December 5, 2023 – The most reliable meteors of the year are here, with no interference from a bright Moon. The Geminids peak overnight on the 13th into the morning of the 14th. And if you’d like to add “asteroid observer” to your list of accomplishments, try your hand at observing Vesta with binoculars or […]
NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL)
NASA Analysis Finds Strong El Niño Could Bring Extra Floods This Winter
Such high-tide flooding that inundates roads and buildings along the west coast of the Americas tends to be uncommon outside of El Niño years, but that could change by the 2030s. An analysis by NASA’s sea level change science team finds that if a strong El Niño develops this winter, cities along the western coasts […]
Salts and Organics Observed on Ganymede’s Surface by NASA’s Juno
NASA’s Juno mission has observed mineral salts and organic compounds on the surface of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede. Data for this discovery was collected by the Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) spectrometer aboard the spacecraft during a close flyby of the icy moon. The findings, which could help scientists better understand the origin of Ganymede and […]
Water-Watching Satellite Monitors Warming Ocean off California Coast
The international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission is able to measure ocean features, like El Niño, closer to a coastline than previous space-based missions. Warm ocean waters from the developing El Niño are shifting north along coastlines in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Along the coast of California, these warm waters are interacting with a […]
What’s up in the sky – September 2023
What’s Up for September? Venus returns to the morning sky, the Harvest Moon, and in search of zodiacal light… After brightening our evening skies for most of this year, Venus has now switched over to being a morning sky object. Look for the superheated, cloud-covered planet as a bright beacon in the eastern sky before […]
NASA Maps Key Heat Wave Differences in Southern California
Like much of the planet, Southern California is expected to experience more heat waves in the future due to Earth’s changing climate. And some of these will feel increasingly humid, as long-term forecasts call for muggy spells more typically associated with Florida or eastern Texas. To begin to understand what these changes could mean across […]
NASA’s Trio of Mini Rovers Will Team up to Explore the Moon
NASA is sending a trio of miniature rovers to the Moon to see how well they can cooperate with one another without direct input from mission controllers back on Earth. A teamwork-minded experiment to demonstrate new technology, the CADRE (Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration) project marks another step the agency is taking toward developing robots that, by […]
Perseid meteor shower peaks Aug. 12 followed by a Super Blue Moon on Aug. 30
What’s Up for August? See Saturn at dusk and dawn, the Perseid meteors return, and a “super blue moon.” In August, we’ve lost Venus and Mars from the evening sky, but we’ll have great views of Saturn all night. Saturn reaches opposition this month, meaning it’s directly opposite the Sun as seen from Earth. Planets […]
What’s up in the sky – July 2023
What’s Up for July? Mars and Venus go their separate ways, Saturn cruises with a dusty young star, and it’s prime time for the Milky Way. You’ll find Venus and Mars in the west after sunset throughout July. The pair moved ever closer in the sky during June, and they begin July appearing quite near […]
Cassini Data Reveals Building Block for Life in Enceladus’ Ocean
Phosphorus, a key chemical element for many biological processes, has been found in icy grains emitted by the small moon and is likely abundant in its subsurface ocean. Using data collected by NASA’s Cassini mission, an international team of scientists has discovered phosphorus – an essential chemical element for life – locked inside salt-rich ice grains […]
NASA’s Curiosity Captures Martian Morning, Afternoon in New ‘Postcard’
After completing a major software update in April, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover took a last look at “Marker Band Valley” before leaving it behind, capturing a “postcard” of the scene. The postcard is an artistic interpretation of the landscape, with color added over two black-and-white panoramas captured by Curiosity’s navigation cameras. The views were taken on April […]
What’s up in the Sky – June 2023
Mars and Venus, Summer Stars, and the June Solstice! The planets of war and love draw nearer each night, as the bright stars of Northern Hemisphere summer rise. And note the June solstice on the 21st. What’s Up for June? Planets buzz the Beehive, your bright evening stars, and how the Summer Solstice revealed the […]
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight to Fly by Earth
With its primary mission over, the CubeSat will zoom by Earth late Tuesday, May 16, and NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System app will track it, providing a chance to say farewell. NASA’s Lunar Flashlight mission to the Moon has ended, but the briefcase-size spacecraft will soon fly past Earth before heading into deep space. On […]
Caught in the Act: Astronomers Detect a Star Devouring a Planet
A new study published online Wednesday, May 3, in the journal Nature documents the first observation of an aging star swallowing a planet. After running out of fuel in its core, the star began to grow in size, shrinking the gap with its neighboring planet, eventually consuming it entirely. In about 5 billion years, our […]
What’s up in the sky for May 2023
We’ve reached “peak Venus” in the p.m. skies, and the Moon occults Jupiter for the Western U.S. Plus, what makes the Southern Hemisphere sky unique? What’s up for May? What’s Up for May? Planets strike a pose with the Moon, we reach “peak Venus,” and what’s different about the skies of the Southern Hemisphere. On […]
NASA Teams with Forest Service to Tally America’s Oldest Trees
Century-old sugar maples in Wisconsin. Five-hundred-year-old cedars in Oklahoma. Fifty-foot-wide oaks in Georgia. These trees grace our nation’s old-growth forests, and scientists say they hold unexplored mysteries from their roots to their rings. In an effort to steward these resources, on Earth Day 2022 the Biden Administration called upon the Department of Agriculture and the […]
What’s up in the sky for April 2023?
Spot Mercury after sunset early in the month, follow the Moon’s visits with the planets, and catch a shooting star when the Lyrid meteors peak on April 23. April 2023 Skywatching Highlights TRANSCRIPT What’s Up for April? Mercury rising, this month’s Moon and planet pairings, and the Lyrid meteor shower. First up, on April 11, […]
NASA Space Mission Takes Stock of Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Countries
A NASA Earth-observing satellite has helped researchers track carbon dioxide emissions for more than 100 countries around the world. The pilot project offers a powerful new look at the carbon dioxide being emitted in these countries and how much of it is removed from the atmosphere by forests and other carbon-absorbing “sinks” within their borders. The […]
What’s up in the sky – March 2023
What are some skywatching highlights in March 2023? Following their close approach in the sky on March 1, Venus and Jupiter go their separate ways. Venus climbs higher each evening, while Jupiter exists the morning sky at month’s end. And those with binoculars of a small telescope can seek out dwarf planet Ceres, which is […]
What’s Up: February 2023 Skywatching Tips from NASA
What to look for in February: Planets gather, the charioteer, and “Sirius” star clusters! Venus and Jupiter cozy up, the constellation Auriga makes a worthy target, and two star clusters you can find using Sirius and a pair of binoculars. What’s Up for February? The brightest planets converge, the constellation Auriga, and two star clusters you might […]