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NASA's Hubble Finds Rare Blue Straggler Stars in the Milky Way's Hub
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By USH
A rare and intriguing phenomenon has been observed in China. On the night of October 27th, Chinese astrophotographer Shengyu Li set up his camera to capture star trails over Mount Xiannairi in Sichuan Province. To his surprise, he recorded mysterious blue flashes accompanying an avalanche.
The exact cause of these "blue lights" remains unclear, sparking various theories. Some speculate they could stem from geomagnetic activity, interactions of cosmic rays in the upper atmosphere, or rare atmospheric phenomena like blue jets or elves. However, Li offers another explanation: the flashes might result from triboluminescence—light produced by friction during ice fragmentation.
Triboluminescence occurs when certain materials emit light as they are fractured, scratched, or rubbed. This phenomenon happens due to the breaking of chemical bonds or the sudden separation of surfaces, which generates electrical charges. These charges can ionize the surrounding air or excite the material itself, creating visible light.
The hypothesis suggests that this event could be an example of triboluminescence. However, it also raises the intriguing possibility of a connection to UFO phenomena, such as orbs or other unexplained lights that have been observed around the world over the years.
Hypothesis: The sighting depicts what appears to be a blue light descending onto a snowbank, following the avalanche as it moves downward, and then vanishing before seemingly ascending again.
Did the avalanche trigger the blue light, or did the blue light crash into the snow, causing the avalanche?
Whether this phenomenon is a rare case of triboluminescence, potentially the first instance of it being captured on camera or something linked to unexplained UFO activity, the recording of this light remains a unique and fascinating occurrence. View the full article
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By European Space Agency
As the launch of the Sentinel-1C satellite approaches, we reflect on some of the many ways the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission has given us remarkable radar insights into our planet over the years.
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By NASA
NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) invite media to the official launch celebration of the new SERVIR Central America regional hub, located in Costa Rica, on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. EST. The event will be hosted by NASA SERVIR Program Manager Daniel Irwin, U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador William H. Duncan, and a representative from El Salvador’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN).
Betzy Hernandez from SERVIR’s Science Coordination Office leads a land cover mapping workshop in Belize. NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are opening a new SERVIR Central America regional hub, located in Costa Rica, on Tuesday, Dec. 3. NASA Central America is the latest addition to SERVIR’s global network, a NASA and USAID initiative that has been operating in Asia, Africa, and Latin America since 2005.
Implemented by the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), SERVIR Central America will strengthen climate resilience, sustainable resource management, and biodiversity conservation through satellite data and geospatial technology. The SERVIR Central America hub will support evidence-based decision-making at local, national, and regional levels, strengthening the resilience of more than 40 million people in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions.
The event will be in Spanish with English translation available.
For press access and location details, please RSVP to Belarminda Quijano at belarminda@bqcomunicaciones.com by Monday, Dec. 2. NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. The event will be livestreamed.
For more information on SERVIR, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/servir
Elizabeth Vlock
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov
Lane Figueroa
Huntsville, Alabama
256-544-0034
lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov
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By NASA
The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of (pictured left to right) Forrest Melton, Ariel Deutsch, Dan Sirbu, and Chanel Idos. Their commitment to the NASA mission represents the entrepreneurial spirit, technical expertise, and collaborative disposition needed to explore this world and beyond.
Earth Science Star: Forrest Melton
Forrest Melton serves as Senior Research Scientist with the Atmospheric Science Branch, and leads the OpenET consortium, which develops a unique satellite-driven support system for water resources management using six satellite-driven models and publicly available data from NASA, USGS and NOAA. OpenET currently provides data for 23 states in the western U.S., delivers data at daily, monthly, seasonal and annual timescales, and has become a necessary tool for domestic and international water managers and agricultural producers (feature story).
Space Science & Astrobiology Star: Ariel Deutsch
Ariel Deutsch is an early career planetary scientist in the Planetary Systems Branch for the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute. She is recognized for being invited to join the Artemis II Science Team to support the Artemis II Lunar Science Objectives. Her Lunar Data Analysis Program grant was selected to improve our understanding of the distribution and abundance of volatiles cold-trapped on the Moon, which include Artemis III candidate landing sites.
Space Science & Astrobiology Star: Dan Sirbu
Dan Sirbu is a key member of the Exoplanet Technologies group within the Astrophysics Branch. He currently serves as the principal investigator on the Photonic Integrated Circuit High-Contrast Imaging for Space Astronomy (AstroPIC) early career initiative, serves multiple roles on the Multi-Star Wavefront Control (MSWC) project, and is involved in outreach efforts. In recent months, Dan has been the primary operator performing MSWC testing, setting several new performance records demonstrating high contrast imaging of planets around binary stars. Dan’s work also advances NASA’s and humanity’s capability of imaging exoplanets in multi-star systems, including Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to the Sun.
Space Biosciences Star: Chanel Idos
Chanel Idos serves as the ARC Resource Analyst for the Human Research Program (HRP) in the Space Biosciences Division. HRP is a multifaceted initiative encompassing six Elements and Offices at JSC and three Divisions across two Directorates at ARC. Her exceptional expertise, coupled with outstanding organizational skills and clear, effective communication, have been instrumental in ensuring the seamless operation of HRP activities at ARC. Chanel’s contributions have been pivotal in achieving excellent cost performance for FY24, positioning ARC to enter FY25 in an optimal state.
View the full article
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By NASA
Caption: Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission One lander, seen here, will carry 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the Moon’s near side when it launches from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign. Credit: Firefly Aerospace Media accreditation is open for the next delivery to the Moon through NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign for the benefit of humanity. A six-day launch window opens no earlier than mid-January 2025 for the first Firefly Aerospace launch to the lunar surface.
The Blue Ghost flight, carrying 10 NASA science and technology instruments, will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Media prelaunch and launch activities will take place at NASA Kennedy.
Attendance for this launch is open to U.S. citizens and international media. International media must apply by Monday, Dec. 9, and U.S. media must apply by Thursday, Jan. 2. Media interested in participating in launch activities must apply for credentials at:
https://media.ksc.nasa.gov
Credentialed media will receive a confirmation email upon approval. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. For questions about accreditation or to request special logistical support such as space for satellite trucks, tents, or electrical connections, please send an email by Thursday, Jan. 2, to: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. For other questions, please contact Kennedy’s newsroom at: 321-867-2468.
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo o Messod Bendayan a: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov o messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov.
The company named the mission Ghost Riders in the Sky. It will land near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, a more than 300-mile-wide basin located in the northeast quadrant of the lunar near side. The mission will carry NASA investigations and first-of-their-kind technology demonstrations to further our understanding of the Moon’s environment and help prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, as part of the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach. This includes payloads testing lunar subsurface drilling, regolith sample collection, global navigation satellite system abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar dust mitigation. The data captured also benefits humanity by providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces impact Earth.
Under the CLPS model, NASA is investing in commercial delivery services to the Moon to enable industry growth and support long-term lunar exploration. As a primary customer for CLPS deliveries, NASA aims to be one of many customers on future flights.
As part of its Artemis campaign, NASA is working with multiple U.S. companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface. These companies are eligible to bid on task orders to deliver NASA payloads to the Moon. The task order includes payload integration and operations and launching from Earth and landing on the surface of the Moon. Existing CLPS contracts are indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with a cumulative maximum contract value of $2.6 billion through 2028.
For more information about the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, see:
https://www.nasa.gov/clps
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Alise Fisher
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2546
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov
Wynn Scott / Natalia Riusech
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
wynn.b.scott@nasa.gov / nataila.s.riusech@nasa.gov
Antonia Jaramillo
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Nov 25, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Missions Artemis Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) View the full article
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