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The sun’s upper atmosphere, or corona, in ultraviolet light ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI Team These fiery images are the clearest views we have ever had of the sun, taken by the Solar Orbiter spacecraft. Solar Orbiter, a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, is the most advanced instrument to orbit the […]
The two Proba-3 spacecraft will work together to create an artificial solar eclipse ESA The European Space Agency (ESA) is aiming to create an artificial eclipse in space with its upcoming Proba-3 mission, which will help study the sun and demonstrate extremely precise formation flying, down to just a millimetre. Scheduled to launch on an […]
I have a habit, if I wake some nights, to get up and go downstairs to read. Last night was noteworthy because I could see the moon as a mere horn repeatedly swallowed then reborn from the passing clouds. Through binoculars, however, I could make out the other portion of the whole lunar sphere as a […]
According to Lynn Wilson, who is the Wind project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, fuel is only one indicator of Wind’s life expectancy, however. “Based on fuel alone, Wind can continue flying until 2074,” he said. “On the other hand, its ability to return data hinges on the last surviving […]
According to Lynn Wilson, who is the Wind project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, fuel is only one indicator of Wind’s life expectancy, however. “Based on fuel alone, Wind can continue flying until 2074,” he said. “On the other hand, its ability to return data hinges on the last surviving […]
The first images from a new space-based telescope launched into Earth’s orbit to monitor the sun captured a striking solar storm outburst. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shared the first images taken by its Compact Coronagraph (CCOR-1), the world’s first operational space-based coronagraph. CCOR-1 is mounted on NOAA’s newest geostationary satellite, GOES-19, which […]
You could get more opportunities to see supercharged auroras over the next few months, thanks to our very active sun. Solar activity waxes and wanes on an 11-year cycle. The current cycle, known as Solar Cycle 25, began in December 2019 and is still in its maximum phase, experts say. “Currently, we’re about two years […]
With reports of spectacular views of the northern lights on Thursday night, including sightings as far south as Kent in the UK, we take a look at what causes the phenomenon and how to catch a glimpse. What are the northern lights? The northern lights, or aurora borealis, appear as bright, dynamic curtains of colour […]