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Ridgewood NJ, Intuitive Machines’ Athena moon lander has successfully reached the lunar surface—but there’s a catch. While the lander didn’t crash, officials are unsure whether it remains upright after its descent.
Continue reading To the Moon: Intuitive Machines’ Athena Moon Lander Touches Down—But Is It Upright?
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Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey may not find itself in the path of totality for the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, but residents will still witness a significant partial eclipse.
Continue reading The Last Total Solar Eclipse in New Jersey Occurred in January 1925
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Ridgewood NJ, on February 22nd, Odysseus achieved a successful landing on the Moon, marking a significant milestone as the first private lunar lander and the first from the United States since 1972. Developed by Intuitive Machines, the lander now sits approximately 300 kilometers from the lunar south pole, an area believed to potentially harbor ice deposits. Prior to landing, Odysseus encountered a malfunction necessitating a software patch, which was successfully implemented just hours before touchdown. It is slated to collect valuable data for up to seven days, until nightfall descends upon the landing site.
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Ridgewood NJ, As part of NASA’s efforts to enable more access to space, four private astronauts are in orbit following the successful launch of the third all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Axiom Space astronauts lifted off at 4:49 p.m. EST on Thursday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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Ridgewood NJ, NASA announced Tuesday updates to its Artemis campaign that will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all. To safely carry out these missions, agency leaders are adjusting the schedules for Artemis II and Artemis III to allow teams to work through challenges associated with first-time developments, operations, and integration.
Continue reading NASA Moves Planned Moon Mission to September 2025
Continue reading Join NASA for International Observe the Moon Night
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Cape Canaveral FL, NASA on Monday delayed the launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., because of a fuel leak in one of the rocket’s engines.
NASA is heading back to the moon. Earthlings have not visited since 1972 and at 8:33am ET from the Kennedy Space Center, the agency is set to launch its new moon rocket called the Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket ever built. The uncrewed Artemis I mission will head toward the moon and complete one and a half orbits during its 42-day mission.
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Ridgewood NJ, NASA and Rocket Lab will fly a privately built satellite to a special orbit that is neatly balanced between the gravity of the Earth and the Moon. The mission will test out the parameters of this orbit and verify its stability. NASA intends to assemble a small space station in the orbit. This will be the first interplanetary mission launched by a small liquid-fueled rocket. More details about the mission are available in the article.
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Ridgewood NJ, Yutu-2, the Chinese rover that landed on the far side of the Moon in 2019, has spotted a cube-shaped object while traversing the Von Kármán crater. An image of the object was captured from 260 feet away, too far for astronomers to figure what it is.
The rover captured an image of the object from 260 feet away—too far for astronomers to get a clear sense of the object’s identity. But Yutu-2 is slated to spend the next two to three lunar days (or two to three months on Earth) travelling the region of the Moon to get a closer look at the “Monolith” .
Continue reading Cube-shaped Object Spotted on the Far Side of the Moon
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Ridgewood NJ, September 20, bringing plenty of bright moonlight, and the harvest moon shine in the night sky tonight. According to the Farmers Almanac in 2021, the Harvest Moon rises on Monday, September 20! The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Sunday morning through Tuesday morning.
Continue reading The Harvest Moon Rises on Monday Evening September 20th
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Ridgewood NJ, Northrop Grumman Corp has acquired a $935 million contract from NASA to develop living quarters for its planned outpost in lunar orbit. The Habitation And Logistics Outpost (HALO) will be a vital component of NASA’s lunar Gateway. Gateway will support science investigations and enable surface landings on the moon. Eight countries have signed a pact as part of the Artemis program. NASA is aiming to launch the spacecraft in November 2024.
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Ridgewood NJ, tonight Suday night , if the sky clears a super blood wolf moon will be visible across the U.S. and South America for about three hours.
Tonights viewing wil combine three lunar events at once:
Continue reading Tonight the Second of Three Super Blood Wolf Moons this Century
photo by Tracy F
January 29,2018
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Ridgewood NJ, on January 31 it will be the last chance you will have to see a supermoon this year. To witness the supersize moon in all its glory, look to the skies just after sunset. The lower the moon sits in the sky, the larger it appears because of something called the “moon illusion.”
In the early hours of January 31, the moon will do something it hasn’t since 1866. A supermoon, blue moon and lunar eclipse will coincide for a rare and spectacular astronomical feast.
The moon doesn’t orbit the Earth in a perfect circle, which means it sometimes sits closer to the earth than usual. When the moon’s closest approach or “perigee”coincides with a full moon, it can look bigger and brighter. This is known as a “supermoon,” but the technical term is “perigee full moon.
A “Blue moon” has come to mean the second full moon in a calendar month. No it doesn’t actually shine blue.
You can also watch a live stream from the comfort of your home. NASA will broadcast live coverage of the super blue blood moon from 5.30 a.m. ET January 31. The Virtual Telescope Project will follow the event from Australia and the U.S., beaming the eclipse from 6.30 a.m. ET. The VTP will also stream the non-eclipsed super blue moon from Rome starting from 11 a.m. ET.