Today’s Solutions: May 05, 2024

Space

Learn about the latest astronomy news and discoveries around humanity’s endeavor beyond the final frontier.

harvest moon over field

How to best see the Harvest Moon tonight

The most notorious full moon of the year, the "Harvest Moon," is here! It is traditionally known as the Harvest Moon because it’s the full moon closest to the autumn equinox and illuminates the sky enough for farmers to continue harvesting their crops well into the night. The Harvest Moon Read More...

Perseverance rover successfull

Perseverance rover successfully collects rock samples on Mars

Seven months after NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars, the space agency has announced that their rock-scooping robot has officially managed to collect some samples from the red planet. Although the bulk of the study of these samples will be done when the rover returns to earth, this Read More...

Scientists observe supernova e

Scientists observe supernova explosion in unprecedented detail

In a world-first, astronomers have recorded the earliest moments of a supernova — the powerful explosion of a massive star — in unprecedented detail. The observation is a celebratory moment in the world of astronomy that could help improve our knowledge about what happens to stars the moment Read More...

How NASA technology is helping

How NASA technology is helping firefighters tackle wildfires on the ground

From the United States to the Mediterranean coastlines, wildfires have been breaking records this summer, with places in Greece, Lebanon, Turkey, and Italy seeing some of the worst fires in decades. As climate change-induced drought and severe heatwaves complicate the painstaking efforts of Read More...

How and when to see the Persei

How and when to see the Perseid Meteor Shower

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you might want to plan a late-night campout in the coming weeks as the Perseid Meteor Shower is coming to our skies! The star show began on July 14 and will run through August 24, reaching peak intensity from August 11 to August 13. A viewing will be best Read More...

Solar sail technologies to mak

Solar sail technologies to make future space missions more fuel-efficient

We’ve previously written about emerging sail technologies that hold the potential to make the maritime industry more sustainable and efficient. But a type of sail technology may soon also help humanity’s efforts to study outer space. NASA has recently announced that it plans to test new solar Read More...

Citizen scientists discover tw

Citizen scientists discover two new exoplanets

More than 29,000 people around the world are involved in NASA’s Planet Hunters TESS project. Available through the Zooniverse website, the project enlists citizen scientists to search for new exoplanets by scanning data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). After diligently Read More...

NASA schedules first missions

NASA schedules first missions to Venus since 1990

We’ve been closely following NASA’s recent excursions to Mars, but the space agency announced this week that it’s getting even more ambitious with its exploration and will be launching two missions to Venus between 2028 and 2030.  The last US probe to visit the planet was the Magellan Read More...

NASA image shows the spectacul

NASA image shows the spectacular beauty of the Milky Way’s ‘downtown’

If you ever wondered what the center of our galaxy looks like, you can now satiate your curiosity by checking out a new image from NASA that depicts it in unprecedented detail. The marvelous picture of our galaxy’s violent, super-energized “downtown” (which you can see above) is a composite Read More...

Astronauts arrive on the ISS o

Astronauts arrive on the ISS on board a reused SpaceX capsule

On what was a historic day for spaceflight last Saturday, four astronauts arrived at the International Space Station in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft — marking the first time a rocket booster has been reused for a space mission with a crew on board. Dubbed Crew-2, the mission Read More...