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    NASA InSight’s Power Level as of Oct. 8, 2022

    On October 8, 2022, InSight was generating an average of 300 watt-hours of energy per Martian day, or sol – an increase after a sharp decline last week from 430 watt-hours per sol to a low of 275 watt-hours per sol. The decline was caused by a regional dust storm which, though thousands of miles …

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    NASA Webb Image Coming This Week

    In this illustration, the multilayered sunshield on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope stretches out beneath the observatory’s honeycomb mirror

    NASA will share a new image or spectrum from the James Webb Space Telescope at least every other week on the mission's blog. This week, check the blog on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 11 a.m. EDT for a new image highlighting a nebula surrounding a pair of stars. In the meantime, learn more about what …

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    Webb, Hubble Team Up to Trace Interstellar Dust Within a Galactic Pair

    The majority of the image shows the black background of space. Two large, very bright galaxies dominate the center of the image. The elliptical galaxy at left is extremely bright at its circular core, with dimmer white light extending to its transparent circular edges. At right is a bright spiral galaxy. It also has a bright white core, but has red and light purple spiral arms that start at the center and turn clockwise going outward. They end in faint red and appear to overlap the elliptical galaxy at left. Throughout the scene are a range of distant galaxies, the majority of which are very tiny and red, appearing as splotches.

    Editor's Note: This post highlights data from Webb science in progress, which has not yet been through the peer-review process. Here, Webb interdisciplinary scientist Rogier Windhorst and his team discuss their observations. "We got more than we bargained for by combining data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope! Webb's new …

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    NASA Webb Image Coming This Week

    In this illustration, the multilayered sunshield on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope stretches out beneath the observatory’s honeycomb mirror

    NASA will share a new image or spectrum from the James Webb Space Telescope at least every other week on the mission's blog. This week, check the blog on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. EDT for a new image highlighting a galaxy pair. In the meantime, learn more about what to expect as Webb …

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    Sun Releases Strong Solar Flare

    An orange Sun on a black background. The Sun has bright yellow and white areas on the top left and bottom right. On the top right, there is a white X where the flare burst from the Sun.

    The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 4:25 p.m. EDT on Oct. 2, 2022. 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 …

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    NASA InSight’s Power Level as of Sept. 17, 2022

    On September 17, 2022, InSight was generating an average of 420 watt-hours of energy per Martian day, or sol. The tau, or level of dust cover in the atmosphere, was estimated at .85 (typical tau levels outside of dust season range from 0.6-0.7).

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    Alaska’s Newest Lakes Are Belching Methane

    A lake in Alaska. The lake surface is covered in floating plants and cattails and other grasses can be seen in the foreground of the image. The sky is gray and cloudy.

    By Sofie Bates / FAIRBANKS, ALASKA / "This lake wasn't here 50 years ago." Katey Walter Anthony, an ecologist at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, dips her paddle into the water as her kayak glides across the lake. "Years ago, the ground was about three meters taller and it was a spruce forest," she says. …

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    NASA InSight’s Power Level as of Sept. 17, 2022

    On September 17, 2022, InSight was generating an average of 420 watt-hours of energy per Martian day, or sol. The tau, or level of dust cover in the atmosphere, was estimated at .85 (typical tau levels outside of dust season range from 0.6-0.7).

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    Walking Back in Time to Learn About the Future of Permafrost

    By Sofie Bates / FAIRBANKS, ALASKA / There's a freezer door in the mountainside outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. Tom Douglas opens it and we step inside, breathing in cold air and musky dust as we start to walk back through time. This isn't fantasy. It's the Permafrost Tunnel run by the U.S. Army's Cold …

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    Mid-Infrared Instrument Operations Update

    In this illustration, the multilayered sunshield on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope stretches out beneath the observatory’s honeycomb mirror

    The James Webb Space Telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) has four observing modes. On Aug. 24, a mechanism that supports one of these modes, known as medium-resolution spectroscopy (MRS), exhibited what appears to be increased friction during setup for a science observation. This mechanism is a grating wheel that allows scientists to select between short, medium, and longer wavelengths …

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