Jupiter’s ocean moon Europa may have deep-sea volcanoes

The Jupiter moon Europa may be an even more promising abode for life than scientists had thought. A recent study suggests that active volcanoes may lurk on the seabed of the 1,940-mile-wide (3,120 kilometers) Europa, which harbors a huge ocean of salty water beneath its icy shell.  Such volcanoes could power deep-sea hydrothermal systems, environments rich in chemical energy that potential Europa lifeforms could exploit, researchers said. Photos: Europa, mysterious icy moon of Jupiter Scientists’ findings suggest that the interior of Jupiter’s moon Europa may consist of an iron core, surrounded…

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SolarWinds hack ‘a big wakeup call,’ NASA’s human spaceflight chief says

The effects of the SolarWinds hack extend out into the final frontier. In December 2020, news broke that a cyberattack had breached the defenses of the U.S. Treasury Department and one branch of the Department of Commerce.  Over the ensuing days and weeks, however, it became clear that the hack was much broader than that. In February, U.S. officials confirmed that nine federal agencies were infiltrated over the months-long cyberespionage campaign, a Russian-led effort that became known as SolarWinds after one of the companies whose software the hackers used as…

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Spectacular Super Flower Blood Moon of 2021 thrills stargazers around the world

This year’s largest full moon arrived with an added bonus for stargazers early Wednesday (May 26), as the only total lunar eclipse of 2021 created an eerie red sight in the predawn sky. The result: a Super Flower Blood Moon that wowed spectators able to see it.  The eclipse was visible from the western part of the Americas, islands of the Pacific Ocean, all of Australia and parts of eastern Asia. Those in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Papua New Guinea had the best seats, as they could enjoy the…

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JFK’s ‘moon speech’ at 60: Remember Apollo, and what made it possible

If you’re wondering why humanity hasn’t been to the moon in five decades, consider the circumstances that got us there in the first place. Sixty years ago today (May 25), President John F. Kennedy announced before a joint session of Congress that the United States planned to put an American on the lunar surface before the 1960s were through. It was an incredibly audacious goal. On May 25, 1961, U.S. had not even launched an astronaut to Earth orbit yet, and the nation’s first human spaceflight, the 15-minute suborbital jaunt…

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The stages of the Super Flower Blood Moon lunar eclipse of 2021 explained

Super Flower Blood Moon Eclipse (Image credit: Courtesy of Imelda Joson and Edwin Aguirre) If you take a photo of the 2021 total lunar eclipse let us know! You can send images and comments to spacephotos@space.com. No avid skywatcher ever misses a total eclipse of the moon. This celestial pageant is often more beautiful and interesting than one would think. During the time that the moon is entering and later emerging from Earth’s shadow, secondary phenomena may be overlooked.  To help prepare for the upcoming eclipse of May 25-26, Space.com…

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