Satellites Capture Dramatic Evolution of Spain-Portugal Blackout from Space

spain portugal power outage seen from space

Space-based monitoring tools have provided a unique perspective on the widespread power outage that affected Spain and Portugal on April 28, revealing both the extent of the blackout and the gradual recovery process. NASA’s polar satellites tracked the evolving situation throughout the night, delivering compelling visual evidence of infrastructure disruption that could transform how emergency … Read more

Webb Telescope Captures Jupiter’s “Fizzing” Auroras, Revealing Unexpected Light Show

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured new details of the auroras on our Solar System’s largest planet. The dancing lights observed on Jupiter are hundreds of times brighter than those seen on Earth. These observations of Jupiter’s auroras were captured with Webb’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) on 25 December 2023 (F335M filter). Scientists found that the emission from the trihydrogen ion, known as H3+, is far more variable than previously believed. H3+ is created by the impact of high energy electrons on molecular hydrogen. Because this emission shines brightly in the infrared, Webb’s instruments are well equipped to observe it.  A video of these observations can be found here.

Jupiter’s northern lights are putting on a more dynamic and puzzling light show than scientists ever expected. New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reveal that the gas giant’s auroras can flicker and change within seconds, challenging previous understandings of how these massive light displays behave. The findings, published May 12 in Nature … Read more

ESA’s Planet-Hunting Plato Spacecraft Nears Completion With 24 Eyes Ready

Plato’s 24 newly installed cameras

Europe’s ambitious exoplanet observatory is rapidly taking shape as engineers have successfully mounted 24 of the 26 specialized cameras that will serve as the mission’s eyes on the universe. The European Space Agency’s Plato (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) spacecraft, designed to search for Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars, has reached a critical milestone … Read more

ESA’s Biomass Space Mission Weighs Forests For Climate Truth

Illustration of satellite scanning forrest

The European Space Agency successfully launched its Biomass satellite on April 29, marking a pivotal moment in forest monitoring that scientists are calling the dawn of the “forest space age.” The groundbreaking mission lifted off aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 11:15 CEST, carrying technology that can essentially weigh … Read more

Astronaut Reads Minds in Space Lab

Ignis science infographic

Six hundred kilometers above Earth, Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski is turning the International Space Station into a floating laboratory where he will control computers with his thoughts, grow volcanic algae, and test whether tardigrade genes can help yeast survive the harsh conditions of space. As part of the European Space Agency’s Ignis mission, Uznański-Wiśniewski will … Read more

Rogue Star Family Defies Space Rules

Gaia spots odd star family

Astronomers have discovered an unusual cosmic family drama playing out 650 light-years away, where over 1,000 young stars are behaving in ways that challenge our understanding of stellar evolution. The European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope has identified a massive group of stars, dubbed “Ophion,” that’s breaking up at an unprecedented pace and in a … Read more

Hubble At 35: Space’s Greatest Explorer Still Dazzles

Hubble captures view of ‘Mystic Mountain’

The venerable Hubble Space Telescope continues to redefine our understanding of the cosmos as it celebrates an extraordinary milestone this week – 35 years of uninterrupted observation from Earth orbit. To mark the occasion, NASA and the European Space Agency have released a collection of stunning new images showcasing Hubble’s remarkable capabilities, from detailed observations … Read more

Space Clock Redefines Time Measurement Itself

The parts of ACES

Time moves differently in space – and a revolutionary European timepiece launched this week will prove it with unprecedented precision. The Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) successfully reached orbit on April 21, launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The mission puts the most accurate timekeeping system ever sent … Read more

Ocean Warming Speeds Up, Alarming Scientists

Heatmap of the Earth

Satellite data has revealed that sea surface temperatures are rising at an increasingly rapid pace, with warming rates now 4.5 times faster than observed in the late 1980s, according to a newly published study. The research, published in Environmental Research Letters, found that between 1985 and 1989, sea surface temperatures rose by a modest 0.06°C … Read more

Webb Unmasks Hidden Black Hole Nearby

M83 (MIRI image)

The James Webb Space Telescope has detected telltale signatures of a supermassive black hole lurking in the heart of galaxy M83, a discovery that challenges decades of assumptions about our galactic neighbor. Using Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), astronomers identified highly ionized neon gas in M83’s nucleus – specifically the emission lines of [Ne V] and … Read more

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