The CIA knows a lot about other nations’ space programs. You can too with its new ‘World Factbook’ update

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The CIA wants to share what it knows about world space programs. Some of what it knows, anyway. The United States Central Intelligence Agency, better known as the CIA, has released a new entry in its World Factbook that catalogues the programs and milestones of space agencies around the world. Over 90 countries and the European Union are represented in the new Space Programs section of the agency’s factbook, spanning from Algeria to Zimbabwe. A CIA spokesperson told Space.com that, due to the increased visibility of space programs around the…

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India to launch Aditya-L1, its 1st solar probe, on Sept. 2

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India will launch its first sun-studying spacecraft this weekend, if all goes according to plan. The Aditya-L1 solar observatory is scheduled to launch Saturday (Sept. 2) at 2:20 a.m. EDT (0620 GMT; 11:50 local India time), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced on Monday (Aug. 28).  The spacecraft will lift off atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, on the island of Sriharikota, just off India’s east coast. You’ll be able to watch the action here at Space.com, courtesy of ISRO. Related: Space weather: What…

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James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble will help NASA’s Juno probe study Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io

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The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Hubble Space Telescope are set to team up and observe the solar system’s most volcanic body: A moon of Jupiter named Io.  The two space telescopes will remotely collect data about the intriguing world, then that information will be put to use by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. More specifically, the data will help guide Juno during future flybys of Io, as the probe investigates how the highly volcanic moon may contribute to plasma present in the environment around Jupiter.  The investigation will conducted…

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New ‘Starfield’ live-action trailer slingshots fans straight into the cosmos (video)

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Elaborate live-action trailers crafted to help promote major video game franchises are nothing new. Recall the stirring Hollywood-style shorts produced for “Doom,” “Mass Effect,” “HALO 3: ODST,” “Destiny” and “Gears of War,” for example. And now “Starfield,” an upcoming outer space odyssey from Bethesda Game Studios and Microsoft, is continuing that cinematic marketing tradition with a dynamic live-action teaser introduced at this week’s Gamescon 2023. The trailer beautifully captures the extraordinary game’s expansive scope, exploratory spirit and pure, raw emotions. The main art for the space role-playing game “Starfield.”  (Image…

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Which U.S. states will October’s ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse be visible from?

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Where to go for the annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023, is largely down to where the eclipse path is.  On that day the entire Americas will experience a partial solar eclipse, but the ‘ring of fire’ will only be visible from within a 125-mile (200-kilometer) wide path heading from the northwest U.S. through Central America to Brazil.  That path of the eclipse is the moon‘s antumbra, where the moon appears completely within the sun‘s disk to create the ‘ring of fire’ effect. The light levels will also noticeably…

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Contrails: What are they and how do they form?

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If you live under a popular plane route, you’re probably no stranger to long, thin clouds in the sky. These are contrails emitted from airplanes.  Contrails, or condensation trails, are essentially human-made clouds; they are trails of condensed water vapor created by jet engines, according to the National Weather Service.  We most commonly see them behind planes at cruising altitude, but they can also be emitted by rockets. Related: Wow! Rare rainbow contrails caught on camera (photos)  How do contrails form? Contrails are created when the hot water vapor emitted…

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