Suggested Searches

Blogs

    Sun Releases Strong Solar Flare

    A golden Sun, with bright active regions scattered across it. In the upper right area of the Sun, a bright burst of solar material shoots off the Sun.

    The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 7:14 p.m. ET on July 2, 2023. 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 …

    Read Full Post

    Saturn’s Rings Shine in Webb’s Observations of Ringed Planet

    Editor's Note: This post highlights data from Webb science in progress, which has not yet been through the peer-review process. On June 25, 2023, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope turned to famed ringed world Saturn for its first near-infrared observations of the planet. The initial imagery from Webb's NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) is already fascinating researchers. Saturn …

    Read Full Post

    Long History and Bright Future of Space Sample Deliveries

    Astronaut in a white spacesuit standing on the surface of the Moon next to a robotic spacecraft with his human crew vehicle on the horizon.

    When NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft releases a capsule with material from asteroid Bennu onto the Utah desert on Sept. 24, it will become the latest in a line of missions to gather samples from space and deliver them to Earth. Collecting material from space is a challenging feat that requires teams of dedicated scientists and engineers, …

    Read Full Post

    IXPE Operations Update

    July 3, 2023 UPDATE: NASA confirmed its IXPE spacecraft resumed normal science operations July 1, following a successful reset on June 26. On Saturday, June 24, NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) stopped transmitting valid telemetry data. The IXPE team could command the spacecraft and operate it in pointing mode, but the spacecraft was not …

    Read Full Post

    Strong Solar Flare Erupts from Sun

    Time lapse of solar activity from June 6, 2023. The strong solar flare is pictured in the lower right of the image.

    The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 1:09 p.m. EDT on June 20, 2023. 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 high-frequency (HF) radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose …

    Read Full Post

    TEMPO Powers Up

    We have power! Two months after launch, following the successful testing of its Maxar built host satellite Intelsat 40e, NASA's TEMPO (short for Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) air quality instrument has been turned on for the first time. A team at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will now …

    Read Full Post

    A Day in the Life of the Ocean Currents

    A whiteboard lists the day's schedule.

    By Mara Freilich, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. // ABOARD THE SALLY RIDE // While doing oceanographic fieldwork, we live and work on the ship. This is the second week that we have been at sea. While there is a rhythm to life at sea, every day is different. Since we are …

    Read Full Post

    NASA Successfully Completes Globetrotting SuperBIT Balloon Flight

    Large, translucent-white science balloon dominating a mountainous landscape

    NASA successfully completed a flight test of its super pressure balloon carrying the Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) science mission at 9:27 a.m. EDT, Thursday, May 25, after some 39 days and 14 hours of flight. The mission began at 11:42 a.m., Sunday, April 16 (7:42 p.m. April 15 in U.S. Eastern Time) launching …

    Read Full Post