The small near-Earth asteroid 2024 PT5 was first observed on Aug. 7, 2024, by the Sutherland, South Africa telescope of the University of Hawai’i’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), which is funded by NASA. Estimated to be about 33 feet (10 meters) wide, the asteroid does not pose a hazard to Earth. Because 2024 …
Ancient Oort Cloud Comet to Make First Documented Pass By Earth in Mid-October
An ancient celestial traveler will make its first close pass by Earth in mid-October. Mark those calendars – because it might not be back. The Oort Cloud comet, called C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, was discovered in 2023, approaching the inner solar system on its highly elliptical orbit for the first time in documented human history. It …
Strong Solar Flare Erupts from Sun
The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 6:20 p.m. ET on Oct. 1, 2024. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event. Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to …
NASA Turns Off Science Instrument to Save Voyager 2 Power
Mission engineers at NASA have turned off the plasma science instrument aboard the Voyager 2 spacecraft due to the probe’s gradually shrinking electrical power supply.
NASA Astronauts Wilmore, Williams Complete Move to Crew-9 Spacecraft
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are fully integrated into the newly arrived Crew-9 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station. The duo tried on their SpaceX Intravehicular Activity spacesuits and completed pressurized suit leak checks on Tuesday. They also tested the suits’ audio configurations and conducted seat fit checks inside the Dragon spacecraft, …
Dragon Suit, Seat Checks During Crew Departure Preps and Space Science
Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, both NASA astronauts, tried on their SpaceX Dragon pressure suits for the first time on Tuesday with assistance from new crewmate Nick Hague of NASA. The NASA trio checked out their pressurized suits, tested the suits’ audio configurations, and conducted seat fit checks inside the …
Webb Researchers Discover Lensed Supernova, Confirm Hubble Tension
Editor’s Note: This post highlights data from Webb science in progress, which has not yet been through the peer-review process. Measuring the Hubble constant, the rate at which the universe is expanding, is an active area of research among astronomers around the world who analyze data from both ground- and space- based observatories. NASA’s James Webb …
Expedition 72 Welcomes New Crew, Crew-8 Departing Soon
The seven astronauts and four cosmonauts representing the Expedition 72 crew slept in on Monday working half-a-day during the afternoon following Sunday’s arrival of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission. The International Space Station’s two newest crew members, Nick Hague of NASA and Aleksandr Gorbunov of Roscosmos, launched to the orbital outpost aboard the SpaceX Dragon at …
SAGE III/ISS Science Highlight
Updated status on stratospheric aerosols using recently released public data from SAGE III/ISS Figure 1 below shows the bulk of the stratospheric aerosol layer around 10S latitude with slightly larger amounts in the Southern Hemisphere. This spatial distribution has been similar since early 2022 following the eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcano in January […]
Expedition 72 Welcomes Crew-9 Duo Aboard Station
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov entered the International Space Station after opening the hatch between the space station and the pressurized mating adapter at 7:04 p.m. EDT before opening the hatch to Dragon. Hague and Gorbunov were welcomed by the space station’s Expedition 72 crew, including NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael …