Tag Archives: Moon

2024 New Moon: When is the next full moon?

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A new moon may not be all that remarkable (literally) astronomically speaking, but it does mark the beginning of a new lunar cycle. And this month, the new moon in February also opens the Chinese New Year.

In China, Lunar New Year is a time to let go of the negative energy from the previous year and welcome good fortune and prosperity in the new year. It’s a time for family celebrations and to exorcise evil spirits.

For those who believe in astrology (spoiler: it doesn’t make much scientific sense), a new moon generally represents a fresh start. It’s a time to set intentions, start projects, and focus on personal growth. Astrologers believe that the energy of the new moon will help you plan for the future and sow seeds.

It is often associated with opportunities for self-reflection, goal setting, and personal renewal in various aspects of life. Various astrological signs are believed to influence how this energy manifests in individuals.

Of course, astrology is subjective to some extent, so it’s best to take it with a grain of salt.

But the new moon is exciting for another reason. It’s a more “visible” reason. Solar eclipse. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun. Similarly, a new moon occurs when it is on the same side of the Earth as the sun, so a solar eclipse is: only It occurs at the new moon.

When is the next new moon?

The next new moon will be on February 9, 2024.

Like full moons, new moons are also named according to the season. These usually coincide with full moons that accompany the same lunar cycle.

The beginning of each lunar cycle is marked by a new moon. A new moon occurs every 29.53 days (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3 seconds to be exact).

Here are all the new moons in 2024 as seen from London:

  • January 11th 11:57am: new wolf moon
  • February 9th, 10:59pm: new snow moon
  • March 10th 9am: new worm moon
  • April 8th, 6:21pm: New pink moon*
  • May 8th 3:22am: new flower moon
  • June 6th, 12:38pm: new strawberry moon
  • July 5th, 10:57pm: new back moon
  • August 4th 11:13am: new sturgeon moon
  • September 3rd, 1:56am: New Corn/Harvest Moon
  • October 2nd, 6:49pm: new hunter’s moon
  • November 1st, 12:47pm: new beaver moon
  • December 1st 6:21am: new cold moon
  • December 30th, 10:27pm: black Moon

*Includes solar eclipse

When is Chinese New Year?

Lunar New Year (also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival) is the second new moon after the winter solstice. The date of the Lunar New Year varies between January 21st and February 20th according to the Gregorian calendar.

This year, in 2024, Chinese New Year begins on February 10, 2024.

In China (and other countries in East Asia), this is one of the most important times of the year and festivals are held. May last up to 16 days. The first seven days of his life are designated as official holidays, and the celebration culminates in a lantern festival. full Mon – February 24, 2024.

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As the lunar cycle progresses, it becomes increasingly visible as more sunlight is reflected and moved away from the Sun. If you really want to see the new moon, the first visible phase of the moon is the very thin, sliver-like waxing crescent that occurs just after the new moon. It appears in the western sky after sunset.

The new moon can be seen soon

During a solar eclipse, if you have proper eye protection, you can see the shape of the moon passing in front of the sun, but you can’t actually see it. . You can see every detail.

There is also a phenomenon called “Earth Shine”. This is where the moon is at its thinnest crescent stage, where the unlit parts of the moon become visible. This occurs when sunlight reflects off the Earth and gently illuminates the night side of the moon. This in turn is reflected back to us. This creates the effect of a ghostly glow in the unlit areas, giving it the illusion of a full moon even though it’s not in its full moon phase.

Earthshine typically occurs during the spring for a few days on either side of a new moon.So it’s not very It’s a new moon, but if you really want to see it, you can see it as close as possible.

new moon and solar eclipse

The relationship between solar eclipses and new moons is intertwined. Without a new moon, there will be no solar eclipse.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun. Block out all (total solar eclipse) or some (partial solar eclipse) of the sun’s light. With this adjustment, only This phenomenon occurs during the new moon phase, when the moon is directly between the Earth and the sun.

The next solar eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024, and the total solar eclipse will cross Mexico, the United States, and Canada. A partial solar eclipse will be visible in the westernmost parts of the UK and Ireland.

However, not all new moons cause solar eclipses. This is because the moon’s orbit is slightly different from the Earth’s orbit around the sun. There is a difference of about 5 degrees. This small difference is usually enough for the new moon to pass above or below the Sun without blocking it. In other words, no solar eclipse will occur.

What is a black moon?

The term “black moon” is used to describe the new moon, which is the equivalent of a blue moon. There are several different definitions of a black moon, but it usually refers to two new moons in one calendar month. This simply depends on the number of days in the month and how the calendar is determined.

Some people call a calendar month without a new moon a black moon. This can occur in his February, when there is no new moon about once every 19 years, due to the short length of the moon compared to the lunar cycle.

The next black moon (using the definition of two new moons in a month) will be on December 30, 2024 at 10:27 PM (GMT).

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Stunning Images of Jupiter’s Moon Io Captured by NASA’s Juno Orbiter

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On February 3, 2024, NASA's Juno spacecraft made its second close approach to Io, the fifth and third largest of Jupiter's moons. Like the previous flyby on December 30, 2023, this second pass was approximately 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away. During the twins' flyby, the spacecraft's JunoCam instrument returned stunning high-resolution images and raw data. The flyby is designed to provide new insights into how Io's volcanic engines work and whether a global magma ocean exists beneath the volcanic moon's rocky, mountainous surface. has been done.

The JunoCam instrument aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft imaged Io, the most geologically active object in the solar system, on February 3, 2024, from a distance of approximately 7,904 km (4,911 miles) . Image credit: NASA/SwRI/MSSS.

Io is the innermost of Jupiter's four Galilean moons and the fourth largest moon in the solar system.

Its diameter is about 3,630 km (2,556 miles), making it only slightly larger than our moon.

It is the only place in the solar system other than Earth that is known to have volcanoes spewing hot lava like those on Earth.

Io has over 400 active volcanoes, which are caused by tidal heating. This is the result of a gravitational tug of war between Jupiter's gravity and the small but precisely timed gravitational pulls from Europa and Ganymede.

The moon's yellow, white, orange, and red colors are produced by sulfur dioxide, frost on its surface, elemental sulfur, and various sulfur allotropes.

The volcano was first discovered on the island of Io in 1979, and since then studies using NASA's Galileo spacecraft and ground-based telescopes have shown that eruptions and lava fountains occur constantly, forming rivers and lakes of lava. Masu.

Only 13 large eruptions were observed between 1978 and 2006, in part because fewer astronomers were scanning the moon on a regular basis.

The JunoCam instrument aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft imaged Io on December 30, 2023, from a distance of approximately 5,857 km (3,639 miles). Image credit: NASA/SwRI/MSSS.

NASA's Juno spacecraft has been monitoring Io's volcanic activity from distances ranging from about 11,000 km (6,830 miles) to more than 100,000 km (62,100 miles), providing the first view of the moon's north and south poles .

On December 30, 2023, Juno came within approximately 1,500 km of Io's surface. The orbiter made her second close flyby of the Moon on February 3, 2024.

The second flyby mainly flew over Io's southern hemisphere, but previous flybys flew over Io's northern hemisphere.

Juno captured two plumes rising above Io's horizon on February 3, 2024. These plumes were emitted from two vents from one giant volcano, or from two volcanoes located close to each other. The JunoCam instrument photographed the plume from a distance of approximately 3,800 km (2,400 miles). Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Andrea Luck.

“We investigate the source of Io's massive volcanic activity, whether there is a magma ocean beneath its crust, and the importance of tidal forces from Jupiter that are relentlessly squeezing this beleaguered moon. doing.”

“There are active plumes, high mountain peaks with distinct shadows, and evidence of lava lakes, some of which look like islands.”

Starting in April 2024, Juno will conduct a series of occultation experiments that will use Juno's gravity science experiments to investigate the composition of Jupiter's upper atmosphere. This provides important information about the planet's shape and internal structure.

Source: www.sci.news

Possible Vast Global Ocean Discovered Beneath Ice on Saturn’s Moon Mimas

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Mimas photographed by NASA's Cassini spacecraft

NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/Space Science I

Saturn's moon Mimas appears to have a vast global ocean beneath its icy shell, according to detailed measurements of its orbit. If other icy worlds have similar oceans, the number of planets that can support life could increase.

Mimas is the smallest of Saturn's seven major moons. For a long time, it was thought that most of it was composed of solid ice and rock, but in 2014 astronomers observed that the orbit around Saturn was unexpectedly wobbling, suggesting that this could only be explained by either a rugby ball-shaped nucleus or a liquid ocean.

Many astronomers rejected the ocean explanation, as the friction required to melt the ice would have caused visible marks on Mimas's surface. However, recent simulations suggest that this ocean may exist even without such traces.

Looking for more clues? Valerie Rainey Researchers from France's Paris Observatory analyzed observations of Mimas' orbit by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. They found that the orbit around Saturn has shifted by about 10 kilometers over 13 years.

According to the team's calculations, this orbital drift could only have been caused by an ice shell sliding over the ocean, or by wobbles from the physically impossible pancake-shaped core.

The moon's elliptical orbit and lack of surface markings also suggest that the ocean is about 30 kilometers deep and formed less than 25 million years ago. “It was very recent,” Rainey says. “We are more or less witnessing the birth of this global ocean.”

This recent activity could help explain not only the lack of traces on the surface, but also why the moon is so different from its neighbors. Enceladus has a similar shape and orbit to Mimas, and has a global ocean, but it also has a very active surface and giant spout. Rainey said the difference is simply a difference in time, and in a few million years Mimas' ice could melt and it could look similar to Enceladus.

“It would be surprising if that were true,” he says. William McKinnon at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. But he says there are still things that aren't perfectly aligned, such as the vast 80-mile-wide Herschel crater, which was formed by a giant impact. If Mimas' ice shell was truly only tens of kilometers deep, McKinnon said, we would have seen evidence of a distorted crater floor in the impact and aftermath. It's also unlikely, he says, that you'll be able to get a front-row seat at such a short and unique time in Mimas' long history. “I remain a Mimas ocean skeptic,” McKinnon says.

However, if Mimas has a hidden ocean, it suggests that other icy planets and moons in the solar system and elsewhere may have the same, expanding the possibility of life. “It's expanding our vision of what is and isn't a habitable world,” Rainey says. “Mimas teaches us that even a corpse that seems to have no life in it may someday come to life.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

2024 Full Moon Schedule: When is the Next Full Moon?

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A full moon low on the horizon is one of the most fascinating sights in the night sky. It is also one of the easiest astronomical phenomena to observe. You don't need any special equipment to see the full moon, and you don't need a star map to find it.

It's helpful to learn a little about the different craters on the moon. By observing the moon regularly, you can see how its characteristics change as the moon waxes and wanes.

Whether you're an experienced astronomer, a budding astrophotographer or someone with an interest in astrology, it's useful to know when the next full moon will be visible in the UK. For those who want to try their hand at moon photography, expert Pete Lawrence has put together a guide on how to take great photos of the moon. This guide is full of helpful (and practical!) tips and hints.

Discover more amazing views of the night sky with our beginner's guide to astronomy, and record natural fireworks on your calendar. All 2024 meteor showers are listed in our definitive guide.

When is the next full moon?

Next full moon is January 25, 2024, also known as the Wolf Moon. Other names for January's full moon include Moon After Yule, Ice Moon, and Old Moon.

A full moon is part of a lunar cycle that takes 29.53 days (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3 seconds) to complete. In other words, a full moon occurs every 29.53 days. Since this is less than one calendar month, you may see two full moons in one month, and that “extra” full moon is known as a “blue moon.”

During the Full Moon phase of the lunar cycle, the Moon, Earth, and Sun are aligned, with the Moon 180 degrees opposite the Sun. That's why during a full moon, the moon rises and the sun sets (and vice versa).

Full moon day in 2024

  • January 25th, 5:54pm: wolf moon
  • February 24th, 12:30pm: snow moon
  • March 25th, 7am: worm moon
  • April 23rd, 11:49pm: pink moon
  • May 23rd, 1:53pm: flower moon
  • June 22nd 1:08am: strawberry moon
  • July 21st 10:17am: back moon
  • August 19th, 6:26pm: sturgeon moon
  • September 18th, 2:34am: corn moon
  • October 17th 11:25am: hunter's moon
  • November 15th, 9:28pm: beaver moon
  • December 15th 9:02am: cold moon

When will the 2024 supermoon occur?

Supermoon is an unofficial name that has become increasingly popular in recent years. This refers to a full moon that appears larger and brighter than other full moons that year.

Because the Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical shape, its distance from us changes throughout the year. When the moon is closest to us, this is called lunar perigee. When it is farthest from us, it is known as the moon's apogee.

When perigee occurs near a full moon, the moon appears larger and brighter, creating a supermoon. Typically, this is when the Moon is about 360,000 km or less from us, but this is not always the case.

2024 supermoon dates

sturgeon supermoon

August 19th: 361,969 kilometers (224,917 miles)

corn supermoon

September 18th: 357,485 kilometers (222,131 miles)

hunter's supermoon

October 17th: 357,363 kilometers (222,055 miles)

beaver supermoon

November 15th: 361,866 kilometers (224,853 miles)

What is the lunar cycle?

The moon appears to change shape throughout the lunar cycle.

  1. new moon
  2. waxing crescent moon
  3. 1st quarter
  4. The waxing Gibbs moon
  5. full moon
  6. The fading gibbous moon
  7. 3rd quarter
  8. waning crescent moon
  9. Another new moon.

We can see the moon because it reflects light from the sun. As it orbits the Earth, the amount of light reflected back to us changes. When the moon passes between the sun and the earth, light can no longer be reflected back to us and a new moon occurs.

A full moon occurs when the Earth is between the sun and the moon, when the moon's surface is completely illuminated by the sun. During those hours, only part of the moon can reflect light back to Earth.

Moon phases © Getty Images

If the moon orbits the Earth in the same plane that the Earth orbits the sun, the moon will block light from the sun every time a new moon occurs.

However, this does not happen because the Moon orbits at an angle of about 5 degrees compared to the Earth's orbit of the Sun. When the Moon passes through the Earth's orbit and her three celestial bodies, the Earth, Moon, and Sun, line up.

This is called Shijiji. A solar eclipse occurs when a lunation occurs during a new moon, and a lunar eclipse occurs when a lunation occurs during a full moon.

How can I photograph the moon at night?

To photograph the moon with your phone, you may need to play around with your camera settings. No flash, lower ISO and set focus to 100.

If you don't know how to make these changes, use the Night Photography app ( night cap– Available at app store£2.99) gives you more control over your camera settings than the regular camera app.

The moon is a perfect target for photographing with a DSLR camera © Getty Images

If you're using a digital camera, start with an aperture between f/11 and f/16 and a shutter speed between 1/60 and 1/125 seconds. A tripod can help reduce shaking in low-light situations when you need to hold the camera still and keep the shutter open a little longer.

To get the best photos of the moon, you need to be creative with your shots so that you can fit the moon in the frame depending on the surrounding scenery. There is a lot of software available to help you plan where you will see the moon or anything else in the night sky ( moon locator App – available at android device, free).

To find more software worthy of your home screen, check out our guide to the best astronomy apps.

Moon photography is a great way to get started with astrophotography. The moon's appearance changes throughout the month. Not only the shape changes, but also the craters and the moon. Similarly, shadows create tricks of light that make the moon a brilliant subject.

You don't need much in terms of equipment. If you have a smartphone and a tripod, you can take good photos.

  • Related: Read Pete Lawrence's expert guide on how to photograph the moon. It features beginner, intermediate, and advanced projects that you can try at home.

Does the moon rotate?

Yes, the moon rotates. But it is tidally locked and rotates in sync with Earth's orbit, so for every Earth orbit he makes one revolution.

This means that the same side is always facing us as we move around the Earth. This is why we have the term “dark side of the moon,” which refers to the side we never see. In fact, that side of the moon receives as much sunlight as the side we see, so the correct term is “far side of the moon.”

What is a Blood Moon? How can I see it?

“During a total lunar eclipse, the moon turns red because Earth's atmosphere scatters blue light and only lets red light through. This is called a blood moon,” says Abigail Beale.

The next total lunar eclipse visible from the UK will be on 14 March 2025 (UK, Europe, Africa, the Americas, East Asia, Australia).

We have some time before we wait for the next Blood Moon. Below are the dates of the next total lunar eclipse that will result in a blood moon.

March 14, 2025:UK, Europe, Africa, America, East Asia, Australia

September 7, 2025:UK, Europe, Asia, Australia

March 3, 2026: America, Asia, Australia

December 31, 2028:UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, Western US, Canada

Lunar eclipse “Blood Moon” © Getty

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Japanese spacecraft successfully lands on the moon, but encounters an issue

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SLIM spacecraft illustration

JAXA

Japan's Smart Lander for Lunar Exploration (SLIM) has landed on the moon. Although the spacecraft is not operating perfectly, the successful landing follows a series of recent failed moon landings by governments and private spaceflight companies, and remains encouraging for international efforts to explore the moon. . With this landing, Japan will become the fifth country to land on the moon, following the United States, Soviet Union, China, and India.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched SLIM in September 2023, and the spacecraft took a long orbit to the moon, circling the Earth several times to conserve fuel. It has been orbiting the moon since December, taking images of the surface and preparing for landing.

The January 19 touchdown marked the first use of a technology engineers dubbed “smart eye,” which allows SLIM to aim its landing spot with extreme precision. SLIM determined its position by comparing images from its onboard camera with data from other spacecraft orbiting the moon, then autonomously navigated to a landing site on the slopes of Sioli Crater. JAXA officials are continuing to analyze how well the targeting protocol worked.

Initial signals from SLIM suggest that the solar panels do not appear to be operational, so the spacecraft is operating on battery power for now. If spacecraft operators are unable to figure out what's wrong with the solar cells and get them working, SLIM's scientific capabilities could be hampered and its lifespan significantly shortened. According to JAXA officials, battery life is expected to be only a few hours. It's possible the spacecraft will regain solar power, but for now JAXA's priority is to return as much data as possible to Earth before its batteries run out.

As SLIM descended to the lunar surface, two small rovers, each carrying a small payload of scientific instruments, also descended. One of them is designed to bounce rather than roll on wheels, and the other is a tennis ball. He was designed by toy manufacturers to roll on the moon, with a sphere slightly smaller than a ball. The spacecraft appears to be functioning normally.

Spacecraft landing sites are potentially important. Previous observations suggest that material may have come from inside the moon during the impact that formed the crater. SLIM's scientific instruments can study these minerals to learn about the formation and evolution of the Moon. A successful landing and the scientific data collected will provide useful data for the many spacecraft scheduled to travel to the moon from around the world in the coming years.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Japanese lander Slim prepares to touch down on the moon

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Artist's thoughts on SLIM after landing on the moon

JAXA

Japan is preparing for its first moon landing. The Smart Lunar Survey Lander (SLIM) is scheduled to land on the lunar surface on January 19th. If all goes well, Japan will become the fifth country to land a probe on the moon, following the United States, Soviet Union, China and India.

SLIM launched in September 2023 and took a long, narrow path to the moon, making a steep descent to conserve fuel. It entered lunar orbit in December and has since taken images of the lunar surface and slowly lowered its altitude in preparation for landing.

This spacecraft's landing technique is so precise that it has been nicknamed the “Moon Sniper.” It is designed to match images from its onboard camera with data from other lunar rovers to determine its location and autonomously navigate to a precise landing site. “[It] “We can expect 20 minutes of breathless, numbing fear,” said Kenji Kushiki, one of the mission managers at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). in a statement.

If successful, future missions will be equipped to land exactly where they want to land, rather than within a few dozen square kilometers of their desired spot, as is the case today. “Lunar orbiting satellites… have provided a large amount of high-resolution observation data of the lunar surface,” Kushiki said. “Thus, interest in lunar science and resource exploration has shifted from 'somewhere on the moon's surface' to 'that rock next to this particular crater.'”

When the spacecraft lands, it releases a pair of probes with new and strange ways to travel across the moon's surface. Lunar Expedition Vehicle-1 (LEV-1) is designed to fly around rather than roam on wheels like traditional rovers. LEV-2 is a sphere slightly smaller than a tennis ball that was designed by toy manufacturers to roll on the ground. take a picture. The lander itself also carries scientific instruments to survey the area around the crater that will be the target of the landing.

The landing is part of a large-scale international effort to explore the moon. India's Chandrayaan-3 lander reached the moon's surface in August 2023, but there were a series of failures. A lander sent by Japan's iSpace company crashed last April, Russia's Luna 25 had a similar accident in August, and more recently the US crashed. Astrobotic's Peregrine lander suffered a fuel leak and failed to reach the moon. If this mission is successful, it could be the moment when lunar exploration gets back on track.

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  • space exploration

Source: www.newscientist.com

Porous iceberg on Saturn’s moon Titan believed to be a strange ‘magical island’

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Infrared image of Saturn’s icy moon Titan

NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/Stephane Le Mouelik, Virginia Pasek

Saturn’s moon Titan is home to strange “magical islands” that appear and disappear over hours to weeks. These so-called islands are actually porous, sponge-like masses of snow that can slowly fill with liquid before sinking.

Titan’s thick atmosphere is filled with complex organic molecules that can clump together and fall to the moon’s surface like snow. Sintin Yu Researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio thought that snow could be the cause of the magical islands. To test their idea, they took advantage of what we know about these atmospheric compounds and how they are expected to interact with Titan’s oceans.

Titan’s liquid is methane, not water, so any solids on the surface of these oceans would normally be expected to sink quickly. Water molecules tend to stick together and displace other substances, but methane easily sticks to other molecules, so the surface tension of a pool of liquid methane is very low.

“Water molecules just love themselves by excluding certain molecules,” he says. michael marasca from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California was not involved in the study. “But if you put methane on the same surface, it’ll start crawling all over the place.” That means Titan’s methane oceans and lakes should immediately swallow up any solids that are expected to float. It means that.

But that clearly won’t happen on the magical island, which appeared as a temporary bright spot in observations from the Cassini spacecraft. “For us to see magical islands, they cannot float briefly and then immediately sink,” Yu said in the paper. statement. “You have to stay afloat for a while, but not forever.” Researchers have found a solution to this problem. When large amounts of snow accumulate on the coast, they can form sponge-like, porous ice. Once these porous “icebergs” separated from the land, they could float in Titan’s oceans for long enough to rival Cassini’s observations. The researchers calculated that this would work if the sponge-like structure contained enough free space (at least about 25 to 50 percent, depending on the exact composition of the ice).

However, this does not mean that these mysterious islands are definitely porous icebergs. “We’re narrowing down different scenarios for the magical island, but we don’t know the answer yet,” Malasca says. Other possible explanations include nitrogen gas bubbles, waves caused by wind or solid ocean deposits. However, this provides evidence that Titan’s temporary islands may actually be suspended matter from this strange world’s atmosphere.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Porous iceberg on Saturn’s moon Titan may be a mysterious ‘magical island’

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Infrared image of Saturn’s icy moon Titan

NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/Stephane Le Mouelik, Virginia Pasek

Saturn’s moon Titan is home to strange “magical islands” that appear and disappear over hours to weeks. These so-called islands are actually porous, sponge-like masses of snow that can slowly fill with liquid before sinking.

Titan’s thick atmosphere is filled with complex organic molecules that can clump together and fall to the moon’s surface like snow. Sintin Yu Researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio thought that snow could be the cause of the magical islands. To test their idea, they took advantage of what we know about these atmospheric compounds and how they are expected to interact with Titan’s oceans.

Titan’s liquid is methane, not water, so any solids on the surface of these oceans would normally be expected to sink quickly. Water molecules tend to stick together and displace other substances, but methane easily sticks to other molecules, so the surface tension of a pool of liquid methane is very low.

“Water molecules just love themselves by excluding certain molecules,” he says. michael marasca from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California was not involved in the study. “But if you put methane on the same surface, it will start crawling all over the place.” That means Titan’s methane oceans and lakes should immediately swallow up any solids that are expected to float. It means that.

But that clearly won’t happen on the magical island, which appeared as a temporary bright spot in observations from the Cassini spacecraft. “For us to see magical islands, they cannot float briefly and then immediately sink,” Yu said in the paper. statement. “You have to stay afloat for a while, but not forever.”

Researchers have found a solution to this problem. When large amounts of snow accumulate on the coast, they can form sponge-like, porous ice. Once these porous “icebergs” separated from the land, they could float in Titan’s oceans for long enough to rival Cassini’s observations. The researchers calculated that this would work if the sponge-like structure contained enough free space (at least about 25 to 50 percent, depending on the exact composition of the ice).

However, this does not mean that these mysterious islands are definitely porous icebergs. “We’re narrowing down different scenarios for the magical island, but we don’t know the answer yet,” Malasca says. Other possible explanations include nitrogen gas bubbles, waves caused by wind or solid ocean deposits. However, this provides evidence that Titan’s temporary islands may actually be suspended matter from this strange world’s atmosphere.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Artemis moon mission delayed by NASA

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NASA’s efforts to return astronauts to the moon have been delayed once again.

The agency announced Tuesday that the next Artemis mission, which will fly four astronauts around the moon in a next-generation capsule, will launch in September 2025 instead of later this year.

A subsequent mission to actually land astronauts near the moon’s south pole is scheduled to be postponed to September 2026.

NASA said the two flights will be postponed to allow enough time to test new technology on the Orion spacecraft for the manned moon exploration mission.

“We are returning to the Moon like never before, and astronaut safety is a top priority for NASA as we prepare for future Artemis missions,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. stated in a statement.

The extra time will also give the team an opportunity to complete their investigation and troubleshooting of issues that occurred during the first unmanned Artemis test flight in late 2022, NASA said. Those outstanding investigations include scrutiny of battery issues and issues with components related to the Orion capsule’s ventilation and temperature control systems, officials said.

“Artemis is a long-term exploration campaign that will conduct science on the Moon with astronauts and prepare for future human missions to Mars,” Amit Kshatriya, deputy assistant administrator for Exploration Systems Development at NASA Headquarters, said in a statement. Ta. “That means we need to get it right as we develop and fly the underlying systems so we can safely execute these missions.”

The setback comes after years of stagnation and budget overruns in the Artemis program. NASA spent more than $42 billion over more than a decade developing the new Space Launch System Mega rocket and Orion spacecraft to bring astronauts back to the moon.

Last year, NASA’s Inspector General released a report outlining challenges surrounding the Artemis program’s enormous price tag and ambitious schedule. The report estimates that each Artemis launch will cost $4.2 billion, making it difficult to continue the lunar mission alongside NASA’s other exploration goals.

The Artemis project was named after the Greek goddess who was Apollo’s twin sister. As part of this effort, NASA envisions launching regular missions to set up base camps on the moon before eventually heading to Mars.

The commercial space industry is expected to play an important role in the Artemis program. Companies such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are developing a variety of components and vehicles to support NASA’s efforts.

The agency is also considering awarding contracts to private companies to transport scientific experiments and equipment to the moon’s surface. One such company, Astrobotic Technology, launched a commercial lander to the moon on Monday, but shortly after launch the rover suffered a failure that would prevent it from reaching the moon’s surface, the company said. announced.

Renewed interest in the moon extends beyond NASA and the United States. India’s space agency landed a robotic spacecraft on the moon last year, and China, which already installed a lander and probe on the far side of the moon in 2019, also plans to ramp up its lunar exploration program in the coming years.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Artemis Mission to the Moon Delayed by NASA

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NASA's Space Launch System and Artemis I Orion spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center, Florida

NASA

It looks like it will take a little longer than expected to send astronauts back to the moon. NASA has postponed the Artemis II flight, originally scheduled to orbit four astronauts around the moon in late 2024, until September 2025. The Artemis III mission, which will land astronauts on the moon for the first time since 1972, has also been postponed from its original plan. From 2025 to 2026 at the earliest.

NASA officials said in a Jan. 9 press conference that the decision was made to ensure the safety of the crew and allow time to fully test all components of the spacecraft.

“We want to emphasize that safety is our top priority…and as we prepare to send our friends and colleagues on this mission, we are committed to launching as safely as possible. “We are here,” the NASA deputy administrator said. gym free During the briefing session. “We'll leave when you're ready.”

One cause for concern was that during the test, the heat shield of the Orion spacecraft (the Artemis program's crew capsule) flared up a bit more than expected, dropping some charred debris. “This heat shield is an ablative material and is supposed to char, but it's not what we expected and some of that char will be released from the vehicle,” NASA officials said. Amit Kshatriya said during a briefing.

NASA is investigating why this happened, as well as analyzing several problems that occurred during the test, including a defect in a valve that could affect the spacecraft's life support systems. I am currently in the process of doing so. “We know how to fix it,” Kshatriya said. “All we need to do is take the time to work to the standards of workmanship we expect from a human-rated vehicle.”

Finally, there were some potential problems with the giant new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's abort system. These are the systems that separate Orion and fly it to safety in the event of a problem with the rocket itself, so these electrical problems can be characterized and fixed before humans are on board. Especially important.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

There is a possibility that Hayabusa’s lunar lander will not make it to the moon

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Peregrine photo showing disturbance of insulation in the foreground

astrobotic

Things look grim for Astrobotic's Peregrine spacecraft. The Vulcan rocket launched toward the moon on January 8, but just seven hours after liftoff, an “anomaly” began to occur that could prevent a safe landing on the moon's surface.

The first hint of trouble was that the spacecraft was unable to orient itself so that its solar panels faced the sun. The technical team on the ground was able to command the aircraft to steer in the right direction so the battery could be recharged. These batteries power Peregrine's communications and scientific equipment, and so far appear to be working properly.

But the problem doesn't end there. The thrusters meant to carry Peregrine to the moon and land safely are powered by rocket fuel, and appear to be leaking fuel.in a short series
statement

Astrobotic said the problem was “causing significant loss of propellant.”[this] If the propulsion anomaly proves true, it would threaten the spacecraft's ability to make a soft landing on the moon. The first images sent back from the spacecraft show rippling insulation in the foreground, suggesting that whatever caused the fuel leak may have also destroyed the spacecraft's insulation.

If Peregrine can't land on the moon, even if its batteries are fully charged, it's unclear which of its science goals it will accomplish. “The team is working to stabilize this [propellant] “While there was a loss, given the circumstances, we prioritized making the most of the science and data we could collect,” the statement said. “We are currently evaluating what alternative mission profiles are feasible at this time.” Astrobotic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Assuming Peregrine is unable to land, this would be the third consecutive failed attempt by a private company to land on the moon. In 2019, the Beresheet lander crashed on the moon, and in 2019, the Hakuto-R lander also crashed on the moon. 2023. No private company has yet successfully made a soft landing on the moon.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

First American lunar lander in over five decades blasts off towards the moon, but faces early technical issues

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Astrobotic said the cause of the failure was likely a propulsion failure, adding that a further update would be issued once more data is acquired and analyzed.

Peregrine’s mission represents a new chapter in the commercial space industry, launching private companies into the space race and delivering to NASA and other customers.

The Pittsburgh-based company First private company to succeed in landing This is something only four countries have achieved on the moon. A Houston-based company also has a lander ready to fly and is expected to take a more direct route to the moon.

NASA provided both companies with significant funding to build and fly their own lunar landers. The space agency hopes the privately owned lander will scout the site before astronauts arrive, while also providing technical and scientific experiments for NASA and benefiting other customers. Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander contract: $108 million.

During its first flight, the Peregrine lander carried five NASA instruments. Following the technical anomaly, NASA said it would learn from the situation.

“Each success and setback is an opportunity for us to learn and grow,” Joel Kearns, deputy assistant administrator for exploration at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement Monday. “We will use these lessons to advance our efforts to advance science, exploration, and commercial development of the Moon.”

The last time the United States launched a moon landing mission was in December 1972. Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan was the last human to set foot on the moon as mission commander, and Harrison Schmidt was the 12th astronaut to walk on the moon. , concluded an era that continued to be the pinnacle of NASA.

The space agency’s new Artemis mission, named after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology, aims to return astronauts to the moon’s surface within the next few years. first, Flight around the moon by four astronautsProbably by the end of the year.

Highlighting Monday’s moonshot was the long-delayed initial test flight of the Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The 202-foot (61-meter) rocket is essentially an upgraded version of ULA’s highly successful flagship Atlas V, which will be phased out along with the company’s Delta IV. Jeff Bezos’ rocket company Blue Origin provided his two main engines for the Vulcan.

The then-Soviet Union and the United States suspended touchdowns after a string of successful moon landings in the 1960s and 1970s. China joined the elite club in 2013, India in 2023.But I also saw it last year Landing craft from Russia and Japanese private companies crash into the moon. In 2019, an Israeli nonprofit organization's lander crashed.

Next month, SpaceX will provide lifts for the lander from Intuitive Machines.

In addition to flight experiments for NASA, Astrobotic has launched its own cargo transportation business, shipping its 6-foot-tall (1.9-meter-tall) Hayabusa lander with rock chips from Everest and toy-sized objects it catapults from Mexico. I packed everything up to my car. It will reach and cruise the moon’s surface, collecting the ashes and DNA of deceased space enthusiasts, including “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke.

The Navajo Nation recently asked for the launch to be postponed because of the human remains. He said it would be a “grave desecration” of the celestial bodies worshiped by Native Americans. Thornton said the December challenge was too late, but promised to work to find a “good path forward” with the Navajo Nation for future missions.

Celestis, one of the spaceflight memorial companies that purchased space for the lander, said in a statement that no single culture or religion owns the moon and should not be able to veto the mission. There will be more debris in the rocket’s upper stage, and once released from the lander, it will orbit the sun indefinitely all the way to Mars.

Freight rates for Hayabusa range from a few hundred dollars to $1.2 million per kilogram (2.2 pounds), not enough for Astrobotic to break even. But Astrobotic CEO John Thornton says that’s not the point for this first flight.

“A lot of people’s dreams and hopes rest on this,” he said.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

My Purpose at Work: Doing Exciting Things like Going to the Moon – Interview with Christina Koch

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Christina Koch has a job that kids dream about. Starting in 2019, on her first mission to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronaut She spent 328 days in space, the longest period ever spent by a woman in space. During that mission, she 3D printed living tissue, grew proteins, worked on dark matter experiments, and was half of the first all-female spacewalk.

Now Koch is preparing for his next adventure as part of the space agency's ambitious project to send humans back to the moon. With this, she will cement her own place in the history books. Koch and three other astronauts will spend 10 days orbiting the moon on the Artemis II mission, scheduled for November. However, there are lifetime safety restrictions on the amount of time astronauts can spend in space, so doing this would probably prevent them from setting foot on the moon in the future. Nevertheless, she would be the first woman to orbit Earth's satellite and look behind its mysterious backside.

Artemis II will be the first manned test of NASA's giant Space Launch System rocket and its apex Orion spacecraft, preparing for a future mission aimed at landing humans on the moon's surface for the first time since 1972. becomes. Mr. Koch said: new scientist About her important work on the ISS, the smells of space, and the unique microgravity sports you can play in orbit.

Leah Crane: What was it like…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Vulcan Launch: Exploring the Reasons Behind NASA’s Return to the Moon

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On January 8th, a Vulcan rocket carrying a lander bound for the moon will be launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Greg Newton/AFP via Getty Images

NASA's first mission to the moon since the Apollo missions of the 1970s began with the launch of a new Vulcan rocket carrying a robotic lander carrying seven scientific instruments.

The mission, which launched at 7:18 a.m. GMT on January 8 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, forms the first part of NASA's ambitious Commercial Lunar Payload Service (CLPS) program, which will launch this year. Six more launches are planned.

Unlike previous NASA missions, which were carried out almost entirely in-house, these efforts will be a public-private partnership with support from space companies. The Vulcan rocket was built by Boeing and Lockheed Martin as part of the United Launch Alliance (ULA), and the Peregrine robotic lander was built by space robotics company Astrobotic.

The lander will take 46 days to reach the moon and will attempt to land on February 23rd. If successful, it will be the first time a private spacecraft has landed on the moon.

There are several reasons why it took NASA decades to return to the moon, but the biggest one is a lack of government funding. As Cold War spending increased in the 1960s, the total federal funding NASA received peaked in 1965, and as the U.S. government made cuts, there was too little money available for further lunar exploration.

But private space companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX are now cutting the cost of space launches, allowing NASA to plan new moon missions on tighter budgets.

A successful launch could also intensify competition among private space companies. ULA was the dominant force in the U.S. space launch business before SpaceX conducted the majority of U.S. launches and dominated the launch market. Vulcan could help ULA regain lost market share.

This is especially important for ULA because it is currently on the market, with potential buyers including Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company Blue Origin.

The Peregrine lander's science instruments include lunar surface water and radiation sensors and will be essential for NASA's future human missions in the coming years as part of the CLPS program. It also carries a 2-kilogram rover designed by students at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania and five small robots built by the Mexican Space Agency.

Vulcan has two additional payloads that have caused controversy. A company called Celestis uses cremated ashes to conduct so-called “commemorative spaceflights.” Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry and actors James Doohan and Nichelle Nichols will be placed into orbit around the sun, while another capsule will contain the ashes of others bound for the moon. .

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Source: www.newscientist.com