Category: Solar System

Our solar system

Mars Odyssey celebrates 100,000 orbits, captures epic view of solar system’s largest volcano

NeRD

NASA’s Odyssey spacecraft, the longest-running mission at Mars, circled the Red Planet for the 100,000th time today, the mission team announced in a statement. To celebrate the milestone, the space agency released an intricate panorama of Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system;  Odyssey captured the view in March. The volcano’s base sprawls 373 miles (600 kilometers) near the Martian equator while it soars 17 miles (27 kilometers) into the planet’s thin air. Earlier this month, astronomers discovered ephemeral morning frost coating the volcano’s top for a few…

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It’s International Asteroid Day, and astronomers have much to celebrate

NeRD

Today, astronomers and space lovers around the world are collectively marveling at our mercurial presence in the universe, particularly as we drift the cosmos amid large asteroids like the one that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. June 30 marks Asteroid Day, a holiday observed annually to reflect on the prospect of a planet-destroying space rock striking Earth and what scientists are doing to mitigate that risk. The day is observed on the anniversary of the 1908 Tunguska event in Russia, when a space rock about half the…

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The new space race: International partnerships (op-ed)

NeRD

Charles Bolden served as the 12th NASA Administrator, making him only the second astronaut to hold that position. Bolden is the Founder & CEO Emeritus of The Charles F. Bolden Group Ambassador Stuart Holliday served as United States Ambassador for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations (2003-2005) after the President’s nomination and the Senate’s confirmation. Holliday is CEO of Meridian International Center, a leading non-partisan institution advancing global security and prosperity through effective leadership and diplomacy.  President Joe Biden’s announcement in April 2024 that Japanese astronauts will join an…

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What are rogue planets?

NeRD

A rogue planet is a world that has been ejected from the planetary system in which it originally formed.  Because rogue planets do not orbit a parent star, they are cast adrift into interstellar space. On their meanderings, rogue planets are pulled toward whatever large, gravitationally attractive body they happen to pass by. Most rogue planets are ejected during the early stages of planetary formation when planetary systems are more chaotic and there is more interaction among planets, David Bennett, a senior research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center,…

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This Week In Space podcast: Episode 117 —A Home on the Moon

NeRD

On Episode 117 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and guest co-host  Isaac Arthur talk with Evan Jensen of ICON Build about 3D printing habitats on the moon and one day Mars. For decades we’ve seen images of huge glass domes on the moon and Mars, but the reality of building settlements off-Earth is likely to look much different. This week we’re joined by Evan Jensen of ICON Build, a company that, in just a few years, has created housing across Texas via 3D printing. Now, in association with…

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Why do some planets have moons? A physics expert explains why Earth has only one moon while other planets have hundreds

NeRD

On Earth, you can look up at night and see the moon shining bright from hundreds of thousands of miles away. But if you went to Venus, that wouldn’t be the case. Not every planet has a moon – so why do some planets have several moons, while others have none? I’m a physics instructor who has followed the current theories that describe why some planets have moons and some don’t. First, a moon is called a natural satellite. Astronomers refer to satellites as objects in space that orbit larger bodies. Since a…

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The gorgeous Ring Nebula makes a stunning skywatching sight this week

NeRD

I would suppose that just about any good book on astronomy would contain a photograph of what might best be described as the “smoke ring” of the sky. Others might call it a doughnut or a cosmic bagel, but the popular name for this object is simply the Ring Nebula, located in the constellation of Lyra, the Lyre. Although generally considered a summer constellation, Lyra, it is still very well placed for viewing, now more than two weeks into the autumn season. Head outside this week at around 10 p.m.…

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Listen live today as NASA, Boeing discuss Starliner return, spacewalk issues

NeRD

NASA and Boeing will discuss their next plans and a possible landing schedule for the first Starliner spacecraft mission with astronauts later today (June 28), and you can listen in live. Boeing Starliner launched on June 5 for what was supposed to be a 10-day mission, but the test effort with astronauts needed extra time to address helium leaks and thruster issues uncovered during the June 6 docking with the International Space Station (ISS). The team will provide an update to reporters at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT), which you…

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16 best places to see the 2026 total solar eclipse

NeRD

On Aug. 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will be visible from within a broad path sweeping from remote Russian Siberia to eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon drifts in front of the sun while it’s slightly larger in apparent size so that the moon completely covers the sun’s disk. Peaking at 2 minutes, 18 seconds, the Aug. 12, 2026, total solar eclipse will be the first time mainland Europe has experienced totality in the 21st century. Related: What’s the difference…

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The moon on Earth: Astrobotic unveils ‘proving ground’ for future lunar missions

NeRD

Astrobotic has unveiled a lunar testing ground to help prepare for a range of coming moon missions. The roughly 330-by-330-foot (100 by 100 meters) Lunar Surface Proving Ground (LSPG) in Mojave, California, is a high-fidelity 3D test field that replicates conditions on the moon. The LSPG, modeled using Astrobotic’s LunaRay tools, simulates lunar topography and the extreme lighting conditions at the lunar south pole. It will be used for testing precision lunar landing technologies, such as LiDAR scanners, as well as driving rovers and other robotic systems. “Our Lunar Surface…

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