The sunspot AR3664, which is about 15 times wider than Earth, has finally rotated out of our planet’s view — but not before firing off two more big solar storms. The most recent solar flares from AR3664 were in the X class, the strongest category — an X3.4 monster that peaked today (May 15) at …
Huge, Solar Flare-Launching Sunspot Has Rotated Away From Earth. Read More »
Astronomers have discovered a new planetary oddball beyond the solar system that is as fluffy and light as cotton candy. The extrasolar planet or “exoplanet” named WASP-193 b is around 1.5 times the width of Jupiter but has just over a tenth of the solar system gas giant’s mass. This makes it the second-lightest planet …
Cotton Candy Exoplanet Is 2nd Lightest Planet Ever Found. Read More »
Does a levitating robot train on the moon sound far-fetched? NASA doesn’t seem to think so, as the agency has just greenlit further funding for a study looking into the concept. The project, called “Flexible Levitation on a Track” (FLOAT), has been moved to phase two of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program (NIAC) , which …
NASA Details Plan To Build A Levitating Robot Train On The Moon. Read More »
Ever have one of those nightmares where you forget your pencil, or some key item, before a big test? Astronauts flying to the moon face that situation in spades: Once everything is on the spacecraft and they’re on the way, there’s no way to add to or change anything on the Orion spacecraft. So the …
Artemis 2 Astronauts Simulated A Day In The Life On Their Moon Mission. Read More »
Blue Origin’s human-spaceflight drought will end this weekend, if all goes according to plan. Jeff Bezos‘ spaceflight company announced today (May 14) that it’s targeting Sunday (May 19) for its latest suborbital space tourism effort. The mission, known as NS-25, will lift off from Blue Origin’s West Texas site during a window that opens at …
Blue Origin Targeting May 19 For 1st Crewed Spaceflight Since 2022. Read More »
A small asteroid flew very close to Earth Tuesday morning (May 14), just two days after it was discovered by astronomers. The asteroid 2024 JN16 is less than 15 feet (4 meters) wide — about the size of a car. It did not hit Earth but came within a mere 11,500 miles (18,500 kilometers) of …
Car-Size Asteroid Gives Earth A Close Shave In Near-Miss Flyby. Read More »
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has spotted the elusive fifth moon of Jupiter transiting the giant planet’s Great Red Spot, giving astronomers a rare view of this small but intriguing natural satellite. Jupiter‘s most famous moons are its four Galilean satellites: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, each of which is several thousand kilometers wide. Jupiter’s fifth moon …
Jupiter’s Mysterious Moon Amalthea Spied Crossing The Great Red Spot. Read More »
On May 14, 1973, NASA launched Skylab, the first American space station. Skylab orbited Earth for six years and supported three crewed missions during which astronauts conducted hundreds of science experiments. Skylab was considered a success overall, but it got off to a pretty rocky start. It lifted off on a Saturn V rocket from …
On This Day in Space: May 14, 1973: NASA Launches Skylab Space Station. Read More »
NASA has appointed its first-ever chief artificial intelligence (AI) officer, a move designed to ensure that the agency keeps up with a vital and rapidly evolving field. That person is David Salvagnini, who was serving as NASA’s chief data officer. “Artificial intelligence has been safely used at NASA for decades, and as this technology expands, …
NASA Appoints 1st AI Chief To Keep Agency On ‘The Cutting Edge’. Read More »
SpaceX’s Starlink fleet survived solar storms over the weekend. Starlink broadband satellites, which number nearly 6,000 in orbit, all came through after intense solar activity sparked auroras and other signs of space weather across the world, including unusually far into the southern United States. “All Starlink satellites on-orbit weathered the geomagnetic storm and remain healthy,” …
SpaceX Starlink Satellites Doing Just fine After Weekend Solar Storm, Company Says. Read More »
