NASA HEAT Student Activity Featured in TIME’s Top 100 Photos of 2024

Learn Home NASA HEAT Student Activity… Heliophysics Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science   3 min read NASA HEAT Student Activity Featured in TIME’s Top 100 Photos of 2024 On April 8, 2024, tens of millions experienced a solar eclipse from Mexico through the United States and into Canada. Astronomers, educators, and organizations had been preparing the public for this grand celestial event. Learning from engagement experiences in 2017, the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (NASA HEAT) promoted an activity called…

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Scientists turn 3 years’ worth of solar flares into audible sound (video)

If you’re more of an auditory learner than a visual one, this timelapse video is for you. (And, well, visual learners will probably love it, too!) The European Space Agency (ESA) has released an audio-visual representation of solar activity over the last three years, pulling data from its Solar Orbiter probe, which it runs with NASA. In the video, we see blue circles popping up across the surface of the sun — and audible tones paired with each of these circles. As time progresses toward the present day, the frequency…

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Earth in Far-Ultraviolet

NASA On April 21, 1972, NASA astronaut John W. Young, commander of the Apollo 16 mission, took a far-ultraviolet photo of Earth with an ultraviolet camera. Young’s original black-and-white picture was printed on Agfacontour professional film three times, with each exposure recording only one light level. The three light levels were then colored blue (dimmest), green (next brightest), and red (brightest), resulting in the enhanced-color image seen here. Dr. George Carruthers, a scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory, developed the ultraviolet camera – the first Moon-based observatory – for Apollo…

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Total lunar eclipse March 2025: When and where to see the next ‘Blood Moon’ lunar eclipse

On the night of March 13-14, 2025, a total lunar eclipse will be visible from Earth, and North America will be in the prime position for the spectacular event, which will also feature a “Blood Moon.” Lunar eclipses happen when Earth is between the sun and a full moon. During the event, the moon moves through Earth’s umbra, the dark center of its shadow. Where will the March 13-14, 2025, total lunar eclipse be visible? The best views will be for those in North and South America. According to Time…

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Former NASA Official, Astronaut Bob Cabana Receives Top Civilian Award

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, right, present Bob Cabana, who served as a NASA associate administrator, astronaut, and a colonel in the United States Marine Corps, the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, recognizing his exceptional achievements and public service to the nation, Jan. 10, 2025, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters in Washington. The award, signed by President Biden, is the highest honor the federal government can grant to a federal civilian employee. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls Robert Cabana, who served as a…

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The 2025 ‘Super Bowl of Astronomy’ kicks off this week in Maryland

Thousands of scientists from around the world are gathered in Maryland this week to discuss new discoveries about the universe and the latest astronomical advancements during the so-called “Super Bowl of astronomy.” The 245th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, running Jan. 12 to Jan. 16, will feature many of the remarkable findings from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which began observing the cosmos in 2022. The meeting is being held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. The four-day conference will include presentations…

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China test-fires 5 new rocket engines in a single day. But what are they for? (video)

China’s state-owned main space contractor tested five different rocket engines on one day last week in preparation for future missions and projects. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) tested the engines at two sites in Beijing and Laiyuan County in Hebei Province, north China, on Jan. 2. One test-fired a new hydrogen-oxygen engine for the upper stage of an unspecified rocket for 100 seconds. It was conducted by the 101 Institute of CASC’s Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology. On Jan. 2, 2025, China tested five new rocket engines,…

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SpaceX will launch 2 private lunar landers this week, kicking off busy year for moon missions

Two private lunar landers are set to launch this week aboard the same rocket, kicking off a busy year of missions to the moon. A six-day window for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching the missions begins early Wednesday morning (Jan. 15), with liftoff scheduled for 1:11 a.m. EST (0611 GMT) from Launch Complex-39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The Falcon 9 will carry both landers to Earth orbit, where each will begin independent trajectories toward the moon. Ghost Riders in the Sky, the mission for Firefly…

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Smart robot helps out astronauts on China’s Tiangong space station (video)

Astronauts aboard China’s Tiangong space station have been getting some assistance from an “intelligent” robot. Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze — the crew of the current Shenzhou 19 mission aboard Tiangong — have been working alongside a robot named Xiao Hang (“Little Space”) using human-robot collaborative interaction software. The software has allowed them to carry out a variety of experiments related to human-robot spatial relationships, robot behavior characterization and multimodal interaction technologies. The goal of these experiments is to help enhance mission efficiency by fostering a more effective…

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