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The atmospheric glow blankets southern Europe and the northwestern Mediterranean coast, outlined by city lights. At left, the Po Valley urban corridor in Italy shines with the metropolitan areas of Milan and Turin and their surrounding suburbs.

Quantum theory fails to explain how the reality we experience emerges from the world of particles. A new take on quantum cause and effect could bridge the gap

Quantum theory fails to explain how the reality we experience emerges from the world of particles. A new take on quantum cause and effect could bridge the gap

Spain’s offer to host the powerful observatory, mired in funding obstacles and local controversies, might promise a new path forward.

The post Thirty Meter Telescope Considers Move to Spain appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Using in-situ propellant has been a central pillar of the plan to explore much of the solar system. The logic is simple - the less mass (especially in the form of propellant) we have to take out of Earth’s gravity well, the less expensive, and therefore more plausible, the missions requiring that propellant will be. However, a new paper from Donald Rapp, the a former Division Chief Technologist at NASA’s JPL and a Co-Investigator of the successful MOXIE project on Mars, argues that, despite the allure of creating our own fuel on the Moon, it might not be worth it to develop the systems to do so. Mars, on the other hand, is a different story.

There are widespread concerns that deep-sea mining for metals will damage fragile ecosystems. But if mining ever goes ahead, hydrogen plasma could shrink the carbon footprint of smelting the metal ores

There are widespread concerns that deep-sea mining for metals will damage fragile ecosystems. But if mining ever goes ahead, hydrogen plasma could shrink the carbon footprint of smelting the metal ores

Analysis of the DNA and proteins of a range of animals has revealed that sperm’s molecular toolkit arose in our single-celled ancestors, perhaps more than a billion years ago

Analysis of the DNA and proteins of a range of animals has revealed that sperm’s molecular toolkit arose in our single-celled ancestors, perhaps more than a billion years ago

As the impact of global warming becomes more obvious, you might expect countries to step up climate action and preparation, but we’re seeing the opposite happen

As the impact of global warming becomes more obvious, you might expect countries to step up climate action and preparation, but we’re seeing the opposite happen

The 194 countries still taking part in UN climate negotiations reaffirmed the Paris Agreement following the US withdrawal, even if they agreed on little else

The 194 countries still taking part in UN climate negotiations reaffirmed the Paris Agreement following the US withdrawal, even if they agreed on little else

Your Monday news roundup in audio form, including the cutest raccoons, COP30 takeaways and more on a new study on fluoride and cognitive decline.

The clock is ticking! Applications for the ESA Student Internship Programme 2026 close on 30 November. This is your chance to take your first step into the world of space. 

Two orbiters and a rover captured images of the interstellar object — from the closest location any of the agency’s spacecraft may get — that could reveal new details.

Blue Origin announced a series of upgrades to New Glenn designed to increase payload performance and launch cadence, while enhancing reliability. The enhancements span propulsion, structures, avionics, reusability, and recovery operations, and will be phased into upcoming New Glenn missions beginning with NG-3.

To see Earth from space is to be forever changed by the view. Since Alan Shepard became the first American to lay eyes on our home planet from above, countless NASA astronauts have described feeling awed by the astonishing sight and a profound shift in perspective that followed.

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick points his camera through a cupola window as the International Space Station orbits 262 miles above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa.NASA

This unique experience is known as the overview effect – a term coined in 1987 by space philosopher and author Frank White in a book of the same name. The phenomenon creates powerful changes in the way astronauts think about Earth and life and can be particularly strong for those who lived and worked aboard the International Space Station during its 25 years of continuous human presence. The orbiting laboratory’s cupola module, equipped with seven windows looking down on Earth, provides the perfect place for observation and reflection.

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins is pictured looking out from the International Space Station’s “window to the world” – the cupola. Astronauts use the seven-windowed observation module to monitor the arrival of spacecrafts at the orbiting laboratory and view the Earth below. NASA

As Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch explained:

“The overview effect is when you’re looking through the cupola and you see the Earth as it exists with the whole universe in the background. You see the thin blue line of the atmosphere, and then when you’re on the dark side of the Earth, you actually see this very thin green line that shows you where the atmosphere is. What you realize is every single person that you know is sustained and inside of that green line and everything else outside of it is completely inhospitable. You don’t see borders, you don’t see religious lines, you don’t see political boundaries. All you see is Earth and you see that we are way more alike than we are different.”

Koch’s Artemis II crewmate, NASA astronaut Victor Glover, said the overview effect’s potency is closely tied to the “sea level effect” – humanity’s shared experience on Earth. “You come back to sea level, and then you have a choice,” he explained. “Are you going to try to live your life a little differently? Are you going to really choose to be a member of this community of Earth?”

NASA astronaut Don Pettit, Expedition 30 flight engineer, is pictured in a window of the cupola of the International Space Station, backdropped by Earth’s horizon and the blackness of space. NASA

Many astronauts emphasize the importance of unity after experiencing the overview effect. “You see that it’s a single planet with a shared atmosphere. It’s our shared place in this universe,” said former NASA astronaut Bob Behnken. “I think that perspective, as we go through things like the pandemic or we see the challenges across our nation or across the world, we recognize that we all face them together.”

Seeing the Earth from space can also change their concept of home. Former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott recalls wanting to see her home state of Florida during her first mission to the International Space Station. “Finally, we were flying over Florida. I wanted to go to the window and see it, and then realized somewhere down the line that I wasn’t looking at Florida that same way anymore,” she said. “I still wanted to see Florida, but Florida had just become this special part of home, which is Earth. We’re all earthlings.”

The sun shines above Earth’s horizon as the space station orbits 264 miles above the Canadian province of Quebec. NASA

For some astronauts, their perspective shift inspired them to make changes on the ground. “I think if you’re not a conservationist before you go to space, you’re at least partly a conservationist when you come back. Because when you see how thin that atmosphere is, that protective layer that we have here, you think, wow, we really have to take care of this because it does look so fragile from space,” said retired NASA astronaut Mike Foreman.

Others hope to share the overview effect with more people. “That perspective helps you grow. It has really inspired me to try to get more people this experience and to get a permanent foothold in the stars for our species,” said former NASA astronaut Jack Fischer. “I want to do everything I possibly can to help the human species, humanity as a whole, go further and grow and evolve like I know they’re capable of.”

An Earth observation taken through cupola windows by the Expedition 39 crew. Portions of the International Space Station are in view. NASA

Future crews to the orbiting laboratory can look forward to a similar experience. “In that instant, when you’re overwhelmed with that vista, when your eyes see nothing but the beauty of the Earth – every single crew member that I brought in [the cupola] for that exposure, cried,” said retired NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer. “It is heart stopping. It is soul pounding. It is breathtaking.”

For more astronaut perspectives from the International Space Station, watch “Down to Earth” on NASA+.

Explore More 5 min read NASA’s 2025 Astronaut Candidates: Shaping Artemis Exploration  Article 1 hour ago 8 min read What is BioSentinel? Article 3 days ago 8 min read 25 Years of Scientific Discovery Aboard the International Space Station Article 3 days ago

To see Earth from space is to be forever changed by the view. Since Alan Shepard became the first American to lay eyes on our home planet from above, countless NASA astronauts have described feeling awed by the astonishing sight and a profound shift in perspective that followed.

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick points his camera through a cupola window as the International Space Station orbits 262 miles above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa.NASA

This unique experience is known as the overview effect – a term coined in 1987 by space philosopher and author Frank White in a book of the same name. The phenomenon creates powerful changes in the way astronauts think about Earth and life and can be particularly strong for those who lived and worked aboard the International Space Station during its 25 years of continuous human presence. The orbiting laboratory’s cupola module, equipped with seven windows looking down on Earth, provides the perfect place for observation and reflection.

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins is pictured looking out from the International Space Station’s “window to the world” – the cupola. Astronauts use the seven-windowed observation module to monitor the arrival of spacecrafts at the orbiting laboratory and view the Earth below. NASA

As Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch explained:

“The overview effect is when you’re looking through the cupola and you see the Earth as it exists with the whole universe in the background. You see the thin blue line of the atmosphere, and then when you’re on the dark side of the Earth, you actually see this very thin green line that shows you where the atmosphere is. What you realize is every single person that you know is sustained and inside of that green line and everything else outside of it is completely inhospitable. You don’t see borders, you don’t see religious lines, you don’t see political boundaries. All you see is Earth and you see that we are way more alike than we are different.”

Koch’s Artemis II crewmate, NASA astronaut Victor Glover, said the overview effect’s potency is closely tied to the “sea level effect” – humanity’s shared experience on Earth. “You come back to sea level, and then you have a choice,” he explained. “Are you going to try to live your life a little differently? Are you going to really choose to be a member of this community of Earth?”

NASA astronaut Don Pettit, Expedition 30 flight engineer, is pictured in a window of the cupola of the International Space Station, backdropped by Earth’s horizon and the blackness of space. NASA

Many astronauts emphasize the importance of unity after experiencing the overview effect. “You see that it’s a single planet with a shared atmosphere. It’s our shared place in this universe,” said former NASA astronaut Bob Behnken. “I think that perspective, as we go through things like the pandemic or we see the challenges across our nation or across the world, we recognize that we all face them together.”

Seeing the Earth from space can also change their concept of home. Former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott recalls wanting to see her home state of Florida during her first mission to the International Space Station. “Finally, we were flying over Florida. I wanted to go to the window and see it, and then realized somewhere down the line that I wasn’t looking at Florida that same way anymore,” she said. “I still wanted to see Florida, but Florida had just become this special part of home, which is Earth. We’re all earthlings.”

The sun shines above Earth’s horizon as the space station orbits 264 miles above the Canadian province of Quebec. NASA

For some astronauts, their perspective shift inspired them to make changes on the ground. “I think if you’re not a conservationist before you go to space, you’re at least partly a conservationist when you come back. Because when you see how thin that atmosphere is, that protective layer that we have here, you think, wow, we really have to take care of this because it does look so fragile from space,” said retired NASA astronaut Mike Foreman.

Others hope to share the overview effect with more people. “That perspective helps you grow. It has really inspired me to try to get more people this experience and to get a permanent foothold in the stars for our species,” said former NASA astronaut Jack Fischer. “I want to do everything I possibly can to help the human species, humanity as a whole, go further and grow and evolve like I know they’re capable of.”

An Earth observation taken through cupola windows by the Expedition 39 crew. Portions of the International Space Station are in view. NASA

Future crews to the orbiting laboratory can look forward to a similar experience. “In that instant, when you’re overwhelmed with that vista, when your eyes see nothing but the beauty of the Earth – every single crew member that I brought in [the cupola] for that exposure, cried,” said retired NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer. “It is heart stopping. It is soul pounding. It is breathtaking.”

For more astronaut perspectives from the International Space Station, watch “Down to Earth” on NASA+.

Explore More 5 min read NASA’s 2025 Astronaut Candidates: Shaping Artemis Exploration  Article 8 hours ago 8 min read What is BioSentinel? Article 3 days ago 8 min read 25 Years of Scientific Discovery Aboard the International Space Station Article 4 days ago

What has happened to Comet Lemmon's tail?