Everything to know about the Mars 2020 rover
First announced in December 2012, the Mars 2020 rover will finally leave Earth later this summer and travel more than 35 million miles to its new home. Once on the surface, this car-sized science lab (10 feet x 9 feet…
Could salt-loving microbes explain Marsâ methane?
New laboratory studies – simulating conditions on the planet Mars and using salt-loving microbes – suggest that similar organisms could be producing Mars’ mysterious methane.
Today in science: Voyager 2 met Uranus
Voyager 2 swept closest to Uranus on this day 34 years ago. During its visit, the spacecraft sent data that revealed 2 new planetary rings, 10 new moons, radiation belts, and a very unusual magnetic field.
Vote to name new NASA Mars rover
Nine finalists have been chosen in the essay contest for K-12 students across U.S. to name NASA’s next Mars rover. Vote for your favorite.
Could future moon homes be made of fungi?
For future homes on the moon, Mars, and other worlds, NASA is exploring technologies that would use mushrooms to grow self-repairing, self-replicating habitats.
The mystery of our solar system's 'great divide' may finally be solved
Our solar system’s “great divide,” the expanse that separates the terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) from the gas and ice giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) may finally have an origin story. According to a study published in the journal…
Will you spot the moon and Jupiter?
The lighted portion of the waning crescent moon will point toward Jupiter on the mornings January 21 and 22, 2020. Look east! You’ll enjoy spotting Jupiter so near the sunrise.
New research provides evidence of strong early magnetic field around Earth
(University of Rochester) New research from the University of Rochester provides evidence that the magnetic field that first formed around Earth was even stronger than scientists previously believed. The research will help scientists draw conclusions about the sustainability of Earth’s magnetic shield and whether or not there are other planets in the solar system with the conditions necessary to harbor life.
Heads up! Lunar occultation of Mars February 18
Thinking of beefing up your stargazing optics? Now would be a good time. Given clear skies, all of the U.S. (except Alaska and Hawaii) can watch the red planet Mars disappear behind the moon – or reappear, or both – one month from today, on the morning of February 18, 2020.
See moon, Mars, Antares â and maybe Jupiter â before sunrise
Use the moon to find red Mars and red Antares before dawn on January 19, 20 and 21, 2020. Then, after Mars and Antares have faded from view, but before the sun comes up, try to catch the king planet Jupiter near the sunrise horizon.
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