The moon will put on a spectacularly spooky show for trick-or-treaters this weekend as the full Hunter’s Moon experiences a partial lunar eclipse. The partial lunar eclipse will be visible to observers in Africa, Europe, Asia, and parts of Western Australia. It will begin at 2:01 p.m. EDT (1801 GMT) on Oct. 28 and you can watch the action unfold live here on Space.com beginning at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT). Our guide to what time the Oct. 28 lunar eclipse occurs has more details on when to look up.…
Read MoreMonth: October 2023
NASA rocket to study star-forming supernova remnant on Oct. 29
There’s no better way to understand the life cycle of stars than watching it unfold. This weekend, a NASA rocket will study a dramatic stellar event about 2,600 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. In that pocket of the universe, a once massive star, perhaps 20 times the size of our sun, exploded in a brilliant supernova that would have been bright enough for those on Earth to see with an unaided eye, even during the day. Although the blast occurred some 20,000 years ago, star matter ejected during…
Read MoreDrinkware with a twist of space history: New ‘Milestones in Space’ glass tumblers
Space enthusiasts, get out your favorite powdered orange drink, because a new set of glasses is bringing space history back to your kitchen cabinet (or basement bar). Chop Shop, a Pennsylvania-based design studio with a focus on space, science and pop culture, has launched its latest crowdfunding campaign for a trio of new tumblers celebrating “Milestones in Space.” The project, which is now live on Kickstarter, began on Monday (Oct. 23) and runs through Nov. 20. Drawing inspiration from the space-themed drinkware that was popular 60 years ago, Chop Shop’s…
Read MoreNASA Supports Tests of Dust Sensor to Aid Lunar Landings
2 min read NASA Supports Tests of Dust Sensor to Aid Lunar Landings University of Central Florida researchers tested an instrument designed to measure the size and speed of surface particles kicked up by the exhaust from a rocket-powered lander on the Moon or Mars. The four tethered flights on Astrobotic’s Xodiac rocket-powered lander took place in Mojave, California, from Sept. 12 through Oct. 4, 2023. Researchers tested the Ejecta STORM technology’s integration with a lander and operation in flight conditions that simulated the plume effects of a lunar lander.…
Read MoreThe next 4 to 5 years will be ‘most favorable’ for aurora sightings. Here’s why
The 2023/24 “aurora season” has begun and is ramping up to something quite spectacular in the next few years. Here’s why aurora activity is on the rise and why now is the best time to plan your northern lights adventure. Auroras have intrigued humans for millennia with their wispy ribbons of light dancing across the sky. Known as the aurora borealis or the northern lights in the northern hemisphere and aurora australis or southern lights in the southern hemisphere, this spectacle is one of the most beautiful natural phenomena in…
Read MoreIf Venus had Earth-like plate tectonics in its distant past, did it have life too?
New research has revealed Venus may have had Earth-like plate tectonics billions of years ago. The finding opens up the possibility that the second planet from the sun, aka a scorching world, also once harbored life. With temperatures reaching levels high enough to melt lead, the hottest planet in our solar system seems an unlikely host for life as we know it — even the simplest kind. But, according to this new research, Venus was very different in its deep past. The goal of this work, according to the researchers,…
Read MoreThe moon will match up with Jupiter on Oct. 28
The two most brilliant objects in the night sky will make an eye-catching duo on Saturday (Oct. 28). Looking low to the east-northeast around 7 p.m. local daylight time, you’ll see the Hunter’s full moon of October. Sitting about 4.5 degrees to the lower left of the moon will be the lordly light belonging to the largest planet in our solar system: Jupiter. Your clenched fist held at arm’s length measures roughly 10 degrees, so the moon and Jupiter will be separated by about half a fist.f you stay up…
Read MoreNASA Technologies Receive Multiple Nods in TIME Inventions of 2023
As NASA explores, innovates, and inspires through its work, agency inventions aimed at monitoring atmospheric pollution, studying samples from asteroids, extracting oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, and revolutionizing flight have been named TIME’s Inventions of 2023. TIME announced the honorees on Oct. 24. “For more than 65 years, NASA has innovated for the benefit of humanity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “From turning carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars, to delivering the largest asteroid sample to Earth, helping improve air quality across North America, and changing the way we fly,…
Read MoreNASA, JAXA Benefit from Collaborative Fellowship Experience
NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Katherine Cook, fourth from the left, attends a welcome reception for the 26th class of Mansfield Scholars at the Iikura House in Japan on Sept. 1, 2022. The reception was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Mansfield Foundation, and the National Personnel Authority of Japan. Contributed photo A yearlong journey of cultural and professional development overseas has a NASA Deep Space Logistics employee excited about current and future collaboration with one of America’s key international partners in the agency’s Artemis program. …
Read MoreNASA-ISRO Radar Mission to Provide Dynamic View of Forests, Wetlands
6 min read NASA-ISRO Radar Mission to Provide Dynamic View of Forests, Wetlands NISAR will use radar to study changes in ecosystems around the world, such as this forest in Tikal National Park in northern Guatemala, to understand how these areas are affected by climate change and human activity, and the role they play in the global carbon cycle. Credit: USAID NISAR will help researchers explore how changes in Earth’s forest and wetland ecosystems are affecting the global carbon cycle and influencing climate change. Once it launches in early 2024,…
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