Copernical Team
NASA's Juno Mission Captures Dynamic Cloud Patterns on Jupiter
During its 61st close flyby of Jupiter on May 12, 2024, NASA's Juno spacecraft captured a stunning color-enhanced view of the giant planet's northern hemisphere. This detailed image showcases the chaotic clouds and cyclonic storms in an area scientists refer to as a folded filamentary region. In these zones, the zonal jets responsible for Jupiter's banded cloud patterns break down, resulting in
ISS Crew Engages in Varied Research and Maintenance Tasks
Throughout the past week, the International Space Station (ISS) crew engaged in a range of scientific research, maintenance activities, and personal time, illustrating the diverse operations required to maintain and utilize the orbital laboratory. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, part of Boeing's Crew Flight Test, dedicated significant time to advancing space agriculture. T
China Successfully Launches Gaofen 11E Remote-Sensing Satellite
China launched a remote-sensing satellite on Friday morning to fulfill several tasks, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's leading space contractor. The State-owned conglomerate said in a news release that the Gaofen 11E was carried by a Long March 4B rocket that lifted off at 11:03 am at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in North China's Shanxi province
ESA Reports on Growing Space Debris and Mitigation Efforts
Our planet is surrounded by spacecraft conducting crucial activities, from climate research to providing global communication and navigation services, and facilitating significant scientific inquiries. However, these orbits are becoming increasingly congested with defunct satellites and rocket remnants, posing a severe threat to future space operations. In 2002, the Inter-Agency Space Debr
New Method to Accurately Predict Solar Storms to Protect Earth's Technology
Space storms could soon be forecasted with greater accuracy thanks to significant advancements in predicting when a violent solar eruption may impact Earth. Scientists have developed a method to determine the exact speed of a coronal mass ejection (CME) and predict its impact on Earth before it fully erupts from the Sun. CMEs, which are bursts of gas and magnetic fields from the solar atmo
Washington DC and Milwaukee Among US Cities Most at Risk from Space Weather
Several cities in the United States, including the nation's capital, have power grids particularly vulnerable to space weather, according to new research. However, the reasons for this susceptibility remain unclear. The British Geological Survey (BGS) conducted a study revealing that some US regions are more prone to the impacts of geomagnetic storms. These storms are caused by solar flare
Moon fests, moon movie and even a full moon mark 55th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing
The cosmos is providing a full moon for the 55th anniversary of the first lunar landing this weekend, and plenty of other events honor Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's giant leap.
Aldrin, 94, the last surviving member of the Apollo 11 crew, headlines a gala at the San Diego Air and Space Museum on Saturday night. He'll be joined by astronaut Charlie Duke, who was the voice inside Mission Control for the July 20, 1969 moon landing.
Museum President Jim Kidrick couldn't resist throwing a bash "55 years to the day of one of the most historic moments in not only the history of America, but in the history of the world.
Lunar infrastructure could be protected by autonomously building a rock wall
Lunar exploration equipment at any future lunar base is in danger from debris blasted toward it by subsequent lunar landers. This danger isn't just theoretical—Surveyor III was a lander during the Apollo era that was damaged by Apollo 12's descent rocket and returned to Earth for closer examination.
Plenty of ideas have been put forward to limit this risk, and we've reported on many of them, from constructing landing pads out of melted regolith to 3D printing a blast shield out of available materials.
Week in images: 15-19 July 2024
Week in images: 15-19 July 2024
Discover our week through the lens