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NASA Awards Contracts to Enhance Lunar Operations for Artemis Missions.

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NASA/ESA Hubble Captures View of Star-Forming Region in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image captures a section of the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud.   A breathtaking new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope showcases a dusty yet sparkling scene from the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies. Located about 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) may be only 10–20% as massive as our own galaxy, but it is home to some of the most remarkable star-forming regions in the nearby universe. The image focuses on the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula, the largest and most active star-forming region within the LMC, and indeed the entire local universe. In the heart of the Tarantula Nebula lie some of the most massive stars known, each weighing around 200 times the mass of the Sun. Within this section of the nebula, the telescope reveals serene blue gas clouds, patches of brownish-orange dust, and a scattered array of multicolored ...

Tropical Cyclone Sean Hits Western Australia, Breaking Rainfall Records and Causing Damage.

  On January 17, 2025, a tropical low formed over the Indian Ocean off Western Australia. By January 19, the system had intensified into Tropical Cyclone Sean, marking the second tropical cyclone of Australia’s 2024–2025 season. NASA’s Terra satellite, using the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument, captured a detailed image of the storm at around 10 a.m. local time (02:00 Universal Time) on January 20, 2025. Later that same day, Cyclone Sean reached its peak strength as a Category 4 storm. Despite staying offshore and not making landfall, Cyclone Sean still brought significant impacts to the Pilbara coast. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reported that Karratha, a coastal city in the region, received a staggering 274.4 millimeters (10.8 inches) of rain in just 24 hours, setting a new single-day rainfall record for the city. The powerful storm caused widespread flooding, with roads submerged, homes affected, and power infrastructure damaged. Se...

Bright Comet ATLAS Surges Past the Sun, Captured by ESA and NASA's SOHO Spacecraft.

  In mid-January 2025, ESA and NASA’s SOHO spacecraft captured comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) passing just 8 million miles from the Sun, with the comet's bright head causing sensor "bleeding" in the images from SOHO’s LASCO instrument. From January 11 to 15, 2025, a dazzling comet, C/2024 G3 (ATLAS), caught the attention of astronomers as it surged through the solar system, captured in stunning images from the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA’s SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft. The comet made its closest approach to the Sun, known as perihelion, on January 13, passing a mere 8 million miles from our star — just 9% of the average distance between Earth and the Sun. The views of comet ATLAS were obtained using SOHO’s LASCO (Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph) instrument, which obscures the Sun's surface to reveal the faint structures in its corona and around it. First discovered in April 2024 by the NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact ...

Scientists Discover Near-Earth Asteroid Likely Ejected from Moon’s Surface.

  Asteroids typically come from the main asteroid belt, but a small group of near-Earth objects may actually originate from the Moon, ejected by past impacts. In a surprising breakthrough, astronomers have found that the small near-Earth asteroid 2024 PT5, which captivated the world’s attention in 2024, may have been ejected from the Moon’s surface following a massive impact thousands of years ago. The discovery, made possible through observations by several NASA-supported telescopes, sheds light on a rare population of asteroids and could provide new insights into lunar science. 2024 PT5, measuring only about 33 feet (10 meters) across, doesn’t pose any threat to Earth but follows an unusual orbit that closely matches our planet’s, suggesting it may have originated in the Moon’s vicinity. While initially thought to be a typical near-Earth object, researchers have gathered new evidence supporting the idea that it is actually composed of rock that was once part of the Moon’s surface...

Astronomy Update for January 2025: Celestial Events and Discoveries Light Up the Sky.

  In a year that promises to be a visual spectacle for skywatchers, 2025 is already off to a stellar start with a plethora of astronomical events and groundbreaking discoveries. Planetary Parade in January : One of the most anticipated events of the year kicked off with a rare planetary parade on January 21 and 25, where four planets — Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn — were visible to the naked eye just after sunset. For those equipped with telescopes, Uranus and Neptune also made appearances, adding to the celestial show. This alignment, often referred to as a 'planet parade', offered a unique opportunity for amateur astronomers and enthusiasts alike to see the planets aligned in the night sky, a phenomenon not to be missed. NASA and Dark Matter:  The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been at the forefront of unraveling cosmic mysteries, with six mind-blowing facts about dark matter and dark energy revealed, shedding light on the universe's most eni...

New Method Detects Small Asteroids in Main Belt, Offering Insight for Planetary Defense.

  An international team of physicists, led by MIT researchers, has developed a groundbreaking method to detect small asteroids, as small as 10 meters in diameter, within the main asteroid belt. These space rocks, ranging from the size of a bus to several stadiums wide, were previously undetectable using traditional methods. The team's discovery, detailed in a paper published in Nature, could significantly improve tracking of potential asteroid impactors, aiding planetary defense efforts. The main asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter, is home to millions of asteroids, but until now, scientists could only detect objects roughly a kilometer in diameter. The new detection technique, which utilizes the "shift and stack" method, is able to identify much smaller asteroids, even those far from Earth, enabling more precise orbital tracking. This breakthrough is crucial for planetary defense, allowing scientists to spot near-Earth objects that may pose a threat in the fu...