Month: July 2024

Cosmic crime scene reveals ancient supernova aftermath of dead star merger

NeRD

The ultimate cosmic “cold case” has lingered for 843 years — and now, space detectives may have solved it at last. In 1181 AD, as the Genpei War raged in Japan, a mystery “guest star” briefly flashed over Asia’s skies. Astronomers had puzzled over the brief event until 2021, when a team of researchers tracked it to its location in the cosmos. Yet, the cause of the event, now designated supernova (SN) 1181, remained shrouded in mystery. That was until a team of scientists used computer modeling and observational analysis…

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NASA Barge Preparations Underway for Artemis II Rocket Stage Delivery

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NASA/Eric Bordelon Team members are installing pedestals aboard NASA’s Pegasus barge to hold and secure the massive core stage of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, indicating NASA barge crews are nearly ready for its first delivery to support the Artemis II test flight around the Moon. The barge will ferry the core stage on a 900-mile journey from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to its Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Pegasus crew began installing the pedestals July 10.The barge, which previously was used to ferry…

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Perseid meteor shower returns to our skies this month to kick off summer ‘shooting star’ season

NeRD

Anyone gazing at the summer night sky for even a short length of time is likely to spot a few “shooting stars” darting across the sky.  The best meteor display of the summer comes during the second week of August during the annual Perseid meteor shower which, at its peak around the nights of Aug. 11 and 12, is capable of producing 50 to 100 fast, bright meteors per hour for a single observer. Many flaring meteors with trains are seen under good skies. 2024 will be a very good…

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Take a Summer Cosmic Road Trip With NASA’s Chandra and Webb

NeRD

Cosmic Road Trip: four distinct composite images from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope, presented in a two-by-two grid, Rho Ophiuchi at lower right, the heart of the Orion Nebula at upper right, the galaxy NGC 3627 at lower left and the galaxy cluster MACS J0416. X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical/Infrared: (Hubble) NASA/ESA/STScI; IR: (JWST) NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI It’s time to take a cosmic road trip using light as the highway and visit four stunning destinations across space. The vehicles for this space get-away are NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and…

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Acting Center Chief Technologist Dr. Phillip Williams

NeRD

“I did not know that NASA Langley was right here in my own backyard. I was born and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, and NASA Langley is in Hampton, about 45 minutes away. All throughout elementary school, I didn’t know that NASA was here. I always thought NASA was in Florida or Texas or somewhere. “I was in this summer program [in eighth grade], learning physics at the university. I vividly remember we had a guest speaker. He was an African American mechanical engineer and he had on the blue flight…

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Solar maximum is in sight but when will it arrive (and when will we know)?

NeRD

May and June 2024 saw the highest sunspot numbers on the sun since 2002, but is the peak of the solar cycle here yet?  The sun follows an 11-year solar cycle of increasing and decreasing activity. Although not the first astronomer to discover the solar cycle, the solar cycle numbering and naming convention was first introduced in 1852 by Swiss astronomer Johann Rudolf Wolf. Within his new solar cycle numbering system, he set the historic 1755-1766 solar cycle ‘Solar Cycle 1’. By the time of his work, the sun was…

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Hear the real stories behind the private space race in new documentary ‘Wild Wild Space’ (video)

NeRD

Forget about those campfire yarns about the infamous land rushes of the Old West in the 19th century as it can’t hold a candle to the crazy, free-for-all stampede for positioning satellite megaconstellations in the erupting sectors of space infrastructure and aerospace firms’ desires for profit in the unfolding era of commercial exploitation. “Wild Wild Space” (a sly nod to the cult ’60s western spy series, “Wild Wild West”) is a new HBO Original documentary directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ross Kauffman (“Born Into Brothels”) which premieres on HBO and…

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A Midsummer Red Sprite Seen from Space

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Several transient luminous events illuminate pockets of Earth’s upper atmosphere. A line of thunderstorms off the coast of South Africa powers the rare phenomena. NASA/Matthew Dominick NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick photographed red sprites in Earth’s upper atmosphere from the International Space Station on June 3, 2024. The bright red flashes (more easily seen by clicking on the photo to see a larger version) are a less understood phenomena associated with powerful lightning events and appear high above the clouds in the mesosphere. Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), including red sprites, are…

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SpaceX launching direct-to-cell Starlink satellites from California tonight

NeRD

SpaceX plans to launch 20 more of its Starlink satellites tonight (July 10), including 13 with direct-to-cell capabilities. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink spacecraft is scheduled to lift off tonight from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base, during a four-hour window that opens at 10 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. local California time; 0200 GMT on July 11). SpaceX will livestream the action via its X account; coverage will begin about 15 minutes before launch. The Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Earth tonight, if all goes according to…

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NASA Deputy Administrator Strengthens Ties in Japan, Republic of Korea

NeRD

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy gives keynote remarks during the 37th Space Symposium, April 5, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy will visit Japan and the Republic of Korea beginning Thursday, July 11, to underscore the critical role of international cooperation in advancing space exploration and technology development. During her week-long visit to the region, Melroy will engage with ministers and other senior government officials in both countries, including leaders from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and KASA (Korea AeroSpace Administration) to strengthen…

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