Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a giant exoplanet named Beta Pictoris d hidden within the Beta Pictoris system, 63 light-years from Earth, using a breakthrough spectroscopic technique that bypasses the star’s bright debris disk. According to NASA, the discovery makes this system only the second known planetary system to host at … Read more
NASA astronaut Don Pettit captured microscopic images and video aboard the International Space Station revealing that potassium chloride crystals grow in an unusual step-like structure known as “hopper growth” when formed in microgravity, according to NASA and social media posts shared by Pettit. On Earth, the substance—frequently used as a salt substitute in foods and … Read more
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists recently conducted a helicopter mission to the summit of Kīlauea to collect tephra samples from the crater walls of Halema‘uma‘u. These deposits, exposed by the 2018 summit collapse, provide critical data on magma storage and eruption behavior. Researchers aim to secure these samples before ongoing volcanic activity buries them under … Read more
Experts at Advancing Earth and Space Sciences (AGU) propose using orbiting spacecraft to release mass-loading material into Earth’s magnetosphere to mitigate solar storms. This artificial plasma shield could reduce the impact of geomagnetic disturbances on technology, spacecraft, and power grids by 50% or more. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured a strong solar flare released … Read more
July features several rare astronomical events, including a Mars-Uranus conjunction on July 4 and Earth reaching aphelion on July 6. Stargazers can also observe lunar conjunctions with Saturn, Mars, and Venus, followed by a full moon and Jupiter’s solar conjunction on July 29, according to astronomical data from NASA and the College of Southern Idaho. … Read more
A 15-foot great white shark was documented feeding on a whale carcass off the coast of Rhode Island. According to the Atlantic Shark Institute, “White shark sightings are few and far between until a whale dies and then they seem to appear out of nowhere as this one did.” Why do great white sharks appear … Read more
A lunar occultation occurred on Wednesday, June 17, when the Moon passed directly between Earth and Venus, temporarily concealing the planet from view across much of North America. According to Rob Wright Images via Storyful, the event was visible in daylight across the contiguous United States, southern Canada, northern Mexico, and parts of the Caribbean … Read more
Artemis II Sets Course for Deep Space, Igniting the Human-Robot Space Race NASA’s Artemis II mission, set to launch from Kennedy Space Center, marks humanity’s first return to deep space since the Apollo era, according to a NASA statement. This crewed flight around the Moon will test technologies critical for future Mars exploration, as reported … Read more
A fireball 16 times brighter than Venus streaked across the U.S. night sky, spanning over a dozen states before disintegrating over Missouri, according to NASA. The meteor, which traveled at 56,000 mph, was captured by NASA meteor cameras and dashcam footage, offering scientists critical data on atmospheric entry and the frequency of high-intensity space rock … Read more
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured high-resolution imagery of Messier 88 (M88), an active spiral galaxy located 63 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. According to NASA and ESA, the galaxy harbors a central supermassive black hole—estimated at 100 million times the mass of the sun—that is actively consuming surrounding gas and dust, … Read more