Earth Orbit

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  Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors: What Makes Each Celestial Object Unique

  NASA planetary scientists explain that asteroids, comets, and meteors all orbit the Sun but differ greatly in their composition, appearance, and behaviour. These objects play unique roles in understanding the solar system’s formation and evolution.

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  Solar Surge Cuts Binar Satellites' Mission Short, Underscoring Space Weather Effects on Earth and Orbiting Satellites

  Binar-2, 3, and 4, part of Curtin University's space program, re-entered Earth’s atmosphere unexpectedly due to an increase in solar activity. Low Earth orbit satellites are especially vulnerable to such conditions, with atmospheric drag accelerating their descent. While solar cycle 25 has proven stronger than anticipated, experts expect solar ac...

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  Newly Found Earth-Like Planet May Hold Key To Humanity's Survival

  A team of astronomers has uncovered an Earth-like planet orbiting a star located 4,000 light years away from the solar system, potentially offering insights into Earth's distant future.

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  Russia Successfully Launches 53 Satellites into Target Orbit

  Russia’s record-breaking launch from the Vostochny spaceport saw 53 satellites sent to orbit, including two Iranian satellites for imaging and communications and a joint satellite with Zimbabwe. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket was used for the mission, which took place on November 4, 2024, at 6:18 p.m. EST. Russia’s Ionosfera-M satellites were part of the ...

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  SpaceX’s Dragon to Reboost ISS for First Time, Paving Way for Future Deorbit Mission

  SpaceX’s Dragon is set to perform its first reboost of the International Space Station (ISS) on Nov. 8. This mission, conducted in partnership with NASA, is a step towards a future in which a larger Dragon spacecraft will play a crucial role in safely deorbiting the ISS when its mission concludes around 2030. Currently, reboosts are generally man...

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  Neutron Star in 4U 1820-30 Spins at Record-Breaking 716 Rotations Per Second

  Astronomers have detected a neutron star in the binary system 4U 1820-30 spinning at 716 times per second, breaking records for speed. Located 26,000 light-years from Earth, the star's surface releases explosive thermonuclear bursts that make it shine up to 100,000 times brighter than the Sun. This discovery offers new insights into the extreme pro...

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  Japan Launches World's First Wooden Satellite LignoSat into Space

  Japan’s LignoSat, the first wooden satellite developed by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry, was launched on a SpaceX mission to the ISS. The satellite will orbit 400 km above Earth for six months, testing honoki wood’s durability against extreme temperatures and radiation. The team, led by astronaut Takao Doi, hopes to prove that wood can...

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  November Night Sky 2024: Check Out the Brightest Planets and How to Watch Them?

  November's night sky features a spectacular lineup of planets, including Venus, which becomes increasingly prominent in the west. Mars glows brightly as it approaches Earth, while Jupiter rises in the east, captivating observers with its brilliance. Saturn, with its magnificent rings, is also visible high in the southern sky. This month presents id...

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  Earth’s Temporary Second Moon 2024 PT5 Bids Farewell as It Exits Orbit

  On 29 September 2024, Earth briefly welcomed asteroid 2024 PT5 as a second moon. Discovered by NASA's ATLAS, this small asteroid will exit Earth's orbit by mid-November 2024. Its fleeting presence offers astronomers valuable insights into tracking mini-moons and potential asteroid threats. As scientists explore these transient companions, they unco...

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  Indian Scientists Discover A Massive Exoplanet That is Five Times Larger Than Earth

  Indian scientists have identified a new exoplanet named TOI-6651b, which is five times larger than Earth and has a mass around 60 times greater. Located in the Neptunian desert, it orbits a Sun-like star every 5.06 days. The planet's composition suggests unique evolutionary processes, providing valuable insights into how such dense exoplanets form ...

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  European Space Agency in Talks with SpaceX for Global Initiative on Space Junk Reduction

  The European Space Agency (ESA) is currently in discussions with SpaceX regarding the latter’s potential involvement in a global initiative to address space junk. With nearly 19,000 pieces of debris orbiting Earth, ESA’s Zero Debris Charter aims to halt the addition of new debris by 2030. As SpaceX operates about two-thirds of active satellites...

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  Perseverance Rover Sees Phobos Block the Sun During Martian Solar Eclipse

  NASA's Perseverance rover recently captured a stunning solar eclipse on Mars, showcasing the moon Phobos as it partially blocked the sun. This remarkable event, photographed on September 30, 2024, was made possible by the rover's Left Mastcam-Z camera, which highlighted Phobos's irregular shape. Measuring about 17 miles long and orbiting Mars at a ...

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  New Mini-Moon 2024 PT5: A Major Step Towards Space Mining Opportunities

  The newly discovered mini-moon, 2024 PT5, entered Earth's orbit on September 29, 2024, and will remain until November 25. This small asteroid, measuring around 10 metres, provides a unique opportunity for researchers to study near-Earth objects and explore the viability of space mining. Experts believe that asteroids contain precious metals, which ...

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  What Is Aerobraking That A Secretive US Spacecraft Will Perform In Earth's Orbit

  The spacecraft, X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, is an experimental space plane operated by the United States Space Force

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  COVID-19 Lockdown Caused Moon’s Temperature to Drop by 8-10 Kelvin, Reveals Indian Study

  Indian scientists found that during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020, lunar temperatures dropped by 8-10 Kelvin. The study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, analysed data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, comparing six sites on the Moon’s surface between 2017 and 2023. The temperature drop is lin...