Moons

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeZack Snyder has suggested that “more people probably saw Rebel Moon than saw Barbie in theatre”.Part one of the director’s two-part Netflix epic was released in December. While it quickly became the streamer’s most-watched title at the time, it was severely panned by critics, who described it as “a borderline incoherent shambles”.Meanwhile, Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster Barbie is said to…

This view of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa was captured by the JunoCam imager aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft during the mission’s close flyby on September 29, 2022. The agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will explore the moon when it reaches orbit around Jupiter in 2030. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS, Kevin M. Gill CC BY 3.0The ice-covered Jovian moon generates 1,000 tons of oxygen every 24 hours – enough to keep a million humans breathing for a day.Scientists with NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter have calculated the rate…

Odysseus’ landing captured a leg, as it performed its primary task, absorbing first contact with the lunar surface. With the lander’s liquid methane and liquid oxygen engine still throttling, it provided stability. Credit: Intuitive MachinesA historic delivery to the Moon’s South Pole…A record-breaking scientific balloon flight…And an asteroid mission’s close pass of the Sun…A few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr6TuFP3iKkNew NASA Tech, Science Operated on the MoonFor…

NASA and Nikon have joined forces in a groundbreaking collaboration to develop a specialized camera for capturing the wonders of the lunar surface during the upcoming Artemis mission. The agreement, outlined in a Space Act Agreement, aims to equip astronauts with a handheld camera capable of withstanding the harsh conditions of the Moon's South Pole region, where they will conduct scientific research and exploration.The camera, dubbed the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera (HULC), is a modified version of Nikon's Z 9…

Fresh Crater on Oceanus Procellarum. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University The lunar sample returned by China’s 2020 lunar mission contained minerals that provide clues to their origin.Earth’s moon achieved its Swiss cheese appearance from celestial objects crashing into its surface, forming impact craters. But craters weren’t all that was left behind; the intense pressure and temperature of such a collision also impacts the rocks and dust covering the lunar surface, known as regolith, altering its mineral…

Astronomers have detected new moons around two of our solar system’s most unique and intriguing planets. The hidden moons were discovered orbiting Uranus and Neptune, and the discovery brings the moon counts for these planets to 28 and 16, respectively.The discovery of these hidden moons is both exciting and unsurprising. In fact, it’s believed that many of the planets within our solar system have more moons than we know of. And, as we discover more of them, we’ll hopefully be able to learn more about how those…

The epicenter of one of the strongest moonquakes recorded by the Apollo Passive Seismic Experiment was located in the lunar south polar region. However, the exact location of the epicenter could not be accurately determined. A cloud of possible locations (magenta dots and light blue polygon) of the strong shallow moonquake using a relocation algorithm specifically adapted for very sparse seismic networks are distributed near the pole. Blue boxes show locations of proposed Artemis III landing regions. Lobate thrust fault…

Jupiter and Saturn need to step aside with their moon-hogging ways. The outer planets of the Solar System have also been harboring secret satellites.Using ground-based telescopes, astronomers have discovered three previously unknown moons in the space around Uranus and Neptune; one orbiting Uranus, and two around Neptune. That brings Uranus' official moon count to 28, and Neptune's to 16.The moons have yet to be officially named, but in keeping with moon-naming conventions for both planets, the new Uranian moon will be…

Astronomers have recently made an intriguing discovery in our solar system, uncovering two tiny moons circling Neptune and one orbiting Uranus. These newfound celestial companions bring the total count of known moons around these gas giants to 16 for Neptune and 28 for Uranus.The most remarkable of these discoveries is Uranus' new moon, believed to be the smallest ever detected around the ice giant. Measuring a mere 5 miles (8 kilometers) in width, this diminutive moon completes a single orbit around Uranus every 680…

In a momentous leap for space exploration, the United States marked a significant milestone with the touchdown of the Odysseus lander on the moon's south polar region. However, the triumph was not without its share of unexpected twists. Odysseus, the first US-built spacecraft to land on the moon in over 50 years, encountered a huge setback upon landing, finding itself tipped over on its side, as revealed by US space agency NASA and Intuitive Machines via (the Gaurdian). Intuitive Machines CEO, Steve Altemus, disclosed…