Space

Science

Hubble Trouble: NASA Can't Figure Out What's Causing Computer Issues On The Telescope

4:48pm June 23, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

"It's just the inefficiency of trying to fix something which is orbiting 400 miles over your head instead of in your laboratory," said Paul Hertz, the director of astrophysics for NASA.

An illustrated view of the Earth moving around our sun, and the stars that have the right vantage point to view that transit — if anyone's out there looking.

Science

Alien Planet-Hunters In Hundreds Of Nearby Star Systems Could Spot Earth

3:16pm June 23, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Potentially, observers in plenty of star systems could have detected Earth sometime in the last 5,000 years. More stars will soon move into positions that would let them see our planet.

June's full moon, known as the strawberry moon, was named for its appearance during the strawberry picking season. Here, the strawberry moon rises above the Apollo Temple in ancient Corinth, on June 17, 2019.

Science

A Strawberry Moon Will Rise This Thursday — No, It Won't Be Red Or Pink

9:26pm June 22, 2021

by Josie Fischels

Its name has ties to strawberry picking season, and when Thursday's strawberry moon appears above the horizon, the marginal supermoon will look large and gold.

WISA Woodsat, seen in an artist's rendering, is billed as the world's first wooden satellite. It's set to be launched from New Zealand before the end of the year.

World News

Where No Plywood Has Gone Before: A Space Agency Will Launch A Tiny, Wooden Satellite

3:18pm June 17, 2021

by Scott Neuman

In Europe, engineers are planning to send a plywood-sheathed satellite into orbit to test how well the venerable construction material holds up in space.

Chinese astronauts, from left, Tang Hongbo, Nie Haisheng, and Liu Boming wave as they prepare to board for liftoff Thursday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan in northwestern China. China plans to launch three astronauts onboard the Shenzho

World News

China Launches First Crew To Live On New Space Station

12:13am June 17, 2021

by The Associated Press

The three astronauts who blasted off Thursday from the Jiuquan launch center in northwestern China will stay three months in the Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony.

Books

Kevin Cook's New Book Re-Examines The Life Of Christa McAuliffe

8:05am June 12, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon talks to Kevin Cook, the author of The Burning Blue: The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA's Challenger Disaster. The space shuttle exploded after launch 35 years ago.

Arts

'So Long, Broke People Of Earth!': Comedian Imagines Space Travel With The Bezos Bros

4:29pm June 11, 2021

Vinny Thomas, comedian and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me guest writer, imagines traveling in space with the Bezos brothers.

The sun is partially eclipsed as it rises over lower Manhattan in New York on Thursday.

World News

See The Stunning Photos Of This Morning's 'Ring Of Fire' Solar Eclipse

11:12am June 10, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

If you didn't wake up early enough to see Thursday's solar eclipse yourself, photographers from the U.S. to Asia to Europe snapped images of the striking astronomical event.

The northern lights (aurora borealis) illuminate the sky over Reinfjorden in Reine, on Lofoten Islands in the Arctic Circle in 2017.

Science

What Causes The Northern Lights? Scientists Finally Know For Sure

9:57am June 10, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

An article suggests the natural light show starts when disturbances on the sun pull on Earth's magnetic field, creating cosmic waves that launch electrons into the atmosphere to form the aurora.

Solar Eclipse Will Be Mostly Visible In Greenland, Canada And Northern Russia

7:40am June 10, 2021

From certain spots around the world, the moon will briefly appear to obstruct the view of the sun. NASA says it'll look like a ring of fire. Americans will see a partial eclipse in November.

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