When the core of an aging massive star collapses, the outpouring of energy creates one of the brightest events in the universe. (If the Sun could go supernova, it would […] The post Super-Bright Supernovae Are Magnetar Birth Cries appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreTelescopes Team Up for New View of Cat’s Eye Nebula
ESA/Hubble & NASA, ESA Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA/Q1-2025, J.-C. Cuillandre & E. Bertin (CEA Paris-Saclay), Z. Tsvetanov This March 3, 2026, image combines views from ESA’s (European Space Agency) Euclid and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to feature one of the most visually intricate remnants of a dying star: the Cat’s Eye Nebula, also known as NGC 6543. This extraordinary planetary nebula lies 4,400 light-years away in the constellation Draco and has captivated astronomers for decades with its elaborate and multilayered structure. See what this observation reveals about this planetary nebula. Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA,…
Read MoreThe Solar Cycle Leaves Its Fingerprint on the Sun’s Interior
Astronomers have used 40 years’ worth of data to peer inside the Sun, revealing that the solar cycle can leave a distinct fingerprint beneath the visible surface. The post The Solar Cycle Leaves Its Fingerprint on the Sun’s Interior appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreCuriosity Blog, Sols 4825-4831: Exploring the Borderlands
Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4825-4831: Exploring the Borderlands NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image of a pitted vertical rock face dubbed “Timboy Chaco,” using its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), located on the turret at…
Read MoreA Most Unusual Lake
Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory A Most Unusual Lake Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search February 16, 2026 Scientists estimate that Earth is home to more than 100 million…
Read MoreAsteroid Didymos’s Heliocentric Orbit Altered by Impact on its Moon
Dozens on amateur astronomers helped measure the minuscule difference in Didymos’s trajectory around the Sun, after NASA’s DART mission impacted its moon. The post Asteroid Didymos's Heliocentric Orbit Altered by Impact on its Moon appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreCOPV Damage Tolerance Life Demonstration Guidelines
This article is from the 2025 Technical Update. The NESC has invested significant time and resources to better understand composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV) performance and more importantly, how these complex, high-pressure storage systems can fail. These vessels, which store high pressure propulsion and life-support system fluids on launch vehicles and spacecraft, are ubiquitous at NASA, and failures have the potential to be catastrophic. This year the NESC finalized work on a set of guidelines intended for use by NASA civil servants and support contractors in their development or assessment of damage-tolerance demonstration data…
Read MoreA Technical Resource for the Agency
This article is from the 2025 Technical Update. The NESC’s Thermal Control & Protection Technical Discipline Team (TDT) is a resource providing subject matter expertise in active and passive thermal control as well as ascent and entry thermal protection across the spectrum of agency needs. TDT members led or supported a variety of key activities including the ongoing Artemis I heat shield char loss investigation, assessing viable thermal control fluids as replacements for those being phased out due to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), conducting Commercial Crew-related thermal control and…
Read MoreCelebrating NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s 20th Anniversary: Crater Near Sirenum Fossae
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captures a detailed view of a relatively fresh crater in this image released on June 3, 2015. The crater has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta. The steep inner slopes are carved by gullies and include possible recurring slope lineae on the equator-facing slopes. This crater is monitored for changes over time. For 20 years, MRO has sought out the history of water on Mars with its science instruments. In that time, it has sent back important data that will help us…
Read MoreWhat Is Pi? (Grades 5-8)
3 Min Read What Is Pi? (Grades 5-8) This article is for students grades 5-8. What is Pi? Pi is a number. You might know it as 3.14 or the symbol π. But it’s way more than that! What Makes Pi Special? Pi is an irrational number. That means it goes on forever and it never repeats its sequence of numbers. Pi has been calculated to more than one trillion digits! But NASA scientists and engineers use far fewer digits in their calculations. Usually, the approximation of 3.14 is precise…
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