Mars is well-known for its dust storms, which occur every Martian year during summer in the southern hemisphere. Every three Martian years (five and a half Earth years), these storms grow so large that they are visible from Earth and will engulf the entire planet for months. These storms pose a significant threat to robotic missions, generating electrostatic charges that can interfere with their electronics or cause dust to build up on their solar panels, preventing them from drawing enough power to remain operational.
Space News & Blog Articles
Tune into the SpaceZE News Network to stay updated on industry news from around the world.
Sun erupts with powerful X1.2 solar flare, causes radio blackouts (photo)
The sun fired off an X1.2-class solar flare on Friday (Jan. 3), triggering radio blackouts throughout parts of the South Atlantic ocean, Africa and South America.
How to watch SpaceX launch its 1st Falcon 9 rocket of 2025 tonight
SpaceX is targeting Friday, Jan. 3 for its first Falcon 9 mission of 2025 as it launches the Thuraya 4 communications satellite from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
See and hear three years of solar fireworks
Video: 00:01:14
At the start of this new year, we look back at close-up pictures and solar flare data recorded by the ESA-led Solar Orbiter mission over the last three years. See and hear for yourself how the number of flares and their intensity increase, a clear sign of the Sun approaching the peak of the 11-year solar cycle.
Rare string of 'cosmic pearls' dance together in the universe
A rare group of aligned, star-birthing dwarf galaxies resemble a cosmic string of pearls.
Supercharged auroras possible this weekend as colossal 'hole' in the sun spews solar wind toward Earth
Aurora alert — a coronal hole is spewing fast solar wind toward Earth, potentially boosting geomagnetic activity and supercharging northern lights Jan. 4 to Jan. 5.
Can NASA's troubled Mars Sample Return mission be saved?
An independent review team is delivering a final report to NASA leadership to determine if the agency's Mars Sample Return mission is salvageable after facing scrutiny for its $11 billion budget.
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch Thuraya 4-NGS telecommunications satellite on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
A rendering of the Thuraya 4-NGS satellite on orbit. Graphic: Space42
SpaceX is preparing for its first Falcon 9 launch of 2025, which will launch a telecommunications satellite designed to serve regions in Africa, Central Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
India launches its first on-orbit docking demonstration in 5th and final launch of 2024
The Indian Space Research Organization’s PSLV-C60 rocket lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre to begin the SpaDeX mission. Image: ISRO
India made another important leap forward in its space program with the launch of its first on-orbit docking demonstration mission on Friday, Dec. 30.
Dead stars can celebrate 2 New Years every second with nearby cosmic fireworks
Celestial fireworks that erupt all year long but last a fraction of a second, fast radio bursts, may have traced them to the immediate surroundings of extreme and highly magnetic dead stars.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe beams home 1st detailed update after record-breaking approach to the sun
This New Year's Day, NASA's Parker Solar Probe added to the festive cheer by sending home its first detailed telemetry data soon after its record-breaking closest-ever approach to the sun.
Strap on a VR headset like a Facehugger with 'Alien: Rogue Incursion' — the 1st-ever 'Alien' VR game
"Alien: Rogue Incursion" virtual reality game for PSVR and and PCVR available now
Newly uncovered oxygen reaction could aid the search for alien life
A newly discovered way for oxygen to form in carbon-dioxide-rich atmospheres of exoplanets could help guide scientists' search for alien life.
Space debris crash in Kenya village believed to be from leftover rocket hardware
Kenya Space Agency officials report a large, “red-hot” metallic ring roughly 8 feet (2.5 meters) in diameter fell from the sky, crashing into Mukuku village.
Some black holes at the centers of galaxies have a buddy − but detecting these binary pairs isn’t easy
Some black holes at the centers of galaxies have a buddy − but detecting these binary pairs isn’t easy
Fall 2024 was Earth's warmest autumn ever
Fall 2024 makes history in the record books as the warmest on record in the past 130 years.
The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks tonight! Don't miss the 1st 'shooting stars' of 2025
The 2025 Quadrantid meteor shower peaks overnight on Jan. 3, and could produce between 60 to 120 meteors per hour.
James Webb telescope uncovers massive 'grand design' spiral galaxy in the early universe — and scientists can't explain how it got so big, so fast
Galaxies in the early universe tend to be clumpy, but the new JWST discovery of a "grand design" spiral galaxy just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang has scientists stumped.
'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew' episode 6: The crew and their spaceship reveal their true selves
Skeleton Crew's sixth episode splits the team apart ahead of their much-desired return to At Attin and a final confrontation with Jod.
Black holes can squash star formation, James Webb Space Telescope finds
"The Spiderweb protocluster is an ideal laboratory for investigating the relationship between black holes and star formation in detail."
Panasonic Leica Summilux DG 15mm f/1.7 ASPH review
The Panasonic Leica Summilux DG 15mm f/1.7 ASPH is a Micro Four Thirds prime lens offering an equivalent focal length of 30mm.
