<p>Space is dark, we all know that. But how dark? Astronomers have tried to answer this big question with the New Horizons spacecraft. The NASA probe has finally helped experts shed more light on the topic by making the most precise and direct measurements ever of the total amount of light generated by the universe.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Launched 18 years ago, the spacecraft is now more than 5.4 billion miles from Earth, far away from the planets in our solar system. It is in the darkest possible place in space where the glow of background dust in our system does not affect it in any way.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Being present in the darkest skies available to any existing telescope, the probe has the best viewpoint to measure the overall brightness, or darkness, of the distant universe.</p>

<p>The new research has been published in The Astrophysical Journal.</p>

<p>"If you hold up your hand in deep space, how much light does the universe shine on it?” asks Marc Postman, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore and lead author of the paper.</p>

<p>The researchers found that the glow coming from different background galaxies alone fills the universe. Nothing else was found to generate light.</p>

<p>“We now have a good idea of just how dark space really is. The results show that the great majority of visible light we receive from the universe is generated in galaxies. Importantly, we also found that there is no evidence for significant levels of light produced by sources not presently known to astronomers.”</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nearly-1700-ancient-viruses-spanning-41000-years-found-in-himalayas-754596">Nearly 1,700 ancient viruses spanning 41,000 years unearthed from Himalayas</a></strong></p>

<p>In the 1960s, astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered that space is filled with strong microwave radiation, which was likely left over from the creation of the universe itself. Later, astronomers also found evidence for the existence of X-rays, gamma rays and infrared radiation.</p>

<p>They needed to&nbsp;add up all the light generated by galaxies over the lifetime of the universe.&nbsp;Detecting the background of "ordinary" (or visible) light, also known as cosmic optical background, or COB, was one way.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Once Hubble and James Webb came, astronomers measured the COB to detect light that might come from sources other than these known galaxies.&nbsp;But, there was a problem.</p>

<h2><strong>Measuring total light produced by the universe</strong></h2>

<p>It is not possible to measure the total light generated by the universe from Earth or anywhere in the inner solar system, Tod Lauer, a New Horizons co-investigator, said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"There’s just too much sunlight and reflected interplanetary dust that scatters the light around into a hazy fog that obscures the faint light from the distant universe,” he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Once New Horizons was billions of miles away, it scanned the universe with its Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), collecting two dozen separate imaging fields from a distance of 57 times farther from the Sun than Earth.</p>

<p>The data, combined with previous information, showed that after taking into account all known sources of light, like background stars and light scattered by thin clouds of dust within the Milky Way, the remaining level of visible light matched the intensity of light generated by all galaxies over the past 12.6 billion years.</p>

<p>"The simplest interpretation is that the COB is completely due to galaxies," Lauer said. "Looking outside the galaxies, we find darkness there and nothing more."</p>


Space is dark, we all know that. But how dark? Astronomers have tried to answer this big question with the New Horizons spacecraft. The NASA probe has finally helped experts shed more light on the topic by making the most precise and direct measurements ever of the total amount of light generated by the universe.

Space is dark, we all know that. But how dark? Astronomers have tried to answer this big question with the New Horizons spacecraft. The NASA probe has finally helped experts shed more light on the topic by making the most precise and direct measurements ever of the total amount of light generated by the universe. Launched 18 years ago, the spacecraft is now more than 5.4 billion miles from Earth, far away from the planets in our solar system. It is in the darkest possible place in space where the glow of background dust in our system does not affect it in any way. Being present in the darkest skies available to any existing telescope, the probe has the best viewpoint to measure the overall brightness, or darkness, of the distant universe. The new research has been published in The Astrophysical Journal. "If you hold up your hand in deep space, how much light does the universe shine on it?” asks Marc Postman, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore and lead author of the paper. The researchers found that the glow coming from different background galaxies alone fills the universe. Nothing else was found to generate light. “We now have a good idea of just how dark space really is. The results show that the great majority of visible light we receive from the universe is generated in galaxies. Importantly, we also found that there is no evidence for significant levels of light produced by sources not presently known to astronomers.” Also Read: Nearly 1,700 ancient viruses spanning 41,000 years unearthed from Himalayas In the 1960s, astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered that space is filled with strong microwave radiation, which was likely left over from the creation of the universe itself. Later, astronomers also found evidence for the existence of X-rays, gamma rays and infrared radiation. They needed to add up all the light generated by galaxies over the lifetime of the universe. Detecting the background of "ordinary" (or visible) light, also known as cosmic optical background, or COB, was one way. Once Hubble and James Webb came, astronomers measured the COB to detect light that might come from sources other than these known galaxies. But, there was a problem. Measuring total light produced by the universe It is not possible to measure the total light generated by the universe from Earth or anywhere in the inner solar system, Tod Lauer, a New Horizons co-investigator, said. "There’s just too much sunlight and reflected interplanetary dust that scatters the light around into a hazy fog that obscures the faint light from the distant universe,” he said. Once New Horizons was billions of miles away, it scanned the universe with its Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), collecting two dozen separate imaging fields from a distance of 57 times farther from the Sun than Earth. The data, combined with previous information, showed that after taking into account all known sources of light, like background stars and light scattered by thin clouds of dust within the Milky Way, the remaining level of visible light matched the intensity of light generated by all galaxies over the past 12.6 billion years. "The simplest interpretation is that the COB is completely due to galaxies," Lauer said. "Looking outside the galaxies, we find darkness there and nothing more."

IT IS DARK! In space, all the light comes from only one type of source

<p>SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission has been delayed by 24 hours to Wednesday (Aug 28) due to a helium leak. The SpaceX mission was scheduled to launch on Tuesday (August 26) morning,&nbsp;where four people will be sent to orbit for about five days aboard the Crew Dragon capsule.</p>

<p>"Teams are taking a closer look at a ground-side helium leak on the Quick Disconnect umbilical. Falcon and Dragon remain healthy and the crew continues to be ready for their multi-day mission to low Earth orbit. Next launch opportunity is no earlier than Wednesday, August 28," SpaceX announced in an X post on Monday evening (Aug. 26).</p>

<p>The mission will take off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.</p>

<p>This quartet is believed to go further than the Apollo era. Two of the four&nbsp;are going to perform a spacewalk, which will be the first ever conducted by a private spaceflight.</p>

<p>The Polaris Dawn crew involves four members: billionaire Jared Isaacman, who is going to lead and command; pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel; and two SpaceX engineers, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, who are appointed as mission specialists.</p>

<p>This mission is the first of three planned in the Polaris programme, fully funded and commanded by Isaacman, who earlier led the Inspiration4 mission in September 2021.</p>

<p>The Polaris Dawn will not join the International Space Station but will be a free-flying mission in Earth’s orbit.</p>

<h2>What tests&nbsp;are&nbsp;going to be conducted&nbsp;</h2>

<p>The crew will reach an altitude of up to 700 kilometres. The mission will extend over 5 days, and include different scientific experiments and even testing SpaceX’s new extravehicular activity (EVA) suit, designed for the vacuum of space.</p>

<p>“It’ll look like we’re doing a little bit of a dance. And what that is, we’re going through a series of test matrices on the suit,” Isaacman said. “The idea is to learn as much as we possibly can about the suit and get it back to the engineers to inform future suit design evolutions.”</p>

<p>The EVA suits, designed by SpaceX and developed in-house, are not specifically made for Polaris Dawn, but it is the vision of the company to use them in further missions or build future versions of them, like for various Earth orbits or beyond.</p>

<p>“It’s not lost on us that, you know, it might be 10 iterations from now and a bunch of evolutions of the suit, but that, someday, someone could be wearing a version of which that might be walking on Mars,” Isaacman said. “And it feels like, again, a huge honour to have that opportunity to test it out on this flight.”</p>

<h3>The significance of the mission&nbsp;</h3>

<p>This mission has the potential to open new gates for the space industry. The Polaris Dawn mission also signifies philanthropic goals, aiming to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.</p>

<p>This mission holds the power to determine SpaceX’s leadership position in the sector of private space travel and exploration.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission has been delayed by 24 hours to Wednesday (Aug 28) due to a helium leak. The SpaceX mission was scheduled to launch on Tuesday (August 26) morning, where four people will be sent to orbit for about five days aboard the Crew Dragon capsule.

SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission has been delayed by 24 hours to Wednesday (Aug 28) due to a helium leak. The SpaceX mission was scheduled to launch on Tuesday (August 26) morning, where four people will be sent to orbit for about five days aboard the Crew Dragon capsule. "Teams are taking a closer look at a ground-side helium leak on the Quick Disconnect umbilical. Falcon and Dragon remain healthy and the crew continues to be ready for their multi-day mission to low Earth orbit. Next launch opportunity is no earlier than Wednesday, August 28," SpaceX announced in an X post on Monday evening (Aug. 26). The mission will take off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This quartet is believed to go further than the Apollo era. Two of the four are going to perform a spacewalk, which will be the first ever conducted by a private spaceflight. The Polaris Dawn crew involves four members: billionaire Jared Isaacman, who is going to lead and command; pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel; and two SpaceX engineers, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, who are appointed as mission specialists. This mission is the first of three planned in the Polaris programme, fully funded and commanded by Isaacman, who earlier led the Inspiration4 mission in September 2021. The Polaris Dawn will not join the International Space Station but will be a free-flying mission in Earth’s orbit. What tests are going to be conducted The crew will reach an altitude of up to 700 kilometres. The mission will extend over 5 days, and include different scientific experiments and even testing SpaceX’s new extravehicular activity (EVA) suit, designed for the vacuum of space. “It’ll look like we’re doing a little bit of a dance. And what that is, we’re going through a series of test matrices on the suit,” Isaacman said. “The idea is to learn as much as we possibly can about the suit and get it back to the engineers to inform future suit design evolutions.” The EVA suits, designed by SpaceX and developed in-house, are not specifically made for Polaris Dawn, but it is the vision of the company to use them in further missions or build future versions of them, like for various Earth orbits or beyond. “It’s not lost on us that, you know, it might be 10 iterations from now and a bunch of evolutions of the suit, but that, someday, someone could be wearing a version of which that might be walking on Mars,” Isaacman said. “And it feels like, again, a huge honour to have that opportunity to test it out on this flight.” The significance of the mission This mission has the potential to open new gates for the space industry. The Polaris Dawn mission also signifies philanthropic goals, aiming to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This mission holds the power to determine SpaceX’s leadership position in the sector of private space travel and exploration. (With inputs from agencies)

SpaceX delays Polaris Dawn mission launch by 24 hours. Know why

In a new study, scientists have suggested that advanced alien civilisations may have been migrating near miniature black holes to fulfil the energy needs of their home planets.

Black hole 'moons' may signal advanced alien life

Elon Musk’s SpaceX will use one of its capsules to bring home astronauts stuck at the International Space Station next year, in a fresh setback for rival Boeing that also raises questions about how NASA will staff the orbiting lab moving forward.

Nasa selects Musk's SpaceX to rescue astronauts marooned in space

Two NASA astronauts, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, will return to Earth in February 2025 with SpaceX. They were originally on an eight-day mission but will now spend around eight months in orbit due to issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

NASA says astronauts stuck in orbit to return in Feb 2025 with SpaceX crew

<p>Astronomers have taken a very interesting initiative and introduced an application, known as Black Hole Finder, which can help citizens spot newly-formed black holes.</p>

<p>The app has been launched by the Dutch Black Hole Consortium in eight languages and is now available for citizens to use worldwide. Earlier, it was only available in Dutch and English, but now, the makers have added Spanish, German, Chinese, Bengali, Polish, and Italian which has widened the reach of this app.</p>

<p>Space enthusiasts across the world have been appealed to help scientists identify the sources which are interesting and should be followed up, which is known as potential kilonovas.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-is-on-alert-as-a-massive-aeroplane-sized-asteroid-closely-approaches-earth-751985">NASA is on alert as a massive aeroplane-sized asteroid closely approaches Earth</a></p>

<p>The first and only kilonova observed was on August 18, 2017, when a brief flash of light led to the merger of two neutron stars. Because of the merger, a stellar-mass black hole was formed.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>AI to guide astronomers in determining interesting sources</strong></h2>

<p>Because there are many candidate sources, artificial intelligence techniques will be used by the astronomers to decide which of those interesting sources can be ignored.</p>

<p>"People are still much better at identifying patterns than our algorithms. By using the app, citizens across the world can help train our AI-algorithms to distinguish between real and false sources and pinpoint the most interesting candidate sources more quickly," Steven Bloemen (Radboud University, the Netherlands), project manager of the BlackGEM telescopes said.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Stuck in space for 52 days, no way home for astronauts; Helium leaks delaying return</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/stuck-in-space-for-52-days-no-way-home-for-astronauts-helium-leaks-delaying-return-746104/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The citizens who will have a track record of spotting real sources can trigger follow-up observations with the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) network of robotic telescopes.</p>

<p>"The LCO director has kindly agreed to allow citizens to trigger their 0.4m telescopes to conduct follow-up observations directly from the app when the user deems this necessary. This will provide information astronomers can use to determine if one of the real events is a kilonova," added Peter Jonker (Radboud University, the Netherlands), PI of the citizen science app and co-PI of the Dutch Black Hole Consortium.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Astronomers have taken a very interesting initiative and introduced an application, known as Black Hole Finder, which can help citizens spot newly-formed black holes.

Astronomers have taken a very interesting initiative and introduced an application, known as Black Hole Finder, which can help citizens spot newly-formed black holes. The app has been launched by the Dutch Black Hole Consortium in eight languages and is now available for citizens to use worldwide. Earlier, it was only available in Dutch and English, but now, the makers have added Spanish, German, Chinese, Bengali, Polish, and Italian which has widened the reach of this app. Space enthusiasts across the world have been appealed to help scientists identify the sources which are interesting and should be followed up, which is known as potential kilonovas. Also Read: NASA is on alert as a massive aeroplane-sized asteroid closely approaches Earth The first and only kilonova observed was on August 18, 2017, when a brief flash of light led to the merger of two neutron stars. Because of the merger, a stellar-mass black hole was formed. AI to guide astronomers in determining interesting sources Because there are many candidate sources, artificial intelligence techniques will be used by the astronomers to decide which of those interesting sources can be ignored. "People are still much better at identifying patterns than our algorithms. By using the app, citizens across the world can help train our AI-algorithms to distinguish between real and false sources and pinpoint the most interesting candidate sources more quickly," Steven Bloemen (Radboud University, the Netherlands), project manager of the BlackGEM telescopes said. Watch: Stuck in space for 52 days, no way home for astronauts; Helium leaks delaying return The citizens who will have a track record of spotting real sources can trigger follow-up observations with the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) network of robotic telescopes. "The LCO director has kindly agreed to allow citizens to trigger their 0.4m telescopes to conduct follow-up observations directly from the app when the user deems this necessary. This will provide information astronomers can use to determine if one of the real events is a kilonova," added Peter Jonker (Radboud University, the Netherlands), PI of the citizen science app and co-PI of the Dutch Black Hole Consortium. (With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers introduce Black Hole Finder for citizens to find newly-formed cosmic gas giants

NASA's citizen scientists have discovered a mysterious object speeding at an amazing speed spotted by amateur astronomers. The object is speeding out of the Milky Way. Watch this next story to know more about this!

NASA unveils mysterious Space object on a galactic sprint

<p>Scientists have now figured out that 95 per cent of water present on any exoplanet may be trapped deep inside the planet's iron core, making it more potentially habitable.</p>

<p>"It is only in recent years that we have begun to realize that planets are more complex than we had thought. Planets&nbsp;are much more water-abundant than previously assumed," said Caroline Dorn, professor of&nbsp;exoplanets&nbsp;at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, in a&nbsp;statement.</p>

<p>Initially, they are made of hot worlds of oceans of molten magma which have not yet cooled. After cooling, they form a solid mantle of silicate bedrock.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In such magma oceans, water dissolves easily, unlike carbon dioxide, which outgasses and rises in the atmosphere.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/james-webb-telescope-captures-one-of-the-coldest-exoplanets-six-times-the-size-of-jupiter-12-light-years-away-744049">James Webb telescope captures one of the coldest exoplanets, 6 times the size of Jupiter, 12 light years away</a></p>

<p>Dorn, along with Haiyang Luo and Jie Deng from Princeton University, investigated how the water gets distributed between the silicates and the&nbsp;iron.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Explaining the results of the study, Dorn said, "The iron core takes time to develop. A large share of the iron is initially contained in the hot magma soup in the form of droplets."&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Here's how water enters the iron core of rocky planets</strong></h2>

<p>The water then combines with the iron droplets and carries them to the core. "The iron droplets behave like a lift that is conveyed downward by the water," Dorn said.</p>

<p>"This is one of the key results of our study. The larger the planet and the greater its mass, the more the water tends to go with the iron droplets and become integrated into the core. Under certain circumstances, iron can absorb up to 70 times more water than silicates. However, owing to the enormous pressure at the core, the water no longer takes the form of H2O molecules but is present in hydrogen and oxygen," Dorn said.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Mercury's Diamonds: What lies beneath the planet's crust?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/mercurys-diamonds-what-lies-beneath-the-planets-crust-743204/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The scientists used a computer model to understand how water reacts with molten magma on a young planet and found that much of the water, even on super-earth, can end up in its interior.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The larger the planet and the greater its mass, the more the water tends to go with the iron droplets and become integrated into the core," Dorn said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Under certain circumstances, iron can absorb up to 70 times more water than silicates. However, owing to the enormous pressure at the core, the water no longer takes the form of H20 molecules but is present in hydrogen and oxygen. So if we find water in a planet's atmosphere, there is probably a great deal more in its interior," she explained.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em>&nbsp;</p>


Scientists have now figured out that 95 per cent of water present on any exoplanet may be trapped deep inside the planet's iron core, making it more potentially habitable.

Scientists have now figured out that 95 per cent of water present on any exoplanet may be trapped deep inside the planet's iron core, making it more potentially habitable. "It is only in recent years that we have begun to realize that planets are more complex than we had thought. Planets are much more water-abundant than previously assumed," said Caroline Dorn, professor of exoplanets at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, in a statement. Initially, they are made of hot worlds of oceans of molten magma which have not yet cooled. After cooling, they form a solid mantle of silicate bedrock. In such magma oceans, water dissolves easily, unlike carbon dioxide, which outgasses and rises in the atmosphere. Also Read: James Webb telescope captures one of the coldest exoplanets, 6 times the size of Jupiter, 12 light years away Dorn, along with Haiyang Luo and Jie Deng from Princeton University, investigated how the water gets distributed between the silicates and the iron. Explaining the results of the study, Dorn said, "The iron core takes time to develop. A large share of the iron is initially contained in the hot magma soup in the form of droplets." Here's how water enters the iron core of rocky planets The water then combines with the iron droplets and carries them to the core. "The iron droplets behave like a lift that is conveyed downward by the water," Dorn said. "This is one of the key results of our study. The larger the planet and the greater its mass, the more the water tends to go with the iron droplets and become integrated into the core. Under certain circumstances, iron can absorb up to 70 times more water than silicates. However, owing to the enormous pressure at the core, the water no longer takes the form of H2O molecules but is present in hydrogen and oxygen," Dorn said. Watch: Mercury's Diamonds: What lies beneath the planet's crust? The scientists used a computer model to understand how water reacts with molten magma on a young planet and found that much of the water, even on super-earth, can end up in its interior. "The larger the planet and the greater its mass, the more the water tends to go with the iron droplets and become integrated into the core," Dorn said. "Under certain circumstances, iron can absorb up to 70 times more water than silicates. However, owing to the enormous pressure at the core, the water no longer takes the form of H20 molecules but is present in hydrogen and oxygen. So if we find water in a planet's atmosphere, there is probably a great deal more in its interior," she explained. (With inputs from agencies)

Water on exoplanets? Earth-like planets may be holding water in molten cores

<p>NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, aboard the International Space (ISS), frequently shares incredible pictures captured from space. In his recent post, he shared a beautiful shot of Earth from orbit. The photo that&nbsp;captured a “single lightning strike” also&nbsp;caught everyone's&nbsp;attention.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The astronaut posted the picture on X and wrote:&nbsp;“Green lights from fishing boats in Southeast Asia, city lights, a sun about to rise, and a single lightning strike in the left part of the frame that looks like a nebula. The camera is set up on an intervalometer to try and capture lighting. Found this image late in a sequence of about 1000 images."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Green lights from fishing boats in Southeast Asia, city lights, a sun about to rise, and a single lightning strike in the left part of the frame that looks like a nebula.<br />
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<p>He also added a closeup photo in the next post of the same X thread. “The way the lightning illuminates the clouds makes it look like a nebula to me (left side of the larger image above)," he mentioned in the caption.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The viral photo crossed over 74,000 views and garnered around 800 likes. The interesting post also prompted X users to share their thoughts.</p>

<p>“You’re grabbing some epic shots up there, Matthew,” said one user.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Another X user commented, “I'm sure you want to come home someday, but I hope you never stop taking pictures and sharing with us! You have a great talent for this and I'll miss them when you come home.”&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Read More |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-two-way-highway-opened-between-earth-and-sun-to-exchange-charged-particles-heres-what-happened-next-750783">A 'two-way highway' opened between Earth and Sun to exchange charged particles. Here's what happened next</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>People were so astonished after looking at the photos that one user asked Mathew to click the picture of the moon, “Can you take a picture of the moon?”, an X&nbsp;user commented.</p>

<p>This was&nbsp;followed by another person who wrote,&nbsp;“What caught my attention was all the stars visible while looking through Earth's atmosphere. I couldn't make out a single constellation though.”&nbsp;</p>

<p>Matthew Dominick joined NASA a few years ago and was launched to the ISS in March. He is scheduled to come back after six months.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, aboard the International Space (ISS), frequently shares incredible pictures captured from space. In his recent post, he shared a beautiful shot of Earth from orbit.

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, aboard the International Space (ISS), frequently shares incredible pictures captured from space. In his recent post, he shared a beautiful shot of Earth from orbit. The photo that captured a “single lightning strike” also caught everyone's attention. The astronaut posted the picture on X and wrote: “Green lights from fishing boats in Southeast Asia, city lights, a sun about to rise, and a single lightning strike in the left part of the frame that looks like a nebula. The camera is set up on an intervalometer to try and capture lighting. Found this image late in a sequence of about 1000 images." Green lights from fishing boats in Southeast Asia, city lights, a sun about to rise, and a single lightning strike in the left part of the frame that looks like a nebula. Camera setup on intervalometer to try and capture lighting. Found this image late in a sequence of about a… pic.twitter.com/dPmqhq5LjV — Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) August 15, 2024 × He also added a closeup photo in the next post of the same X thread. “The way the lightning illuminates the clouds makes it look like a nebula to me (left side of the larger image above)," he mentioned in the caption. The viral photo crossed over 74,000 views and garnered around 800 likes. The interesting post also prompted X users to share their thoughts. “You’re grabbing some epic shots up there, Matthew,” said one user. Another X user commented, “I'm sure you want to come home someday, but I hope you never stop taking pictures and sharing with us! You have a great talent for this and I'll miss them when you come home.” Read More | A 'two-way highway' opened between Earth and Sun to exchange charged particles. Here's what happened next People were so astonished after looking at the photos that one user asked Mathew to click the picture of the moon, “Can you take a picture of the moon?”, an X user commented. This was followed by another person who wrote, “What caught my attention was all the stars visible while looking through Earth's atmosphere. I couldn't make out a single constellation though.” Matthew Dominick joined NASA a few years ago and was launched to the ISS in March. He is scheduled to come back after six months. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA astronaut shares single lightning strike picture from space. See photo

More delays for astronauts stuck in space as Nasa ponders return. Nasa has again delayed a decision about how to bring home two US astronauts stuck in space on the troubled Boeing Starliner mission. The US space agency said in a press conference on Wednesday that it will make a call by the end of August.

NASA weighs SpaceX return options for stranded astronauts

<p>The Sun has had the largest number of sunspots in over 20 years this month, according to the US agencies observing the star.</p>

<p>The estimated Sunspot Number or SNN for 8 August may have reached 299, said the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado.</p>

<p>This is the largest number since at least July 2002, it said on its website.&nbsp;These sunspots occurred in a 24-hour period.</p>

<p>The current solar cycle, which is numbered as Solar Cycle 25, "likely reached its highest SSN thus far on August 8, a value of perhaps 299," it said. A solar cycle, estimated to last 11 years, is how the Sun alternates between its so-called solar minimum and solar maximum.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/volcanic-eruption-in-536-spewed-so-much-ash-that-it-went-dark-for-18-months-749711">Volcanic eruption in 536 spewed so much ash that Sun didn't shine for 18 months</a></strong></p>

<p>The official SSN data is released by global agencies in September, though 299 appears to be a possible number. The final number will come from the World Data Center - Sunspot Index and Long-Term Solar Observations (WDC-SILSO).</p>

<p>In fact, the SWPC had recorded the SSN higher at 337, a value not observed since March 2001.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>What are sun spots?</strong></h2>

<p>Each sunspot is the size of the whole earth. These are relatively darker areas on the Sun.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The rotations of the Sun in each solar cycle lead to areas of magnetic energy on the star. When these areas are very strong, they become visible as sunspots.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>What is the result of sunspots?</strong></h2>

<p>Sunspots have strong magnetic fields that cause coronal mass ejections or CMEs.&nbsp;CMEs release large amounts of plasma and magnetic fields&nbsp;from&nbsp;the Sun's corona region.&nbsp;</p>

<p>These cause solar flares that send out electromagnetic radiation and are experienced as geomagnetic 'solar storms' on Earth.</p>

<p>As sunspots increase, a corresponding rise in solar flares&nbsp;is observed.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-strange-highway-formed-between-sun-and-earth-in-2023-nasa-says-747914">Aurora on Sun? It happened in 2023 when Earth spewed back particles</a></strong></p>

<p>Warnings were issued for geomagnetic storms&nbsp;in the August 11-12 period, around the time when sunspots were estimated at the highest since 2002.<br />
<br />
"Solar Cycle 25 is proving to be much more active than originally forecast by the scientist experts who predicted the cycle back in 2019 or so," Space.com quoted Shawn Dahl of SWPC as saying.</p>

<p>The Solar Cycle 25 has already caused intense geomagnetic storms, and auroras on Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The Sun has had the largest number of sunspots in over 20 years this month, according to the US agencies observing the star. The estimated Sunspot Number or SNN for 8 August may have reached 299, said the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado.

The Sun has had the largest number of sunspots in over 20 years this month, according to the US agencies observing the star. The estimated Sunspot Number or SNN for 8 August may have reached 299, said the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado. This is the largest number since at least July 2002, it said on its website. These sunspots occurred in a 24-hour period. The current solar cycle, which is numbered as Solar Cycle 25, "likely reached its highest SSN thus far on August 8, a value of perhaps 299," it said. A solar cycle, estimated to last 11 years, is how the Sun alternates between its so-called solar minimum and solar maximum. Also read | Volcanic eruption in 536 spewed so much ash that Sun didn't shine for 18 months The official SSN data is released by global agencies in September, though 299 appears to be a possible number. The final number will come from the World Data Center - Sunspot Index and Long-Term Solar Observations (WDC-SILSO). In fact, the SWPC had recorded the SSN higher at 337, a value not observed since March 2001. What are sun spots? Each sunspot is the size of the whole earth. These are relatively darker areas on the Sun. The rotations of the Sun in each solar cycle lead to areas of magnetic energy on the star. When these areas are very strong, they become visible as sunspots. What is the result of sunspots? Sunspots have strong magnetic fields that cause coronal mass ejections or CMEs. CMEs release large amounts of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun's corona region. These cause solar flares that send out electromagnetic radiation and are experienced as geomagnetic 'solar storms' on Earth. As sunspots increase, a corresponding rise in solar flares is observed. Also read | Aurora on Sun? It happened in 2023 when Earth spewed back particles Warnings were issued for geomagnetic storms in the August 11-12 period, around the time when sunspots were estimated at the highest since 2002. "Solar Cycle 25 is proving to be much more active than originally forecast by the scientist experts who predicted the cycle back in 2019 or so," Space.com quoted Shawn Dahl of SWPC as saying. The Solar Cycle 25 has already caused intense geomagnetic storms, and auroras on Earth. (With inputs from agencies)

The Sun probably just had the largest number of sunspots in over 20 years: What does it mean?

<p>NASA astronauts will soon be able to livestream their movements from the Moon during future Artemis missions and this will be made possible because of laser technology.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The space communication method is being tested by NASA in which they are using a laser beam for connecting astronauts on&nbsp;the moon with ground control on&nbsp;Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the first test, the scientists sent a video of Taters the cat using a laser communications streaming service.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The second round of experiments&nbsp;started in early June in which NASA's Pilatus PC-12&nbsp;plane was featured. &nbsp;</p>

<p>In July, a 4K video on a roundtrip journey from an aircraft to the International Space Station&nbsp;(ISS) was sent.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/china-plans-to-connect-earth-with-the-moon-through-a-communication-superhighway-742685">China plans to connect Earth with the moon through a communication superhighway</a></p>

<p>Another set of experiments was completed on July 30 and a test run of the so-called High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking system (HDTN) was completed, as reported by Space.com.</p>

<p>"HDTN has actually broken several world records and achieved some firsts for&nbsp;space&nbsp;in general and the United States," said Rachel Dudukovich, lead engineer for HDTN at NASA Glenn, while speaking to Space.com.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“We've demonstrated a secure file transfer from the ISS, which is the first&nbsp;time&nbsp;that's been demonstrated ever. We demonstrated over 900 megabits per second over the laser communications link from ISS, which is also the first time that's ever been demonstrated in space," he added.</p>

<h2><strong>How will this live-streaming technology work?</strong></h2>

<p>In this type of networking, a solar-system-wide internet which is secure, reliable and able to transmit automated data at high data rates will be created.</p>

<p>"We address challenges of the environment such as long delays and disruptions caused by weather; the protocols that we use are specifically designed to meet those needs," said Dudukovich.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Scientists find underground caves on moon</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/scientists-find-underground-caves-on-moon-741666/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>"What we do is we store data when the link has been disrupted, and once it resumes, then we go ahead and we continue to transmit data. It's a buffering capability, essentially, at high rates," he added.</p>

<p>Along with sending and live-streaming videos and data, the technology will also be able to create a space-wide web which will help the astronauts in space to remain more connected to Earth.</p>

<p>"We have protocols and standards that make a space network act like the internet we all enjoy with our connectivity. When we put these two things together, we can start to provide services to spacecraft," said Daniel Raible, who is an electronics engineer and principal investigator at NASA Glenn, while speaking to Space.com.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


NASA astronauts will soon be able to livestream their movements from the Moon during future Artemis missions and this will be made possible because of laser technology.

NASA astronauts will soon be able to livestream their movements from the Moon during future Artemis missions and this will be made possible because of laser technology. The space communication method is being tested by NASA in which they are using a laser beam for connecting astronauts on the moon with ground control on Earth. In the first test, the scientists sent a video of Taters the cat using a laser communications streaming service. The second round of experiments started in early June in which NASA's Pilatus PC-12 plane was featured. In July, a 4K video on a roundtrip journey from an aircraft to the International Space Station (ISS) was sent. Also Read: China plans to connect Earth with the moon through a communication superhighway Another set of experiments was completed on July 30 and a test run of the so-called High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking system (HDTN) was completed, as reported by Space.com. "HDTN has actually broken several world records and achieved some firsts for space in general and the United States," said Rachel Dudukovich, lead engineer for HDTN at NASA Glenn, while speaking to Space.com. “We've demonstrated a secure file transfer from the ISS, which is the first time that's been demonstrated ever. We demonstrated over 900 megabits per second over the laser communications link from ISS, which is also the first time that's ever been demonstrated in space," he added. How will this live-streaming technology work? In this type of networking, a solar-system-wide internet which is secure, reliable and able to transmit automated data at high data rates will be created. "We address challenges of the environment such as long delays and disruptions caused by weather; the protocols that we use are specifically designed to meet those needs," said Dudukovich. Watch: Scientists find underground caves on moon "What we do is we store data when the link has been disrupted, and once it resumes, then we go ahead and we continue to transmit data. It's a buffering capability, essentially, at high rates," he added. Along with sending and live-streaming videos and data, the technology will also be able to create a space-wide web which will help the astronauts in space to remain more connected to Earth. "We have protocols and standards that make a space network act like the internet we all enjoy with our connectivity. When we put these two things together, we can start to provide services to spacecraft," said Daniel Raible, who is an electronics engineer and principal investigator at NASA Glenn, while speaking to Space.com. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA astronauts to start livestream from Moon. Here's how it will work

<p>A fireball from the Perseid meteor shower was captured in vivid detail, firing up the skies above the Ohrid lake&nbsp;in Macedonia this week. Perseid meteor shower, an annual phenomenon of comet particles burning up in the skies, peaked in the second week of August.</p>

<p>The Macedonian skies witnessed the fireball from the Perseid meteor shower at 1:03 am local time on Tuesday (Aug 13). It was captured in a set of cameras set up by videographer&nbsp;Stojan Stojanovski.</p>

<p>Stojanovski runs the YouTube channel Ohrid Info, which shares videos and information about Ohrid, Macedonia, famous for Lake Ohrid.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Most of these videos are from 24-hour live cameras set up in the Ohrid region.</p>

<p>Watch the meteor shower captured in the cameras set up by Ohrid Info across Lake Ohrid:</p>

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<p><br />
"The video with the meteor is incredible. We see in the video 7 seconds of a falling meteor. I love technology today," Stojanovski was quoted as saying by Space.com.</p>

<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/are-satellites-and-astronauts-in-space-in-danger-due-to-perseid-meteor-shower-heres-the-truth-747628">Are satellites and astronauts in space in danger due to Perseid meteor shower? Here's the truth</a></strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Watch: Stunning Perseid Meteor shower dazzles in night sky over Bosnia</strong></p>

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<p><br />
Stojanovski set up the camera network in 2018, in association with local hotels and businesses, to promote tourism in the Ohrid region of Macedonia.</p>

<p>"The 180-degree point-of-view cameras in the future will catch more meteors I hope," Space.com quoted Stojanovski as saying.</p>

<h2><strong>What is Perseid meteor shower?</strong></h2>

<p>Perseid meteor shower is a bunch of shooting stars that pass through the Earth annually. It is the ice and space rock debris from the comet 'Swift-Tuttle,' which had passed by Earth in 1992.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Perseids become clearly visible from mid-July to late August, mainly in skies above the northern Hemisphere.</p>

<p>The peak activity was recorded this year between August 11 and 12.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


A fireball from the Perseid meteor shower was captured in vivid detail, firing up the skies above the Ohrid lake in Macedonia this week. Perseid meteor shower, an annual phenomenon of comet particles burning up in the skies, peaked in the second week of August.

A fireball from the Perseid meteor shower was captured in vivid detail, firing up the skies above the Ohrid lake in Macedonia this week. Perseid meteor shower, an annual phenomenon of comet particles burning up in the skies, peaked in the second week of August. The Macedonian skies witnessed the fireball from the Perseid meteor shower at 1:03 am local time on Tuesday (Aug 13). It was captured in a set of cameras set up by videographer Stojan Stojanovski. Stojanovski runs the YouTube channel Ohrid Info, which shares videos and information about Ohrid, Macedonia, famous for Lake Ohrid. Most of these videos are from 24-hour live cameras set up in the Ohrid region. Watch the meteor shower captured in the cameras set up by Ohrid Info across Lake Ohrid: × "The video with the meteor is incredible. We see in the video 7 seconds of a falling meteor. I love technology today," Stojanovski was quoted as saying by Space.com. Also read: Are satellites and astronauts in space in danger due to Perseid meteor shower? Here's the truth Watch: Stunning Perseid Meteor shower dazzles in night sky over Bosnia × Stojanovski set up the camera network in 2018, in association with local hotels and businesses, to promote tourism in the Ohrid region of Macedonia. "The 180-degree point-of-view cameras in the future will catch more meteors I hope," Space.com quoted Stojanovski as saying. What is Perseid meteor shower? Perseid meteor shower is a bunch of shooting stars that pass through the Earth annually. It is the ice and space rock debris from the comet 'Swift-Tuttle,' which had passed by Earth in 1992. The Perseids become clearly visible from mid-July to late August, mainly in skies above the northern Hemisphere. The peak activity was recorded this year between August 11 and 12. (With inputs from agencies)

Perseid meteor shower fireball caught on camera in skies above Macedonia: Watch

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick shared a mesmerizing time lapse video from the International Space Station, which captures the moon setting against a backdrop of vibrant red and green auroras.

Astronaut records Moon setting behind Earth amid auroras

<p>International Space Station has shared a set of stunning photos and videos showing how Auroras on Earth lit up the surface of the Moon in a riot of colours.</p>

<p>The photos and videos were shared by NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick.</p>

<p>"The aurora have been amazing the past few days. Great timing for trying out a new lens," Dominick said in a post on X.&nbsp;</p>

<p>His photos showed the Moon's surface lit up in stunning shades of red and green with the Soyuz Spacecraft in the foreground.</p>

<p>Also Read: <strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-spacex-to-turn-450-ton-iss-into-a-fireball-and-crash-it-into-ocean-heres-how-it-will-impact-earth-742207">NASA, SpaceX to turn 450-ton ISS into a fireball and crash it into ocean. Here's how it will impact Earth</a></strong><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The moon makes it way towards the horizon to set amongst red and green aurora . . . I was setup in a different window and saw this through another window. I made a quick camera, camera mount, and shroud teardown and setup. Felt so lucky to grab this shot," Dominick shared on X.</p>

<p><strong>Watch the video here:</strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Timelapse of the moon setting into streams of red and green aurora followed by a sunrise lighting up Soyuz with a light blue.<br />
<br />
The aurora have been amazing the past few days. Great timing for trying out a new lens that recently arrived on Cygnus.<br />
<br />
15mm, T1.8, 1/3s exposure,… <a href="https://t.co/otFv5pZ6vd">pic.twitter.com/otFv5pZ6vd</a></p>
— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) <a href="https://twitter.com/dominickmatthew/status/1823081465753825718?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The moon makes it way towards the horizon to set amongst red and green aurora . . . I was setup in a different window and saw this through another window. I made a quick camera, camera mount, and shroud teardown and setup. Felt so lucky to grab this shot.<br />
<br />
15mm, T1.8, 1s, ISO… <a href="https://t.co/Z3TYlFhgNo">pic.twitter.com/Z3TYlFhgNo</a></p>
— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) <a href="https://twitter.com/dominickmatthew/status/1822779754455417238?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
<strong>Watch:&nbsp;Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August</strong><br />
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&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Dominick shared that the ISS received a cargo shipment earlier this week "with lots of cool stuff to include some new camera lenses."</p>

<p><strong>Also Read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/in-a-first-nasa-streams-4k-video-footage-from-aircraft-to-iss-and-back-744193"><strong>In a first, NASA streams 4K video footage from aircraft to ISS and back</strong></a></p>

<p>"Spent a good part of the weekend with a 15mm, T1.8 lens. Made a whole bunch of timelapses. Still looking though 1000s of frames, lots of which have aurora but the milky way in this one stood out," he said.</p>

<h2><strong>What are Auroras?</strong></h2>

<p>Auroras are a space phonomenon&nbsp;that happen when charged particles from the Sun interact with gas molecules in Earth's atmosphere and emit light.</p>

<p>This creates a visual spectacle in the skys in several parts of the earth, mainly with red and green colours.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There have been several auroras in the past few days.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


International Space Station has shared a set of stunning photos and videos showing how Auroras on Earth lit up the surface of the Moon in a riot of colours. The photos and videos were shared by NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick.

International Space Station has shared a set of stunning photos and videos showing how Auroras on Earth lit up the surface of the Moon in a riot of colours. The photos and videos were shared by NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick. "The aurora have been amazing the past few days. Great timing for trying out a new lens," Dominick said in a post on X. His photos showed the Moon's surface lit up in stunning shades of red and green with the Soyuz Spacecraft in the foreground. Also Read: NASA, SpaceX to turn 450-ton ISS into a fireball and crash it into ocean. Here's how it will impact Earth "The moon makes it way towards the horizon to set amongst red and green aurora . . . I was setup in a different window and saw this through another window. I made a quick camera, camera mount, and shroud teardown and setup. Felt so lucky to grab this shot," Dominick shared on X. Watch the video here: Timelapse of the moon setting into streams of red and green aurora followed by a sunrise lighting up Soyuz with a light blue. The aurora have been amazing the past few days. Great timing for trying out a new lens that recently arrived on Cygnus. 15mm, T1.8, 1/3s exposure,… pic.twitter.com/otFv5pZ6vd — Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) August 12, 2024 × The moon makes it way towards the horizon to set amongst red and green aurora . . . I was setup in a different window and saw this through another window. I made a quick camera, camera mount, and shroud teardown and setup. Felt so lucky to grab this shot. 15mm, T1.8, 1s, ISO… pic.twitter.com/Z3TYlFhgNo — Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) August 11, 2024 × Watch: Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August × Dominick shared that the ISS received a cargo shipment earlier this week "with lots of cool stuff to include some new camera lenses." Also Read: In a first, NASA streams 4K video footage from aircraft to ISS and back "Spent a good part of the weekend with a 15mm, T1.8 lens. Made a whole bunch of timelapses. Still looking though 1000s of frames, lots of which have aurora but the milky way in this one stood out," he said. What are Auroras? Auroras are a space phonomenon that happen when charged particles from the Sun interact with gas molecules in Earth's atmosphere and emit light. This creates a visual spectacle in the skys in several parts of the earth, mainly with red and green colours. There have been several auroras in the past few days. (With inputs from agencies)

Auroras on Earth light up Moon surface in stunning photos captured from International Space Station - Watch

<p>The month of August will witness a different kind of moon, which has been designated as the blue moon.&nbsp;The blue moon is not very different from any other full moon but has always intrigued skywatchers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A full moon is one of the phases of the moon and a&nbsp;blue moon&nbsp;is the designation given to some of the full moons.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>What is a blue moon?</strong></h2>

<p>The full moon in the month of August is called the "blue moon". People get the sight of this moon once every two or three years.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-plan-life-bank-on-moon-to-save-dying-species-on-earth-heres-how-748397">Moon can save the dying species on Earth. Here's how</a></p>

<p>A blue moon happens because of the uneven cycle of moon phases. It generally takes 29.5 days for&nbsp;the moon&nbsp;to go through all of its 12 phases.</p>

<p>Because of the uneven cycle, the 13th full moon appears after every two and a half years.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>What are two types of blue moons?</strong></h2>

<p>The blue moons have till now been defined in two ways. First is the seasonal blue moon which refers to the third full moon in one season that has four&nbsp;full moons, as per NASA.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The second term type of the blue moon is the one which is seen within a single calendar month.</p>

<h2><strong>When will the next blue moon appear?</strong></h2>

<p>According to Space.com, the next blue moon will appear in the sky on August 19. The full blue moon phase will be at its peak at 2:26 p.m. ET (1826 GMT).</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Scientists find underground caves on moon</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/scientists-find-underground-caves-on-moon-741666/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The last time it occurred was on August 30, 2023. The blue moon can be seen with naked eyes and the sky watchers do not need any instrument to watch it.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>How can you capture a blue moon?</strong></h2>

<p>The best pictures of the blue moon can be clicked on high-definition and advanced cameras. Smartphones can also be used to capture the blue moon.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One should keep their phone charged and find a good location from where the best and clearest view of the moon can be seen and wait for it to peak to capture its best image.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The month of August will witness a different kind of moon, which has been designated as the blue moon. The blue moon is not very different from any other full moon but has always intrigued skywatchers.

The month of August will witness a different kind of moon, which has been designated as the blue moon. The blue moon is not very different from any other full moon but has always intrigued skywatchers. A full moon is one of the phases of the moon and a blue moon is the designation given to some of the full moons. What is a blue moon? The full moon in the month of August is called the "blue moon". People get the sight of this moon once every two or three years. Also Read: Moon can save the dying species on Earth. Here's how A blue moon happens because of the uneven cycle of moon phases. It generally takes 29.5 days for the moon to go through all of its 12 phases. Because of the uneven cycle, the 13th full moon appears after every two and a half years. What are two types of blue moons? The blue moons have till now been defined in two ways. First is the seasonal blue moon which refers to the third full moon in one season that has four full moons, as per NASA. The second term type of the blue moon is the one which is seen within a single calendar month. When will the next blue moon appear? According to Space.com, the next blue moon will appear in the sky on August 19. The full blue moon phase will be at its peak at 2:26 p.m. ET (1826 GMT). Watch: Scientists find underground caves on moon The last time it occurred was on August 30, 2023. The blue moon can be seen with naked eyes and the sky watchers do not need any instrument to watch it. How can you capture a blue moon? The best pictures of the blue moon can be clicked on high-definition and advanced cameras. Smartphones can also be used to capture the blue moon. One should keep their phone charged and find a good location from where the best and clearest view of the moon can be seen and wait for it to peak to capture its best image. (With inputs from agencies)

What is blue moon which will shine in August? Here's how you can watch it

<p>NASA astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita Williams - whose stay seems to be extended far beyond what was actually planned - seem to be facing 'life-altering' risks while remaining stranded on the International Space Station&nbsp;(ISS) till 2025, as per the experts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Boeing's faulty Starliner carried the astronauts to the ISS in June for a trip which was to last for just days but the technical glitch in the aircraft has now created a situation in which these astronauts are not likely to come home until next year.</p>

<h2><strong>Here's how space sojourn is deteriorating the health of astronauts</strong></h2>

<p>According to the studies, if the astronauts remain in space for a long time it can lead to bone density loss, vision problems, intense radiation exposure, muscle atrophy and other health issues.</p>

<p>Speaking to DailyMail.com, an expert said, "The longer you're [in space], the bigger the change." The experts further said that there are high chance the bodies of the two astronauts will start deteriorating.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sunita-williams-butch-wilmore-may-be-stuck-in-space-this-summer-due-to-technical-problems-in-boeing-capsule-739855">Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore may be stuck in space this summer due to technical problems in Boeing capsule</a></p>

<p>"Generally, almost all of the changes that we see with human spaceflight in terms of physiology seem to be dose-dependent," said Rachael Seidler, a professor of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology at the University of&nbsp;Florida, while speaking to DailyMail.com.</p>

<p>"The longer you're there, the bigger the change - at least up to a point," Seidler added.</p>

<p>There is 90 per cent gravity in comparison to the gravity on Earth. "Astronauts experience accelerated bone loss at an alarming rate - about 12 times faster than severe osteoporosis on Earth," said Kyle Zagrodzky, founder and CEO of Bone Health Clinic, while speaking to Newsweek.</p>

<p>"Osteoporosis increases fracture risk, often leading to life-altering injuries. Hip fractures pose a grave concern, as they can strip away independence and increase mortality risk," he added.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Boeing Curse: Sunita Williams' return to earth pushed to 2025?</strong></p>

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<p>The astronauts lose around 50 per cent of their muscle mass and change the shape of their hearts as well as the way they function.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The astronauts stand a chance of suffering from loss of muscle, bone, and cardio capacity, vision and cognition problems, and also kidney stones.</p>

<p>The astronauts also get exposed to a year's worth of radiation every day in space which increases the chances of cancer later in life. These risks make it impertinent for the astronauts to return back to Earth as soon as possible.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


NASA astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita Williams - whose stay seems to be extended far beyond what was actually planned - seem to be facing 'life-altering' risks while remaining stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) till 2025, as per the experts.

NASA astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita Williams - whose stay seems to be extended far beyond what was actually planned - seem to be facing 'life-altering' risks while remaining stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) till 2025, as per the experts. Boeing's faulty Starliner carried the astronauts to the ISS in June for a trip which was to last for just days but the technical glitch in the aircraft has now created a situation in which these astronauts are not likely to come home until next year. Here's how space sojourn is deteriorating the health of astronauts According to the studies, if the astronauts remain in space for a long time it can lead to bone density loss, vision problems, intense radiation exposure, muscle atrophy and other health issues. Speaking to DailyMail.com, an expert said, "The longer you're [in space], the bigger the change." The experts further said that there are high chance the bodies of the two astronauts will start deteriorating. Also Read: Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore may be stuck in space this summer due to technical problems in Boeing capsule "Generally, almost all of the changes that we see with human spaceflight in terms of physiology seem to be dose-dependent," said Rachael Seidler, a professor of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology at the University of Florida, while speaking to DailyMail.com. "The longer you're there, the bigger the change - at least up to a point," Seidler added. There is 90 per cent gravity in comparison to the gravity on Earth. "Astronauts experience accelerated bone loss at an alarming rate - about 12 times faster than severe osteoporosis on Earth," said Kyle Zagrodzky, founder and CEO of Bone Health Clinic, while speaking to Newsweek. "Osteoporosis increases fracture risk, often leading to life-altering injuries. Hip fractures pose a grave concern, as they can strip away independence and increase mortality risk," he added. Watch: Boeing Curse: Sunita Williams' return to earth pushed to 2025? The astronauts lose around 50 per cent of their muscle mass and change the shape of their hearts as well as the way they function. The astronauts stand a chance of suffering from loss of muscle, bone, and cardio capacity, vision and cognition problems, and also kidney stones. The astronauts also get exposed to a year's worth of radiation every day in space which increases the chances of cancer later in life. These risks make it impertinent for the astronauts to return back to Earth as soon as possible. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA astronauts facing 'life-altering' risks in space. Here's what can happen to them if they remain stranded

ISRO will launch the EOS-08 earth observation satellite on August 15, 2024, aboard its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle. Watch to know more.

India: ISRO set to launch Earth Observation Satellite-8 via small satellite launcher on August 15

Comets are large objects orbiting in the solar system, made up of dust and ice. Here are 10 stunning stunning comets captured.

10 Stunning Photos of Comet Vistas

NASA officials announced that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), might return to Earth on SpaceX's Crew Dragon in February 2025 instead of Boeing's Starliner.

Sunita Williams could have to stay in space till 2025

<p>The scientists, in a new study, tried to understand if meteor showers can pose a threat to spacecraft, satellites or astronauts on the&nbsp;International Space Station&nbsp;(ISS).</p>

<p>The study has been carried out at a time when the skies will witness multiple meteor showers and allow people to watch meteoroids, which are grains of cosmic dust that comets leave. People will also be watching the meteoroids turn into brilliant "shooting stars" as they enter&nbsp;the atmosphere of Earth.</p>

<p>One of the biggest meteor showers that will light the skies is the Perseid meteor shower&nbsp;which is expected to peak around August 11-12.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Head of&nbsp;NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama Bill Cooke said that the meteor showers don't pose any threat in most cases.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/not-seven-but-six-continents-are-present-on-earth-claims-a-shocking-study-heres-how-747596">Not seven but six continents are present on Earth, claims a shocking study. Here's how</a></p>

<p>"If you are inside the ISS, meteoroids pose zero risk," said Cooke, while speaking to Space.com.</p>

<h2><strong>Here's how the International Space Station remains protected from meteoroids</strong></h2>

<p>According to the scientists, the astronauts remain protected from meteoroids because of a "Whipple bumper" which is present in the International Space Station (ISS).&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Whipple bumper has been named after its inventor Fred Whipple who created the "dirty snowball" model which describes how the comets are made up and the shield has sheets of metal with Kevlar placed between them.</p>

<p>The meteoroids are not deflected but broken up by the shield and their energy is dispersed into the shield.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The odds of a meteoroid penetrating the space station are vanishingly small — you can think of the space station as the tank of&nbsp;low Earth orbit," said Cooke.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"If you were an astronaut on EVA [extravehicular activity, i.e., a&nbsp;spacewalk] and you went outside the space station, you would see all these little pips and dents in the hull," he added.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;China space rocket blows up, causes massive fireball</strong></p>

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<p>The scientists said that nearly half of those dents happen because of meteoroid strikes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The ISS remains at an altitude of between 230 and 285 miles (370 to 460 kilometres) and space junk is the reason behind half of the impacts and at times, the ISS has to maneuver&nbsp;to avoid space junk.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Hence, meteor showers hardly pose any danger to the ISS, as per Cooke. "Only during a meteor storm or outburst are the meteor rates significantly elevated," he added.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The scientists, in a new study, tried to understand if meteor showers can pose a threat to spacecraft, satellites or astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS).

The scientists, in a new study, tried to understand if meteor showers can pose a threat to spacecraft, satellites or astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). The study has been carried out at a time when the skies will witness multiple meteor showers and allow people to watch meteoroids, which are grains of cosmic dust that comets leave. People will also be watching the meteoroids turn into brilliant "shooting stars" as they enter the atmosphere of Earth. One of the biggest meteor showers that will light the skies is the Perseid meteor shower which is expected to peak around August 11-12. Head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama Bill Cooke said that the meteor showers don't pose any threat in most cases. Also Read: Not seven but six continents are present on Earth, claims a shocking study. Here's how "If you are inside the ISS, meteoroids pose zero risk," said Cooke, while speaking to Space.com. Here's how the International Space Station remains protected from meteoroids According to the scientists, the astronauts remain protected from meteoroids because of a "Whipple bumper" which is present in the International Space Station (ISS). The Whipple bumper has been named after its inventor Fred Whipple who created the "dirty snowball" model which describes how the comets are made up and the shield has sheets of metal with Kevlar placed between them. The meteoroids are not deflected but broken up by the shield and their energy is dispersed into the shield. "The odds of a meteoroid penetrating the space station are vanishingly small — you can think of the space station as the tank of low Earth orbit," said Cooke. "If you were an astronaut on EVA [extravehicular activity, i.e., a spacewalk] and you went outside the space station, you would see all these little pips and dents in the hull," he added. Watch: China space rocket blows up, causes massive fireball The scientists said that nearly half of those dents happen because of meteoroid strikes. The ISS remains at an altitude of between 230 and 285 miles (370 to 460 kilometres) and space junk is the reason behind half of the impacts and at times, the ISS has to maneuver to avoid space junk. Hence, meteor showers hardly pose any danger to the ISS, as per Cooke. "Only during a meteor storm or outburst are the meteor rates significantly elevated," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

Are satellites and astronauts in space in danger due to Perseid meteor shower? Here's the truth

<p>Falcon 9, the reusable rocket from Elon Musk's SpaceX, successfully launched into orbit 23 Starlink satellites on Sunday (Aug 4), days after its failed launch had led to the destruction of 20 of these internet service satellites.</p>

<p>The launch on Sunday took place at 12.24 am local time, SpaceX said on its website. The company gave real-time updates on the social media platform X, also owned by Musk.</p>

<p>"Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California," the company said.</p>

<p>"This was the sixth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched USSF-62 and five Starlink missions for Falcon."</p>

<p>Eight minutes after the successful launch, the Falcon 9's first stage landed back on Earth, neatly entering the SpaceX droneship 'Of Course I Still Love You' on the Pacific Ocean.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Falcon 9 lands on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, completing this booster’s sixth mission <a href="https://t.co/tPv4dV9fM4">pic.twitter.com/tPv4dV9fM4</a></p>
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1819999988044423517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Elon Musk's SpaceX is building a network of spy satellites for US intelligence: Report</strong></p>

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<p>It was the sixth launch and landing for this particular booster, according to SpaceX.</p>

<p>"The Falcon 9's upper stage did its job as well, deploying the 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit as planned," the company said on X. The other successful missions were on July 27, two on July 28 and one on August 2.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Well done SpaceX 🚀 <a href="https://t.co/RWIp4TpEF6">pic.twitter.com/RWIp4TpEF6</a></p>
— Tesla Pablo 🔋 (@pablo9948967714) <a href="https://twitter.com/pablo9948967714/status/1820009560242888937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/watch-spacex-completes-test-of-5000-tonne-starship-the-most-powerful-launch-vehicle-729822"><strong>Also read |&nbsp;Watch: SpaceX completes test of 5,000-tonne Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle</strong></a></p>

<p>On July 11, SpaceX lost 20 Starlink satellites after a failed mission by Falcon 9. The satellites were destroyed, falling down and burning upon re-entry to earth,&nbsp;after liquid oxygen leaked from Falcon rocket's upper stage. The leak resulted from a crack in the liquid-oxygen system's pressure sensors.<br />
<br />
That was the first in-flight failure of Falcon 9 since 2015.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Falcon 9, the reusable rocket from Elon Musk's SpaceX, successfully launched into orbit 23 Starlink satellites on Sunday (Aug 4), days after its failed launch had led to the destruction of 20 of these internet service satellites.

Falcon 9, the reusable rocket from Elon Musk's SpaceX, successfully launched into orbit 23 Starlink satellites on Sunday (Aug 4), days after its failed launch had led to the destruction of 20 of these internet service satellites. The launch on Sunday took place at 12.24 am local time, SpaceX said on its website. The company gave real-time updates on the social media platform X, also owned by Musk. "Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California," the company said. "This was the sixth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched USSF-62 and five Starlink missions for Falcon." Eight minutes after the successful launch, the Falcon 9's first stage landed back on Earth, neatly entering the SpaceX droneship 'Of Course I Still Love You' on the Pacific Ocean. Falcon 9 lands on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, completing this booster’s sixth mission pic.twitter.com/tPv4dV9fM4 — SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 4, 2024 × Watch | Elon Musk's SpaceX is building a network of spy satellites for US intelligence: Report × It was the sixth launch and landing for this particular booster, according to SpaceX. "The Falcon 9's upper stage did its job as well, deploying the 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit as planned," the company said on X. The other successful missions were on July 27, two on July 28 and one on August 2. Well done SpaceX 🚀 pic.twitter.com/RWIp4TpEF6 — Tesla Pablo 🔋 (@pablo9948967714) August 4, 2024 × Also read | Watch: SpaceX completes test of 5,000-tonne Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle On July 11, SpaceX lost 20 Starlink satellites after a failed mission by Falcon 9. The satellites were destroyed, falling down and burning upon re-entry to earth, after liquid oxygen leaked from Falcon rocket's upper stage. The leak resulted from a crack in the liquid-oxygen system's pressure sensors. That was the first in-flight failure of Falcon 9 since 2015. (With inputs from agencies)

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launches 23 Starlink satellites into orbit - Watch

<p>Scientists have spotted a very strange activity in our Solar System. They observed that a comet was pushed out of the solar system by Saturn after a close encounter with the planet.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The comet, which was designated Comet A117uUD (A117uUD), was found by the&nbsp;Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on June 14, 2024.</p>

<p>However, researchers took the help of 142 observations of the comet and helped to "wind back" its orbit around the Sun.</p>

<p>It was found that Comet A117uUD had a close encounter with Saturn in 2022 which changed the orbit of the comet.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/strictly-speaking-earth-is-not-revolving-around-the-sun-currently-heres-what-it-means-740359">Strictly speaking, Earth is not revolving around the Sun currently. Here's what it means</a></p>

<p>This encounter between the planet and the comet placed the latter on a highly flattened or elliptical orbit which was supposed to throw it out into interstellar space beyond the Sun's influence.</p>

<p>The team used models to predict the path of A117uUD and discovered that the comet would exit the solar system while flying at a speed of around 6,710 miles per hour (10,800 km/h).&nbsp;</p>

<p>In comparison, this speed is nearly four and a half times a Lockheed Martin F-16 jet fighter's top velocity.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>History of comets exiting the Solar System</strong></h2>

<p>This is the second time a comet has been spotted on the verge of exiting the solar system.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The first one spotted was Comet C/1980 E1 (Bowell) which was placed on the escape path of the Solar System after its encounter with Jupiter on December 9, 1980.</p>

<p>"Our results show that the case of comet A117uUD is similar to that of C/1980 E1 (Bowell), disfavoring an extrasolar origin for A117uUD," said the team, which wrote the research in a paper published in the journal&nbsp;Research Notes of the AAS.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The fact that two ejections after planetary encounter were observed in less than 45 years suggests that such events are relatively frequent," he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Earth's days may be getting little longer: Unveiling the planet's mysteries</strong></p>

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<p>However, the scientists were not clear if A117uUD was a solar system body which was destined to exit the home planetary system.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When the icy space rock was first analysed by the team behind this discovery, they believed its hyperbolic orbit could indicate that probably it was one of the intruders into our solar system.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Scientists have spotted a very strange activity in our Solar System. They observed that a comet was pushed out of the solar system by Saturn after a close encounter with the planet.

Scientists have spotted a very strange activity in our Solar System. They observed that a comet was pushed out of the solar system by Saturn after a close encounter with the planet. The comet, which was designated Comet A117uUD (A117uUD), was found by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on June 14, 2024. However, researchers took the help of 142 observations of the comet and helped to "wind back" its orbit around the Sun. It was found that Comet A117uUD had a close encounter with Saturn in 2022 which changed the orbit of the comet. Also Read: Strictly speaking, Earth is not revolving around the Sun currently. Here's what it means This encounter between the planet and the comet placed the latter on a highly flattened or elliptical orbit which was supposed to throw it out into interstellar space beyond the Sun's influence. The team used models to predict the path of A117uUD and discovered that the comet would exit the solar system while flying at a speed of around 6,710 miles per hour (10,800 km/h). In comparison, this speed is nearly four and a half times a Lockheed Martin F-16 jet fighter's top velocity. History of comets exiting the Solar System This is the second time a comet has been spotted on the verge of exiting the solar system. The first one spotted was Comet C/1980 E1 (Bowell) which was placed on the escape path of the Solar System after its encounter with Jupiter on December 9, 1980. "Our results show that the case of comet A117uUD is similar to that of C/1980 E1 (Bowell), disfavoring an extrasolar origin for A117uUD," said the team, which wrote the research in a paper published in the journal Research Notes of the AAS. "The fact that two ejections after planetary encounter were observed in less than 45 years suggests that such events are relatively frequent," he added. Watch: Earth's days may be getting little longer: Unveiling the planet's mysteries However, the scientists were not clear if A117uUD was a solar system body which was destined to exit the home planetary system. When the icy space rock was first analysed by the team behind this discovery, they believed its hyperbolic orbit could indicate that probably it was one of the intruders into our solar system. (With inputs from agencies)

Saturn kicks out a comet outside our solar system at a scary speed of 6,700 mph. Here's how

<p>NASA is now running on a critical deadline of 19 days to bring back astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the ISS who are stuck in space because their Boeing Starliner spacecraft has encountered some technical issues.</p>

<p>There have been malfunctions in the thruster and helium system because of which their return has been delayed and now the 19-day deadline has emerged because the Crew-9 mission nears.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The engineers have been tirelessly working to resolve the issues along with considering the potential alternatives, including a SpaceX Dragon capsule, to ensure the safe return of the astronauts amidst a challenging mission.</p>

<p>The Starliner had docked at the ISS on June 13, 2024, and was earlier scheduled to make a comeback to Earth after completing a week-long mission.</p>

<p>Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 5, 2024, in Florida.</p>

<h2><strong>How did the Starliner get stuck in space?</strong></h2>

<p>The aim of the mission was to test the Starliner in their first manned flight, which is a major milestone for the commercial crew programme of Boeing.</p>

<p>The spacecraft was able to dock with the ISS successfully, however, as it approached, five of its 28 thrusters had shut down unexpectedly.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/when-will-sunita-williams-return-home-from-space-indian-origin-astronaut-speaks-from-space-739714">When will Sunita Williams return home? Indian-origin astronaut speaks from space</a></p>

<p>Also, the engineers found five small helium leaks in the service module of the spacecraft. Because of these issues, the Starliner was not able to safely undock and return to Earth.</p>

<p>NASA and&nbsp;Boeing's&nbsp;engineers are now working continuously to solve the issues with the Starliner.&nbsp;</p>

<p>NASA’s commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, said that they have not yet determined a return timeline for Williams and Wilmore.</p>

<p>The thrusters and helium systems of the spacecraft are important for its safe re-entry into the atmosphere of the Earth and any malfunction can pose a significant risk to the safety of the astronauts.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Why is NASA facing the deadline and how it is complicating astronauts' rescue?</strong></h2>

<p>The rescue mission of the astronauts is facing a complication because the upcoming Crew-9 mission needs the docking ports at the ISS which is currently accommodated by the Starliner.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Crew-9 mission will be launched on August 18, 2024 and will transport NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Nick Hague, and Stephanie Wilson, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, to the ISS through a SpaceX&nbsp;Dragon spacecraft.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;The Crew-9's arrival has added urgency to the situation as the docking port needs to be cleared for which the Starliner needs to be moved.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;China space rocket blows up, causes massive fireball</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-china-space-rocket-blows-up-causes-massive-fireball-736905/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>If the Starliner doesn't become operative, NASA will have to find alternative methods to bring Williams and Wilmore back to Earth, which also includes chances of using a SpaceX Dragon capsule.</p>

<p>Speaking about the concerns raised regarding Starliner's performance and safety, Commander Wilmore said that they are confident about returning safely.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We're absolutely confident," he said, as he spoke about the readiness of the team to adapt procedures based on new data.</p>

<p>As the deadline approaches, the world continues to watch how NASA will resolve this crisis and end this critical mission successfully.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


NASA is now running on a critical deadline of 19 days to bring back astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the ISS who are stuck in space because their Boeing Starliner spacecraft has encountered some technical issues.

NASA is now running on a critical deadline of 19 days to bring back astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the ISS who are stuck in space because their Boeing Starliner spacecraft has encountered some technical issues. There have been malfunctions in the thruster and helium system because of which their return has been delayed and now the 19-day deadline has emerged because the Crew-9 mission nears. The engineers have been tirelessly working to resolve the issues along with considering the potential alternatives, including a SpaceX Dragon capsule, to ensure the safe return of the astronauts amidst a challenging mission. The Starliner had docked at the ISS on June 13, 2024, and was earlier scheduled to make a comeback to Earth after completing a week-long mission. Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 5, 2024, in Florida. How did the Starliner get stuck in space? The aim of the mission was to test the Starliner in their first manned flight, which is a major milestone for the commercial crew programme of Boeing. The spacecraft was able to dock with the ISS successfully, however, as it approached, five of its 28 thrusters had shut down unexpectedly. Also Read: When will Sunita Williams return home? Indian-origin astronaut speaks from space Also, the engineers found five small helium leaks in the service module of the spacecraft. Because of these issues, the Starliner was not able to safely undock and return to Earth. NASA and Boeing's engineers are now working continuously to solve the issues with the Starliner. NASA’s commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, said that they have not yet determined a return timeline for Williams and Wilmore. The thrusters and helium systems of the spacecraft are important for its safe re-entry into the atmosphere of the Earth and any malfunction can pose a significant risk to the safety of the astronauts. Why is NASA facing the deadline and how it is complicating astronauts' rescue? The rescue mission of the astronauts is facing a complication because the upcoming Crew-9 mission needs the docking ports at the ISS which is currently accommodated by the Starliner. The Crew-9 mission will be launched on August 18, 2024 and will transport NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Nick Hague, and Stephanie Wilson, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, to the ISS through a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The Crew-9's arrival has added urgency to the situation as the docking port needs to be cleared for which the Starliner needs to be moved. Watch: China space rocket blows up, causes massive fireball If the Starliner doesn't become operative, NASA will have to find alternative methods to bring Williams and Wilmore back to Earth, which also includes chances of using a SpaceX Dragon capsule. Speaking about the concerns raised regarding Starliner's performance and safety, Commander Wilmore said that they are confident about returning safely. "We're absolutely confident," he said, as he spoke about the readiness of the team to adapt procedures based on new data. As the deadline approaches, the world continues to watch how NASA will resolve this crisis and end this critical mission successfully. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA is running on critical 19-day deadline to bring Sunita Williams from space. Here's why

#Gravitas | Studies indicate that the Moon has been drifting away from Earth at a rate of 3.8 centimetres per year. This phenomenon could impact length of days on our planet, resulting in Earth days lasting 25 hours.

Moon Drifting Away From Earth Approximately 3.8 Centimeter Per Year - Study

<p>India's astronaut designates and Indian Air Force Test pilots, Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prashant Balakrishnan Nair will commence their training at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, this week. Indian space agency ISRO announced on Friday (Aug 2) that India's Human Spaceflight Centre (HSFC) has entered into a spaceflight agreement (SFA) with Axiom Space Inc, an American firm that has been identified by NASA. Axiom is a private firm that facilitates a ride to space for paying customers. In this case, Axiom will facilitate the spaceflight of an Indian astronaut, aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Falcon 9 is the only contemporary American rocket with a proven track record of multiple astronaut-ferrying missions.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/isro?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#isro</a> confirms what we at <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WIONews</a> had reported on July 13th... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Indian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Indian</a> astronauts &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianAirForce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndianAirForce</a> test pilots Grp Capt Shubhanshu Shukla &amp; PB Nair to train at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NASA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA_Johnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA_Johnson</a> from this month... One of these 2 will fly to <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a> <a href="https://t.co/dcbyJsrL3S">pic.twitter.com/dcbyJsrL3S</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1819363517369073858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p>On July 13,&nbsp;2024, WION had&nbsp;exclusively reported on this development and mentioned that one among the two will fly to the International Space Station in a United States-led mission, later this year.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/exclusive-indian-astronauts-us-training-from-august-spaceflight-by-year-end-740415">Exclusive: Indian astronauts' US training from August; spaceflight by year-end</a></strong></p>

<p>According to ISRO, India's Primary Gaganyatri (space traveller) for this mission will be Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and the backup candidate will be Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair. One among them will be later approved to fly to the International Space Station (ISS), an orbiting lab that circles 425 kilometres&nbsp;above&nbsp;Earth. The Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP) is responsible for choosing the Indian candidate who will fly to the ISS.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>During his stay in space, as part of the Axiom-4 mission, the chosen Indian astronaut will be undertaking scientific research and technology demonstration experiments aboard the ISS.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>What is Gaganyaan? What is India preparing its astronaut candidates for?</strong></h2>

<p>India has revealed the names of four astronaut candidates who are to fly on the country's homegrown 'Gaganyaan' programme that aims to fly an astronaut-carrying capsule to Earth's orbit (400 km above the planet's surface) and bring them back safely for an oceanic splashdown landing. Gaganyaan was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, as India's maiden mission to fly humans (trained astronauts) to space.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gaganyaan would be carried out by the Indian Space Agency ISRO, with test pilots of the Indian Air Force, serving as the crew members. The four candidates have already completed their training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in&nbsp;Moscow, and are presently undergoing training at ISRO and Indian Air Force facilities, while also assisting ISRO teams in designing and developing some systems required for Gaganyaan.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gaganyaan is the first step in a series of sustained human spaceflight missions that India wants to carry out in a phased manner. By the end of this decade, India hopes to put an uncrewed space station in Earth orbit. By 2035, it would be used as a crewed Indian outpost that's circling the earth. India also plans to land its astronauts on the moon by 2040, a feat that only America has accomplished in 1969, and China hopes to do so by the end of this decade.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Soviets flew the first&nbsp;Indian to space in 1984; the US to fly 2nd Indian to space in 2024</strong></h2>

<p>In 1984, 40 years ago,&nbsp;Indian Air Force Pilot Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma flew to space as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme. He is the only Indian to have flown to space. He did so on the Soviet Soyuz T-11 mission to the Salyut-7 space station, a lab that circles above the Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gaganyaan is India's own attempt at launching astronauts to space on a largely homegrown mission, with support from the US, Russia, and France, among others. Of these, Russia (erstwhile Soviet Union) and the US have been the pioneers of human spaceflight, since the Cold War era.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In 2023, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's State visit to the US, President Joe Biden had announced that 'NASA would provide advanced training to Indian astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, with a goal of mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Given that India's only experience of human spaceflight comes from Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma who went to space 40&nbsp;years ago, the 2024 mission to the ISS is expected to offer significant insights and experiences related to contemporary spaceflight and relevant technologies. This would offer crucial lessons to ISRO and its chosen candidate, as it prepares for the homegrown Gaganyaan mission.</p>

<p>At present, India is in the process of gradually testing various systems and technologies required to execute an uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, slated for later this year or in early 2025. After a couple of flawless uncrewed missions, India will embark on the astronaut-carrying mission, perhaps, by 2026.&nbsp;</p>


India's astronaut designates and Indian Air Force Test pilots, Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prashant Balakrishnan Nair will commence their training at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, this week.

India's astronaut designates and Indian Air Force Test pilots, Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prashant Balakrishnan Nair will commence their training at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, this week. Indian space agency ISRO announced on Friday (Aug 2) that India's Human Spaceflight Centre (HSFC) has entered into a spaceflight agreement (SFA) with Axiom Space Inc, an American firm that has been identified by NASA. Axiom is a private firm that facilitates a ride to space for paying customers. In this case, Axiom will facilitate the spaceflight of an Indian astronaut, aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Falcon 9 is the only contemporary American rocket with a proven track record of multiple astronaut-ferrying missions. #isro confirms what we at @WIONews had reported on July 13th... #Indian astronauts & #IndianAirForce test pilots Grp Capt Shubhanshu Shukla & PB Nair to train at #NASA @NASA_Johnson from this month... One of these 2 will fly to @Space_Station pic.twitter.com/dcbyJsrL3S — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) August 2, 2024 × On July 13, 2024, WION had exclusively reported on this development and mentioned that one among the two will fly to the International Space Station in a United States-led mission, later this year. Also read: Exclusive: Indian astronauts' US training from August; spaceflight by year-end According to ISRO, India's Primary Gaganyatri (space traveller) for this mission will be Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and the backup candidate will be Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair. One among them will be later approved to fly to the International Space Station (ISS), an orbiting lab that circles 425 kilometres above Earth. The Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP) is responsible for choosing the Indian candidate who will fly to the ISS. pic.twitter.com/9TDvha19gS — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) August 2, 2024 × During his stay in space, as part of the Axiom-4 mission, the chosen Indian astronaut will be undertaking scientific research and technology demonstration experiments aboard the ISS. What is Gaganyaan? What is India preparing its astronaut candidates for? India has revealed the names of four astronaut candidates who are to fly on the country's homegrown 'Gaganyaan' programme that aims to fly an astronaut-carrying capsule to Earth's orbit (400 km above the planet's surface) and bring them back safely for an oceanic splashdown landing. Gaganyaan was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, as India's maiden mission to fly humans (trained astronauts) to space. Gaganyaan would be carried out by the Indian Space Agency ISRO, with test pilots of the Indian Air Force, serving as the crew members. The four candidates have already completed their training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Moscow, and are presently undergoing training at ISRO and Indian Air Force facilities, while also assisting ISRO teams in designing and developing some systems required for Gaganyaan. Gaganyaan is the first step in a series of sustained human spaceflight missions that India wants to carry out in a phased manner. By the end of this decade, India hopes to put an uncrewed space station in Earth orbit. By 2035, it would be used as a crewed Indian outpost that's circling the earth. India also plans to land its astronauts on the moon by 2040, a feat that only America has accomplished in 1969, and China hopes to do so by the end of this decade. Soviets flew the first Indian to space in 1984; the US to fly 2nd Indian to space in 2024 In 1984, 40 years ago, Indian Air Force Pilot Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma flew to space as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme. He is the only Indian to have flown to space. He did so on the Soviet Soyuz T-11 mission to the Salyut-7 space station, a lab that circles above the Earth. Gaganyaan is India's own attempt at launching astronauts to space on a largely homegrown mission, with support from the US, Russia, and France, among others. Of these, Russia (erstwhile Soviet Union) and the US have been the pioneers of human spaceflight, since the Cold War era. In 2023, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's State visit to the US, President Joe Biden had announced that 'NASA would provide advanced training to Indian astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, with a goal of mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024. Given that India's only experience of human spaceflight comes from Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma who went to space 40 years ago, the 2024 mission to the ISS is expected to offer significant insights and experiences related to contemporary spaceflight and relevant technologies. This would offer crucial lessons to ISRO and its chosen candidate, as it prepares for the homegrown Gaganyaan mission. At present, India is in the process of gradually testing various systems and technologies required to execute an uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, slated for later this year or in early 2025. After a couple of flawless uncrewed missions, India will embark on the astronaut-carrying mission, perhaps, by 2026.

Indian astronauts Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, Prashant Nair chosen to train at NASA 

Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore find themselves in an indefinite stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) after a 10-day mission turned into a prolonged ordeal. Watch in for more details!

Stuck in space for 52 days, no way home for astronauts; Helium leaks delaying return

<p>Space junk is quietly littering the universe above us, and a Japanese company Astroscale is on a mission to identify and remove them. Now, it has taken stunning close-ups and timelapse of an 11-metre long, 15-year-old rocket part that's quietly moving above the earth. Astrolscale plans to remove such debris in the coming years.</p>

<p>The spacecraft ADRAS-J, which stands for Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan, had released photos of the 3-tonne rocket stage. It is suspended in microgravity and orbiting the earth.</p>

<p>According to the company, ADRAS-J is "the world's first attempt to safely approach, characterise and survey the state of an existing piece of large debris through Rendezvous and Proximity Operations."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sometimes, you need to look at space debris from a different perspective.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShowtheWayADRASJ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShowtheWayADRASJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/XSFG2PUgOC">pic.twitter.com/XSFG2PUgOC</a></p>
— Astroscale (@astroscale_HQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/astroscale_HQ/status/1818904504282366160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Mercury's Diamonds: What lies beneath the planet's crust?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/mercurys-diamonds-what-lies-beneath-the-planets-crust-743204/embed" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>The controlled fly-around operations of the space debris captured the rocket debris from various angles and lighting conditions, the company said in a release.</p>

<p>It hopes that the timelapse taken by its cameras will "lay the groundwork for future removal and a sustainable space environment."</p>

<p>The rocket part being monitored is from Japan, nearly 11 metres in length and four metres in diameter, and weighs nearly three tonnes, the size of a city bus.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">A timelapse of space debris a day keeps the wonders of ADRAS-J on display. 🛰️🔍<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShowtheWayADRASJ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShowtheWayADRASJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/XX7lfUbAU8">pic.twitter.com/XX7lfUbAU8</a></p>
— Astroscale (@astroscale_HQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/astroscale_HQ/status/1818447111253315825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p>"The information gained from these images will provide essential data that will support a future mission to capture and remove the object," Astroscale said in the release on July 30.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/jupiter-is-set-to-align-with-mars-in-rare-conjunction-heres-how-you-can-watch-it-746261"><strong>Also read |&nbsp;Jupiter is set to align with Mars in rare conjunction. Here's how you can watch it</strong></a></p>

<p>Launched in February this year, the ADRAS-J spacecraft was selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for Phase I of its Commercial Debris Removal Demonstration or CRD2 programme.</p>

<p>CDR2 is an initiative by Japanese space agency JAXA which aims to develop debris removal technologies.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(<em>With inputs from agencies</em>)</p>


Space junk is quietly littering the universe above us, and a Japanese company Astroscale is on a mission to identify and remove them. Now, it has taken stunning close-ups and timelapse of an 11-metre long, 15-year-old rocket part that's quietly moving above the earth.

Space junk is quietly littering the universe above us, and a Japanese company Astroscale is on a mission to identify and remove them. Now, it has taken stunning close-ups and timelapse of an 11-metre long, 15-year-old rocket part that's quietly moving above the earth. Astrolscale plans to remove such debris in the coming years. The spacecraft ADRAS-J, which stands for Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan, had released photos of the 3-tonne rocket stage. It is suspended in microgravity and orbiting the earth. According to the company, ADRAS-J is "the world's first attempt to safely approach, characterise and survey the state of an existing piece of large debris through Rendezvous and Proximity Operations." Sometimes, you need to look at space debris from a different perspective.#ShowtheWayADRASJ pic.twitter.com/XSFG2PUgOC — Astroscale (@astroscale_HQ) August 1, 2024 × Watch: Mercury's Diamonds: What lies beneath the planet's crust? The controlled fly-around operations of the space debris captured the rocket debris from various angles and lighting conditions, the company said in a release. It hopes that the timelapse taken by its cameras will "lay the groundwork for future removal and a sustainable space environment." The rocket part being monitored is from Japan, nearly 11 metres in length and four metres in diameter, and weighs nearly three tonnes, the size of a city bus. A timelapse of space debris a day keeps the wonders of ADRAS-J on display. 🛰️🔍#ShowtheWayADRASJ pic.twitter.com/XX7lfUbAU8 — Astroscale (@astroscale_HQ) July 31, 2024 × "The information gained from these images will provide essential data that will support a future mission to capture and remove the object," Astroscale said in the release on July 30. Also read | Jupiter is set to align with Mars in rare conjunction. Here's how you can watch it Launched in February this year, the ADRAS-J spacecraft was selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for Phase I of its Commercial Debris Removal Demonstration or CRD2 programme. CDR2 is an initiative by Japanese space agency JAXA which aims to develop debris removal technologies. (With inputs from agencies)

Stunning close-up timelapse of bus-sized rocket part captured by space debris monitor: Watch

NASA's Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore faces indefinite stay in space

<p>Comet C/2023 A3 or Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which has been given the title of &nbsp;‘comet of the century' is set to come very close to Earth in autumn 2024.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When it approaches the Earth, it is likely to have a bright, beautiful and long tail as it passes by the Sun at a distance which is similar to the orbit of Mercury. During this time, the ice over the comet will evaporate, a large amount of dust will cover it and it will have the brightest tail.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>When and where the comet will be visible?</strong></h2>

<p>The space observatories first spotted the comet in early 2023 in&nbsp;China&nbsp;and South Africa. This time it will be approaching Earth on October 12, which is the International&nbsp;Astronomy&nbsp;Day.</p>

<p>When it comes closer, the comet will appear&nbsp;as bright as the stars. If it deteriorates, its lustre will be lost and it will become&nbsp;difficult to be viewed by the human eye.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/delta-aquariids-meteor-shower-to-peak-this-week-how-when-and-where-to-watch-celestial-event-745148">Delta Aquariids meteor shower to peak this week. How, when and where to watch celestial event</a></p>

<p>Comet C/2023 A3 will be clearly visible in the Northern Hemisphere. In 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp was also spotted in this hemisphere.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The comet is expected to be visible in November evenings at 4.5-8 magnitude and will rise higher in the Northern Hemisphere after sunset.</p>

<p>The comet should be visible at 8-10 magnitude in December. Gradually it will move closer to the Sun and move above the horizon.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>How can you watch the comet?</strong></h2>

<p>It is not required to travel to distant places to watch this comet. People can log in to the 'Sky Tonight' app to watch Comet C/2023 A3 or Tsuchinshan-ATLAS.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the application, the current position of the comet can be seen for the location. The device needs to be pointed to the sky and the white arrow has to be followed to the spot of the comet.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;China proposes information superhighway between Earth and Moon</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/china-proposes-information-superhighway-between-earth-and-moon-742681/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Astronomers are worried the comet might be breaking up and will crumble before it hits the perihelion which should happen sometime before September 27 when it makes its closest approach to the Sun.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Because of gravitational forces and solar radiations, the comets&nbsp;disintegrate.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Comet C/2023 A3 or Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which has been given the title of ‘comet of the century' is set to come very close to Earth in autumn 2024. When it approaches the Earth, it is likely to have a bright, beautiful and long tail as it passes by the Sun at a distance which is similar to the orbit of Mercury.

Comet C/2023 A3 or Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which has been given the title of ‘comet of the century' is set to come very close to Earth in autumn 2024. When it approaches the Earth, it is likely to have a bright, beautiful and long tail as it passes by the Sun at a distance which is similar to the orbit of Mercury. During this time, the ice over the comet will evaporate, a large amount of dust will cover it and it will have the brightest tail. When and where the comet will be visible? The space observatories first spotted the comet in early 2023 in China and South Africa. This time it will be approaching Earth on October 12, which is the International Astronomy Day. When it comes closer, the comet will appear as bright as the stars. If it deteriorates, its lustre will be lost and it will become difficult to be viewed by the human eye. Also Read: Delta Aquariids meteor shower to peak this week. How, when and where to watch celestial event Comet C/2023 A3 will be clearly visible in the Northern Hemisphere. In 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp was also spotted in this hemisphere. The comet is expected to be visible in November evenings at 4.5-8 magnitude and will rise higher in the Northern Hemisphere after sunset. The comet should be visible at 8-10 magnitude in December. Gradually it will move closer to the Sun and move above the horizon. How can you watch the comet? It is not required to travel to distant places to watch this comet. People can log in to the 'Sky Tonight' app to watch Comet C/2023 A3 or Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. In the application, the current position of the comet can be seen for the location. The device needs to be pointed to the sky and the white arrow has to be followed to the spot of the comet. Watch: China proposes information superhighway between Earth and Moon Astronomers are worried the comet might be breaking up and will crumble before it hits the perihelion which should happen sometime before September 27 when it makes its closest approach to the Sun. Because of gravitational forces and solar radiations, the comets disintegrate. (With inputs from agencies)

‘Comet of the century' is set to blaze past Earth. Here's how you can watch it with naked eyes

<p>In a breakthrough study,&nbsp;scientists have now spotted the earliest known galaxy which has emerged as a huge challenge to the current galaxy formations in space.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The new galaxy, which has been named JADES-GS-z14-0, has been spotted gleaming brightly in the early Universe and is suspected to have come into existence less than 300 million years after the&nbsp;Big Bang.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the second recent discovery - known as JADES-GS-z14-1 - was seen as a distant galaxy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to the astronomers, the detections are now "unambiguous" and hinted at the Cosmic Dawn likely to have some 'splainin' to do.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/watch-iss-captures-fireworks-in-space-shares-footage-of-mesmerising-northern-lights-738470">ISS captures fireworks in space, shares footage of mesmerising Northern Lights</a></p>

<p>In a statement, astronomers&nbsp;Stefano Carniani of Scuola Normale Superiore in Italy and Kevin Hainline of the University of Arizona said, "In January 2024, NIRSpec observed this galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0, for almost ten hours, and when the spectrum was first processed, there was unambiguous evidence that the galaxy was indeed at a&nbsp;redshift&nbsp;of 14.32, shattering the previous most-distant galaxy record."</p>

<p>"From the images, the source is found to be over 1,600 light-years across, proving that the light we see is coming mostly from young stars and not from emission near a growing supermassive&nbsp;black hole," they added.</p>

<p>The astronomers further stated, "This much starlight implies that the galaxy is several hundreds of millions of times the mass of the Sun! This raises the question: How can nature make such a bright, massive, and large galaxy in less than 300 million years?"</p>

<h2><strong>Scientists decode cosmic dawn and space transparency</strong></h2>

<p>The scientists have written three separate papers on the subject and a new one has been published in Nature.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In all three papers, they have concluded that JADES-GS-z14-0 is a shining data point which represents a new way ahead in understanding how the formation of the Universe began.</p>

<p>Till now, very little is known about the Cosmic Dawn period, which is the first billion years after the Big Bang.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;China space rocket blows up, causes massive fireball</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-china-space-rocket-blows-up-causes-massive-fireball-736905/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>This is because neutral hydrogen had caused a fog in the early universe which scattered light and prevented it from spreading.</p>

<p>However, the fog did not last long as it was ionised and later cleared by ultraviolet light emitted from the objects in the early Universe and till the end of the Cosmic Dawn, the space became transparent.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


In a breakthrough study, scientists have now spotted the earliest known galaxy which has emerged as a huge challenge to the current galaxy formations in space. The new galaxy, which has been named JADES-GS-z14-0, has been spotted gleaming brightly in the early Universe and is suspected to have come into existence less than 300 million years after the Big Bang.

In a breakthrough study, scientists have now spotted the earliest known galaxy which has emerged as a huge challenge to the current galaxy formations in space. The new galaxy, which has been named JADES-GS-z14-0, has been spotted gleaming brightly in the early Universe and is suspected to have come into existence less than 300 million years after the Big Bang. Meanwhile, the second recent discovery - known as JADES-GS-z14-1 - was seen as a distant galaxy. According to the astronomers, the detections are now "unambiguous" and hinted at the Cosmic Dawn likely to have some 'splainin' to do. Also Read: ISS captures fireworks in space, shares footage of mesmerising Northern Lights In a statement, astronomers Stefano Carniani of Scuola Normale Superiore in Italy and Kevin Hainline of the University of Arizona said, "In January 2024, NIRSpec observed this galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0, for almost ten hours, and when the spectrum was first processed, there was unambiguous evidence that the galaxy was indeed at a redshift of 14.32, shattering the previous most-distant galaxy record." "From the images, the source is found to be over 1,600 light-years across, proving that the light we see is coming mostly from young stars and not from emission near a growing supermassive black hole," they added. The astronomers further stated, "This much starlight implies that the galaxy is several hundreds of millions of times the mass of the Sun! This raises the question: How can nature make such a bright, massive, and large galaxy in less than 300 million years?" Scientists decode cosmic dawn and space transparency The scientists have written three separate papers on the subject and a new one has been published in Nature. In all three papers, they have concluded that JADES-GS-z14-0 is a shining data point which represents a new way ahead in understanding how the formation of the Universe began. Till now, very little is known about the Cosmic Dawn period, which is the first billion years after the Big Bang. Watch: China space rocket blows up, causes massive fireball This is because neutral hydrogen had caused a fog in the early universe which scattered light and prevented it from spreading. However, the fog did not last long as it was ionised and later cleared by ultraviolet light emitted from the objects in the early Universe and till the end of the Cosmic Dawn, the space became transparent. (With inputs from agencies)

The universe's earliest galaxy has now been discovered. And it's nothing like our galaxy

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