Near the Sun We're nearing the end of our solar tour, which means we're getting closer to the star of the show! We sent Parker Solar Probe to the Sun to investigate some of our star's biggest mysteries. The closer we get, the more discoveries we make. The Sun's hottest mystery One of the big …
The Solar Cycle Everything we've seen so far on the solar tour has been shaped by the Sun's activity, which ebbs and flows over an 11-year cycle. To understand the Sun's effects on space, we need to get to the bottom of the solar cycle. How one scientist predicts the solar cycle Solar scientist Lisa …
The Solar Wind Ah, the solar wind – that steady stream of particles our Sun sheds to space. The solar wind fills every nook and cranny of interstellar space, pelting planetary atmospheres and shaping their long-term fate. Space weather Hey Parker, how's the weather out there? There's weather in space – but we're not talking …
A Swing by Venus Greetings from the solar tour! We have arrived at Venus. Venus and Earth are twins, both rocky and similar size and structure. Studying Venus helps scientists understand what makes Venus inhospitable and Earth habitable. But Venus is closer to the Sun, and spacecraft that have flown there in the past have …
The Space Between Hello from interplanetary space! This solar tour stop may seem empty, but there's more than meets the eye. Empty space, full of plasma If you look closely, the space between the planets is filled with dust, particles, magnetic fields and a mysterious substance called plasma. Hear from scientists Doug Rowland and Don …
Two weeks until launch! Things are moving forward in Kourou, and so we check in with the two leads (one from the U.S., one from the U.K.) of the final instrument in Webb's suite: "Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is special – in the wavelengths it covers, the science that enables, its technology challenges, and in …
On Dec. 7, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope was transferred to the final assembly building at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana to meet its Ariane 5 launch vehicle. Stowed inside a special transport container and mobile clean room, Webb's vitals were meticulously monitored throughout the entire process of moving between buildings. The Ariane 5 rocket Webb will ride to space was moved to the …
NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission launched at 1 a.m. EST Thursday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A joint effort with the Italian Space Agency, the IXPE observatory is NASA's first mission dedicated to measuring the polarization of X-rays from the most extreme and mysterious objects …
We have signal acquisition, meaning teams are now communicating with NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft, as it embarks on its two-year journey to study changes in the polarization of X-ray light through some of the universe's most extreme sources, including black holes, dead stars known as pulsars, and more. "Everything has gone smoothly; …
NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft just reached a major milestone as it successfully separated from the second stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. IXPE will now continue on its journey to study changes in the polarization of X-ray light through some of the universe's most extreme sources, including black holes, dead stars known …
