Category archives for Space
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NASA has taken some amazing pictures from space that show the amount of artificial light generated on Earth. The lights are brightest in the big cities where most of the population lives.
The photographs were taken from a satellite using a powerful new sensor, according to NASA. It’s sensitive enough to capture the light from a ship on the ocean!
See more pictures of the Earth at night on National Geographic News.
What’s the best way to look at the stars in the night sky? Find out on National Geographic Kids.
Image courtesy NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC
A planet that is about twice the size of Earth has been found orbiting a nearby star in the constellation Cancer. This planet is much too hot for humans to ever live on. But the heat is very good for something else–creating diamonds! The planet is very rich in carbon, which is what diamonds are made of. The illustration above shows the planet with a layer of diamonds under its graphite surface.
Read more about the diamond planet on National Geographic News.
Do you have the facts on geology? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Illustration courtesy Haven Giguere, Yale
NASA’s decommissioned space shuttle Discovery took a victory lap over Washington, D.C., today on the back of a Boeing 747. The shuttle was traveling to its new home at the National Air and Space Museum in Dulles, Virginia. Discovery flew by several iconic buildings as it passed over the the city, including the Washington Monument and the White House.
Discovery‘s first space voyage was on August 30, 1980. The shuttle flew 39 space missions over the next 30 years. Its last mission was a trip to the International Space Station.
See more pictures from Discovery‘s last flight on National Geographic News.
See space shuttle pictures on National Geographic Kids.
Watch a video about space shuttle history on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy Glenn Benson, NASA
Tomorrow night, the planets Venus and Jupiter will be very close to each other in the night sky–3 degrees apart, which is about the width of two fingers held at arm’s length. These two planets are the brightest ones visible to the eye. When planets line up in the sky, it is called a conjuction. Although the planets may look like they are close together, they are really more than 448 million miles apart from each other.
Read more about the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on National Geographic News.
See planet pictures on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Laurent Laveder, TWAN
National Geographic is teaming up with NASA and Angry Birds to create a book called Angry Birds Space that will be a companion book to a new Angry Birds game. The book will be available starting on March 20 and the game also called Angry Birds Space will be out on March 22! In an update to the familiar gameplay, players will have to deal with zero gravity, different space objects, and more.
(AD) Find out how to get your copy of National Geographic Angry Birds Space.
How will the game stack up against real space? Find out on National Geographic News Watch.
See pictures of different planets on National Geographic Kids.
Can’t wait to go into space? Explore the solar system with Nat and Geo in Pluto’s Secret.
A strong solar flare from an active region of the sun caused a dramatic display of the aurora borealis (northern lights) and aurora australis (southern lights). The solar flare sent a cloud of gas and charged particles called a coronal mass ejection, or CME, at the Earth. The flare’s collision with the Earth’s magnetic field causes the brilliant light displays.
The sun has a cycle 11 years long. We are now in the part of the cycle where the sun’s activity is higher. Scientists predict that we will continue to see this kind of intense auroras as the sun’s activity increases, reaching what is known as solar maximum next year.
See more pictures of this week’s auroras on National Geographic News.
See pictures of the sun on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Thilo Bubek
The yearly Geminid meteor shower will be dazzling tomorrow night, so ask your parents if you can stay up to check it out! The shower’s peak on the night of December 13 to the early hours of December 14 is expected to be a brilliant one, filled with colorful shooting stars. “The best times are probably before the moon rises, when it will be dark still,” said Geza Gyuk, an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. The bright moon will make the fainter meteors harder to see.
Read more about the Geminid meteor shower on National Geographic News.
Want more stargazing? Find out how to have your own star party on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Jonathan Blair, Corbis
Astronomers say three space rocks found near Pluto might actually be new dwarf planets. Astronomer Scott Sheppard and his colleagues used the reflectivity of the space rocks to determine their size. However, because the space rocks are so far away, scientists are not sure if they are spherical (which means they would need to be to be named dwarf planets). There are currently five dwarf planets: Pluto, Eris, Ceres, Haumea, and Makemake.
Read more about the three “new Plutos” on National Geographic News.
Why is Pluto no longer considered a planet? Play Pluto’s Secret and solve the mystery!
Illustration courtesy Dana Berry, Kepler/NASA
Space shuttle Atlantis landed this morning, ending its mission and bringing the 30-year-old shuttle program to a close. The retired space shuttles Enterprise, Discovery, Endeavor, and Atlantis will be displayed in museums around the United States.
See pictures from the final space shuttle mission on National Geographic News.
Learn about the space shuttle program on National Geographic News.
See space shuttle pictures on National Geographic Kids.
Explore space in the Pluto’s Secret game on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Joe Skipper, Reuters
Space shuttle Atlantis lifted off this morning, beginning the last mission of the shuttle program. The program began when space shuttle Columbia flew into space in 1981, and Atlantis flew its first mission in 1985. To mark the final flight, Atlantis crew members are planning to take a flag from the first 1981 shuttle mission to the International Space Station, where it will stay until the first commercial flight to the station. The astronauts will also be taking an iPhone, marking the first time the iPhone has traveled into space.
Learn more about this mission as well as past ones on NASA’s space shuttle page.
Read more about the objects that astronauts will take with them on NASA’s website.
See pictures of space shuttles on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy Kim Shiflett, NASA
NASA’s space shuttle Endeavour concluded its final mission Wednesday. The launch was the last for the Endeavour, which had been in service since 1992. The shuttle made 25 flights and was in service for 19 years. “It’s sad to see her land for the last time,” mission commander astronaut Mark Kelly told NASA mission control, “but she really has a great legacy.”
See photos of Endeavour’s last flight.
Photograph courtesy NASA
On April 12, 1962, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union (now called Russia) became the first human to fly in space. He orbited around Earth in the spacecraft Vostok 1, which was entirely controlled by engineers on the ground. According to Cathleen Lewis of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, when Gagarin returned to Earth he said: “When I orbited the Earth, I saw how beautiful our planet is. We must protect and preserve this beauty and not destroy it.”
See more pictures of Gagarin on National Geographic News.
See photos of moon exploration on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Rolls Press/Popperfoto/Getty Images
On February 24, 2011, space shuttle Discovery rocketed to space for its 39th and final mission. The shuttle traveled to the International Space Station, where it docked and installed a module containing supplies and spare parts for the station. The shuttle’s crew also installed additional space station equipment during spacewalks. Discovery landed a little before noon at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, March 9, completing its last trip.
As of the end of the mission, Discovery spent a total 365 days in space during all its missions–adding up to a whole year! The space shuttles were originally designed to take about 100 trips into space. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on April 19.
See more pictures from Discovery‘s final mission on National Geographic News.
See space shuttle pictures on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Joe Skipper, Reuters
Winter officially begins late tonight and this winter solstice will be a rare event. Not only will there be a full moon, but there will also be a total lunar eclipse starting after 1:30 a.m. ET, 10:30 p.m. PT.
What is a lunar eclipse? It is when the sun, the Earth, and the moon are all in line with each other, with the Earth in the middle. The Earth’s shadow is cast onto the moon, making it appear dim. Lunar eclipses happen twice a year (the last one was in June), so they aren’t especially rare. What is rare is for the solstice, a full moon, and a lunar eclipse to all happen at the same time. The last time that happened was 372 years ago in the year 1638!
Learn how to see tonight’s winter solstice and lunar eclipse on National Geographic News.
Think you’ve got your moon facts straight? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Photograph by Tunc Tezel, TWAN
Tonight’s Geminid meteor shower may be the best meteor shower of the year. Scientists predict the shower will peak between 2 a.m. and dawn, so it’s probably past your bed time, but it may well be worth it. “The Geminids have been slowly getting better over the past years, making it one of the best showers,” Gyuk said. “And it has become very reliable, so we can expect a fairly nice show.”
Most yearly meteor showers happen when the Earth passes through a comet’s debris cloud. The Geminids are different, though. This shower is believed to come from a three-mile-wide (4.8 kilometers) asteroid-like space rock called Phaethon.
Read more about the meteor shower on National Geographic News.
How much do you know about comets and meteors? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Photograph by Wally Pacholka, TWAN
You might be able to catch a glimpse of an unusual sight this week: a green comet! Comet 103P/Hartley 2 will be visible this week as it passes the Earth. Even though the comet orbits the sun every 6.5 years, it rarely gets as close to Earth as it did on Wednesday, October 20. Discovered in 1986, the comet’s most distinctive feature is its green halo. If the skies are clear, the comet may be visible with the naked eye, but binoculars or a telescope will make the view clearer.
See more pictures of the comet on National Geographic News.
How much do you know about comets and meteors? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Photograph courtesy Gregg L. Ruppel
Saturday, Sept. 18, will be the first International Observe the Moon Night. There are more than 300 official moon-watching events scheduled, but you can observe the moon from your own neighborhood if the sky is clear. You can use binoculars or a telescope to get a closer look at the moon. Even without a telescope, you can see some craters, such as the Tycho crater near the moon’s south pole!
NASA and several partners established International Observe the Moon Night to raise people’s awareness of the moon and its scientific importance.
Learn more about Observe the Moon Night on National Geographic News.
Think you know the most about the moon? Quiz Your Noodle and see how you rate!
The moon isn’t the only cool thing in the sky to celebrate. Learn how to throw a star party on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Siamak Sabet, My Shot
Send in Questions for Dr. Sally Ride
Former astronaut Sally Ride is visiting the White House in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Sept. 16 and will answer your questions about science and space! Dr. Ride was the first American woman in space and flew twice aboard the space shuttle Challenger in the early 1980s. Now is your chance to find out how she became an astronaut, ask questions about gravity, and learn what it’s really like to eat, sleep, and move in space. Send us your questions in the comments section and we will send 10-20 questions on to the White House.
Dr. Ride is President and CEO of Sally Ride Science, a science education company that creates programs and products for students and teachers in elementary and middle school and was the first director of NASA’s Office of Exploration, Dr. Ride has a longstanding interest in encouraging girls to pursue coursework and careers in science and engineering.
What do you want to ask Dr. Sally Ride? Add your questions here!
Visit the Sally Ride Science website.
Learn about other women pioneers on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy NASA Ames Research Center / Dominic Hart
Smallest Full Moon of the Year Tonight
If you look at tonight’s full moon and think it looks smaller than usual, you’d be right. It’s the smallest full moon of the year!
The moon’s orbit around the Earth isn’t a perfect circle–it’s shaped more like an egg. That means the moon isn’t always the same distance from the Earth. Tonight the moon will be at its furthest point from the Earth, at what is called its apogee. That makes the Earth seem smaller when viewed from Earth. It also affects the moon’s pull on tides. The pull will be weaker than usual.
Read more about tonight’s full moon on National Geographic News.
How much do you know about the moon? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Photograph by Marti Kallas, My Shot
Every August, skywatchers look to the heavens to see the Perseids meteor shower. This shower peaks today, from about 3 p.m. ET to 2 a.m. ET tomorrow morning. The Perseids meteor shower is caused by the Earth passing through a debris field left by the Swift-Tuttle comet, which passes around the sun every 135 years. Swift-Tuttle’s last visit was in 1992.
To watch tonight’s display, head outside and lie down on the ground, or sit in a comfy chair and look up! Observers in Europe and North America will have the best show on this dark, moonless night. Scientists can’t predict what sort of show people will see, but some of the streaks may be bigger than others. “As the Earth passes through the dust trail of comets, it encounters debris from the size of grains of sand to [the size of] boulders,” said Raminder Singh Samra, resident astronomer at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Learn more about the Perseids on National Geographic News.
Learn how to go stargazing on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Michel Tournay, My Shot
NASA wants to put your face in space during the final space shuttle missions! People can send their pictures and names to NASA, and the photos and names will be electronically transferred to the space shuttles during an upcoming mission. The files will then be transferred back to Earth, and people who entered their photos will be able to print a certificate saying they had their faces in space!
“Since the space shuttles belong to the public, this is an opportunity for the people to ‘ride along’ [during the final shuttle missions],” said Kyle Herring from the NASA press office. Lots of people are interested in the program. NASA has received over 170,000 entries so far!
The program is open to people ages 13 and up. If you are under 13, ask your parent to upload your photo.
Learn more about the Face in Space program on the NASA website.
See pictures of space shuttles on National Geographic Kids.
How much do you know about NASA history? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Photograph courtesy NASA
Yesterday was the summer solstice, which means that summer has officially started! The summer solstice marks the point where there is the most daylight in a 24-hour period in the northern hemisphere (above the Equator). The winter solstice, which will fall on December 21, marks the day when there is the least daylight. In the southern hemisphere, it’s switched–the summer solstice is the shortest day of the year, and the winter solstice is the longest.
The first day of summer may get more daylight than any other day of the year, but that doesn’t mean it is the hottest. Astronomer Robert Howell from the Universtiy of Wyoming compares the solstice to turning on an oven. “If you think about turning up an oven–it takes it a long time to heat up, and after you turn it off, it takes a while for it to cool down. It’s the same with the Earth.”
Learn more about the summer solstice on National Geographic News.
Looking for ways to have fun this summer? Try our Boredom Busters!
LCROSS mission picture courtesy NASA
This morning, NASA’s LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) intentionally crashed into the moon’s surface in hopes of uncovering traces of ice near the moon’s south pole. The impact created a crater of about 100 feet (300 meters) wide and scattered 200 tons of material on the moon’s surface.
Impacts on the moon aren’t unusual. Other objects similar in size to LCROSS, such as meteors, hit the moon every month and more than two dozen NASA objects are already scattered across the moon’s surface.
Learn more about the LCROSS crash on National Geographic News.
Check out pictures of moon exploration on National Geographic Kids.
Quiz Your Noodle and find out how much you
know about the moon on National Geographic Kids.
Play Pluto’s Secret on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy NASA
July 20 is the 40th anniversary of humankind’s first steps on the moon. On July 16, 1969, the world watched as the Apollo 11 rocket Columbia lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. The trip to the moon took three days, and on July 20, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped off of the Eagle, Apollo 11′s lunar module. People back home on Earth watched the astronauts take their first steps on the moon, and heard Neil Armstrong say “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The astronauts spent a total of 21 hours on the moon before the Eagle returned to the Columbia for the trip home.
The Apollo 11 crew safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. NASA plans to send another mission to the moon within the next decade.
Get the story behind the moon landing on National Geographic News.
Check out the Man and the Moon features on National Geographic Channel.
How much do you know about the moon? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Watch a video of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon.
The space shuttle Discovery lifted off on Sunday, carrying a human guinea pig with the crew! Astronaut Koichi Wakata will be the first Japanese astronaut to have a long stay in the International Space Station. His visit will be three months long.
Since there are no washing machines aboard the space station, Wakata will need to take enough clothes to last for his entire stay. That’s a lot of underwear and socks! Wakata will report on the state of his underwear, wire himself with sensors, and he’ll perform tests such as arm wrestling to help scientists back on Earth understand the effects of living in space.
Read more about the mission on National Geographic News.
See pictures of space shuttles in the Photo Gallery.
