Munich, Germany (SPX) Aug 25, 2023
Using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have observed a large dark spot in Neptune's atmosphere, with an unexpected smaller bright spot adjacent to it. This is the first time a dark spot on the planet has ever been observed with a telescope on Earth. These occasional features in the blue background of Neptune's atmosphere are a mystery to astronomers, and the new results provide furt

Moffet Field CA (SPX) Aug 25, 2023
NASA is working with its international partners to study the ancient Earth as it relates to Mars. In June 2023, NASA's Mars Exploration Program leaders joined their counterparts from the Australian Space Agency, ESA (European Space Agency), and the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) on a field expedition to visit some of the oldest convincing ev

Atlanta GA (SPX) Aug 25, 2023
India made history as the first country to land near the south pole of the Moon with its Chandrayaan-3 lander on Aug. 23, 2023. This also makes it the first country to land on the Moon since China in 2020. India is one of several countries - including the U.S. with its Artemis program - endeavoring to land on the Moon. The south pole of the Moon is of particular interest, as its surface, m

Bremen, Germany (SPX) Aug 25, 2023
Hera is complete. ESA's asteroid mission for planetary defence was built and prepared in two halves, but now, through a painstaking operation, they have been mated together to make a single spacecraft, ready for full-scale testing of its readiness for space. The mating took place at OHB Bremen in Germany, with Hera's Core Module raised more than 3 m above its Propulsion Module then gradual

New Delhi (AFP) Aug 26, 2023
India's budget Moon landing is a model for other countries aspiring to develop their own space programmes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday while praising the scientists behind the successful mission. Chandrayaan-3 - "Mooncraft" in Sanskrit - touched down on the lunar surface on Wednesday, making India the first nation to land an unmanned craft near the largely unexplored lunar s

Paris (AFP) Aug 27, 2023
Silicon Valley's favourite philosophy, longtermism, has helped to frame the debate on artificial intelligence around the idea of human extinction. But increasingly vocal critics are warning that the philosophy is dangerous, and the obsession with extinction distracts from real problems associated with AI like data theft and biased algorithms. Author Emile Torres, a former longtermist tur

Space Coast FL (SPX) Aug 26, 2023
Four astronauts from four different countries and agencies soared into orbit early Friday morning from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft named Endurance atop a Falcon 9 rocket, kicking off a roughly 29-hour journey to the orbiting lab. The four-person crew took off from the historic Launch Pad 39A (LC-39A) at KSC at 3:27 a.m. EDT (0727 UTC) Satu

Confirmed by the World Meteorological Organization, July 2023 was the hottest month on record, with high-impact weather continuing through August. These records are based on air temperatures, but measurements of the temperature of Earth’s surface taken from space are also essential to tracking the impact of climate change, and to being better prepared for such extremes – especially when it comes to cities where stifling urban heat islands form.

The ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has discovered a multitude of tiny jets of material escaping from the Sun’s outer atmosphere. Each jet lasts between 20 and 100 seconds, and expels plasma at around 100 km/s. These jets could be the long-sought-after source of the solar wind.

Image: Proba-3: seeing in the dark