Browse Archive

  • Launch of second CHAMPS sounding rockets on Oct. 13,2011 from the Andoya Rocket Range in northern Norway.

    Measuring the Seeds of Noctilucent Clouds

    04.03.13 - In October 2011, a NASA-funded sounding rocket called CHAMPS flew up through noctilucent ice clouds to measure the meteoric smoke that seeds the clouds.

  • TSI data from the SORCE mission, which marked 10 years of data acquisition on March 6, 2013, demonstrates the daily and cyclic variability of the Sun.

    SORCE: A Decade in the Sun

    03.29.13 - NASA's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) satellite has been providing data on the sun's irradiance for 10 years.

  • Artist concept of NASA's Voyager spacecraft

    NASA Voyager Status Update on Voyager 1 Location

    03.20.13 - The consensus of the Voyager science team is that Voyager 1 has not yet reached interstellar space.

  • The view of the sun is partially obscured by Earth as seen by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on Mar. 11, 2013, at 2:20 a.m. EDT.

    NASA's SDO Sees an Eclipse And a Transit

    03.11.13 - On Mar. 11, 2013, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught a rare sight on camera: the sun with both Earth and the moon passing in front of it.

  • An artist's concept of the Wind spacecraft sampling the solar wind. Inset: J. Kasper's science results.

    Solar Wind Energy Source Discovered  →

    03.08.13 - Using data from an aging NASA spacecraft, researchers have found signs of an energy source in the solar wind that has caught the attention of fusion researchers.

  • Two giant swaths of radiation, known as the Van Allen Belts, surrounding Earth were discovered in 1958. In 2012, observations from the Van Allen Probes showed that a third belt can sometimes appear.

    Van Allen Probes Discover a Surprise Circling Earth

    02.28.13 - Shortly after the Van Allen Probes launched to study the radiation belts around Earth, they saw something no one had ever seen before: a new configuration, showing an extra, third belt extending out into space.

  • Active Region 1678 has grown quickly over a 2 day period, Feb. 19-20, 2013.

    SDO Observes Fast-Growing Sunspot

    02.20.13 - Over the course of Feb. 19-20, 2013, scientist watched a giant sunspot form in under 48 hours.

  • On July 19, 2012, an eruption occurred on the sun that produced 3 results; 1) a moderately powerful solar flare, 2) a CME and 3) coronal rain.

    SDO Shows A Little Rain On the Sun

    02.20.13 - On July 19, 2012, the sun treated viewers to one of its dazzling magnetic displays -- a phenomenon known as coronal rain.

  • Earth is surrounded by a giant magnetic bubble, called the magnetosphere.

    Six Years of THEMIS: Understanding the Magnetosphere

    02.19.13 - In THEMIS's sixth year in space, it is helping to show how even small variations in the magnetosphere can sometimes cause extreme space weather responses, helping scientist map and predict events in this complex system.

  • Scientist Shri Kanekal holds one of the solid-state detectors that will be used in the CREPT.

    Tiny CREPT Instrument to Study the Radiation Belts

    02.14.13 - A smaller version of an instrument now flying on NASA's Van Allen Probes has won a coveted spot aboard an upcoming NASA-sponsored Cubesat mission -- the perfect platform for this pint-size, solid-state telescope.

  • White lines represent magnetic field lines looping up out of the sun's surface in this image from SDO's HMI.

    Year Three: NASA SDO Mission Highlights

    02.11.13 - In its third year in space, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has also offered several new, unexpected doors to scientific inquiry.

  • On Feb. 6, 2013, the VISIONS sounding rocket successfully launched.

    VISIONS: A Successful Launch

    02.07.13 - The principal investigator for VISIONS (VISualizing Ion Outflow via Neutral atom imaging during a Substorm), Goddard's Doug Rowland provided images and updates of the team preparations and the launch.

  • The ribbon observed by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) Mission is a narrow bright feature that spans much of the nighttime sky linking together the summer constellation of Cygnus, the swan, Aquila, the eagle, the center of the Milky Way galaxy, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

    Explaining the Ribbon in Space Discovered by IBEX

    02.05.13 - Using NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), scientists have devised the best model yet for the appearance of a vast ribbon of neutral atoms that curls through the boundaries of Earth's solar system.

  • One of 20 balloons launched as part of NASA's BARREL mission.

    Twenty NASA Balloons Studying the Radiation Belts

    02.04.13 - Just 96 days since launch, the Van Allen Probes have already provided new insights into the structure and behavior of the radiation belts that surround Earth.

  • Swirls of green and red appear in an aurora over Whitehorse, Yukon on the night of September 3, 2012.

    VISIONS: Seeing the Aurora in a New Light

    02.07.13 - A sounding rocket to study the aurora and how oxygen and hydrogen escape Earth's atmosphere may launch as early as Feb. 2, 2013, but the team has a two-week window in order to find the perfect launch conditions.