The European Space Agency’s JUICE mission successfully completed the world’s first lunar-Earth flyby on August 20, 2024, a vital maneuver that used the gravitational forces of the Moon and Earth to send the spacecraft toward Venus. This accomplishment is critical for saving fuel and modifying the spacecraft’s trajectory as it travels to Jupiter.
A new study discovered that galaxies in denser astronomical surroundings are up to 25% larger than those in less crowded locations. This study, published on August 14, 2024, in The Astrophysical Journal, stressed the importance of ambient density in galaxy size, refuting prior theories that focused solely on internal processes.
Scientists discovered that Mercury may have a 16 km (10-mile) thick diamond layer at its core-mantle barrier. This revelation, based on NASA’s MESSENGER mission data and high-pressure laboratory experiments, shed new light on the planet’s complicated interior structure and thermal development. The team was led by Yongjiang Xu and Yanhao Lin of the Center for…
An analysis of data from Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) aboard the International Space Station has revealed an unexpected surplus of cosmic rays made of deuterons — atomic nuclei made up of a proton and a neutron.
A bright fireball lit up the sky of Makurazaki City in Japan on Sunday, August 11, 2024, at around 11:13 UTC (20:13 local time).
The upper stage of a Chinese Long March 6A rocket fragmented into over 700 pieces in low Earth orbit following its launch on August 6, 2024, as confirmed by U.S. Space Command on August 8, posing a significant threat to orbital safety.
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2024 PY flew past Earth at a distance of 0.24 LD / 0.00063 AU (94 290 km / 58 594 miles) from the center of our planet at 21:36 UTC on August 4, 2024.
NASA scientists have discovered a transient third Van Allen radiation band encircling Earth, created by powerful solar storms in May 2024.
A significant fireball was detected over eastern Antarctica at 14:08 UTC on July 20, 2024. The event’s total impact energy was calculated to be 5.1 kilotons (kt).
A bright fireball was reported streaking through the night sky over the Northeastern United States at 01:36 UTC on July 20, 2024 (21:36 EDT, July 19).
