NASA"s SDO spots first lunar transit of 2021
On Jan. 13, 2021, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, experienced its first lunar transit of the year when the moon crossed its view of the sun. The transit lasted about 30 minutes, between 12:56 and 1:25 a.m. ET. During this time, the moon ha.....»»
"Flares" and "echoes" from the Milky Way"s monster black hole
Michigan State University researchers have made groundbreaking discoveries about the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. These findings, based on data from NASA's NuSTAR X-ray telescope, were presented at the 244th meeting.....»»
Landing on Pluto may only be a hop, skip and jump away
There are plenty of crazy ideas for missions in the space exploration community. Some are just better funded than others. One of the early pathways to funding the crazy ideas is NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts. In 2017 and again in 2021, it fu.....»»
As NASA watches Starship closely, here’s what the agency wants to see next
"What happens if I don't have a Human Landing System available to execute a mission?" Enlarge / The rocket for SpaceX's fourth full-scale Starship test flight awaits liftoff from Starbase, the company's private launch base in Sou.....»»
NASA"s asteroid sample mission gives scientists around the world the rare opportunity to study an artificial meteor
Earth is constantly bombarded by fragments of rock and ice, also known as meteoroids, from outer space. Most of the meteoroids are as tiny as grains of sand and small pebbles, and they completely burn up high in the atmosphere. You can see meteoroids.....»»
NASA’s next ISS spacewalk has an unusual objective
Most NASA spacewalks at the International Space Station are for upgrade or maintenance work, but the next one is a little unusual......»»
NASA watches Mars light up during epic solar storm
In addition to producing auroras, a recent extreme storm provided more detail on how much radiation future astronauts could encounter on the Red Planet......»»
Webb opens new window on supernova science
Peering deeply into the cosmos, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is giving scientists their first detailed glimpse of supernovae from a time when our universe was just a small fraction of its current age. A team using Webb data has identified 10 tim.....»»
Star cluster shines in new look from NASA"s Chandra
Westerlund 1 is the biggest and closest "super" star cluster to Earth. New data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, in combination with other NASA telescopes, is helping astronomers delve deeper into this galactic factory where stars are vigorousl.....»»
How the Webb and Gaia missions bring a new perspective on galaxy formation
The Webb and Gaia telescopes have unearthed the early building blocks of the Milky Way. Enlarge / NASA's James Webb Space Telescope reveals the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest star-forming region to Earth. In a.....»»
Starliner astronauts give first tour of the docked spacecraft
Two NASA astronauts have given space fans a tour of Boeing’s Starliner capsule currently docked at the International Space Station......»»
NASA considering an interstellar probe to study the heliosphere, the region of space influenced by the sun
The sun warms the Earth, making it habitable for people and animals. But that's not all it does, and it affects a much larger area of space. The heliosphere, the area of space influenced by the sun, is over a hundred times larger than the distance fr.....»»
NASA is commissioning 10 studies on Mars Sample Return—most are commercial
SpaceX will show NASA how Starship could one day return rock samples from Mars. Enlarge / An artist's concept of a Mars Ascent Vehicle orbiting the red planet. (credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) NASA announced Friday that it wil.....»»
As leaks on the space station worsen, there’s no clear plan to deal with them
"We heard that basically the program office had a runaway fire on their hands." Launched in 2000, the Zvezda Service Module provides living quarters and performs some life-support system functions. (credit: NASA) NASA an.....»»
New camera design can ID threats faster, using less memory
New system is a mix of traditional camera and one that only highlights changes. Enlarge (credit: Witthaya Prasongsin) Elon Musk, back in October 2021, tweeted that “humans drive with eyes and biological neural nets, so.....»»
Scientists record Earth"s radio waves from the Moon
On Feb. 22, a lunar lander named Odysseus touched down near the Moon's South Pole and popped out four antennas to record radio waves around the surface—a moment University of Colorado Boulder astrophysicist Jack Burns hails as the "dawn of radio as.....»»
Wildfire smoke reached 99% of US lakes in 2019–2021: Study introduces "lake-smoke day" metric
Where there's smoke, there's not necessarily fire. Wildfire smoke, sometimes drifting from hundreds of miles away, touched nearly every lake in North America for at least one day per year from 2019 to 2021, according to a study from the University of.....»»
NASA, global astronomers await rare nova explosion
Around the world this summer, professional and amateur astronomers alike will be fixed on one small constellation deep in the night sky. But it's not the seven stars of Corona Borealis, the "Northern Crown," that have sparked such fascination......»»
What"s the status of California"s drought as heat wave, wildfires sweep state?
As California's remaining dry spots shrink, weather experts warn that sweltering heat could slow progress......»»
On the space station, Band-Aid fixes for systemic problems
"We heard that basically the program office had a runaway fire on their hands." Launched in 2000, the Zvezda Service Module provides living quarters and performs some life support system functions. (credit: NASA) NASA an.....»»
After a drama-filled day, Boeing’s Starliner finally finds its way
"I think we’re missing something fundamental that’s going on inside the thrusters." Enlarge / Boeing's Starliner spacecraft approaches the International Space Station on Thursday. (credit: NASA TV) A little more than.....»»