The LAMP mission hopes to understand an often overlooked kind of aurora, called a pulsating aurora, and to test a theory on what causes them.
Read MoreMonth: March 2022
California High Schooler Wins NASA Langley 2022 Student Art Contest
Candice Lee, an 11th-grade student from Granada Hills Charter High School in Los Angeles, California, was named the grand-prize winner.
Read MoreWhen NASA’s Parker Solar Probe flew close by the sun, telescopes were watching from Earth and space
Telescopes on Earth and in space had the sun safely in their sights when NASA’s Parker Solar Probe made its 11th daring close flyby of the star on Feb. 25, all to understand more about the sun’s behavior. To be clear, the Parker Solar Probe wasn’t directly visible in the various instruments, as the van-sized spacecraft was too small for the telescopes to pick out. But what the long-distance view did provide is valuable context for what the spacecraft saw close up, from as close as 5.3 million miles (8.5…
Read MoreChina wants its new rocket for astronaut launches to be reusable
China is planning for its next-generation crew launch vehicle for missions to its space station and the moon to have a reusable first stage. The new rocket would allow a reusable launch option for sending astronauts or cargo to China’s new Tiangong space station, while a larger version would allow China to send crew on lunar and deep space missions. It will also be capable of carrying a new, larger spacecraft than the Shenzhou currently used by the China National Space Administration for crewed missions, according to the China Aerospace…
Read MoreAbout Space.com: Who we are and how to contact us
Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity’s ongoing expansion across the final frontier. We transport our visitors across the solar system and beyond through accessible, comprehensive coverage of the latest news and discoveries. For us, exploring space is as much about the journey as it is the destination. So from skywatching guides and stunning photos of the night sky to rocket launches and breaking news of robotic probes visiting other planets, at Space.com you’ll find something amazing every day. Our Mission…
Read MoreElon Musk says SpaceX’s Starlink won’t block Russian news sources ‘unless at gunpoint’
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Saturday that his company won’t block access to Russian media sources on its Starlink internet system despite requests from some governments. “Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources,” Musk wrote on Twitter Saturday (March 5). “We will not do so unless at gunpoint.” The request to Starlink comes as Russian military forces continue to invade Ukraine and many nations, including the United States, levy harsh economic sanctions on Russia in protest. Some tech companies like Google and Microsoft…
Read MoreElon Musk says SpaceX focusing on cyber defense after Starlink signals jammed near Ukraine conflict areas
SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said Friday that his company is now focusing on cyber defense and overcoming signal jamming of its Starlink internet satellites amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Musk and SpaceX sent Starlink terminals to Ukraine at the request of a government official after internet service was disrupted across the country by the Russian invasion. A shipment of Starlink ground terminals, which use an antenna and terminal to access the satellite broadband service, arrived in Ukraine by Monday Feb. 28). With the terminals in use, SpaceX…
Read More‘Star Trek: Discovery’ season 4, episode 11 ‘Rosetta’ has the away team on an acid trip
Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Star Trek: Discovery” season 4, episode 11 The first episode of “Star Trek: Picard” dropped on Paramount Plus this week, in an interesting move from the television studio. Perhaps they were hoping “Discovery” would benefit from the enormous publicity campaign that’s being adopted for the second season starring Patrick Stewart, otherwise it’s entirely possible one might steal more than it’s fair share of social media thunder from the other. We’ll just have to wait and see. It’s hard to compare the successes and failures in the…
Read MoreNancy Grace Roman: First Chief Astronomer
In this undated image form the 1960s, Nancy Grace Roman sits in her office in NASA Headquarters. Roman was the first chief astronomer for NASA.
Read MoreConstellations of the western zodiac
The constellations in the night sky are connected to myth and legend, as well as the unscientific concepts of astrology. But they also have held importance and usefulness to science and exploration throughout history and still today. Stars in the universe are scattered across a vast, three-dimensional space. When we look up from the surface of our planet, however, humans have historically observed constellations: two-dimensional pictures and shapes connecting the stars in the sky to stories from cultures around the globe. In addition to their cultural significance, constellations have also…
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