Earth

A growing number of players, including private companies such as Elon Musk's SpaceX, are trying to gain access to the lucrative space sector by launching new satellites. Because of this, space is getting increasingly crowded, raising the risk of collision among satellites. To deal with this situation, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a collision-warning system. It unveiled the prototype recently and hoped it will ease the burden on satellite operators considerably. The prototype…

Astronomers have long observed Saturn and its rings using telescopes that have been placed on Earth and in space. The mysterious planet has always excited scientists. But how does the Earth look from Saturn's perspective? NASA has shared an image of the second-largest planet and some of its rings that also showed how our Earth compared to Saturn. It appears like a shiny, tiny dot against a vast blue canvas. The wide-angle image was captured by the Cassini spacecraft in 2013.While Saturn is about 1.61 billion kilometres…

On January 7, space scientists in Europe discovered a large asteroid that appeared to be on a collision course with Earth. They calculated that the 230-feet-wide asteroid, named 2022 AE1, was set to hit Earth on July 4, 2023. The time they had to deflect its path was too narrow to actually mount a response, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). The prospect was frightening. Space defenders feared if the asteroid hit the Earth it would likely wipe out a city, causing destruction similar to what the nuclear bomb…

An asteroid, around 3-metre wide, hit the Earth's atmosphere on March 11, just two hours before it was discovered by a Hungarian astronomer. The object, now designated 2022 EB5, impacted the planet north of Iceland. The 2022 EB5 was only the fifth asteroid to be discovered before it struck the planet. The first four were designated 2014 AA, 2018 LA, 2008 TC3 and 2019 MO.Krisztian Sarneczky, the Hungarian astronomer at the Piszkesteto Mountain Station, which is a part of Konkoly Observatory near Budapest, has discovered…

After a moderate solar flare shot out of the Sun's atmosphere several days ago, Earth could be slammed by a series of small geomagnetic storms today (March 15). The US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the British Met Office predicted that the astronomical phenomenon will have an impact on Earth over the next two weeks. Both NOAA and the British Met Office also issued advisories for mild and moderate geomagnetic storms during the next few days. The storms are unlikely to inflict any damage…

NASA said a gigantic asteroid is set to make a close approach to Earth this week. Scientists have determined the size of the space rock — called 2013 BO76 — to be around 200-450 metres wide, and it will be travelling at a staggering speed of 50,000kmph. Although NASA has classified the asteroid as “potentially hazardous”, it is expected to fly by Earth at a safe distance. The asteroid — the size of a football stadium — will make its closest approach to Earth early Friday India time, according to NASA.NASA said that at its…

NASA will run a live broadcast of the return to Earth of American astronaut Mark Vande Hei after a record-breaking 355-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Along with Vande Hei, two Russian cosmonauts — Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov — will also touch down in Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz MS-19 capsule on March 30. The Soyuz will undock from the Rassvet module, heading for a parachute-assisted landing, NASA said. On March 15, Vande Hei has surpassed Scott Kelly's previously held record of 340…

A conjunction of planets has left most of us awestruck. The incident occurred in the early morning sky of March 27 and March 28. It's not just the planets but also a comet that nears these planets on this morning. Also, the waning crescent Moon is seen near three planets. This has given rise to a series of conjunctions.According to a report by EarthSky, three planets and the Moon fit within an 8-degree circle on the sky's dome.Here's how three planets — Mars, Venus, and Saturn — aligned on this morning. Mars is four…

From Earth, those taking photographers of space often capture magnificent images of distant galaxies, planets, and moons. Last week, however, astrophotographer Sebastian Voltmer captured something completely different. On March 23, NASA astronaut Raja Chari and Matthias Maurer of the European Space Agency (ESA) spent nearly seven hours outside the International Space Station (ISS), completing various maintenance tasks. While Chari and Maurer were on their spacewalk, Voltmer took photos of the space station. Though we…

A US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts left the International Space Station (ISS) together on a Soyuz capsule as they headed back to Earth on Wednesday, despite heightened US-Russian antagonism over the war in Ukraine.The Russian Soyuz capsule carrying NASA's Mark Vande Hei and his cosmonaut peers Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov successfully undocked from the ISS and is set to make a parachute landing in central Kazakhstan at 1128 GMT, according to Russian space agency Roscosmos.The joint US-Russian return flight…