Columbia MD (SPX) Sep 18, 2022
Twisted magnetic fields around binary systems can reveal how the stellar system came together. Circumbinary planets - planets that orbit around two stars, like the fictional Star Wars planet Tatooine and its two suns - exist in the Universe, and are sometimes referred to as Tatooine planets. Systems in which two stars rotate around each other, called binary star systems, are incredibly com

Exeter UK (SPX) Sep 18, 2022
The quest to uncover intricacies of the atmospheres of faraway planets has reached an important milestone. An international team, including astrophysicists from the University of Exeter, is taking lessons and techniques learned from Earth climate science to pave the way to robustly model atmospheres of planets orbiting distant stars, aiding in the search for potentially habitable exoplanet

Tempe AZ (SPX) Sep 18, 2022
Our sun is surrounded by multi-million-degree plasma called the corona, beautifully visible during a total solar eclipse. About once a day, a magnetic explosion on the sun will send a chunk of the corona hurtling into interplanetary space. This is called a coronal mass ejection (CME) and scientists believe that this almost certainly happens on other stars. Average CMEs will produce a

Washington DC (SPX) Sep 18, 2022
NASA is seeking proposals for sustainable lunar lander development and demonstration as the agency works toward a regular cadence of Moon landings. Through Artemis missions, NASA is preparing to return humans to the Moon, including the first woman and first person of color, for long-term scientific discovery and exploration. Under the solicitation, Human Landing System Sustaining Lunar Dev

The ozone layer in our upper atmosphere protects Earth from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation. The use of human-produced chemicals in our atmosphere used for many years depleted Earth’s ozone layer. However, the reduction in the consumption of ozone-depleting substances driven by the Montreal Protocol – an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer – has allowed for the ozone hole to slowly recover. This global agreement demonstrates the power of international commitment and immediate global action in protecting our environment.

ESA has been involved in monitoring the ozone for over two decades. Today, 16 September, marks

Washington (AFP) Sept 15, 2022
Discovered by Galileo 400 years ago, the rings of Saturn are about the most striking thing astronomers with small telescopes can spot in our solar system. But even today, experts cannot agree on how or when they formed. A new study published Thursday in the prestigious journal Science sets out to provide a convincing answer. Between 100-200 million years ago, an icy moon they named C

Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 16, 2022
As Dr. Abigail Fraeman noted a couple weeks ago, Curiosity is navigating through terrain that is difficult to traverse. At the start of today's planning cycle, Curiosity's operations team received data that informed us that our previously planned drive came up short, only completing 36 cm of a planned ~7 m drive. Curiosity remained surrounded by a mix of large rocks and sand, neither of wh

Washington DC (UPI) Sep 15, 2021
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has collected four rock samples since July from the planet's surface, in an area the agency considers a top prospect for finding signs of ancient microbial life, the agency said Thursday. The samples come from the rim of an ancient river delta in Red Planet's Jezero Crater. "We picked the Jezero Crater for Perseverance to explore because we thought

Washington DC (UPI) Sep 15, 2021
Sky watchers in Alaska were treated to both a dramatic green Aurora and a group of Space X Starlink satellites. Space.com posted a video Thursday of the striking display, which Alaska aurora tour guide Ronn Murray saw during an aurora tour this month. "We saw this while taking some guests out on our aurora tour," Murray said. "It was really beautiful." A trail of Starlink

Long Beach CA (SPX) Sep 16, 2022
Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) has delivered its 30th mission and 150th satellite to orbit following its latest successful Electron launch earlier Thursday. "The Owl Spreads Its Wings" dedicated mission for Japanese Earth-observation company Synspective launched on the Electron rocket from Pad B at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 at 20:38 UTC, September 15, 2022. The mission successf