The Solar System

Mars

Rovers and orbiters will continue collecting limited data during a two-week communications pause due to the position of Earth, the Sun, and the Red Planet. NASA will hold off sending commands to its Mars fleet for two weeks, from Nov. 11 to 25, while Earth and the Red Planet are on opposite sides of the […]

Posted November 10, 2023

Juno

Europa

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Jupiter

Jupiter Moons

Planets

The Solar System

NASA’s Juno Finds Jupiter’s Winds Penetrate in Cylindrical Layers

The finding offers deeper insights into the long-debated internal structure of the gas giant. Gravity data collected by NASA’s Juno mission indicates Jupiter’s atmospheric winds penetrate the planet in a cylindrical manner, parallel to its spin axis. A paper on the findings was recently published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Posted November 9, 2023

Asteroids

Goddard Space Flight Center

Lucy

The Solar System

NASA’s Lucy Surprises Again, Observes 1st-ever Contact Binary Orbiting Asteroid

NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft took images of asteroid Dinkinesh, discovering that the asteroid has the first-ever contact binary pair orbiting the asteroid.

Posted November 7, 2023

Curiosity (Rover)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mars

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

The Solar System

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Clocks 4,000 Days on Mars

The mission team is making sure the robotic scientist, now in its fourth extended mission, is staying strong, despite wear and tear from its 11-year journey. Four thousand Martian days after setting its wheels in Gale Crater on Aug. 5, 2012, NASA’s Curiosity rover remains busy conducting exciting science.

Posted November 6, 2023

Hubble Space Telescope

Jupiter

Planets

The Solar System

Hubble Provides Unique Ultraviolet View of Jupiter

This newly released image from the NASA Hubble Space Telescope shows the planet Jupiter in a color composite of ultraviolet wavelengths. Released in honor of Jupiter reaching opposition, which occurs when the planet and the Sun are in opposite sides of the sky, this view of the gas giant planet includes the iconic, massive storm called the […]

Posted November 3, 2023

Asteroids

Goddard Space Flight Center

Lucy

The Solar System

NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Discovers 2nd Asteroid During Dinkinesh Flyby

On Nov. 1, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft flew by not just its first asteroid, but its first two. The first images returned by Lucy reveal that the small main belt asteroid Dinkinesh is actually a binary pair.

Posted November 2, 2023

Juno

Ganymede

Jupiter Moons

The Solar System

Salts and Organics Observed on Ganymede’s Surface by NASA’s Juno

Data collected by NASA’s Juno mission indicates a briny past may be bubbling to the surface on Jupiter’s largest moon. NASA’s Juno mission has observed mineral salts and organic compounds on the surface of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede.

Posted October 30, 2023

Mars

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The Solar System

NASA Is Locating Ice on Mars With This New Map

The map could help the agency decide where the first astronauts to the Red Planet should land. The more available water, the less missions will need to bring. Buried ice will be a vital resource for the first people to set foot on Mars, serving as drinking water and a key ingredient for rocket fuel. […]

Posted October 26, 2023

Juno

Jupiter

The Solar System

Just in Time for Halloween, NASA’s Juno Mission Spots Eerie “Face” on Jupiter

On Sept. 7, 2023, during its 54th close flyby of Jupiter, NASA’s Juno mission captured this view of an area in the giant planet’s far northern regions called Jet N7. The image shows turbulent clouds and storms along Jupiter’s terminator, the dividing line between the day and night sides of the planet. The low angle […]

Posted October 26, 2023

Europa Clipper

Europa

General

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Jupiter Moons

Small Bodies of the Solar System

The Solar System

How NASA Is Protecting Europa Clipper From Space Radiation

To explore the mysterious ice-encrusted moon Europa, the mission will need to endure bombardment by radiation and high-energy particles surrounding Jupiter.

Posted October 24, 2023