Author: NASA Science
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Planetary Alignments and Planet Parades
On most nights, weather permitting, you can spot at least one bright planet in the night sky. While two or three planets are commonly visible in the hours around sunset, occasionally four or five bright planets can be seen simultaneously…
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What’s Up: February 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA
A Month of Bright Planets Venus blazes at its brightest for the year after sunset, then Mars and Jupiter to rule the night amid the menagerie of bright winter stars. Skywatching Highlights All Month – Planet Visibility: Daily Highlights: February…
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The Autonomous Ion Mass Spectrometer Sentry: Observing Ionospheric Plasma and Monitoring Contamination for the International Space Station
A team at Los Alamos National Laboratory is leveraging SMD-funded technology developments to design a novel sensor that examines the interactions between space plasma and the plumes generated by the thrusters of spacecraft delivering supplies and crew members to the…
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What’s Up: January 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA
Four Planets in One View! Each evening this month, enjoy a sweeping view of four bright planets at once. Also look for a close approach of Venus and Saturn, Mars occulted by the Moon, and meteors! Skywatching Highlights January 3…
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What’s Up: December 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA
Catch December’s Celestial Highlights! This month, Venus dazzles as the “Evening Star,” Jupiter reaches its brightest for the year, and the Geminid meteor shower peaks under challenging moonlit skies. Skywatching Highlights All Month – Planet Visibility: December 3-5 – Venus…
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What’s Up: November 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA
Planets visible in November: Saturn shines in the south most of the night, Jupiter rises in the early evening, while Mars is visible in the early morning sky.
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Eclipse Megamovie Coding Competition
Making the most of a solar eclipse demands attention to detail. Do you have what it takes? NASA’s Eclipse Megamovie project launched a new coding competition, and they need your help to organize images from the April 8, 2024 total…
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Revealing the Hidden Universe with Full-shell X-ray Optics at NASA MSFC
The study of X-ray emission from astronomical objects reveals secrets about the Universe at the largest and smallest spatial scales. Celestial X-rays are produced by black holes consuming nearby stars, emitted by the million-degree gas that traces the structure between…
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What’s Up: October 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA
A new comet is passing through the inner solar system! Time will tell if it’s the brightest of the year, once it appears in twilight after about Oct. 14.
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What’s Up: September 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA
A partial lunar eclipse makes the full supermoon on Sept. 17th extra super. Also, chances to observe five planets this month, and a global night for observing.