moon

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Earth Will Get a Second 'Mini-Moon' for 2 Months

Small object known as a mini-moon will be temporarily captured in our orbit

(Newser) - The Earth is getting a temporary "mini-moon" for about two months starting later this month. The mini-moon—that's the official astronomical designation—is actually a small asteroid, about 33 feet long, that will be pulled into the Earth's orbit from September 29 to November 25, reports the...

Moon Is Worth Watching This Week
Harvest Moon
Is Worth
Checking Out
Tuesday
UPDATED
Sep 17, 2024 11:44 AM CDT

Harvest Moon Is Worth Checking Out Tuesday

Partial lunar eclipse, plus a supermoon, will be on view

(Newser) - Here's your reminder to get ready for a partial lunar eclipse and supermoon, all rolled into one. The spectacle will be visible in clear skies across North America and South America on Tuesday night, and in Africa and Europe on Wednesday morning, per the AP .
  • A partial lunar eclipse
...

Three Glass Beads Change Thinking on Moon's Volcanoes

Scientists say they were still erupting far more recently than thought

(Newser) - Volcanoes were still erupting on the moon when dinosaurs roamed Earth, new research suggests. The evidence: three tiny glass beads plucked from the surface of the moon and brought to Earth in 2020 by a Chinese spacecraft, per the AP . Their chemical makeup indicates that there were active lunar volcanoes...

Rover Finds Evidence That Magma Covered Moon

Indian mission's findings support Lunar Magma Ocean theory

(Newser) - A rover investigating a previously unexplored area on the moon has found more evidence to support the theory that the lunar surface was once covered with an ocean of magma. After India's Chandrayaan-3 mission brought the Vikram lander to the moon's south pole a year ago, the Pragyaan...

Get Ready for a Supermoon Extravaganza

Monday's lunar event kicks off a quartet in 2024

(Newser) - The first of four supermoons this year rises this week, providing tantalizing views of Earth's constant companion. Stargazers can catch the first act Monday as the full moon inches a little closer than usual, making it appear slightly bigger and brighter in the night sky. "I like to...

Astronomers Want to Set Time on Moon

As it is, missions follow their country's time zone

(Newser) - Time moves a tad faster on the moon. Now an international group of astronomers has joined calls to give the moon its own clock so that future space missions can keep track of minutes on the celestial body. The International Astronomical Union voted Thursday to encourage space organizations around the...

Scientists Just Found a Cave on the Moon

Radar data confirms existence of one, and lots more are likely up there

(Newser) - Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon—not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago—and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts. An Italian-led team reported Monday that there's evidence for a sizable cave accessible from the deepest known...

We Still Haven't Solved the Space Poop Problem
We Still Haven't Solved
the Space Poop Problem
longform
Jul 7, 2024 2:25 PM CDT

We Still Haven't Solved the Space Poop Problem

Wired digs into the surprisingly challenging issue as moon expeditions intensify

(Newser) - Neil Armstrong left more than his footprints on the moon. As Becky Ferreira writes in Wired , he and his fellow Apollo astronauts also left nearly 100 bags of poop up there over various missions, where they remain to this day. For one thing, this raises the prospect of humans contaminating...

First Samples From Moon's Far Side Return to Earth

China's lunar probe is back

(Newser) - China's Chang'e 6 lunar probe returned to Earth on Tuesday with rock and soil samples from the little-explored far side of the moon in a global first, the AP reports. The probe landed in northern China on Tuesday afternoon in the Inner Mongolian region. "I now declare...

Earthlings to Get First Look at Soil From Moon's Far Side
China Plants a Flag on
the Far Side of the Moon
UPDATED
Jun 4, 2024 11:17 AM CDT

China Plants a Flag on the Far Side of the Moon

Its lunar lander has wrapped up a historic mission to gather rocks and soil

(Newser) - A Chinese spacecraft is headed back to Earth after collecting soil and rocks from the far side of the moon—a first for any nation, reports the Guardian . The unmanned Chang'e-6 lander took off from the moon on Tuesday after wrapping up its two-day gathering mission. The China National...

It's an 'Astonishing Feat' for Japan's Moon Lander
Japan's Moon Lander
Defies All Odds
May 3, 2024 10:40 AM CDT

Japan's Moon Lander Defies All Odds

SLIM, thought to die in darkness, has survived 3 cold lunar nights so far

(Newser) - Nearly four months after touching down on the moon , Japan's lunar lander is still going strong—something its creators did not at all expect. The lander wasn't designed to endure the frigid temperatures, as low as -208 degrees Fahrenheit, that come with a lunar night, a period of...

Rare Moon Event May Shed Some Light on Stonehenge

Researchers hope to observe the stones during an upcoming 'lunar standstill'

(Newser) - Researchers have a rare window to observe Stonehenge's possible connection to the moon during an upcoming phenomenon known as a lunar standstill. As the BBC notes, scholars commonly believe the site had cultural and ritualistic connections to the sun during solstice. But the positions of four of its original...

Why It's 'Totality or Bust' for Some Eclipse Viewers

Writer Joel Achenbach captures the magic that happens in the path of totality

(Newser) - "Totality or bust," writes Joel Achenbach in an essay for the Washington Post . "That's the attitude of the serious eclipse aficionado." For the casual eclipse viewer outside the path of totality, Achenbach captures the "supernatural vibe" we'll be missing, which only occurs when...

Get Ready to Set Your Clocks for Moon Time

White House instructs NASA to figure out a unified standard of time to aid future missions

(Newser) - In the future, we'll have Earth time and we'll have Moon time. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on Tuesday directed NASA to establish what it called Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC), "a unified standard of time for the moon and other celestial bodies"...

The Lunar Rush Is On, With Plans to Mine Helium-3
Rare Gas Sets Off
a Lunar Rush
Mar 23, 2024 7:30 AM CDT

Rare Gas Sets Off a Lunar Rush

Startup Interlune plans to mine the moon for helium-3, estimated to be worth $4 billion per ton

(Newser) - Like many private companies, Interlune is seeing dollar signs in the night sky—and now its plans to extract a rare gas from the moon has a timeline. Per Ars Technica , there's an abundance of helium-3 that can hypothetically be extracted from the moon and transported back home, and...

Railroad on the Moon? It May Be in the Works

Northrop Grumman enlisted to explore construction, costs, and risks

(Newser) - Now that scientists have some ideas about how to build roads on the moon , focus is turning to a potential lunar railroad. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) envisions a future in which a network of rails covers the lunar surface, transporting humans, resources, and supplies from one...

After Sideways Landing, Private Moon Lander to Shut Down

Odysseus, a private US spacecraft, will cease operations on Tuesday

(Newser) - Odysseus made it to the moon in historic fashion, but the private lunar lander will shut down for good on Tuesday because of a bumpy landing that left it toppled over on its side. As the AP reports, that's "two to three days" earlier than expected. Details:
  • The
...

'After Several Tense Days,' Moon Lander Is Alive Again

Following a rough landing, Japan's SLIM finally draws enough solar power to function once more

(Newser) - A Japanese moon explorer is up and running Monday after several tense days without the sunlight it needs to generate power. Japan's first lunar mission hit its target in a precision touchdown on Jan. 20, but it landed the wrong way up , leaving its solar panels unable to see...

Photo Explains Why Japan's Moon Lander Isn't Talking

It landed upside down, and its solar panels aren't getting juice from the sun

(Newser) - The good news is that Japan landed a spacecraft on the moon , making it only the fifth nation to accomplish the feat. The bad news is that the SLIM craft landed upside down, on its nose, reports Space.com . The glitch explains why mission controllers in Japan have been unable...

Japan's 'Moon Sniper' Nears Its Target
A 5th Country Has
Landed on the Moon
UPDATED
Jan 19, 2024 11:51 AM CST

A 5th Country Has Landed on the Moon

Japan's 'Moon Sniper' is sending back data but solar cells aren't working, JAXA says

(Newser) - This story has been updated with new developments. Japan has become the fifth country to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon. The country's space agency, JAXA, says Smart Lander for Investigating Moon—SLIM—has landed on the moon and is sending back data, though its solar panel isn'...

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