NASA
Perseids Meteor Shower
Perseids Meteor Shower
In this 30 second exposure photograph, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid and Alpha Capricornids meteor showers, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.
The Perseids meteor shower, which peaks in mid-August, is considered the best of the year. With swift and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long “wakes” of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth’s atmosphere. The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers with about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour.
This year, visibility will be hampered by an 84%-full Moon on the peak night. A few bright meteors may still be seen in the pre-dawn hours, but viewing conditions are not ideal.
Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Perseids Meteor Shower
In this 30 second exposure photograph, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid and Alpha Capricornids meteor showers, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.
The Perseids meteor shower, which peaks in mid-August, is considered the best of the year. With swift and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long “wakes” of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth’s atmosphere. The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers with about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour.
This year, visibility will be hampered by an 84%-full Moon on the peak night. A few bright meteors may still be seen in the pre-dawn hours, but viewing conditions are not ideal.
Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
NASA’s Artemis Crew Trains in Moonbound Orion Ahead of Mission
The first crew slated to fly in NASA’s Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II mission around the Moon early next year entered their spacecraft for a multi-day training at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Crew donned their spacesuits July 31 and boarded Orion to train and experience some of the conditions they can expect on their mission.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen participated in a suited crew test and crew equipment interface test, performing launch day and simulated orbital activities inside Orion.
Every milestone in the Artemis campaign brings us closer to landing Americans back on the Moon and pushing onward to Mars.sEAN dUFFY
acting NASA Administrator
“In about six months, Artemis II astronauts will journey around the Moon for the first time in 53 years,” Duffy said. “America rallied behind Apollo because it represented the best of us – now it’s Artemis’ turn. They’re not just carrying a flag – they’re carrying the pride, power, and promise of the United States of America.”
With Orion powered on, the suited crew test was a close representation of what the crew can expect on launch day. The crew began the day by suiting up inside the spaceport’s Multi-Operation Support Building, donning their Orion crew survival system spacesuits, boarding the zero-emission crew transportation vehicles, and entering Orion, which is currently inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, where engineers have loaded its propellants over the course of several weeks.
Once in Orion, the crew performed several launch day activities, including communications checkouts and suit leak checks. For the first time, the crew was connected to the spacecraft and its communications and life control systems, and all umbilicals were connected while the spacecraft operated on full power.
Teams simulated several different ground and flight conditions to give the crew more experience managing them in real time. Some of the activities simulated scenarios where the crew was challenged to address potential issues while in space such as leaks and failure of the air revitalization system fan, which is needed to provide oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the cabin. Getting this hands-on experience and learning how to act fast to overcome potential challenges during flight helps ensure the crew is ready for any scenario.
The test provides astronauts the ability to train on the actual hardware they will use during flight, allowing them and support teams the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the equipment in configurations very close to what will be experienced during flight. It also allows teams to verify compatibility between the equipment and systems with flight controller procedures, so they can make any final adjustments ahead of launch.
This test brings together the Artemis II crew and the Orion spacecraft that will carry them to the Moon and back.Shawn Quinn
NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program manager
“It signifies the immense amount of work that our operations and development teams put into making sure we are ready for launch.” Quinn said. “They have meticulously planned each operation, timing them to perfection – and now we put it to the test.”
Exchanging their spacesuits for cleanroom garments for the crew equipment interface test, and with the spacecraft powered off, the crew also performed many of the activities they are likely to do in flight and conducted additional equipment checks. The crew practiced removing and stowing the foot pans on the pilot and commander seats, which will allow them to have more open space in the cabin after launch. They also accessed the stowage lockers and familiarized themselves with cameras, associated cables and mounts, and the environmental control and life support system hardware.
In addition to getting practical experience with the actual hardware they’ll use in space, they also prepared for life in deep space, reviewing cabin labels, sleep arrangements and checklists, and the hygiene bay.
Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars – for the benefit of all.
NASA’s Artemis Crew Trains in Moonbound Orion Ahead of Mission
The first crew slated to fly in NASA’s Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II mission around the Moon early next year entered their spacecraft for a multi-day training at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Crew donned their spacesuits July 31 and boarded Orion to train and experience some of the conditions they can expect on their mission.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen participated in a suited crew test and crew equipment interface test, performing launch day and simulated orbital activities inside Orion.
Every milestone in the Artemis campaign brings us closer to landing Americans back on the Moon and pushing onward to Mars.sEAN dUFFY
acting NASA Administrator
“In about six months, Artemis II astronauts will journey around the Moon for the first time in 53 years,” Duffy said. “America rallied behind Apollo because it represented the best of us – now it’s Artemis’ turn. They’re not just carrying a flag – they’re carrying the pride, power, and promise of the United States of America.”
With Orion powered on, the suited crew test was a close representation of what the crew can expect on launch day. The crew began the day by suiting up inside the spaceport’s Multi-Operation Support Building, donning their Orion crew survival system spacesuits, boarding the zero-emission crew transportation vehicles, and entering Orion, which is currently inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, where engineers have loaded its propellants over the course of several weeks.
Once in Orion, the crew performed several launch day activities, including communications checkouts and suit leak checks. For the first time, the crew was connected to the spacecraft and its communications and life control systems, and all umbilicals were connected while the spacecraft operated on full power.
Teams simulated several different ground and flight conditions to give the crew more experience managing them in real time. Some of the activities simulated scenarios where the crew was challenged to address potential issues while in space such as leaks and failure of the air revitalization system fan, which is needed to provide oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the cabin. Getting this hands-on experience and learning how to act fast to overcome potential challenges during flight helps ensure the crew is ready for any scenario.
The test provides astronauts the ability to train on the actual hardware they will use during flight, allowing them and support teams the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the equipment in configurations very close to what will be experienced during flight. It also allows teams to verify compatibility between the equipment and systems with flight controller procedures, so they can make any final adjustments ahead of launch.
This test brings together the Artemis II crew and the Orion spacecraft that will carry them to the Moon and back.Shawn Quinn
NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program manager
“It signifies the immense amount of work that our operations and development teams put into making sure we are ready for launch.” Quinn said. “They have meticulously planned each operation, timing them to perfection – and now we put it to the test.”
Exchanging their spacesuits for cleanroom garments for the crew equipment interface test, and with the spacecraft powered off, the crew also performed many of the activities they are likely to do in flight and conducted additional equipment checks. The crew practiced removing and stowing the foot pans on the pilot and commander seats, which will allow them to have more open space in the cabin after launch. They also accessed the stowage lockers and familiarized themselves with cameras, associated cables and mounts, and the environmental control and life support system hardware.
In addition to getting practical experience with the actual hardware they’ll use in space, they also prepared for life in deep space, reviewing cabin labels, sleep arrangements and checklists, and the hygiene bay.
Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars – for the benefit of all.
Mark Cavanaugh: Integrating Safety into the Orion Spacecraft
Before astronauts venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the agency’s first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo, Mark Cavanaugh is helping make sure the Orion spacecraft is safe and space-ready for the journey ahead.
As an Orion integration lead at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, he ensures the spacecraft’s critical systems— in both the U.S.-built crew module and European-built service module—come together safely and seamlessly.
Mark Cavanaugh stands in front of a mockup of the Orion spacecraft inside the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.NASA/Robert MarkowitzWith nearly a decade of experience at NASA, Cavanaugh currently works within the Orion Crew and Service Module Office at Johnson. He oversees the technical integration of the European Service Module, which provides power, propulsion, and life support to Orion during Artemis missions to the Moon. His work includes aligning and verifying essential systems to keeping the crew alive, including oxygen, nitrogen, water storage, temperature regulation, and spacecraft structures.
In addition to his integration work, Cavanaugh is an Orion Mission Evaluation Room (MER) manager. The MER is the engineering nerve center during Artemis flights, responsible for real-time monitoring of the Orion spacecraft and real-time decision-making. From prelaunch to splashdown, Cavanaugh will lead a team of engineers who track vehicle health and status, troubleshoot anomalies, and communicate directly with the flight director to ensure the mission remains safe and on track.
Mark Cavanaugh supports an Artemis I launch attempt from the Passive Thermal Control System console on Aug. 29, 2022, in the Orion Mission Evaluation Room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/Josh ValcarcelCavanaugh’s passion for space exploration began early. “I’ve wanted to be an aerospace engineer since I was six years old,” he said. “My uncle, who is also an aerospace engineer, used to take me to wind tunnel tests and flight museums as a kid.”
That passion only deepened after a fifth-grade trip from Philadelphia to Houston with his grandfather. “My dream of working at NASA Johnson started when I visited the center for the first time,” he said. “Going from being a fifth grader riding the tram on the tour to contributing to the great work done at Johnson has been truly incredible.”
Turning that childhood dream into reality did not come with a straight path. Cavanaugh graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 2011, the same year NASA’s Space Shuttle Program ended. With jobs in the space industry in short supply, he took a position with Boeing in Houston, working on the International Space Station’s Passive Thermal Control System. He later supported thermal teams for the Artemis Moon rocket called the Space Launch System, and the Starliner spacecraft that flew astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams during their Boeing Crew Flight Test mission, before a mentor flagged a NASA job posting that turned out to be the perfect fit.
He joined NASA as the deputy system manager for Orion’s Passive Thermal Control System, eventually stepping into his current leadership role on the broader Orion integration team. “I’ve been very lucky to work with some of the best and most supportive teammates you can imagine,” he said.
Mark Cavanaugh with his mother, Jennifer, in front of the Artemis I Orion spacecraft following the thermal vacuum test at the Space Environments Complex at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.Cavanaugh says collaboration and empathy were key to solving challenges along the way. “I’ve learned to look at things from the other person’s perspective,” he said. “We’re all working toward the same incredible goal, even if we don’t always agree. That mindset helps keep things constructive and prevents misunderstandings.”
He also emphasizes the importance of creative problem-solving. “For me, overcoming technical challenges comes down to seeking different perspectives, questioning assumptions, and not being afraid to try something new—even if it sounds a little ridiculous at first.”
Mark Cavanaugh riding his motorcycle on the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas.Outside of work, Cavanaugh fuels his love of speed and precision by riding one of his three motorcycles. He has even taken laps at the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas.
When he is not on the track or in the control room, Cavanaugh gives back through student outreach. “The thing I always stress when I talk to students is that nothing is impossible,” he said. “I never thought I’d get to work in the space industry, let alone at NASA. But I stayed open to opportunities—even the ones that didn’t match what I originally imagined for myself.”
Explore More 5 min read Chief Training Officer Teresa Sindelar Touches the Future of Human Spaceflight Article 3 weeks ago 3 min read Aaisha Ali: From Marine Biology to the Artemis Control Room Article 4 weeks ago 2 min read I Am Artemis: Joe Pavicic Article 4 weeks agoMark Cavanaugh: Integrating Safety into the Orion Spacecraft
Before astronauts venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the agency’s first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo, Mark Cavanaugh is helping make sure the Orion spacecraft is safe and space-ready for the journey ahead.
As an Orion integration lead at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, he ensures the spacecraft’s critical systems— in both the U.S.-built crew module and European-built service module—come together safely and seamlessly.
Mark Cavanaugh stands in front of a mockup of the Orion spacecraft inside the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.NASA/Robert MarkowitzWith nearly a decade of experience at NASA, Cavanaugh currently works within the Orion Crew and Service Module Office at Johnson. He oversees the technical integration of the European Service Module, which provides power, propulsion, and life support to Orion during Artemis missions to the Moon. His work includes aligning and verifying essential systems to keeping the crew alive, including oxygen, nitrogen, water storage, temperature regulation, and spacecraft structures.
In addition to his integration work, Cavanaugh is an Orion Mission Evaluation Room (MER) manager. The MER is the engineering nerve center during Artemis flights, responsible for real-time monitoring of the Orion spacecraft and real-time decision-making. From prelaunch to splashdown, Cavanaugh will lead a team of engineers who track vehicle health and status, troubleshoot anomalies, and communicate directly with the flight director to ensure the mission remains safe and on track.
Mark Cavanaugh supports an Artemis I launch attempt from the Passive Thermal Control System console on Aug. 29, 2022, in the Orion Mission Evaluation Room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/Josh ValcarcelCavanaugh’s passion for space exploration began early. “I’ve wanted to be an aerospace engineer since I was six years old,” he said. “My uncle, who is also an aerospace engineer, used to take me to wind tunnel tests and flight museums as a kid.”
That passion only deepened after a fifth-grade trip from Philadelphia to Houston with his grandfather. “My dream of working at NASA Johnson started when I visited the center for the first time,” he said. “Going from being a fifth grader riding the tram on the tour to contributing to the great work done at Johnson has been truly incredible.”
Turning that childhood dream into reality did not come with a straight path. Cavanaugh graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 2011, the same year NASA’s Space Shuttle Program ended. With jobs in the space industry in short supply, he took a position with Boeing in Houston, working on the International Space Station’s Passive Thermal Control System. He later supported thermal teams for the Artemis Moon rocket called the Space Launch System, and the Starliner spacecraft that flew astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams during their Boeing Crew Flight Test mission, before a mentor flagged a NASA job posting that turned out to be the perfect fit.
He joined NASA as the deputy system manager for Orion’s Passive Thermal Control System, eventually stepping into his current leadership role on the broader Orion integration team. “I’ve been very lucky to work with some of the best and most supportive teammates you can imagine,” he said.
Mark Cavanaugh with his mother, Jennifer, in front of the Artemis I Orion spacecraft following the thermal vacuum test at the Space Environments Complex at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.Cavanaugh says collaboration and empathy were key to solving challenges along the way. “I’ve learned to look at things from the other person’s perspective,” he said. “We’re all working toward the same incredible goal, even if we don’t always agree. That mindset helps keep things constructive and prevents misunderstandings.”
He also emphasizes the importance of creative problem-solving. “For me, overcoming technical challenges comes down to seeking different perspectives, questioning assumptions, and not being afraid to try something new—even if it sounds a little ridiculous at first.”
Mark Cavanaugh riding his motorcycle on the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas.Outside of work, Cavanaugh fuels his love of speed and precision by riding one of his three motorcycles. He has even taken laps at the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas.
When he is not on the track or in the control room, Cavanaugh gives back through student outreach. “The thing I always stress when I talk to students is that nothing is impossible,” he said. “I never thought I’d get to work in the space industry, let alone at NASA. But I stayed open to opportunities—even the ones that didn’t match what I originally imagined for myself.”
Explore More 5 min read Chief Training Officer Teresa Sindelar Touches the Future of Human Spaceflight Article 3 weeks ago 3 min read Aaisha Ali: From Marine Biology to the Artemis Control Room Article 4 weeks ago 2 min read I Am Artemis: Joe Pavicic Article 4 weeks agoHelio Highlights: July 2025
- Home
- Framework for Heliophysics Education
- Resource Database
- About NASA HEAT
- More
5 min read
Helio Highlights: July 2025 5 Min Read Helio Highlights: July 2025 When astronauts return to the Moon, they will need to know what the Sun is doing in order to keep themselves safe and healthy. Credits: NASA A Trip to the MoonIn July 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon. Now, NASA and its international partners in the Artemis accords are working to send humans back there, this time to stay. The trip will be challenging, especially since space is a very uninviting place for humans! One unexpected source of danger will be the Sun.
The Sun: Friend and FoeThe energy the Sun provides allows life on Earth to thrive. But this energy can also be dangerous to us. This danger can be as simple as getting a sunburn if you are out in the sunlight for too long, or as complex as a geomagnetic storm causing chaos in our satellite network.
This animation demonstrates a simulation by the MAGE model of Earth’s magnetosphere being hit by a geospace storm in May 2024, the strongest in nearly 20 years. Storms like this are caused by solar weather that could endanger astronauts en route to the Moon or active on its surface during future missions.NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio and CGS TeamThings get more complicated in space. On Earth, the atmosphere and magnetosphere protect us from most solar energy. But spacecraft and astronauts in space don’t have this protection. For astronauts on upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon, the Sun’s radiation could cause anything from ruined electronics to a greater long-term risk of cancer.
The Real RisksOn August 2, 1972, a massive solar storm began with the eruption of sunspot MR11976. One of the Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) it produced raced from the Sun to Earth in less than 15 hours. That’s a record that still stands today! This led to power grid fluctuations and caused havoc with spacecraft in flight. Recently declassified U.S. military records show that the storm caused sea mines off the Vietnamese coast to explode, as well.
Importantly, the August 1972 solar storm happened in between the Apollo 16 and 17 missions to the Moon. Studies show that astronauts en route to the Moon, and especially astronauts on the surface, could have been badly sickened by the radiation that came with it. This threat remains real if a solar storm of similar severity were to occur during future Lunar missions.
Watchful ProtectorsOrganizations like NASA and NOAA keep an eye on the Sun, to forecast potential sources of danger. If a solar flare or Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is on the way, scientists should be able to spot the danger ahead of time so that steps can be taken to reduce the damage. For astronauts going to the Moon, this may be as simple as taking shelter in a special part of their spacecraft.
An animated gif of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) erupting from the surface of the Sun in September 2024. If a CME like this was aimed at the Moon, the intense energy it carried could damage spacecraft electronics and even cause severe radiation sickness in astronauts.NOAA/NASANOAA’s Space Weather Follow-On (SWFO) program sustains their space weather observations and measurements. NOAA’s CCOR-1 flew on the GOES-19 spacecraft and provides crucial near-real-time CME data. The CCOR-2 instrument will fly on SWFO-L1. Other missions include SOHO, a long-running collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency, and HERMES, a NASA heliophysics instrument intended for the Lunar Gateway that will orbit the Moon.
NASA’s Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office (M2M SWAO) also conducts real-time space weather assessments. These support new capabilities for understanding space weather impacts on NASA exploration activities, including on the Moon.
The Moon as a LaboratoryA big part of the reason we want to go back to the Moon is the amazing level of information we can learn about the history of the Solar System. “Any object in our solar system doesn’t just exist in isolation,” explains Prabal Saxena, a Research Space Scientist in the Planetary Geology, Geophysics & Geochemistry Lab at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “It is constantly interacting with meteorites and meteors. That’s why you see a lot of the impact creators on the Moon. But it is also constantly interacting with the Sun.” This can come from the solar wind, CMEs, and other forms of solar energy hitting the Moon’s barren surface.
Pictured is the Lunar Swirl Reiner Gamma, a geological feature on the surface of the moon. In areas that are magnetically protected, the ground stays relatively bright. Just outside of the shielded regions, radiation-induced chemical reactions darken the landscape, effectively “sunburning” the lunar surface.NASA/GSFC/Arizona State UniversitySaxena points out that the Moon’s relative lack of a magnetosphere means that Lunar surface material effectively traps evidence of the past habits of the Sun. “A lot of the energetic particles that we would otherwise see deflected by Earth’s magnetosphere and atmosphere are impacting the surface of the Moon. So you can actually trace back what the history of the Sun might be.”
He compares this to scientists taking ice cores to get a glimpse into Earth’s atmospheric history. With everything from evidence of the prehistoric solar atmosphere to information on how the Sun affects water on the lunar surface locked in rocks left largely untouched for millions of years, it is clear why NASA wants to go back and have another look around.
Going BackBut it is still important to keep an eye on the potential dangers to explorers both metallic and organic. In an interview, Lennard Fisk, former NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications, described a conversation he had with Neil Armstrong. More than anything else during Apollo 11, Armstrong was afraid of a solar flare. He knew he could depend on his spacecraft and crewmates. But space weather was an uncontrollable variable.
We had a different understanding of space weather in 1969. Space radiation, including the solar wind, was a new discovery back then. But research done in those early days helped make breakthroughs still paying off today, and we are building upon these discoveries with new missions that continue to advance our knowledge of the Sun and the rest of our solar system.
Additional Resources Lesson Plans & Educator Guides NASA Helio ClubStudy Unit
Six lessons created for a middle-school audience to introduce basic heliophysics concepts to learners.
Space Weather MathHands-on activities with embedded math problems that explore the causes and effects of space weather.
“Solar Storms and You” Educator GuideA downloadable educator guide with a variety of activities on the science of solar storms for learners grades 5-8.
Interactive Resources Magnetic EarthInteractive Resource
An animation with information on Earth’s magnetic field and its role in creating northern lights, and an interactive activity allowing students to experiment with magnetism.
Student HelioViewer:Solar Data Interactive
A student-friendly interactive with accessible NASA data about the Sun and its features, including solar flares, magnetic fields, sunspots, and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).
Webinars & Slide Decks What is SpaceWeather Video
This approximately 3-minute video summarizes space weather and explains its effects on the rest of the Solar System.
Science Update: Space Weather on OurApproach to Solar Max
A webinar about the solar storm on May 10th, 2024, which led to auroras being visible across North America.
Astronaut Dr. JohnPhillips Discusses
Space Radiation
Dr. John Phillips, NASA astronaut and space plasma physicist, talks about his work and personal experience with space radiation on the Space Weather Living History podcast.
Dr. Lennard FiskDiscusses Heliophysics History at NASA
Former Associate Administrator Dr. Lennard Fisk recounts the evolution of the Heliophysics Division at NASA.
Helio Highlights: July 2025
- Home
- Framework for Heliophysics Education
- Resource Database
- About NASA HEAT
- More
5 min read
Helio Highlights: July 2025 5 Min Read Helio Highlights: July 2025 When astronauts return to the Moon, they will need to know what the Sun is doing in order to keep themselves safe and healthy. Credits:NASA A Trip to the Moon
In July 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon. Now, NASA and its international partners in the Artemis accords are working to send humans back there, this time to stay. The trip will be challenging, especially since space is a very uninviting place for humans! One unexpected source of danger will be the Sun.
The Sun: Friend and FoeThe energy the Sun provides allows life on Earth to thrive. But this energy can also be dangerous to us. This danger can be as simple as getting a sunburn if you are out in the sunlight for too long, or as complex as a geomagnetic storm causing chaos in our satellite network.
This animation demonstrates a simulation by the MAGE model of Earth’s magnetosphere being hit by a geospace storm in May 2024, the strongest in nearly 20 years. Storms like this are caused by solar weather that could endanger astronauts en route to the Moon or active on its surface during future missions. NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio and CGS TeamThings get more complicated in space. On Earth, the atmosphere and magnetosphere protect us from most solar energy. But spacecraft and astronauts in space don’t have this protection. For astronauts on upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon, the Sun’s radiation could cause anything from ruined electronics to a greater long-term risk of cancer.
The Real RisksOn August 2, 1972, a massive solar storm began with the eruption of sunspot MR11976. One of the Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) it produced raced from the Sun to Earth in less than 15 hours. That’s a record that still stands today! This led to power grid fluctuations and caused havoc with spacecraft in flight. Recently declassified U.S. military records show that the storm caused sea mines off the Vietnamese coast to explode, as well.
Importantly, the August 1972 solar storm happened in between the Apollo 16 and 17 missions to the Moon. Studies show that astronauts en route to the Moon, and especially astronauts on the surface, could have been badly sickened by the radiation that came with it. This threat remains real if a solar storm of similar severity were to occur during future Lunar missions.
Watchful ProtectorsOrganizations like NASA and NOAA keep an eye on the Sun, to forecast potential sources of danger. If a solar flare or Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is on the way, scientists should be able to spot the danger ahead of time so that steps can be taken to reduce the damage. For astronauts going to the Moon, this may be as simple as taking shelter in a special part of their spacecraft.
An animated gif of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) erupting from the surface of the Sun in September 2024. If a CME like this was aimed at the Moon, the intense energy it carried could damage spacecraft electronics and even cause severe radiation sickness in astronauts. NOAA/NASANOAA’s Space Weather Follow-On (SWFO) program sustains their space weather observations and measurements. NOAA’s CCOR-1 flew on the GOES-19 spacecraft and provides crucial near-real-time CME data. The CCOR-2 instrument will fly on SWFO-L1. Other missions include SOHO, a long-running collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency, and HERMES, a NASA heliophysics instrument intended for the Lunar Gateway that will orbit the Moon.
NASA’s Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office (M2M SWAO) also conducts real-time space weather assessments. These support new capabilities for understanding space weather impacts on NASA exploration activities, including on the Moon.
The Moon as a LaboratoryA big part of the reason we want to go back to the Moon is the amazing level of information we can learn about the history of the Solar System. “Any object in our solar system doesn’t just exist in isolation,” explains Prabal Saxena, a Research Space Scientist in the Planetary Geology, Geophysics & Geochemistry Lab at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “It is constantly interacting with meteorites and meteors. That’s why you see a lot of the impact creators on the Moon. But it is also constantly interacting with the Sun.” This can come from the solar wind, CMEs, and other forms of solar energy hitting the Moon’s barren surface.
Pictured is the Lunar Swirl Reiner Gamma, a geological feature on the surface of the moon. In areas that are magnetically protected, the ground stays relatively bright. Just outside of the shielded regions, radiation-induced chemical reactions darken the landscape, effectively “sunburning” the lunar surface. NASA/GSFC/Arizona State UniversitySaxena points out that the Moon’s relative lack of a magnetosphere means that Lunar surface material effectively traps evidence of the past habits of the Sun. “A lot of the energetic particles that we would otherwise see deflected by Earth’s magnetosphere and atmosphere are impacting the surface of the Moon. So you can actually trace back what the history of the Sun might be.”
He compares this to scientists taking ice cores to get a glimpse into Earth’s atmospheric history. With everything from evidence of the prehistoric solar atmosphere to information on how the Sun affects water on the lunar surface locked in rocks left largely untouched for millions of years, it is clear why NASA wants to go back and have another look around.
Going BackBut it is still important to keep an eye on the potential dangers to explorers both metallic and organic. In an interview, Lennard Fisk, former NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications, described a conversation he had with Neil Armstrong. More than anything else during Apollo 11, Armstrong was afraid of a solar flare. He knew he could depend on his spacecraft and crewmates. But space weather was an uncontrollable variable.
We had a different understanding of space weather in 1969. Space radiation, including the solar wind, was a new discovery back then. But research done in those early days helped make breakthroughs still paying off today, and we are building upon these discoveries with new missions that continue to advance our knowledge of the Sun and the rest of our solar system.
Additional Resources Lesson Plans & Educator Guides NASA Helio ClubStudy Unit
Six lessons created for a middle-school audience to introduce basic heliophysics concepts to learners.
Space Weather Math
Hands-on activities with embedded math problems that explore the causes and effects of space weather.
“Solar Storms and You” Educator Guide
A downloadable educator guide with a variety of activities on the science of solar storms for learners grades 5-8.
Interactive Resources Magnetic Earth
Interactive Resource
An animation with information on Earth’s magnetic field and its role in creating northern lights, and an interactive activity allowing students to experiment with magnetism.
Student HelioViewer:
Solar Data Interactive
A student-friendly interactive with accessible NASA data about the Sun and its features, including solar flares, magnetic fields, sunspots, and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).
Webinars & Slide Decks What is Space
Weather Video
This approximately 3-minute video summarizes space weather and explains its effects on the rest of the Solar System.
Science Update: Space Weather on Our
Approach to Solar Max
A webinar about the solar storm on May 10th, 2024, which led to auroras being visible across North America.
Astronaut Dr. John
Phillips Discusses
Space Radiation
Dr. John Phillips, NASA astronaut and space plasma physicist, talks about his work and personal experience with space radiation on the Space Weather Living History podcast.
Dr. Lennard Fisk
Discusses Heliophysics History at NASA
Former Associate Administrator Dr. Lennard Fisk recounts the evolution of the Heliophysics Division at NASA.
NUBE: New Card Game Helps Learners Identify Cloud Types Through Play
4 min read
NUBE: New Card Game Helps Learners Identify Cloud Types Through PlayDifferent clouds types can have different effects on our weather and climate, which makes identifying cloud types important – but learning to identify cloud types can be tricky! Educational games make the learning process easier and more enjoyable for learners of all ages and create an opportunity for families and friends to spend quality time together.
The NASA Science Activation Program’s NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative (NESEC) and the Queens Public Library co-developed a new Global Learning & Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) card game called NUBE (pronounced noo-beh) – the Spanish word for cloud. During this fun, interactive game, players match cards by cloud type or sky color – with 11 cloud types and 5 shades of blue (in real life, sky color can be an indication of how many aerosols are in the atmosphere). There are also special cards in the deck, such as Rainmakers, which change the order of play; Obscurations, which require the next player to draw two cards; and Mystery cards, which require players to give hints while other players guess the cloud type. By playing the game, participants practice learning the names of clouds while they begin to appreciate the differences in cloud type and sky color.
NESEC is collaborating with another NASA Science Activation project team – NASA@ My Library (NAML, led by the Space Science Institute, SSI – to get the game into library programs. NAML recruited and is distributing sets of two or four card decks to 292 U.S. libraries. Participating libraries are located in 45 states, with a large number (>50%) serving rural communities. SSI also promoted the opportunity to its network of libraries and co-presented a webinar with NESEC for interested libraries. Library applications described how they plan to use the game with their patrons, including programs for audiences ranging from kids to seniors related to weather and safety programs, citizen science clubs, home school groups, summer reading, game nights, circulating kits and more. Libraries that receive NUBE commit to use the game in at least one program and complete a short evaluation survey.
NUBE evolved through several iterations as staff from several Queens Public Library branches tested the game with different age groups, from young kids to teens and adults. The game was also tested at the Challenger Center and the Center for Science, Technology, Education, & Mathematics (STEM) Teaching and Learning at Northern Arizona University. Alex Hernandez Bonifacio, an early Learning Educator at Queens Public Library reported, “It was amazing to see what kids reflected on as they were playing NUBE. For example, there was this third grader who was surprised to realize something could obscure our view of the clouds. She used to think clouds were too high in the sky for anything to block our view of them. While playing NUBE, she became very intrigued about the obscuration cards, and she realized that things closer to the ground like heavy snow could in fact block our view of the clouds!” After incorporating feedback from testers and counting the votes for different graphic design options, NUBE is now ready to be downloaded and enjoyed by all!
If you’re excited to play this awesome GLOBE Clouds card game and want to learn even more about clouds, you can download the GLOBE Observer app on your smartphone to participate in hands-on NASA scientific research – sharing observations of your environment as a citizen scientist (no citizenship required)! Learn more and discover additional resources for engaging in clouds activities with the GLOBE Observer Clouds Toolkit.
NESEC, led by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AE28A, 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
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NUBE: New Card Game Helps Learners Identify Cloud Types Through Play
4 min read
NUBE: New Card Game Helps Learners Identify Cloud Types Through PlayDifferent clouds types can have different effects on our weather and climate, which makes identifying cloud types important – but learning to identify cloud types can be tricky! Educational games make the learning process easier and more enjoyable for learners of all ages and create an opportunity for families and friends to spend quality time together.
The NASA Science Activation Program’s NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative (NESEC) and the Queens Public Library co-developed a new Global Learning & Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) card game called NUBE (pronounced noo-beh) – the Spanish word for cloud. During this fun, interactive game, players match cards by cloud type or sky color – with 11 cloud types and 5 shades of blue (in real life, sky color can be an indication of how many aerosols are in the atmosphere). There are also special cards in the deck, such as Rainmakers, which change the order of play; Obscurations, which require the next player to draw two cards; and Mystery cards, which require players to give hints while other players guess the cloud type. By playing the game, participants practice learning the names of clouds while they begin to appreciate the differences in cloud type and sky color.
NESEC is collaborating with another NASA Science Activation project team – NASA@ My Library (NAML, led by the Space Science Institute, SSI – to get the game into library programs. NAML recruited and is distributing sets of two or four card decks to 292 U.S. libraries. Participating libraries are located in 45 states, with a large number (>50%) serving rural communities. SSI also promoted the opportunity to its network of libraries and co-presented a webinar with NESEC for interested libraries. Library applications described how they plan to use the game with their patrons, including programs for audiences ranging from kids to seniors related to weather and safety programs, citizen science clubs, home school groups, summer reading, game nights, circulating kits and more. Libraries that receive NUBE commit to use the game in at least one program and complete a short evaluation survey.
NUBE evolved through several iterations as staff from several Queens Public Library branches tested the game with different age groups, from young kids to teens and adults. The game was also tested at the Challenger Center and the Center for Science, Technology, Education, & Mathematics (STEM) Teaching and Learning at Northern Arizona University. Alex Hernandez Bonifacio, an early Learning Educator at Queens Public Library reported, “It was amazing to see what kids reflected on as they were playing NUBE. For example, there was this third grader who was surprised to realize something could obscure our view of the clouds. She used to think clouds were too high in the sky for anything to block our view of them. While playing NUBE, she became very intrigued about the obscuration cards, and she realized that things closer to the ground like heavy snow could in fact block our view of the clouds!” After incorporating feedback from testers and counting the votes for different graphic design options, NUBE is now ready to be downloaded and enjoyed by all!
If you’re excited to play this awesome GLOBE Clouds card game and want to learn even more about clouds, you can download the GLOBE Observer app on your smartphone to participate in hands-on NASA scientific research – sharing observations of your environment as a citizen scientist (no citizenship required)! Learn more and discover additional resources for engaging in clouds activities with the GLOBE Observer Clouds Toolkit.
NESEC, led by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AE28A, 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
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Crew-11 Launches to International Space Station
Crew-11 Launches to International Space Station
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Endeavour lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 1, 2025. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov are aboard the spacecraft. After the crew arrives at the International Space Station, they will perform research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities aboard the orbiting laboratory. Crew-11 will also contribute to NASA’s Artemis campaign by simulating Moon landing scenarios that astronauts may encounter near the lunar South Pole, showing how the space station helps prepare crews for deep space human exploration.
The flight is the 11th crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the space station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Image credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
Crew-11 Launches to International Space Station
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Endeavour lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 1, 2025. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov are aboard the spacecraft. After the crew arrives at the International Space Station, they will perform research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities aboard the orbiting laboratory. Crew-11 will also contribute to NASA’s Artemis campaign by simulating Moon landing scenarios that astronauts may encounter near the lunar South Pole, showing how the space station helps prepare crews for deep space human exploration.
The flight is the 11th crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the space station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Image credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
NASA’s Europa Clipper Radar Instrument Proves Itself at Mars
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Europa Clipper’s radar instrument received echoes of its very-high-frequency radar signals that bounced off Mars and were processed to develop this radargram. What looks like a skyline is the outline of the topography beneath the spacecraft.NASA/JPL-Caltech/UT-AustinThe agency’s largest interplanetary probe tested its radar during a Mars flyby. The results include a detailed image and bode well for the mission at Jupiter’s moon Europa.
As it soared past Mars in March, NASA’s Europa Clipper conducted a critical radar test that had been impossible to accomplish on Earth. Now that mission scientists have studied the full stream of data, they can declare success: The radar performed just as expected, bouncing and receiving signals off the region around Mars’ equator without a hitch.
Read more about Europa Clipper's radargram at MarsCalled REASON (Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface), the radar instrument will “see” into Europa’s icy shell, which may have pockets of water inside. The radar may even be able to detect the ocean beneath the shell of Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon.
“We got everything out of the flyby that we dreamed,” said Don Blankenship, principal investigator of the radar instrument, of the University of Texas at Austin. “The goal was to determine the radar’s readiness for the Europa mission, and it worked. Every part of the instrument proved itself to do exactly what we intended.”
In this artist’s concept, Europa Clipper’s radar antennas — seen at the lower edge of the solar panels — are fully deployed. The antennas are key components of the spacecraft’s radar instrument, called REASON.NASA/JPL-CaltechThe radar will help scientists understand how the ice may capture materials from the ocean and transfer them to the surface of the moon. Above ground, the instrument will help to study elements of Europa’s topography, such as ridges, so scientists can examine how they relate to features that REASON images beneath the surface.
Limits of EarthEuropa Clipper has an unusual radar setup for an interplanetary spacecraft: REASON uses two pairs of slender antennas that jut out from the solar arrays, spanning a distance of about 58 feet (17.6 meters). Those arrays themselves are huge — from tip to tip, the size of a basketball court — so they can catch as much light as possible at Europa, which gets about 1/25th the sunlight as Earth.
The instrument team conducted all the testing that was possible prior to the spacecraft’s launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 14, 2024. During development, engineers at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California even took the work outdoors, using open-air towers on a plateau above JPL to stretch out and test engineering models of the instrument’s spindly high-frequency and more compact very-high-frequency antennas.
But once the actual flight hardware was built, it needed to be kept sterile and could be tested only in an enclosed area. Engineers used the giant High Bay 1 clean room at JPL, where the spacecraft was assembled, to test the instrument piece by piece. To test the “echo,” or the bounceback of REASON’s signals, however, they’d have needed a chamber about 250 feet (76 meters) long — nearly three-quarters the length of a football field.
Enter MarsThe mission’s primary goal in flying by Mars on March 1, less than five months after launch, was to use the planet’s gravitational pull to reshape the spacecraft’s trajectory. But it also presented opportunities to calibrate the spacecraft’s infrared camera and perform a dry run of the radar instrument over terrain NASA scientists have been studying for decades.
As Europa Clipper zipped by the volcanic plains of the Red Planet — starting at 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) down to 550 miles (884 kilometers) above the surface — REASON sent and received radio waves for about 40 minutes. In comparison, at Europa the instrument will operate as close as 16 miles (25 kilometers) from the moon’s surface.
All told, engineers were able to collect 60 gigabytes of rich data from the instrument. Almost immediately, they could tell REASON was working well. The flight team scheduled the full dataset to download, starting in mid-May. Scientists relished the opportunity over the next couple of months to examine the information in detail and compare notes.
“The engineers were excited that their test worked so perfectly,” said JPL’s Trina Ray, Europa Clipper deputy science manager. “All of us who had worked so hard to make this test happen — and the scientists seeing the data for the first time — were ecstatic, saying, ‘Oh, look at this! Oh, look at that!’ Now, the science team is getting a head start on learning how to process the data and understand the instrument’s behavior compared to models. They are exercising those muscles just like they will out at Europa.”
Europa Clipper’s total journey to reach the icy moon will be about 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers) and includes one more gravity assist — using Earth — in 2026. The spacecraft is currently about 280 million miles (450 million kilometers) from Earth.
More About Europa ClipperEuropa Clipper’s three main science objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon’s icy shell and its interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to characterize its geology. The mission’s detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.
Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed the main spacecraft body in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA Marshall executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at NASA Kennedy, managed the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft. The REASON radar investigation is led by the University of Texas at Austin.
Find more information about Europa Clipper here:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper/
Check out Europa Clipper's Mars flyby in 3D News Media ContactsGretchen McCartney
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-287-4115
gretchen.p.mccartney@jpl.nasa.gov
Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.govt
2025-097
Share Details Last Updated Aug 01, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 6 min read How Joint NASA-ESA Sea Level Mission Will Help Hurricane Forecasts Article 3 days ago 5 min read How NASA Is Testing AI to Make Earth-Observing Satellites Smarter Article 2 weeks ago 5 min read NASA Shares How to Save Camera 370-Million-Miles Away Near Jupiter Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover Related TopicsMissions
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NASA’s Europa Clipper Radar Instrument Proves Itself at Mars
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Europa Clipper’s radar instrument received echoes of its very-high-frequency radar signals that bounced off Mars and were processed to develop this radargram. What looks like a skyline is the outline of the topography beneath the spacecraft.NASA/JPL-Caltech/UT-AustinThe agency’s largest interplanetary probe tested its radar during a Mars flyby. The results include a detailed image and bode well for the mission at Jupiter’s moon Europa.
As it soared past Mars in March, NASA’s Europa Clipper conducted a critical radar test that had been impossible to accomplish on Earth. Now that mission scientists have studied the full stream of data, they can declare success: The radar performed just as expected, bouncing and receiving signals off the region around Mars’ equator without a hitch.
Read more about Europa Clipper's radargram at MarsCalled REASON (Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface), the radar instrument will “see” into Europa’s icy shell, which may have pockets of water inside. The radar may even be able to detect the ocean beneath the shell of Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon.
“We got everything out of the flyby that we dreamed,” said Don Blankenship, principal investigator of the radar instrument, of the University of Texas at Austin. “The goal was to determine the radar’s readiness for the Europa mission, and it worked. Every part of the instrument proved itself to do exactly what we intended.”
In this artist’s concept, Europa Clipper’s radar antennas — seen at the lower edge of the solar panels — are fully deployed. The antennas are key components of the spacecraft’s radar instrument, called REASON.NASA/JPL-CaltechThe radar will help scientists understand how the ice may capture materials from the ocean and transfer them to the surface of the moon. Above ground, the instrument will help to study elements of Europa’s topography, such as ridges, so scientists can examine how they relate to features that REASON images beneath the surface.
Limits of EarthEuropa Clipper has an unusual radar setup for an interplanetary spacecraft: REASON uses two pairs of slender antennas that jut out from the solar arrays, spanning a distance of about 58 feet (17.6 meters). Those arrays themselves are huge — from tip to tip, the size of a basketball court — so they can catch as much light as possible at Europa, which gets about 1/25th the sunlight as Earth.
The instrument team conducted all the testing that was possible prior to the spacecraft’s launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 14, 2024. During development, engineers at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California even took the work outdoors, using open-air towers on a plateau above JPL to stretch out and test engineering models of the instrument’s spindly high-frequency and more compact very-high-frequency antennas.
But once the actual flight hardware was built, it needed to be kept sterile and could be tested only in an enclosed area. Engineers used the giant High Bay 1 clean room at JPL, where the spacecraft was assembled, to test the instrument piece by piece. To test the “echo,” or the bounceback of REASON’s signals, however, they’d have needed a chamber about 250 feet (76 meters) long — nearly three-quarters the length of a football field.
Enter MarsThe mission’s primary goal in flying by Mars on March 1, less than five months after launch, was to use the planet’s gravitational pull to reshape the spacecraft’s trajectory. But it also presented opportunities to calibrate the spacecraft’s infrared camera and perform a dry run of the radar instrument over terrain NASA scientists have been studying for decades.
As Europa Clipper zipped by the volcanic plains of the Red Planet — starting at 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) down to 550 miles (884 kilometers) above the surface — REASON sent and received radio waves for about 40 minutes. In comparison, at Europa the instrument will operate as close as 16 miles (25 kilometers) from the moon’s surface.
All told, engineers were able to collect 60 gigabytes of rich data from the instrument. Almost immediately, they could tell REASON was working well. The flight team scheduled the full dataset to download, starting in mid-May. Scientists relished the opportunity over the next couple of months to examine the information in detail and compare notes.
“The engineers were excited that their test worked so perfectly,” said JPL’s Trina Ray, Europa Clipper deputy science manager. “All of us who had worked so hard to make this test happen — and the scientists seeing the data for the first time — were ecstatic, saying, ‘Oh, look at this! Oh, look at that!’ Now, the science team is getting a head start on learning how to process the data and understand the instrument’s behavior compared to models. They are exercising those muscles just like they will out at Europa.”
Europa Clipper’s total journey to reach the icy moon will be about 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers) and includes one more gravity assist — using Earth — in 2026. The spacecraft is currently about 280 million miles (450 million kilometers) from Earth.
More About Europa ClipperEuropa Clipper’s three main science objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon’s icy shell and its interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to characterize its geology. The mission’s detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.
Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed the main spacecraft body in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA Marshall executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at NASA Kennedy, managed the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft. The REASON radar investigation is led by the University of Texas at Austin.
Find more information about Europa Clipper here:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper/
Check out Europa Clipper's Mars flyby in 3D News Media ContactsGretchen McCartney
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-287-4115
gretchen.p.mccartney@jpl.nasa.gov
Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.govt
2025-097
Share Details Last Updated Aug 01, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 6 min read How Joint NASA-ESA Sea Level Mission Will Help Hurricane Forecasts Article 3 days ago 5 min read How NASA Is Testing AI to Make Earth-Observing Satellites Smarter Article 2 weeks ago 5 min read NASA Shares How to Save Camera 370-Million-Miles Away Near Jupiter Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover Related TopicsMissions
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What’s Up: August 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA
Jupiter and Venus shine brightly in the mornings as they appear to graze each other in the sky on the 11th and 12th. The Perseids are washed out by the Moon.
Skywatching HighlightsAll Month – Planet Visibility:
- Mercury: Pops up above the horizon during the second half of August. Appears very low, below 10 degrees altitude.
- Venus: Shines very brightly in the east each morning before sunrise, about 20 to 30 degrees above the horizon.
- Mars: Can be observed low in the west during the hour after sunset, appearing about as bright as the brightest stars in the Big Dipper.
- Jupiter: Appears in the east each morning, together with Venus, but much less bright.
- Saturn: Observable late night to dawn. Rises around 10:30 p.m. early in the month, and around 8:30 p.m. by the end of the month. Find it high in the south as sunrise approaches.
Skywatching Highlights:
August 11 & 12 – Venus-Jupiter Conjunction – The two brightest planets have a close meetup over several days, appearing closest over two days on the 11th and 12th, at just a degree apart.
August 19 & 20 – Moon with Jupiter & Venus – A slim lunar crescent joins Jupiter and Venus — still relatively close in the sky after their conjunction. They appear in the east in the several hours preceding sunrise.
August 12th-13th – Perseids Peak – The celebrated annual meteor shower will be hampered by an 84%-full Moon on the peak night. A few bright meteors may still be seen in the pre-dawn hours, but viewing conditions are not ideal this year.
All month – The Dumbbell Nebula (M27) – One of the easiest planetary nebulas to observe, M27 appears within the Summer Triangle star pattern, high overhead in the first half of the night.
TranscriptWhat’s Up for August? Jupiter and Venus have a morning meetup, we check out this year’s Perseid meteor shower, and peek into the future of our own Sun.
Mars is the lone planet in the early evening sky this month, visible low in the west for about an hour after the sky starts to darken. It’s now only about 60% as bright as it appeared back in May.
Saturn is rising by about 10 pm, and you’ll see it showing up a bit earlier each evening as the month goes on. You’ll find it in the east after dark with the constellations Cassiopeia and Andromeda. The Ringed Planet makes its way over to the western part of the sky by dawn, where early risers will find it on August mornings.
The real highlight of August is the close approach of Jupiter and Venus. They shine brightly in the east before sunrise throughout the month. The pair begin the month farther apart, but quickly approach each other in the sky. They appear at their closest on the 11th and 12th — only about a degree apart. Their rendezvous happens against a backdrop of bright stars including Orion, Taurus, Gemini, and Sirius. A slim crescent Moon joins the pair of planets after they separate again, on the mornings of the 19th and 20th.
Sky chart showing the eastern sky before sunrise on August 11th, with Venus and Jupiter only a degree apart. NASA/JPL-CaltechOne of the best annual meteor showers, the Perseids, peaks overnight on August 12th and into the 13th. Unfortunately, this year the Moon is nearly full on the peak night, and its glare will wash out all but the brightest meteors. While that’s not so great for Perseid watchers, the good news is that another favorite annual meteor shower, the Geminids, is poised for Moon-free viewing in December.
August is a great time to see one of the easiest-to-observe nebulas in the sky.
The Dumbbell Nebula, also known as M27, is high overhead on August nights. It’s a type of nebula called a “planetary nebula.”
A nebula is a giant cloud of gas and dust in space, and planetary nebulas are produced by stars like our Sun when they become old and nuclear fusion ceases inside them. They blow off their outer layers, leaving behind a small, hot remnant called a white dwarf. The white dwarf produces lots of bright ultraviolet light that illuminates the nebula from the inside, as the expanding shell of gas absorbs the UV light and re-radiates it as visible light.
The Dumbbell Nebula, nicknamed for its dumbbell-like shape, appears as a small, faint patch of light about a quarter of the width of the full moon in binoculars or a small telescope. It lies within the Summer Triangle, a pattern of stars that’s easy to find overhead in the August sky. You’ll find the nebula about a third of the way between its bright stars Altair and Deneb.
Sky chart showing the Summer Triangle asterism, with the location of the Dumbbell Nebula (M27) indicated. NASA/JPL-CaltechHere’s hoping you get a chance to observe this glimpse into the future that awaits our Sun about 5 billion years from now. It’s part of a cycle that seeds the galaxy with the ingredients for new generations of stars and planets — perhaps even some not too different from our own.
Here are the phases of the Moon for August.
The phases of the Moon for August 2025. NASA/JPL-CaltechYou can stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov. I’m Chelsea Gohd from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up for this month.
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
Missions
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What’s Up: August 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA
Jupiter and Venus shine brightly in the mornings as they appear to graze each other in the sky on the 11th and 12th. The Perseids are washed out by the Moon.
Skywatching HighlightsAll Month – Planet Visibility:
- Mercury: Pops up above the horizon during the second half of August. Appears very low, below 10 degrees altitude.
- Venus: Shines very brightly in the east each morning before sunrise, about 20 to 30 degrees above the horizon.
- Mars: Can be observed low in the west during the hour after sunset, appearing about as bright as the brightest stars in the Big Dipper.
- Jupiter: Appears in the east each morning, together with Venus, but much less bright.
- Saturn: Observable late night to dawn. Rises around 10:30 p.m. early in the month, and around 8:30 p.m. by the end of the month. Find it high in the south as sunrise approaches.
Skywatching Highlights:
August 11 & 12 – Venus-Jupiter Conjunction – The two brightest planets have a close meetup over several days, appearing closest over two days on the 11th and 12th, at just a degree apart.
August 19 & 20 – Moon with Jupiter & Venus – A slim lunar crescent joins Jupiter and Venus — still relatively close in the sky after their conjunction. They appear in the east in the several hours preceding sunrise.
August 12th-13th – Perseids Peak – The celebrated annual meteor shower will be hampered by an 84%-full Moon on the peak night. A few bright meteors may still be seen in the pre-dawn hours, but viewing conditions are not ideal this year.
All month – The Dumbbell Nebula (M27) – One of the easiest planetary nebulas to observe, M27 appears within the Summer Triangle star pattern, high overhead in the first half of the night.
TranscriptWhat’s Up for August? Jupiter and Venus have a morning meetup, we check out this year’s Perseid meteor shower, and peek into the future of our own Sun.
Mars is the lone planet in the early evening sky this month, visible low in the west for about an hour after the sky starts to darken. It’s now only about 60% as bright as it appeared back in May.
Saturn is rising by about 10 pm, and you’ll see it showing up a bit earlier each evening as the month goes on. You’ll find it in the east after dark with the constellations Cassiopeia and Andromeda. The Ringed Planet makes its way over to the western part of the sky by dawn, where early risers will find it on August mornings.
The real highlight of August is the close approach of Jupiter and Venus. They shine brightly in the east before sunrise throughout the month. The pair begin the month farther apart, but quickly approach each other in the sky. They appear at their closest on the 11th and 12th — only about a degree apart. Their rendezvous happens against a backdrop of bright stars including Orion, Taurus, Gemini, and Sirius. A slim crescent Moon joins the pair of planets after they separate again, on the mornings of the 19th and 20th.
Sky chart showing the eastern sky before sunrise on August 11th, with Venus and Jupiter only a degree apart. NASA/JPL-CaltechOne of the best annual meteor showers, the Perseids, peaks overnight on August 12th and into the 13th. Unfortunately, this year the Moon is nearly full on the peak night, and its glare will wash out all but the brightest meteors. While that’s not so great for Perseid watchers, the good news is that another favorite annual meteor shower, the Geminids, is poised for Moon-free viewing in December.
August is a great time to see one of the easiest-to-observe nebulas in the sky.
The Dumbbell Nebula, also known as M27, is high overhead on August nights. It’s a type of nebula called a “planetary nebula.”
A nebula is a giant cloud of gas and dust in space, and planetary nebulas are produced by stars like our Sun when they become old and nuclear fusion ceases inside them. They blow off their outer layers, leaving behind a small, hot remnant called a white dwarf. The white dwarf produces lots of bright ultraviolet light that illuminates the nebula from the inside, as the expanding shell of gas absorbs the UV light and re-radiates it as visible light.
The Dumbbell Nebula, nicknamed for its dumbbell-like shape, appears as a small, faint patch of light about a quarter of the width of the full moon in binoculars or a small telescope. It lies within the Summer Triangle, a pattern of stars that’s easy to find overhead in the August sky. You’ll find the nebula about a third of the way between its bright stars Altair and Deneb.
Sky chart showing the Summer Triangle asterism, with the location of the Dumbbell Nebula (M27) indicated. NASA/JPL-CaltechHere’s hoping you get a chance to observe this glimpse into the future that awaits our Sun about 5 billion years from now. It’s part of a cycle that seeds the galaxy with the ingredients for new generations of stars and planets — perhaps even some not too different from our own.
Here are the phases of the Moon for August.
The phases of the Moon for August 2025. NASA/JPL-CaltechYou can stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov. I’m Chelsea Gohd from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up for this month.
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