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☆ Pluto’s heart was likely created by an ancient collision
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A deep basin called Sputnik Planitia, which makes up the “left lobe” of the heart, is home to much of Pluto’s nitrogen ice. The New Horizons spacecraft took an image of Pluto's heart on July 14, 2015. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/NASAThrough new research on Sputnik Planitia, an international team of scientists has determined that a cataclysmic event created the heart. The teardrop shape of Sputnik Planitia is a result of the frigidity of Pluto’s core, as well as the relatively low velocity of the impact itself, the team found. The researchers believe that the new theory regarding Pluto’s heart could shed more light on how the mysterious dwarf planet formed.

Persons: Clybe Tombaugh, Pluto, it’s, ”, Harry Ballantyne, Erik Asphaug, ” Asphaug, “ That’s, Sputnik Planitia, Martin Jutzi, Kelsi Singer, ” Singer Organizations: CNN, Regio, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Research Institute, NASA, Sputnik, Pluto, University of Bern, University of Arizona’s, Laboratory, University of Bern’s Physics, Kelsi, Southwest Research, New Locations: United States, Switzerland, Boulder , Colorado

☆ Space photos from 5 recent moon-landing missions show how tiny engineering errors can cause big problems, like crashing or landing sideways
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Houston-based company's uncrewed Odysseus lander was almost lost to one of the tiniest possible mistakes. The view from the Intuitive Machines Odysseus lander as it descended to its landing site. Intuitive MachinesWith less than two hours to go before landing, Intuitive Machines engineers frantically whipped up a new navigation system. Indeed, several robotic moon landing attempts have crashed or otherwise malfunctioned in the last few years. Similarly, Intuitive Machines' success on Thursday shows that small errors don't necessarily have to spell the end of a mission.

Persons: Steve Altemus, Trent Martin, Odysseus, Astrobotic —, Peregrine, Astrobotic Astrobotic, Astrobotic, Vikram, SpaceNews, Robert Braun, Kailasavadivoo Sivan, ispace, NASA's, Braun, Japan's Smart Lander, SLIM, LEV, Takara Tomy Organizations: US, Business, NASA, Reconnaissance, Goddard, Arizona State University, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, NASA's Goddard Space Flight, freefall, JAXA, Takara, Sony Group Corporation, Doshisha Locations: India, Japan, Houston

☆ Intuitive Machines almost lost its moon lander because somebody forgot to flip a switch before launch
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A serendipitous moment, a NASA experiment, and frantic, innovative software engineering rescued the company's Odysseus lander from what could have been a catastrophic error — a switch that didn't get flipped before launch. NASA TVIt was a "spicy" landing, Altemus said. AdvertisementThe Houston-based company flew Odysseus, which is its Nova-C-model lander, to the moon on a $118 million NASA contract. Its success marks the first commercial moon landing ever and NASA's first return to the lunar surface since 1972. It was risky — the NASA lasers were on the lander to test whether they worked in space at all — but it was better than nothing.

Persons: —, Steve Altemus, Altemus, Odysseus, Frankenstein, Robert Braun, Tim Crain, Crain, Braun Organizations: Service, NASA, Business, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Locations: Mars

☆ February full moon peaks this weekend
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —February’s full moon, known as the snow moon, is set to peak on Saturday, shining bright around the world in the night sky. It’ll just be a little bit smaller than your average full moon that you look up at.”The full moon phase occurs when the moon, Earth and the sun are in alignment, in that order. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun’s face. A total solar eclipse won’t be visible across the contiguous United States again until August 2044. A lunar eclipse, which causes the moon to look dark or dimmed, occurs when the sun, Earth and moon align so that the moon passes into Earth’s shadow.

Persons: CNN —, “ It’s, ”, Rachel Klima, “, ” Klima, Klima, “ We’re, Buck, Lyrids, Capricornids Organizations: CNN, Farmers, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics, American Meteor Society, Taurids Locations: United States, Laurel , Maryland, Mexico, Canada, South America, Europe, North, East Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, Earth’s, Asia

☆ ‘Magic islands’ mystery on Saturn’s moon Titan may be solved
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The disappearing “magic islands” on Saturn’s largest moon Titan have intrigued scientists since NASA’s Cassini mission spotted them during flybys a decade ago. Titan, larger than both our moon and the planet Mercury, is the only moon in our solar system with a thick atmosphere. The sea is 50% larger than Lake Superior and is made up of liquid methane, ethane and nitrogen. An artist's illustration shows a lake at the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan, including raised rims spied by Cassini. Liquid methane slowly seeps into the frozen clumps, eventually causing them to disappear from view.

Persons: NASA’s, Cassini, Xinting Yu, ”, Yu, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Virginia Pasek, ” Yu, “ Organizations: CNN, NASA, Titan, JPL, Caltech, University of Texas, Research, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Locations: Ligeia Mare, Superior, San Antonio, Virginia

“Russia’s thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons remind the world that escalation of the conflict – by accident, intention, or miscalculation – is a terrible risk. New Construction at Russia's Novaya Zemlya nuclear test site, June 22, 2023. Lop Nur nuclear test site. “The Chinese test site is different than the Russian test site,” Lewis said. Both countries keep their strategic nuclear arsenals on “hair-trigger” alert, meaning that nuclear weapons can be launched on short notice.

Persons: Jeffrey Lewis, James Martin, ”, Cedric Leighton, “, Vladimir Putin, ” Lewis, Lewis ’, António Guterres, ” Guterres, Dmitry Medvedev, Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Shoigu, Lewis, we’ve, Leighton, they’d, ” Leighton, Nur, Hans Kristensen, Kristensen, Israel –, Dyess, Frederic J . Brown, Fiona Cunningham, Yang Kun, ” Daryl Kimball, Kimball, Michael Frankel, James Scouras, George Ullrich, Soviet Union –, Russia –, We’re Organizations: CNN, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, US, US Air Force, Atomic Scientists, Soviet Union, United Nations, Russia’s Security, Russian Defense Ministry, Planet Labs PBC, Middlebury, Science and Global Security, Novaya, Middlebury Institute, China Observer, China’s Foreign Ministry, Planet Labs, Nevada National Security, National Security Administration, US Department of Energy, Office, National Security Council, International Monitoring, Federation of American Scientists, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Columbia, Northrop Grumman's Air Force, Getty, Control Association, ACA, NGO, PLA, Nuclear, Carnegie Endowment, International, Arms Control Association, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Soviet Locations: Russia, United States, China, Xinjiang, Nevada, . China, Moscow, Washington, Ukraine, Soviet, Belarus, Minsk, Novaya Zemlya, Zemlya, Soviet Union, Lop Nur, Japan, Lop, Beijing, Stockholm, United Kingdom, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Ellsworth, Palmdale , California, AFP, Yuli County, Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Baltimore, Russian, Hiroshima

☆ A NASA probe got slammed by a massive eruption from the sun — and caught it all on camera
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A NASA probe caught a massive eruption from the sun on camera. The Parker Solar Probe flew right through a major coronal mass ejection last year. NASA said that the CME that struck the Parker Solar Probe was "one of the most powerful coronal mass ejections ever recorded." The Parker Solar Probe's mission to touch the sunAn artist's illustration of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the sun. NASAThe Parker Solar Probe was designed specifically to study the sun.

Persons: NASA's Parker, Parker, Johns Hopkins, it's, Jim Kinnison, We're, Russ Howard Organizations: NASA, Parker, Probe, Service, Solar Probe, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics, CME, NASA's Parker Solar Probe, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Locations: Wall, Silicon, CMEs

☆ NASA discovered a new crater on the moon as wide as a 3-story building, and it's probably Russia's Luna-25 gravesite
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The crater was likely caused by Russia's Luna-25 lander crashing into the moon last month, NASA said. Had Luna-25 not crashed, it would've been the first craft to explore the lunar south pole region. It could be the crash site of Russia's Luna-25 moon lander, NASA said in a statement Thursday. "During its descent" on August 19, "Luna 25 experienced an anomaly that caused it to impact the surface of the Moon," NASA said in the statement. The country had previously tried to land a craft near the lunar south pole, but it failed the first time.

Persons: Russia's Luna, would've, Luna, Robert Braun Organizations: NASA, Service, Reconnaissance, Luna, Goddard Space Flight, Arizona State University, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Locations: Wall, Silicon, India, Russia

☆ How India landed on the moon and flew to Mars at a fraction of the cost of NASA and Russia missions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

India has become the first nation to land a robotic mission to the crucial south pole of the Moon. AdvertisementAdvertisementSmall spacecraft, small costsIndian spacecraft Chandrayaan-3, the word for "moon craft" in Sanskrit, travels after it was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. Aijaz Rahi/AP PhotoIndia's main strategy for being frugal on the moon seems to be that it kept the spacecraft small. NASA/JSCThis wasn't India's first attempt to land on the moon's south pole. It aimed to make a soft landing on the south pole of the moon, where nobody had succeeded yet.

Persons: NASA's, Elon Musk, Aijaz, That's, Satish, Robert Braun, Andrew Coates, Anatoly Zak, They've, Braun, Russia's Luna Organizations: Service, Hollywood, ISRO, SpaceX, Twitter, Indian Space Research Organization, New York Times, NASA, Space, Chandrayaan, Space Exploration, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, MAVEN, BBC, Planetary Society, JSC Locations: Wall, Silicon, India, Bengaluru, Sriharikota, Soviet Union

☆ Why Russia and India both crashed on the moon's south pole before India nailed the first soft landing there
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The feat comes just days after Russia crash-landed there, and four years after India's first attempt crashed into the lunar south pole. AdvertisementAdvertisementIt was the country's first bid at the lunar south pole, which is especially valuable space real estate because of its frozen-water reserves. Both the US and China also hope to land on the lunar south pole before the end of the decade. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe lunar south pole is uniquely hazardousThe very thing that makes the moon's south pole so desirable — the permanently shadowed regions that harbor water ice — also makes it more difficult to land on. AdvertisementAdvertisementAlso, nobody has ever been to the moon's south pole.

Persons: India's, Robert Braun, Braun, It's, Luna, Kailasavadivoo Sivan, Aijaz, it's, you've, Rajanish, landers Organizations: Service, Space Exploration, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, NASA, Vostochny, Space Corporation, AP, European Space Agency, Space Research Organization, ISRO, India, Soviet Union, Operation, India's Bharatiya Janata Party Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russia, India, Russia's Far, Soviet Union, China, Europe, Ukraine, Bangalore, Mumbai

☆ India's adorable, dog-sized moon rover is set to roll out any minute and collect the first samples of the lunar south pole ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

India's moon rover could roll out any minute to collect the first-ever samples of the lunar south pole. It's set to collect the first samples ever of the lunar south pole. The Vikram lander is the first robot to successfully land on the lunar south pole. Inside, it carried the Pragyaan lunar rover, which rolls out and down to the ground on the ramp shown here. Indian Space Research OrganisationThe lunar south pole is thought to be the most water-rich region on the moon.

Persons: Vikram lander's, Robert Braun, Johns Hopkins, ILSA, Braun Organizations: Service, Indian Space Research Organization, New York Times, Exploration, Space Research Locations: Wall, Silicon, India, Mars, Russia, China

☆ Watch India attempt a historic moon landing on the lunar south pole, where 3 spacecraft have crashed and nobody has succeeded yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In this rush for the lunar south pole, India's space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is scheduled to make its new landing attempt on Wednesday. India, Russia, and Israel have all tried and failedRussia is the latest nation to fumble a lunar south-pole landing. If first you don't succeed try, try, againThe landing attempt scheduled for Wednesday will be India's second try. The new Vikram lander will be on its own. So it's the hardest of the hard," said Braun, who has worked on landing and descent teams for multiple NASA missions to Mars.

Persons: Luna, India's, Robert Braun, Rajanish, Vikram, Kailasavadivoo Sivan, Aijaz, Braun, I'm, " Braun Organizations: Service, Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, Space Exploration, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, India's Bharatiya Janata Party, AP, Space Research Organization, NASA Locations: Wall, Silicon, India, Mars, Russia, Israel, Mumbai, Bangalore, Mars . India

☆ How bricks, a screwdriver, and a 'demon core' of radioactive material killed 2 Manhattan Project scientists
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Experiments on a so-called "demon core" of plutonium caused the deaths of two Manhattan Project physicists. The recreation of the experiment involving the plutonium "demon core" that killed Harry Daghlian. In seconds, the "demon core" of plutonium core had bathed him in a lethal dose of radiation. He again attempted to experiment on the demon core, sliding the screwdriver between the metal halves. The two deadly incidents earned the plutonium core the nickname "the demon core."

Persons: J, Robert Oppenheimer, Harry Daghlian, Louis Slotin —, Daghlian —, Daghlian, Louis Slotin, Slotin, Johns Hopkins, Enrico Fermi, Alvin Graves, Graves Organizations: Manhattan, Manhattan Project, Service, Los, Atomic Heritage Foundation, MIT, Los Alamos National Laboratory, United Energy Workers Healthcare, Louis Slotin . Los Alamos, BBC, Applied Physics Laboratory, Alamos National Laboratory, New Locations: Wall, Silicon, Los Alamos, New Mexico, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Los Alamos , New Mexico, Los, Canadian, Louis Slotin . Los, Alamos

The company also boasted of collaborations with reputable institutions that have since denied partnering with OceanGate on the submersible in question. The interior of OceanGate's Titan submersible is seen in 2018. It “hasn’t been used in a crewed submersible ever before,” he said in a video last year. OceanGate appears to have also overstated its relationships with two institutions widely respected for their innovation: Boeing and University of Washington. OceanGate had partnered with UW to create a different submersible before parting ways, the university said in a statement.

Persons: Stockton Rush, “, ” Rush, Rush, OceanGate, ” Rachel Lance, ” OceanGate, ’, Paul Henri, Nargeolet, David Pogue, ”, Pogue, Stockton, ” Stockton, don’t, Don’t, David Lochridge, Lochridge, OceanGate’s, Victor Balta, Balta, Guillermo Sohnlein, wasn’t, Anderson Cooper, Will Kohnen, ” Kohnen, Sal Mercogliano, ” Mike Reiss, ” Reiss, ” It’s, John Mauger, “ You’ve, CNN’s Gabe Cohen, Brad Lendon, Greg Wallace, Veronica Miracle, Allison Morrow, Rob Frehse, Paul Murphy, Celina Tebor Organizations: CNN, Stockton, US Coast Guard, Duke University, KOMO, OceanGate Expeditions, CBS, Getty, Boeing, University of Washington, OceanGate Inc, University of Washington’s, Physics Laboratory, UW, UW School of Oceanography, Titan, Marine Technology, Campbell University, Coast Guard Locations: Stockton, North Carolina, AFP

☆ Boeing and University of Washington deny OceanGate's claim that they helped design the lost Titan sub
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

OceanGate's Titan submersible has been missing since Sunday. OceanGate claimed that Boeing, NASA, and the University of Washington helped design the Titan. In a statement sent to Insider, Boeing said the aircraft company was not involved with the development of OceanGate's Titan. The University of Washington also released a statement saying that it wasn't involved in creating OceanGate's Titan submersible. But the collaboration resulted in a "steel-hulled vessel, named the Cyclops 1," not the design for the Titan submersible.

Persons: OceanGate, Victor Balta, Balta, NASA's, Lance D, Davis, NASA's Marshall Organizations: Boeing, NASA, University of Washington, Titan, OceanGate Inc, CNN, Laboratory, University of Washington's School of Oceanography, UW, The University of Washington, NASA's Marshall Space, Space, OceanGate

☆ Safety concerns about missing Titan vessel voiced by former OceanGate employees years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Celina Tebor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Lochridge worked as an independent contractor for OceanGate in 2015, then as an employee between 2016 and 2018, according to court filings. Court filings from the company indicate there was additional testing after Lochridge’s time at OceanGate, and it’s unclear whether any of his concerns were addressed as the vessel was developed. He said more concerns were raised by contractors and employees during his time at OceanGate, and Rush became defensive and shied away from answering questions during all-staff meetings. In 2022, the legal representative updated the Virginia court on OceanGate’s expeditions in another court filing. “OceanGate decided to cancel the second mission for repairs and operational enhancements” after the vessel “sustained modest damage to its external components,” it reads.

Persons: David Lochridge, Lochridge, Stockton Rush –, “, Rush, OceanGate, of Virginia –, ” Kevin Williams, “ OceanGate, “ Classing Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, OceanGate, Stockton Rush, Titan, Coast Guard, U.S, Eastern, of, University of Washington’s, Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, American Bureau of Shipping, Lloyd’s Locations: Cape Cod , Massachusetts, OceanGate, of Virginia, Virginia

☆ First mission to ‘touch’ the sun catches the solar wind
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The slower solar wind, located in the same plane of the solar system as Earth, flows at a calmer 249 miles per second (400 kilometers per second). This flip causes the coronal holes to appear across the sun’s surface and release bursts of solar wind directly toward Earth. JHU Applied Physics Laboratory/NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterUnderstanding the source of the solar wind can help scientists better predict space weather and solar storms that can affect Earth. Fortunately, Parker Solar Probe and a separate mission, Solar Orbiter, are perfectly poised to observe the sun’s powerful, dynamic forces at play. “There was some consternation at the beginning of the solar probe mission that we’re going to launch this thing right into the quietest, most dull part of the solar cycle,” Bale said.

Persons: Eugene Parker, Parker, ”, James Drake, “ That’s, Stuart D, Bale, ” Parker, ” Bale Organizations: CNN, Parker, Probe, JHU, Physics Laboratory, Space, University of Maryland, College Park, University of California, Orbiter, Parker Solar Probe Locations: Berkeley

☆ Webb telescope detects mysterious water vapor in a nearby star system
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has detected water vapor around a rocky exoplanet that orbits a star located 26 light-years away from Earth. The presence of water vapor could suggest that GJ 486 b somehow has an atmosphere, despite its heat and proximity to the star. “Water vapor in an atmosphere on a hot rocky planet would represent a major breakthrough for exoplanet science. The results from the Webb data analysis pointed to water vapor being present around GJ 486 b. Future observations of the planet using different instruments on the Webb telescope could reveal additional details about the source of the water vapor.

☆ Live Updates: SpaceX Prepares Again to Launch Starship Rocket
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

PinnedSpaceX’s first attempt on Monday to launch Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, was called off. During a livestream for a different SpaceX launch on Wednesday, the company noted that another Starship postponement was possible. Credit... Patrick T. Fallon/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesWhy didn’t Starship launch on Monday? Splashdown Near Hawaii Launch SpaceX Starbase Boca Chica, TexasStarship is designed to be entirely reusable. About eight minutes after the launch on Thursday, the Super Heavy booster will splash into the Gulf of Mexico.

☆ Studies show how asteroid-bashing spacecraft was 'phenomenally successful'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] This image depicts NASA's DART spacecraft and its two long solar panels over the spot where it impacted asteroid Dimorphos in September 2022. "The DART test was phenomenally successful. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft collided on Sept. 26 at about 14,000 miles per hour (22,530 kph) into Dimorphos, an asteroid about 490 feet (150 meters) in diameter, roughly 6.8 million miles (11 million km) from Earth. Finally, the spacecraft bus - the box between the solar panels - hit between these two boulders," Daly said. The research also clarified details such as the precise location of the impact and the angle of impact.

☆ Asteroid's sudden flyby shows blind spot in planetary threat detection
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NASA for years has prioritized detecting asteroids much bigger and more existentially threatening than 2023 BU, the small space rock that streaked by 2,200 miles from the Earth's surface, closer than some satellites. If bound for Earth, it would have been pulverized in the atmosphere, with only small fragments possibly reaching land. But 2023 BU sits on the smaller end of a size group, asteroids 5-to-50 meters in diameter, that also includes those as big as an Olympic swimming pool. But with current capabilities, astronomers can't see when such a rock targets Earth until days prior. The successful demonstration, called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), affirmed for the first time a method of planetary defense.

“Now, we have a better understanding of the kind of benefits that operating in cislunar space can bring countries back home.”Though definitions sometimes differ, cislunar space generally refers to the space between Earth and the moon, including the moon's surface and orbit. In 2021, Holzinger co-authored a report titled “A Primer on Cislunar Space“ to help U.S. government officials understand the ins and outs of cislunar space. That interest is apparent: Last year, the Space Force identified cislunar operations as a development priority, and in April established the 19th Space Defense Squadron to oversee cislunar space. In November, the White House released its own strategy for interagency research on "responsible, peaceful, and sustainable exploration and utilization of cislunar space." Together, these factors could make it difficult to manage traffic in cislunar space, particularly if adversaries intentionally try to mask their activities there.

There's a new heavy hitter in the hunt for planets beyond our solar system. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope — the next-generation observatory that has already beamed back some of the clearest and most stunning views of the universe — was used for the first time to confirm the existence of an exoplanet, scientists announced Wednesday. The exoplanet confirmation marks an important milestone for the $10 billion Webb telescope, which launched into space in December 2021 and began science operations less than a year ago. “These first observational results from an Earth-size, rocky planet open the door to many future possibilities for studying rocky planet atmospheres with Webb,” Mark Clampin, director of the astrophysics division at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., said in a statement. “Webb is bringing us closer and closer to a new understanding of Earth-like worlds outside our solar system, and the mission is only just getting started.”

☆ On Pluto you could throw a baseball over the Great Pyramid of Giza, a scientist's animation reveals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An astronomer's animation reveals how far the average person could throw a ball on different worlds. On Pluto, your baseball could clear the Great Pyramid of Giza. Watch a ball throw on each planet in our solar system, plus Pluto and the moon, below. At just two-thirds the diameter of our moon, Pluto has such weak gravity that your baseball could clear the 455-foot-tall Great Pyramid of Giza — with room to spare. The video plays out in "real time," showing how long each ball throw would take, O'Donoghue said.

☆ 7 of the most iconic photos of Earth taken from space
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The first photo of Earth from space, taken just 65 miles above our planetThe first shot of Earth from space captured by a camera at an altitude of 65 miles, just above the edge of space U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range/Johns Hopkins Applied Physics LaboratoryOn October 24, 1946, 11 years before the launch of Sputnik I, a 35-mm motion picture camera onboard a V-2 rocket captured a grainy black and white photo of Earth. It's the first image of our planet from space. The image was taken at an altitude of 65 miles, just above the Karman Line, which is the boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. No astronauts were onboard the rocket — the camera automatically took a picture every 1.5 seconds. The film miraculously survived the missile's planned crash landing.

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