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Science Space

All articles tagged with #science space

science-space18 days ago•212 min saved

Moon reveals largest fresh crater spotted by orbiting LRO

Using data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists identified McGetchin crater on the Moon—about 728 feet wide and 141 feet deep, formed by a 2024 impact between April 11 and May 22. The crater, the largest newly formed crater observed in the solar system since humans began monitoring such features, was confirmed with high‑resolution imagery and a cooler surrounding area detected by the Diviner instrument, highlighting ongoing lunar impact activity and informing future Artemis‑era planning.

via CNN|

#diviner-instrument #lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter #mcgetchin-crater

science-space24 days ago•213 min saved

US reveals space-based weapons deployed in orbit to defend forces

US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the United States has on-orbit space control weapons deployed to defend the joint force, but offered no details or deployment timeline. The admission signals a more assertive space-defense posture amid concerns about China and Russia’s space capabilities, with the Outer Space Treaty banning nuclear weapons in space but not conventional space weapons. The story also references Trump’s Space Force-era ambitions and a planned 2028 missile-defense test, noting ongoing discussion about space-based weapons and related programs without specifics.

via CNN|

#defense #electromagnetic-pulse #on-orbit-weapons

science-space1 month ago•202 min saved

Sturgeon Moon Meets Near-Total Lunar Eclipse: How to Watch This Week

August’s full sturgeon moon will align with a near-total partial lunar eclipse, with Earth’s shadow covering about 96% of the Moon. The eclipse begins at 10:34 p.m. ET Thursday and peaks around 12:13 a.m. ET Friday, while the full Moon reaches its maximum at 12:18 a.m. ET. Observers across North and South America can see most or all of it, and viewing is safe without any equipment, though the Moon’s color may be muted since only part of it is in Earth’s umbra. The sturgeon Moon name comes from Native American/North American traditions. The article also notes there are four more full moons in 2026.

via CNN|

#astronomy #full-moon #lunar-eclipse

science-space1 month ago•203 min saved

Rescue attempt for NASA's Swift observatory ends in failure

NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, in orbit for nearly 22 years, is steadily losing altitude and is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere later this year. A companion LINK satellite launched to boost Swift could not complete the rescue due to ongoing attitude-control issues, delaying rendezvous and preventing a higher orbit, with NASA and its partner reframing the mission as a demonstration for future in-space servicing while other observatories fill the observational gap.

via CNN|

#link-satellite #nasa #reentry

science-space1 month ago•11 min saved

Huygens’ Titan touchdown reveals snow-like ground and a data-driven reconstruction

After a billion-kilometre journey aboard Cassini, the Huygens probe touched down on Titan in 2005 with a gentle contact, denting the surface about 12 cm, then bouncing, sliding roughly 30–40 cm, and wobbling five times over about 10 seconds. No outside camera captured the moment, so researchers rebuilt the sequence from the probe’s instruments, computer simulations, and a ground drop test. The result suggests Titan’s surface acts like snow frozen on top: firm under light pressure but yielding under heavier pressure, with a small plume of dry organic dust hinting at a long dry interval with no recent methane/ethane rain.

via Space Daily|

#cassini #huygens #planetary-science

science-space2 months ago•210 min saved

Mapping the Path of Totality: Solar Eclipse Maps Point the Way

A CNN Science/Space article explains how eclipse cartographers map the path of totality for the August 12, 2026 solar eclipse. EclipseAtlas founder Michael Zeiler uses centuries of observations and high-precision modeling—including the saros cycle and Delta T corrections—to predict where the Moon’s shadow will fall, helping observers choose optimal viewing spots, sometimes at the edge of totality to catch phenomena like Baily’s Beads. Totality will be visible from Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain and northeastern Portugal, with partial views across Europe, Africa and North America; timings vary (Reykjavík ~1:48, León ~2:28). Maps and resources like Time and Date aid planning, and the piece notes that continued refinements in measurements keep eclipse predictions advancing toward kilometer-scale accuracy, with next total eclipses in 2027 and 2044 anticipated for observers.

via CNN|

#astronomy #eclipse-maps #nasa

science-space2 months ago•17 min saved

Seven-Billion-Year-Old Stardust Grain Sheds Light on Galactic History

A silicon carbide grain embedded in the 1969 Murchison meteorite fell in Victoria and has been dated to about seven billion years old, indicating it condensed in the outflow of a dying star before the Sun formed. The age is an exposure-based neon-21 clock, not the meteorite’s age, and represents one of the oldest solid materials on Earth, pointing to a burst of star formation in the Milky Way around seven billion years ago. Recent Bennu samples also contain presolar grains, confirming interstellar stardust survives to become part of solar system bodies. The method carries uncertainties and is not yet a galaxy‑wide consensus.

via Space Daily|

#astronomy #meteoritics #neon-21-dating

science-space2 months ago•11 min saved

Asteroid Apophis to skim by Earth in 2029 as NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX trails to study gravity’s effect

In April 2029, asteroid 99942 Apophis will pass about 32,000 km above Earth — closer than geostationary satellites — and NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX will watch from afar and then trail the asteroid to map how Earth’s gravity changes its orbit, rotation and surface. The mission will use cameras, spectrometers and a laser altimeter to characterize Apophis’s shape and composition, with a close ground-proximity pass later used to study surface changes, while Earth provides a well-understood gravitational test for a potentially hazardous, rubble-pile body.

via Space Daily|

#2029-flyby #apophis #asteroid-science

science-space2 months ago•203 min saved

Sun’s surface whirlpools revealed by ultra-high-resolution telescope

Using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope near Maui, scientists captured the Sun’s visible surface in unprecedented detail, revealing Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities—tiny swirling vortices along magnetic boundaries—that could explain why the Sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona) is hotter than its surface and how magnetic energy is built, released and transported to drive solar flares and coronal mass ejections. The observations align with advanced simulations and may improve space-weather forecasting that affects satellites and power grids.

via CNN|

#coronal-heating #inouye-solar-telescope #kelvin-helmholtz-instability

science-space2 months ago•198 min saved

SpaceX upper stage set for Moon impact, NASA observers plan to watch

A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage carrying two lunar landers is on a collision course with the Moon, expected to strike near Einstein Crater around 2:35 a.m. ET. NASA and independent astronomers confirm the trajectory; there is no danger to Earth. The impact should create a crater about 65–90 feet (20–30 meters) in diameter and may be visible only through telescopes, with the Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter and NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter aiming to image the site afterward. Scientists hope to gain insights into the lunar surface and debris behavior, informing future Artemis-era missions and lunar-debris mitigation strategies.

via CNN|

#einstein-crater #falcon-9 #moon

science-space2 months ago•12 min saved

Seeing Earth Whole: The Astronaut Mindshift Behind the Overview Effect

Earthrise (1968) and the later Blue Marble helped people see Earth as a finite, borderless world; astronauts report a persistent 'overview effect'—a mindshift toward seeing Earth as a fragile, connected system and feeling protective toward it. The evidence is largely anecdotal; researchers are only beginning to measure it, with VR and awe studies offering early hints, and whether it will spread to the public remains an open question.

via Space Daily|

#apollo-8 #astronaut-experience #earthrise

science-space2 months ago•194 min saved

Buck Moon Lights Up July Skies With Wednesday Peak

July’s buck moon rises in the east and peaks at 10:36 a.m. ET on Wednesday, offering skywatchers a chance to view a bright full Moon from dark, clear skies; the Moon may appear reddish due to smoke from Canadian wildfires, Indigenous groups have different traditional names for it, and the event echoes the ongoing connection to space exploration and NASA’s Artemis II mission.

via CNN|

#astronomy #buck-moon #full-moon

science-space2 months ago•12 min saved

Ocean Worlds Grow: Subsurface Seas Likely Beneath More Outer Solar System Moons

A growing body of evidence suggests several outer‑solar‑system moons—Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Enceladus and Titan among the strongest cases—may harbor global oceans beneath ice, inferred from magnetic, gravitational and geological signals. Mimas, Triton and some Uranian moons remain plausible additions. Archived mission data continue to yield insights, and future missions like Europa Clipper and ESA’s Juice will further test these ocean models, even as not every frozen moon is expected to host liquid water.

via Space Daily|

#enceladus #europa #ocean-worlds

science-space2 months ago•10 min saved

Titan Wider Than Mercury, Second‑Largest Moon After Ganymede

Saturn’s moon Titan, about 5,150 km across, is wider than Mercury and is the Solar System’s second-biggest moon after Jupiter’s Ganymede, though its mass is only about 40% of Mercury’s due to its icy composition. Titan also boasts a thick nitrogen atmosphere and stable surface liquids (methane/ethane) with Earth-like features such as rivers and lakes, highlighting how size and nature can diverge: a world that looks planet-like but remains a moon. The distinction is orbital, not dimensional, and missions like Cassini–Huygens and the future Dragonfly continue to study Titan’s unique geology and weather.

via Space Daily|

#atmosphere #ganymede #mercury

science-space2 months ago•11 min saved

Time Slows to a Standstill at Black Hole Edges, Then Crosses the Horizon

Black holes warp time as well as space: near the event horizon, a distant observer sees infalling matter slow and freeze at the edge due to gravitational time dilation, while the object itself experiences finite proper time to cross the horizon. This freezing is a coordinate effect, not a literal halt in the falling object’s reality. Gravitational time dilation has been measured on Earth and in GPS systems, confirming relativity beyond black holes. Observations like the Event Horizon Telescope and LIGO support horizon physics but do not show a literal frozen image, and quantum-gravity effects (e.g., Hawking radiation) remain unobserved and unresolved.

via Space Daily|

#black-hole #event-horizon #general-relativity