NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has “sniffed” molecular oxygen ions around Saturn’s icy moon Dione for the first time, confirming the presence of a very tenuous atmosphere. The oxygen ions are quite sparse – one for every 0.67 cubic inches of space (one for every 11 cubic centimeters of space) or about 2,550 per cubic foot (90,000 per cubic meter) – show … Read the rest of this article
Fresh Air “Sniffed” by Cassini on Dione
March 7, 2012
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Flying Through an Aurora
March 6, 2012
Glowing green and red, shimmering hypnotically across the night sky, the aurora borealis is a wonder to behold. Longtime sky watchers say it is the greatest show on Earth.
It might be the greatest show in Earth orbit, too. High above our planet, astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) have been enjoying an up-close view of auroras outside their … Read the rest of this article
Big Sunspot Unleashes X-Flare
March 5, 2012
Big sunspot AR1429, which emerged over the weekend, is crackling with strong flares.
This morning the active region produced an X1-class eruption and a bright coronal mass ejection (CME). This is the strongest so far, occuring on March 5th at 0413 UT.
The CME appears set to deliver a glancing blow to Earth’s magnetic field in the days ahead, possibly … Read the rest of this article
On Feb. 29, NASA successfully conducted another drop test of the Orion crew vehicle’s entry, descent and landing parachutes high above the Arizona desert in preparation for the vehicle’s orbital flight test in 2014. Orion will carry astronauts deeper into space than ever before, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and ensure a safe re-entry and … Read the rest of this article
AAVSO Alert Notice 454: Monitoring of CH Cyg Requested for Chandra and HST Observations
March 3, 2012
AAVSO Alert Notice 454Monitoring of CH Cyg Requested for Chandra and HST Observations
March 2, 2012
Dr. Margarita Karovska, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, has requested visual and photometric observations of the symbiotic variable CH Cyg in preparation for and support of Chandra and HST observations scheduled for later in March 2012. Dr. Karovska’s observations will be a followup investigation … Read the rest of this article
Astronomers using ESA’s Herschel and NASA’s Spitzer space telescopes have detected surprisingly rapid changes in the brightness of embryonic stars within the well-known Orion Nebula.
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This new view of the Orion Nebula shows embryonic stars within extensive gas and dust clouds. Combining far-infrared observations from the Herschel Space Observatory and mid-infrared observations from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, the image shows …
Proposed Mars Mission Has New Name
March 2, 2012
A proposed Discovery mission concept led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., to investigate the formation and evolution of terrestrial planets by studying the deep interior of Mars now has a new name, InSight.
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Artist rendition of the proposed InSight (Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) Lander. InSight is based on the proven Phoenix Mars spacecraft …
Earth from Space is presented by Kelsea Brennan-Wessels from the ESA Web-TV virtual studios. In this special edition, Envisat Mission Manager, Henri Laur, joins the show to discuss ten years of the Earth-observing mission.
NASA’s Glenn Research Center will host an event on March 2 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s orbital flight, the first by an American.
“Celebrating John Glenn’s Legacy: 50 Years of Americans in Orbit” will be held at 1 p.m. EST at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center, 2000 Prospect Ave., in Cleveland. More than 800 complimentary tickets are … Read the rest of this article
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The Sun And Aurora Now
The Sun Now (Visible light)
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The Sun Now (H-Alpha light)
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Aurora Oval
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Aurora Oval
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