and its nebula cover a swathe of sky over 270 light-years across. It’s called the Running Chicken Nebula, and it’s more than just one object. The Running Chicken Nebula, also called IC 2944, also contains IC 2948, the brightest part of the Chicken, as well as several Bok Globules and smaller nebulae. The bright star Lambda Centauri is near the visual center of the Chicken but is actually much closer to Earth.
Lego announces new space-themed kits for 2024 including Mars base, rockets and rovers
Lego is blasting off into 2024 with a slew of new space-related sets that for the first time span several of its most popular themes.
NASA Juno spacecraft reveals Jupiter's moon Io like never before in spectacular new images
On Dec. 30, 2023, NASA's Juno spacecraft came closer to the volcanic moon Io than any other mission has in 20 years. In the process, Juno was able to grab some incredible images.
Coronal mass ejection from colossal New Year's Eve solar flare will strike Earth today
A coronal mass ejection from an X-5 class flare that erupted on New Year's Eve, the strongest flare of solar cycle 25, will likely trigger geomagnetic storms when it hits Earth today (Jan. 2).
Where will the most crowded places be for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024?
With millions of people flocking to see the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, we take a look at some of the predicted most crowded places.
A bizarre speed-demon star has winds powering a cloud of gas called 'Potaroo'
Astronomers have discovered a new gas cloud created by winds blown from a rapidly spinning neutron star, naming it "Potoroo" after a small Australian marsupial.
A spacecraft at Mars watched a dust storm lift tons of grains in a short time
The United Arab Emirates' Hope spacecraft spotted a lot of dust moving around on Mars after a regional storm in January 2022.
NASA and Russia will keep launching each other's astronauts to ISS until 2025: report
The International Space Station will continue to see launching crews mixed with American and Russian astronauts, according to media reports based on a Roscosmos press release.
Face to face with Sun-eclipsing Proba-3
Through exquisite, millimetre-scale, formation flying, the dual satellites making up ESA’s Proba-3 will accomplish what was previously a space mission impossible: cast a precisely held shadow from one platform to the other, in the process blocking out the fiery Sun to observe its ghostly surrounding atmosphere on a prolonged basis.
ESA’s Tiny Pinhole Thruster is Ready for Production.
Rocket propulsion technology has progressed leaps and bounds since the first weaponised rockets of the Chinese and Mongolian empires. They were nothing more than rocket powered arrows and spears but they set the foundations for our exploration of space. Liquid propellant, ion engines and solar sails have all hit the headlines as we strive for more efficient methods of travel but a team has taken the next leap with a palm sized thruster system that could boost future tiny space craft across the gulf of space.
Quadrantid meteor shower 2024: The year's 1st meteor shower blazes over North America on Jan. 3
Up to 120 shooting stars per hour could be visible during a brief peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower — the year's first meteor shower, coming to North America Jan. 3 and 4.
India Launches New X-Ray Satellite
ISROs XPoSat will unlock the secrets of the X-ray universe.
Artemis 2 moon astronaut says his 1st space launch will feel epic
Canadian Space Agency Artemis 2 astronaut Jeremy Hansen has never been in space before. But he is getting ready for his 1st launch on NASA's Space Launch System in 2024.
Earth's intense gravity may rip space rocks apart, reducing the risk of 'planet killer' asteroids
Earth and other terrestrial planets probably use their gravitational forces to tear apart asteroids ― but this creates more streams of smaller asteroids.
Total solar eclipse April 2024: 10 of the biggest cities within in the path of totality
Over 31 million people in North America will experience a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Here we have listed 10 of the biggest cities in the path of totality.
January Podcast: A Busy Start to 2024
If you’ve resolved to do more stargazing in the New Year, then 2024 will start you off with a bang! As told in this month’s Sky Tour astronomy podcast, you can look forward to some excellent celestial events.
India set to kick off 2024 orbital launch year with X-ray observatory mission
A PSLV-DL rocket stands tall at the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India. The rocket will launch the PSLV-C58 mission on Jan. 1, 2024 locally. Image: ISRO
The orbital launch calendar is set to begin just hours into the first day of 2024 based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). At 0340 UTC (9:10 a.m. IST or 10:40 p.m. EST on Dec. 31), a rocket will liftoff from India to begin what will likely be another record-breaking global launch year.
How a Small Town in Japan Fiercely Defends its Dark Skies
Light pollution ruins dark skies. It’s a scourge that ground-based observatories have to deal with in one form or another. Scientists used a small observatory in Japan to measure what changed when a nearby town improved its lighting practices. They also noted the challenges it still faces.
How Many Planets Could Be in the Kuiper Belt?
A recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters investigates the potential existence of Mars-sized free-floating planets (FFPs)—also known as rogue planets, starless planets, and wandering planets—that could have been captured by our Sun’s gravity long ago and orbit in the outer solar system approximately 1,400 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun. For context, the farthest known planetary body in the solar system is Pluto, which orbits approximately 39 AU from the Sun, and is also part of the Kuiper Belt, which scientists estimate extends as far out as 1,000 AU from the Sun.
