Glitter and glow

Space Snapshot

When it comes to cosmic beauty, it’s hard to beat the shimmering glow of an aurora. In one of our picks for the coolest space images from last month, you can see the aurora australis over the Indian Ocean, photographed from the vantage point of the International Space Station. Check out the rest of our favorite space images from September. Image credit: NASA/ISS Expedition 71.

Fact Worth Sharing

Earth’s auroras are caused by charged particles in the solar wind interacting with our magnetic field. Auroras on other worlds can have different causes. On Jupiter, some auroras are caused not by solar wind but by particles erupting into the magnetosphere from Io's volcanoes.

Mission Briefings

Researchers have found an exoplanet around Barnard’s star. Barnard’s b, the planet found by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, is around 20 times closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun and is about half the size of Venus. Its host star is the closest single star to our Sun (as opposed to the Alpha Centauri triple star system), just six light-years from here. Pictured: An artist’s impression of Barnard’s b and its host star. Image credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser.

Another exoplanet find might hint at Earth’s future fate. Researchers have observed a possible rocky exoplanet orbiting a white dwarf star 4,000 light-years away. Our Sun is expected to end its life cycle by expanding into a red giant — consuming Mercury, Venus, and maybe Earth and Mars — before ending up as a cool, white dwarf about 5 billion years from now. If Earth survives the red giant phase, its fate could be similar to this newly discovered exoplanet.

The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies may not merge. Astronomers have long thought that our galaxy is on course to collide with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy in 5 billion years. New simulations suggest that this may not be the case because of the gravitational effects of other nearby galaxies, potentially reducing the likelihood of a collision by half.

SpaceX is pausing Falcon 9 launches because of an anomaly. A problem with the deorbit burn of the upper stage on a crewed launch last week prompted the company to halt launches until they understand the root cause of the issue. Both the Hera and Europa Clipper missions are due to launch early this month on SpaceX rockets.

From The Planetary Society

When Europa Clipper launches, it will be thanks to the efforts of thousands of advocates. The mission to explore Jupiter’s icy, potentially habitable moon has long been a priority of the space science community but faced funding challenges in Congress. The Planetary Society and our members relentlessly advocated for a mission to Europa, eventually succeeding in getting NASA the funding it needed. Learn more about Europa Clipper’s long road to the launch pad and how space advocates made it possible. Pictured: An artist’s concept of the spacecraft, Europa, and Jupiter. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Hera will revisit the scene of a planetary defense milestone. When NASA’s DART mission smashed into the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in 2022, it proved for the very first time that the kinetic impactor technique is a viable way of deflecting an asteroid. But DART’s intentional collision destroyed the spacecraft, so we couldn’t observe the follow-up — yet. ESA’s Hera mission is due to launch on Oct. 7 to visit Dimorphos and study the aftermath of the impact. The mission’s project scientist, Michael Küppers, joins this week’s Planetary Radio.

Become a space advocate today! Since The Planetary Society's founding in 1980, supporters like you have been powerful and effective advocates for NASA. Now we need your help to keep advocating for missions that matter. When you support our advocacy program, your gift will be matched up to $75,000 thanks to a generous Society member. Give today!

A live event extravaganza!

Log into The Planetary Society’s online member community to join a series of live events celebrating space.

First, on Oct. 5, you can join a virtual star party live from the Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles, California. The event will include views through its 60-inch telescope and a discussion with “Star Trek: Voyager” star Tim Russ.

Next, we’ve got two launch parties: the Hera mission launch on Oct. 7 and the Europa Clipper mission launch on Oct. 10. Celebrate the beginnings of two exciting missions by joining other Planetary Society members in the chat while we watch the launch live streams together.

Finally, on Oct. 17, join Planetary Society Chief of Space Policy Casey Dreier and Director of Government Relations Jack Kiraly for a virtual briefing and Q&A on the latest in space policy and advocacy.

All of these events are exclusive to Planetary Society members. Not yet a member? Join today.

Pictured: A Falcon Heavy launch. Image credit: Ryan Chylinski/Spaceflight Insider.

What's Up

Yellowish Saturn shines in the evening east and remains visible through most of the night until it sets in the west before dawn. Reddish Mars rises in the east in the middle of the night and is high up by dawn, with very bright Jupiter above it. Super bright Venus is close to the horizon in the west shortly after sunset, joined by a crescent Moon on Oct. 5. From Oct. 10-12, the Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-Atlas) is predicted to be at its brightest. Learn more about what else to look for in October’s night skies.

Find your place in space today

Planetary Society members are part of our mission to increase discoveries in our Solar System and beyond, elevate the search for life outside our planet, and decrease the risk of Earth being hit by an asteroid. Carl Sagan co-founded this nonprofit for those who believe in exploration to take action together. If you're not already a member, join today to help create a future full of space exploration.

Wow of the Week

Need some creative ideas for using up all that spare glitter you have lying around? NASA’s got you covered. The agency recently shared a series of space-inspired crafts that you can make at home. From stardust slime to black hole bath bombs, these are fun and easy things you can make with (mostly) ordinary household ingredients — including glitter, of course. Check out the series of crafts, and if you make one, share your pics in The Planetary Society’s online member community! Image credit: NASA.

Send us your artwork!

We love to feature space artwork in the Downlink. If you create any kind of space-related art, we invite you to send it to us by replying to any Downlink email or writing to [email protected]. Please let us know in your email if you’re a Planetary Society member!