Space Sciences

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NASA’s Europa Clipper: Hunt for a Second Origin of Life

NASA’s Europa Clipper has started its 1.8 million mile journey to explore the habitability of Jupiter’s icy moon. Dr. Cynthia Phillips of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory explains the Europa Clipper mission, which is currently on its way to Jupiter’s...
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The Great Comet of 2024?

Everyone is getting psyched for Comet C3/2023 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS as it makes its presence known in the October evening skies. I’m one of those folks getting psyched. Great comets don’t come along very frequently, after all. What do I mean by a “great”...
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The Biggest Supermoon of 2024: Hunter's Moon and King Tides

What is the significance of this year’s Hunter’s Moon? October’s full Moon is named the Hunter Moon because it represented a time when hunters would seek out deer and turkey ahead of winter.
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Earth Has a 2nd Moon?! Meet PT5

Did you know that Earth has a temporary second moon? PT5 is a 33-foot wide rock that normally orbits the Sun.
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Don’t Miss Rare Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS! Tips for Viewing

What rare celestial phenomenon will be seen in October? Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has traveled from the far outer reaches of our solar system, and will be visible for the first time in mid-October!
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Aurora Alert! See the Northern Lights

An X-class solar storm could cause exciting aurora activity! This most powerful class of solar flare will bring a chance to see the northern lights on October 5, with some lingering aurora activity on October 6 and October 7.
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T Corona Borealis, the Recurrent Nova

The astronomy world is eagerly awaiting an old light, one of a very small number of systems of the type known as a recurrent nova. Its name is T Corona Borealis, its friends call it T CrB, and it’s going to go boom any day now.
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Units in Space

The Spacing Out Blog is back! Dive back in with Talia as she answers a reader question about measuring distances in the universe!
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Annular Solar Eclipse & Saturn Occultation

Your October night sky forecast is here! On October 2, an annular or “ring” solar eclipse will occur. This means that the Moon is too far away to completely block out the Sun, so instead the Sun forms a bright ring around the Moon.
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NASA to Bring Stranded Astronauts Home via SpaceX Dragon

How will the two astronauts stranded aboard the ISS return home? Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams originally launched to the ISS aboard the Boeing Starliner, but due to technical issues they weren’t able to take it back to Earth.
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North Star's Surface Revealed for the First Time!

What does the surface of the North Star look like? Scientists recently imaged the surface of our North Star, Polaris, making it one of the very few stars whose surface details we’ve seen!
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One Sky

Journey through the astronomical traditions and stories from cultures around the world under our shared view of the night sky.
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Don’t Miss Draconids Meteor Shower & Fireballs

What meteor shower graces our skies in October? The Draconids, which peak on October 7, are known to be unpredictable.
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Space X’s Polaris Dawn: Inside the Mission

What did the Polaris Dawn space mission accomplish? In this video, we dive into how this commercial spaceflight mission completed the very first commercial spacewalk before landing safely!
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Fall Equinox Triggers Auroras

Did you know that the equinox is a great time to look for the aurora? This is the result of a combination of factors.