Astronomers using ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) of telescopes in Chile have found a galaxy that looks just like the Milky Way located more than 12 billion light-years away from our own. Named SPT0418-47, this galaxy not only has a rotating disk-like structure, but also a large group of stars corralled around the galaxy’s center. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Photo credit: NASA/MAVEN/Goddard Space Flight Center/CU/LASP
NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) discovered that the planet’s atmosphere pulsed exactly three times per night, and only during the spring and fall. Unexpected waves and spirals over the winter poles was also found in the data, while also confirming that this nightglow was brightest over the winter polar regions. Read more for a video and additional information.
Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt
NASA’s Juno spacecraft is currently gathering data at Jupiter and it discovered that our solar system’s largest planet is home to “shallow lightning,” or an unexpected form of electrical discharge. This phenomenon originates from clouds containing an ammonia-water solution, whereas lightning on Earth are formed from water clouds. Read more for a video and additional information.
SpaceX has just successfully completed the first hop test for their Starship SN5 prototype, which could one day help colonize Mars. It took to the skies for around 40-seconds this afternoon in the South Texas village of Boca Chica, near SpaceX’s facilities. The spacecraft traveled sideways during the uncrewed flight and then deployed its landing legs before sticking the landing. Read more for a video and additional information.
Photo credit: ESO
The European Southern Observatory captured another stunning image with the Very Large Telescope (VLT), and this time, it’s of NGC 2899. this planetary nebula, or a giant cloud of gas that forms around an unexploded star, has a pattern of blue, purple as well as violet that resembles a butterfly. Read more for two videos and additional information.
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are set to undock from the International Space Station in the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Endeavour at 7:34 p.m. EDT as the Demo-2 test flight enters its final stage. The mission first began on May 30th and after undocking, they are expected to spend just under a day in orbit before returning to Earth Sunday afternoon. Read more for the livestream and additional information.
Limited to 200-units worldwide, the NASA x Anicorn Mars Mission watch celebrates the historic launch. Faaturing Miyota 9015 automatic movement with 24 jewels, housed in a 316L stainless steel case, water resistance up to 50 meters and a stainless steel bracelet with butterfly clasp. An alternate fabric strap is also included embroidered with the NASA logo. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: NASA/KSC
NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is set for a 7:50 a.m. EDT launch on Thursday, July 30, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Viewers will be able to tune in at 7 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website, as well as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, Daily Motion, and Theta.TV to witness the event. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Photo credit: ESA/GCP/UPV/EHU Bilbao
A bizarre thin elongated cloud has recently appeared over the 12.4-mile high Arsia Mons volcano on Mars. It’s made up of water ice, and while it may look like a smoke plume linked to volcanic activity, its airflow is directly influenced by the volcano’s ‘leeward’ slope, or the non wind-facing side. The cloud can reach up to 1118-miles in length, and was photographed between July 17-19 by the Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC) on Mars Express, which has been studying the Martian surface from orbit for the past 16 years. Read more for another picture and additional information.
In the near future, Virgin Galactic will begin transporting passengers to the edge of space in its SpaceShipTwo vehicles, with the first being VSS Unity. Will it be a first class experience? Well, the company revealed the interior, designed in collaboration with London design agency, Seymourpowell, complete with individually sized seats that were created using the highest-grade aluminum and carbon-fiber manufacturing techniques. Read more for a video and additional information.