A new model for generating a global magnetic field in the ancient moon could help solve a 40-year-old mystery.
The Earth’s magnetic field exists because it has a spinning solid core surrounded by hot metallic liquid, which churns around lava-lamp style and generates magnetism. But the moon is too small and cool to possess such a molten interior and therefore … Read the rest of this article
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured the sharpest images ever taken from space of the Apollo 12, 14 and 17 landing sites. Images show the twists and turns of the paths made when the astronauts explored the lunar surface.
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Two LRO images of the Apollo 17 landing site. The top image was released on Sep. 6, 2011; the bottom image |
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NASA’s Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL), mission to study the moon is in final launch preparations for a scheduled Sept. 8 launch onboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
GRAIL’s twin spacecraft are tasked for a nine-month mission to explore Earth’s nearest neighbor in unprecedented detail. They will determine the structure of the … Read the rest of this article
The prevailing theory on lunar formation is the giant impact theory which suggests the moon formed when a Mars-sized body slammed into the infant Earth. This threw a cloud of vaporized and molten rock into orbit, which coalesced into the moon.
Simulations have previously shown that additional moons could have formed from the debris cloud, sharing an orbit with the … Read the rest of this article
NASA has released a new book for visually impaired people to experience the wonders of the moon. Called “Getting a Feel for Lunar Craters,” the 17-page book features Braille and tactile diagrams of the lunar surface, craters and peaks.
The book was created and funded by NASA’s Lunar Science Institute (NLSI), at Moffett Field, Calif, and features tactile diagrams of … Read the rest of this article
Two small NASA probes that had been used to study space weather now are orbiting the moon to study its interior and surface composition.
The spacecraft, called Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS), began their journey away from Earth’s orbit in July 2009. The first spacecraft entered lunar orbit on June 27, and … Read the rest of this article
NASA has declared full mission success for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). LRO changed our view of the entire moon and brought it into sharper focus with unprecedented detail.
NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) operated the LRO spacecraft and its instruments during the one-year mission phase. Now that the final data from the instruments have been added to the … Read the rest of this article
Tonight, June 15th, there’s going to be a total lunar eclipse that’s visible from every continent except North America (sorry guys!). The Moon will spend 100 minutes fully engulfed in Earth’s shadow, making this the longest lunar eclipse in nearly 11 years. The appearance of the eclipse might be affected by exhaust from Chile’s erupting Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano, which is … Read the rest of this article
A team of NASA-funded researchers has measured for the first time water from the Moon in the form of tiny globules of molten rock, which have turned to glass-like material trapped within crystals. Data from these newly discovered lunar melt inclusions indicate the water content of lunar magma is 100 times higher than previous studies suggested.
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This microscope photo shows …
A total lunar eclipse will take place on December 21, 2010, the second eclipse of this year. This eclipse happens early in the morning (GMT) and so will only be partially visible in Europe with the Moon setting just after totality. In the USA, particularly on the West coast, the Moon will be high overhead during totality.
Totality itself lasts … Read the rest of this article
The Sun Now (Visible light)
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The Sun Now (H-Alpha light)
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Aurora Oval
(Northern Hemisphere) |
Aurora Oval
(Southern Hemisphere) |
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