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By NASA
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
The public is invited to celebrate International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 6 to 9 p.m. EDT at NASA Goddard’s Visitor Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
International Observe the Moon Night is a time to come together with fellow Moon enthusiasts and curious people around the world. The public is invited to learn about lunar science and exploration, take part in celestial observations, and honor cultural and personal connections to the Moon.
Save the date! International Observe the Moon Night is September 14, 2024!NASA During the Goddard event, attendees will be able to participate in a variety of interactive hands-on activities. There will also be a photo booth, Moon-themed presentations, and lunar and astronomical observing with telescopes.
This free event is open to the public and will occur rain or shine.
International Observe the Moon Night occurs annually in September or October, when the Moon is around first quarter – a great phase for evening observing. Last year, almost a million people participated in 123 countries and all 7 continents. This year, NASA is celebrating 15 years of the program!
International Observe the Moon Night is sponsored by NASA’s LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) mission and the Solar System Exploration Division of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, with support from many partners. LRO is managed by Goddard for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
No registration is needed.
To participate in International Observe the Moon Night from wherever you may be, tune into our NASA+ broadcast or watch live streams of the Moon from telescopes around the world on our Live Streams page on Sept. 14: https://moon.nasa.gov/observe-the-moon-night/participate/live-streams/.
For directions to the Goddard Visitor Center, go to:
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/directions/index.html
To learn more about the program, visit:
https://moon.nasa.gov/observe-the-moon-night
For more information about LRO, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lro
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Last Updated Sep 09, 2024 EditorWilliam SteigerwaldContactNancy N. Jonesnancy.n.jones@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
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By NASA
NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System is seen orbiting Earth in this 13-second exposure photograph, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, from Arlington, Virginia. The mission team confirmed the spacecraft’s unique composite boom system unfurled its reflective sail on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, accomplishing a critical milestone in the agency’s demonstration of next-generation solar sail technology that will allow small spacecraft to “sail on sunlight.” Just as a sailboat is powered by wind in a sail, a spacecraft can use the pressure of sunlight on a solar sail for propulsion. This technology demonstration serves as a pathfinder for future missions powered by solar sail technology.NASA/Bill Ingalls Now that its reflective sail has deployed fully open in orbit, the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System can be seen in the night sky from many locations across the world!
Stargazers can join NASA’s #SpotTheSail campaign by using the NASA app on mobile platforms to find out when the spacecraft will be visible at their location. The app, which is free to use and available on iOS and Android, provides a location-specific schedule of upcoming sighting opportunities. A built-in augmented reality tool points users to the location of the spacecraft in real time.
Can you spot the solar sail? Share your viewing experience online using the hashtag #SpotTheSail for a chance to be featured on NASA’s website and social media channels.
Here’s how to use the sighting prediction tool:
Install and open the NASA app on an iOS or Android device. Tap on the “Featured” tab on the bottom navigation bar. Tap on the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System mission from the Featured Missions at the top of the screen. Tap on the “Sightings” tab on the bottom navigation bar. A list of all the upcoming sightings for your location will be displayed. If you are using an iOS device, you can tap on the “Sky View” link for an augmented reality guide to help you locate the spacecraft’s real-time location during the visible pass. NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System is testing new technologies in low Earth orbit, including a composite boom system that supports a four-piece sail. Not to be confused with solar panels, solar sails allow small spacecraft to “sail on sunlight,” eliminating the need for rocket fuel or other conventional propellants. This propulsion technology can enable low-cost deep space missions to increase access to space.
For ongoing mission updates, follow us on social media:
X: @NASAAmes, @NASA
Facebook: NASA Ames, NASA
Instagram: @NASAAmes, @NASA
NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley manages the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System project and designed and built the onboard camera diagnostic system. NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, designed and built the deployable composite booms and solar sail system. NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program office based at NASA Ames and led by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) in Washington, funds and manages the mission. NASA STMD’s Game Changing Development program developed the deployable composite boom technology. Rocket Lab USA, Inc of Long Beach, California, provided launch services. NanoAvionics provided the spacecraft bus.
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By NASA
Learn Home Eclipse Soundscapes AudioMoth… Audio Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Stories Science Activation Highlights Citizen Science 3 min read
Eclipse Soundscapes AudioMoth Donations Will Study Nature at Night
During the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse, approximately 770 AudioMoth recording devices were used to capture sound data as part of the Eclipse Soundscapes Project — a multisensory participatory science (also known as “citizen science”) project that is studying how eclipses impact life on Earth. Following the eclipse, participants had the option to keep or send back their AudioMoth device for donation. Fifty-two AudioMoths were sent back to Eclipse Soundscapes (ES) so that ES could donate them to projects or communities for future scientific usage. Eighteen of those AudioMoths have been donated to Dark Sky Missouri, an initiative to protect our night skies and the creatures that depend on them. On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 3 p.m. EST, Eclipse Soundscapes hosted a webinar with Dark Sky Missouri founder Don Ficken to learn more about how these AudioMoths will contribute to future participatory science.
Don Ficken is a Missouri Master Naturalist and amateur astronomer who found the Eclipse Soundscapes Project through SciStarter, an organization that helps bring together millions of curious and concerned people in the world to engage in real-world research questions through citizen science. He participated as a Data Collector in 2024. “[The Eclipse Soundscapes Project] opened up a door for me because I never really thought about sound acoustics in this way,” Ficken said.
It occurred to Ficken that acoustics could help bolster Dark Sky Missouri’s efforts to study and conserve night time wildlife. One of these efforts, Lights Out Heartland, encourages homeowners and businesses to minimize artificial light usage in order to protect migrating birds from collisions due to disorienting bright lights. Ficken hopes to use the AudioMoths to capture the birds’ nocturnal flight calls as they fly over locations like the Gateway Arch, Shaw Nature Reserve, and Missouri Botanical Gardens.
Dark Sky Missouri also hopes to take more general surveys of nature at night by placing AudioMoths in parks and natural areas. Even though parks are not typically open or staffed at night, the AudioMoths could help map the locations and movements of wildlife, creating talking points and learning opportunities for staff and visitors alike.
Both initiatives will be piloted during the fall bird migration, with the goal of developing a framework for an expanded long term project. While there are no opportunities for the general public to get involved in the projects just yet, Ficken says participatory scientists can benefit from the multisensory methods employed in the Eclipse Soundscapes Project. “I think that the thing that they should think about is really the door that acoustics would be opening for them,” he said. “In other words, you don’t have to just visually look at daytime. Think about sound. Think about night.” For more information on how Dark Sky Missouri will use the AudioMoth recorders, read the Eclipse Soundscapes blog post.
The Eclipse Soundscapes Project is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NSSC21M0008 and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn
Dark Sky Missouri will use the donated Eclipse Soundscapes AudioMoths to study bird calls and behavior at night. Share
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Last Updated Aug 28, 2024 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms
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By European Space Agency
On 8 September 2024, the first of four Cluster satellites will return home and burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere in an uncontrolled ‘targeted reentry’ over a remote area of the South Pacific Ocean.
In the nearly 70 years of spaceflight about 10 000 intact satellites and rocket bodies have reentered the atmosphere. Yet we still lack a clear view on what actually happens during a reentry.
An airborne observation experiment will now attempt to witness the ‘Salsa’ (Cluster 2) reentry. Scientists onboard a small plane will try to collect rare data on how and when a satellite breaks up, which can be used to make satellite reentries safer and more sustainable in the future.
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By NASA
4 min read
Super Blue Moons: Your Questions Answered
Moonrise over the Syr Darya river, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, Baikonur, Kazakhstan. NASA/Bill Ingalls A trifecta of labels is being applied to the Moon of Aug. 19, 2024. It’s a full moon, a supermoon, and finally a blue moon. You may hear it referred to as a super blue moon as a result. It sounds exciting, but what does that really mean? We’ve got you covered.
What is a supermoon?
The Moon travels around our planet in an elliptical orbit, or an elongated circle, with Earth closer to one side of the ellipse. Each month, the Moon passes through the point closest to Earth (perigee) and the point farthest from Earth (apogee). When the Moon is at or near its closest point to Earth at the same time as it is full, it is called a “supermoon.” During this event, because the full moon is a little bit closer to us than usual, it appears especially large and bright in the sky.
Because the Moon’s orbit wobbles and differs depending on where the Sun and Earth are in their orbits, the exact distance of these closest and furthest points varies. But the Moon can look up to 14 percent bigger at perigee than apogee.
This animation shows the difference between a Moon at its closest point to Earth, when supermoons occur, and at its farthest. Distance to apogee and perigee vary by event. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech OK, so what is a blue moon?
A monthly blue moon occurs when we see the full moon twice in a single month. The Moon’s cycle is 29.5 days, so just a bit shorter than the average length of a calendar month. Eventually that gap results in a full moon happening at the beginning of a month with enough days still remaining for another full cycle ― so a second full moon in the same month. In other words, a full moon that happens on the 1st or 2nd of a month will probably be followed by a second full moon on the 30th or 31st. This happens every two to three years.
A seasonal blue moon occurs when there are four full moons in a single season (spring, summer, fall and winter) instead of the usual three. The third moon in this lineup is a blue moon. This Aug. 19 moon is a seasonal blue moon.
Will the Moon be blue?
No, that’s just the term for two full moons in a month, or the third full moon in a season with four.
Is the Moon ever blue?
On rare occasions, tiny particles in the air ― typically of smoke or dust ― can scatter away red wavelengths of light, causing the Moon to appear blue.
Will this Moon be bigger and more “super?”
You probably won’t notice a big difference in size. When the Moon is closest to Earth (a “supermoon”), it can look up to 14 percent bigger than when it’s farthest from Earth. This is similar to the size difference between a quarter and a nickel. Because the Moon will be close to us in its orbit, it will appear a bit brighter than usual.
Image Before/After Do blue moons and supermoons always occur together?
No. The term “supermoon” is used to describe a full Moon that occurs within a day or so of perigee, so they happen three to four times a year. About 25 percent of all full moons are supermoons, but only 6 percent of full moons are blue moons (seasonal and monthly). The time between super blue moons is quite irregular ― it can be as much as 20 years ― but in general, 10 years is the average. However, if you like to celebrate both seasonal and monthly blue moons, the gap is closer to five years.
Monthly blue moons always occur in the last two or three days of the month. A monthly blue moon in January is usually followed by another one in March of the same year. And in fact, the next monthly super blue moons will occur as a pair, in January and March 2037. Seasonal blue moons always occur almost exactly one month before an equinox or a solstice. The next seasonal blue moon will be on Aug. 21, 2032.
So if it’s not blue and not super-sized, is this worth checking out?
Hey, it’s always a good time to look at the Moon! Try our Daily Moon Guide to see if you can locate some of our recommended daily Moon sights.
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Last Updated Aug 19, 2024 Related Terms
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