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Posted by Marc Rayman on 2016/09/01 10:08 CDT | 11 comments
Following the conclusion of Dawn's ambitious 8.8-year prime mission on June 30, the spacecraft has been gathering a wealth of data with all sensors in its extended mission as it orbits closer to Ceres than the International Space Station is to Earth.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket explosion: What we know and don't know
Posted by Jason Davis on 2016/09/01 10:32 CDT | 15 comments
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral this morning. Here's what we know and don't know.
What's up in the solar system, September 2016 edition: OSIRIS-REx launches, Rosetta ends
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2016/08/31 12:00 CDT | 1 comment
The month of September begins with an annular solar eclipse visible from much of Africa on September 1. On or after September 8, we'll see OSIRIS-REx launch into a two-year cruise toward a rendezvous with asteroid Bennu. But September will close, sadly, with the end of the wonderful Rosetta mission.
Let’s be careful about this “SETI” signal
Posted by Franck Marchis on 2016/08/30 12:19 CDT | 10 comments
Several readers have contacted me recently about reports that a group of international astronomers have detected a strong signal coming from a distant star that could be a sign of a high-technology civilization. Here’s my reaction: it’s interesting, but it’s definitely not the sign of an alien civilization—at least not yet.
Will Juno’s Instruments Observe the Moons of Jupiter?
Posted by Candice Hansen on 2016/08/30 10:38 CDT | 2 comments
It is not easy to observe Jupiter’s moons as more than points of light with Juno, because Juno will never get very close to any of the moons, but as its orbit shifts there will be opportunities to collect data on some of the moons.
Selecting the Next New Frontiers Mission
Posted by Van Kane on 2016/08/29 08:09 CDT | 12 comments
NASA’s managers have begun the process for a competition to select a new planetary mission to launch in the mid-2020s that will address one of the most important questions in planetary science.
Juno's first Jupiter close approach successful; best JunoCam images yet to come
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2016/08/27 08:07 CDT | 12 comments
NASA announced this afternoon that Juno passed through its first perijove since entering orbit successfully, with science instruments operating all the way. This is a huge relief, given all the unknowns about the effects of Jupiter's nasty radiation environment on its brand-new orbiter.
Proxima Centauri b: Have we just found Earth’s cousin right on our doorstep?
Posted by Franck Marchis on 2016/08/24 12:01 CDT | 19 comments
What began as a tantalizing rumor has just become an astonishing fact. Today a group of thirty-one scientists announced the discovery of a terrestrial exoplanet orbiting Proxima Centauri. The discovery of this planet, Proxima Centauri b, is a huge breakthrough not just for astronomers but for all of us. Here’s why.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2016/08/23 05:09 CDT | 4 comments
Whenever I share images from Curiosity, among the most common questions I’m asked is “what is the scale of this image?” With help from imaging enthusiast Seán Doran, I can answer that question for some of the Murray buttes.
JunoCam "Marble Movie" data available
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2016/08/22 04:56 CDT | 11 comments
Since a few days after entering orbit, JunoCam has been taking photos of Jupiter every fifteen minutes, accumulating a trove of data that can be assembled into a movie of the planet.
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