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How can identifying land on exoplanets help scientists better understand whether an exoplanet could harbor life? This is what a recently submitted study hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated how identifying land on exoplanets could help dispel waterworld false positives, which occur when the data indicates an exoplanet contains deep oceans (approximately 50 Earth oceans), hence the name “waterworld”. This study has the potential to help scientists develop more efficient methods for classifying exoplanets and their compositions, specifically regarding whether they contain life as we know it, or even as we don’t know it.

If humans are planning to live off-world and colonise planets like Mars, that includes having children. But deep space and the surface of Mars aren't Earth, and there are several hazards that a gestating foetus will face, mainly microgravity and galactic cosmic rays. In a new paper, a researcher breaks down pregnancy into 10 sequential stages, evaluating what the implications of those conditions would be at each step. The author suggests that radiation would be the bigger risk.

Imagine if every time you turned on your phone, it accidentally jammed radio telescopes trying to detect alien signals. That's essentially what's happening as thousands of internet satellites flood Earth's orbit, creating electronic noise that's drowning out the whispers from black holes, distant galaxies, and the Big Bang itself. A massive new study reveals that our quest to connect every region of the planet is accidentally sabotaging our ability to answer the biggest questions in science and the problem is getting worse with every satellite launch.

Companies are adapting this humble clay-based ceramic to keep people cool—without electricity

By transforming idle heliostats into asteroid detectors, scientists aim to develop a cost-effective method for spotting faint, fast-moving space rocks.

You can save 20% on the Hommkiety Galaxy Projector on Amazon, which we praised for its build quality and high-end projections.

As preparations to launch Europe’s first MetOp Second Generation, MetOp-SG-A1, satellite continue on track, the team at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, has bid a heartfelt farewell to this precious satellite as it was sealed from view within the Ariane 6 rocket’s fairing.

This all-new weather satellite, which hosts the first Copernicus Sentinel-5 instrument, is set to take to the skies on 13 August at 02:37 CEST (12 August 21:37 Kourou time).

When rocks fracture in underground faults, they generate a variety of chemical compounds that could provide more energy sources for microbes in Earth’s depths

When rocks fracture in underground faults, they generate a variety of chemical compounds that could provide more energy sources for microbes in Earth’s depths

Sky & Telescope Associate Editor Sean Walker and Contributing Editor Stephen James O’Meara accompanied nine adventurers on a stargazing safari for an immersive experience in the African bush in Botswana.

The post Southern Splendors on Safari appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The image reveals over 2,500 galaxies, many of which are seen as they were during the first billion years of cosmic history.

Is the Helix Nebula looking at you?

A brutal alien planet isn't quite the same as future Earth, but Predator: Concrete Jungle has more than a few things in common with Predator: Badlands.

Curiosity Navigation

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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4616-4617: Standing Tall on the Ridge NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image, showing the impressive landscape it is currently navigating. The rover is standing tall on the ridge, its shadow casting forward, and Mount Sharp towers over the scene in the distance. Curiosity captured this image with its Front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) on July 30, 2025 — Sol 4614, or Martian day 4,614 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 02:24:02 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Written by Susanne P. Schwenzer, Professor of Planetary Mineralogy at The Open University, UK

Earth planning date: Wednesday, July 30, 2025

The day started with a little celebration of NISAR, a new Earth observation satellite that made it successfully into orbit a few hours before our planning started. We joined in by saying “GO NISAR, NASA, JPL, and ISRO” (the Indian Space Research Organisation, NASA’s mission partner, which launched NISAR). Learn more at the NISAR mission hub. Although our team studies Mars, Earth is a planet, too, and we are very happy for our colleagues’ successful launch!

On Mars, it’s still winter and the topic of every planning is how to maximize the science we can do given the increased power needs for heating our rover at this time of the year. Curiosity is parked on top of the main ridge, nicknamed the “autobahn.” It turned out to be not as smooth as its terrestrial namesake, as you can see in the image above. To arrive at this parking position, our rover drivers decided to take a small detour down into a flatter area and back up onto the ridge for safe off-road driving. The rover’s parking position allows for beautiful views around us, laying out the land of hollows and ridges perfectly to plan our next steps and to admire Mount Sharp in the distance.

Standing tall on the ridge, we got several investigations of the ridge-forming materials into today’s plan. APXS, MAHLI, and ChemCam are all teaming up to investigate the target “El Salto.” This is a target that could get us a glimpse into what formed the central line that is running along the big ridge. If you look closely at the images there are subtle differences in color and texture, and we are all curious whether that translates to chemical differences, too.

Of course, it’s not all about chemistry. Mastcam is busy documenting a small mound, and its context with veins and the hollow surrounding it, at the target “Llullaillaco.” The target “Cementerio De Tortugas” will capture sand ripples within a trough area, there is an extension of the workspace imaging in the plan for more context of today’s observations, and finally the ridge intersection is of interest at the target “Villa Abecia.” Of course, Mastcam didn’t forget the documentation of the ChemCam target “El Salto” and the AEGIS target from the last plan. Speaking of ChemCam: It’s using its imaging capabilities to document the side of the ridge to give finer details of the sedimentary structures of the target “Llullaillaco.”

Atmospheric observations are also of highest interest at this time of the day. We continue our atmospheric monitoring by looking for dust devils as well as up toward the clouds in a joint observation with the CASSIS instrument, which is aboard the European Space Agency’s Trace Gas Orbiter. In addition, Curiosity continues to monitor wind and temperature throughout the plan, and the DAN (dynamic albedo of neutrons) instrument observes the rocks underneath the rover for their water content.

After completing the observations at the current parking location, Curiosity will be driving off the ridge again, but this time to stay within the hollow, so we can make observations of the material that forms those hollows. Let’s see if we can find any chemical differences between those materials that might explain why one is standing up tall and the other one is weathering out. If you want to get a better impression of what I am talking about when I say ridges and troughs, have a look at this recent navigation camera mosaic.

Learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments

For more Curiosity blog posts, visit MSL Mission Updates

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2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4614-4615: Driving Along the Boxwork

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6 days ago

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7 days ago

Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited…

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Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…

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Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…

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The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…

Curiosity Navigation

• Curiosity Home
• Science
• News and Features
• Multimedia
• Mars Missions
• Mars Home

4 min read

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4616-4617: Standing Tall on the Ridge NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image, showing the impressive landscape it is currently navigating. The rover is standing tall on the ridge, its shadow casting forward, and Mount Sharp towers over the scene in the distance. Curiosity captured this image with its Front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) on July 30, 2025 — Sol 4614, or Martian day 4,614 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 02:24:02 UTC.NASA/JPL-Caltech

Written by Susanne P. Schwenzer, Professor of Planetary Mineralogy at The Open University, UK

Earth planning date: Wednesday, July 30, 2025

The day started with a little celebration of NISAR, a new Earth observation satellite that made it successfully into orbit a few hours before our planning started. We joined in by saying “GO NISAR, NASA, JPL, and ISRO” (the Indian Space Research Organisation, NASA’s mission partner, which launched NISAR). Learn more at the NISAR mission hub. Although our team studies Mars, Earth is a planet, too, and we are very happy for our colleagues’ successful launch!

On Mars, it’s still winter and the topic of every planning is how to maximize the science we can do given the increased power needs for heating our rover at this time of the year. Curiosity is parked on top of the main ridge, nicknamed the “autobahn.” It turned out to be not as smooth as its terrestrial namesake, as you can see in the image above. To arrive at this parking position, our rover drivers decided to take a small detour down into a flatter area and back up onto the ridge for safe off-road driving. The rover’s parking position allows for beautiful views around us, laying out the land of hollows and ridges perfectly to plan our next steps and to admire Mount Sharp in the distance.

Standing tall on the ridge, we got several investigations of the ridge-forming materials into today’s plan. APXS, MAHLI, and ChemCam are all teaming up to investigate the target “El Salto.” This is a target that could get us a glimpse into what formed the central line that is running along the big ridge. If you look closely at the images there are subtle differences in color and texture, and we are all curious whether that translates to chemical differences, too.

Of course, it’s not all about chemistry. Mastcam is busy documenting a small mound, and its context with veins and the hollow surrounding it, at the target “Llullaillaco.” The target “Cementerio De Tortugas” will capture sand ripples within a trough area, there is an extension of the workspace imaging in the plan for more context of today’s observations, and finally the ridge intersection is of interest at the target “Villa Abecia.” Of course, Mastcam didn’t forget the documentation of the ChemCam target “El Salto” and the AEGIS target from the last plan. Speaking of ChemCam: It’s using its imaging capabilities to document the side of the ridge to give finer details of the sedimentary structures of the target “Llullaillaco.”

Atmospheric observations are also of highest interest at this time of the day. We continue our atmospheric monitoring by looking for dust devils as well as up toward the clouds in a joint observation with the CASSIS instrument, which is aboard the European Space Agency’s Trace Gas Orbiter. In addition, Curiosity continues to monitor wind and temperature throughout the plan, and the DAN (dynamic albedo of neutrons) instrument observes the rocks underneath the rover for their water content.

After completing the observations at the current parking location, Curiosity will be driving off the ridge again, but this time to stay within the hollow, so we can make observations of the material that forms those hollows. Let’s see if we can find any chemical differences between those materials that might explain why one is standing up tall and the other one is weathering out. If you want to get a better impression of what I am talking about when I say ridges and troughs, have a look at this recent navigation camera mosaic.

Learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments For more Curiosity blog posts, visit MSL Mission Updates Share

Details Last Updated Aug 04, 2025 Related Terms

• Blogs

Explore More 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4614-4615: Driving Along the Boxwork Article 6 days ago 3 min read Spheres in the Sand Article 6 days ago 2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4611-4613: Scenic Overlook Article 7 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited…

All Mars Resources

Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…

Rover Basics

Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…

Mars Exploration: Science Goals

The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…

Birds are starting to make their way south for the winter, and you’ve got a front-row seat to the show

1 min read

NASA’s Black Marble: Stories from the Night Sky Earth (ESD)

• Earth
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Viewed from space, Earth at night tells endless stories. Using satellite data, we can track population growth, natural disaster damage, cultural celebrations, and even space weather. Studying these glowing patterns helps us understand human activity, respond to disasters, and witness a changing world.

Original Video and Assets

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Aug 04, 2025

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4 min read NUBE: New Card Game Helps Learners Identify Cloud Types Through Play

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6 min read NASA’s TRACERS Studies Explosive Process in Earth’s Magnetic Shield

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3 weeks ago

2 min read Polar Tourists Give Positive Reviews to NASA Citizen Science in Antarctica

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4 weeks ago

Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

Earth

Your home. Our Mission. And the one planet that NASA studies more than any other.

Explore Earth Science

Earth Science in Action

NASA’s unique vantage point helps us inform solutions to enhance decision-making, improve livelihoods, and protect our planet.

Earth Multimedia & Galleries

1 min read

NASA’s Black Marble: Stories from the Night Sky Earth (ESD)

• Earth
• Explore
• Science at Work
• Multimedia
• Data
• For Researchers
• About Us

Viewed from space, Earth at night tells endless stories. Using satellite data, we can track population growth, natural disaster damage, cultural celebrations, and even space weather. Studying these glowing patterns helps us understand human activity, respond to disasters, and witness a changing world.

Original Video and Assets Share

Details Last Updated Aug 04, 2025 Related Terms

• Earth
• Video Series

Explore More 4 min read NUBE: New Card Game Helps Learners Identify Cloud Types Through Play Article 3 days ago 6 min read NASA’s TRACERS Studies Explosive Process in Earth’s Magnetic Shield Article 3 weeks ago 2 min read Polar Tourists Give Positive Reviews to NASA Citizen Science in Antarctica Article 4 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Earth

Your home. Our Mission. And the one planet that NASA studies more than any other.

Explore Earth Science

Earth Science in Action

NASA’s unique vantage point helps us inform solutions to enhance decision-making, improve livelihoods, and protect our planet.

Earth Multimedia & Galleries

NASA is calling on the public to help shape the future of lunar exploration by designing the next generation of wheels capable of navigating the moon's harsh terrain.

Imagine 3D printing an entire building from Moon dust, or having robots construct disaster relief shelters while humans stay safely away from danger. Imagine construction sites where materials never run out because they're literally made from the dirt beneath your feet, and where every structure is built with manufacturing level precision. What sounds like science fiction is becoming reality as engineers solve the ultimate construction puzzle, building on other planets. The innovations being pioneered for lunar bases and Martian colonies are about to transform every construction site on our home planet.