For astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), living in zero gravity is challenging enough while awake, but have you ever wondered how they manage to sleep? American astronaut Sunita (Suni) L. Williams shared a fun video tour of the ISS, showing us exactly how astronauts catch their Zs in space.

Williams became a NASA astronaut in 1998 and is currently on her third mission aboard the International Space Station. The video shared in 2012 is from her time as a commander of Expedition 33. She showcases Node 2, also known as Harmony, which is the “utility hub” of the International Space Station. It’s where four of the six crew members sleep in individual sleeping cabins.

“People always ask about sleeping in space,” Williams says in the video. “You don’t really have the sensation of laying down. You just sit in your sleeping bag.” As she floats into one of the sleeping cabins, she explains that each one is “sort of like a little phone booth.” Inside, there's a sleeping bag that keeps the astronauts in  one spot so they don’t “fly all over the place.” There’s also a computer, books, clothes, and “other things that make it sort of like home.” Williams explains that you can sleep in any orientation. “I don’t have any sensation in my head that tells me I’m upside down,” she says. “So it really doesn’t matter.”

Williams is currently serving as the co-pilot of the Crew Flight Test mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Launched June 5, 2024, the crew was originally expected to spend about eight days in space, but technical issues have resulted in them being on the craft for over 50 days. However, Williams, commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore, and the other crew members are doing everything they can to remain calm and find a way to land safely back on Earth.

There are rumors about a contingency plan for Williams and Wilmore to hop aboard a commercial crew flight back to Earth with the SpaceX Dragon Crew, who plan to launch to the ISS next month. But for now, NASA still hopes to have the pair return on Starliner.

“I have a real good feeling in my heart that this spacecraft will bring us home, no problem,” Williams revealed. “We’re learning now to optimize our specific situation and make sure that we know everything about it.”

Watch Williams’ video tour below.

American astronaut Suni Williams reveals how she and her crew members do ordinary things in space including how astronauts sleep on the International Space Station.

This tour, given nearly 12 years ago, recently went viral on Reddit with many commenters weighing in with their opinions on the bizarre living conditions.

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Check out the whole 9-minute video to see how astronauts store their food, brush their teeth, and use the bathroom, too!

h/t: [BeAmazed, NPR]

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Photo: Atlantic Records via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

On July 12, “The Rain (Super Dupa Fly)” by Missy Elliott became the second song to be transmitted into space, following The Beatles' “Across the Universe” transmission in 2008. With the help of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the hip-hop track was beamed across 158 million miles to Elliott's favorite planet, Venus, in 14 minutes.

Brittany Brown, the director of digital and technological communication, originally pitched the idea to Elliott's team. In NASA's announcement, she explains that the collaboration was inspired by Missy Elliott's frequent use of space imagery. Elliott's music videos often feature futuristic themes with a cyberpunk-like aesthetic. This style also extends to her latest tour, “Out Of This World,” which has a surrealist spacecraft-inspired atmosphere. She often wears metallic fabrics and bold colors while performing, reflecting a combination of retro and new-world styles.

“The Rain” was transmitted at the speed of light through the Deep Space Network (DSN), giant radio antennas used for missions around Earth and with other planets. From a radio dish near Barstow, California, the DSN used large antennas typically employed to track spacecrafts, send commands, and receive data. Additionally, the DSN is capable of communicating with spacecrafts that range in distance from a few thousand kilometers away to beyond the solar system. This advanced technology made it possible to send Missy Elliott's song to Venus precisely and quickly.

The broadcasted song, which contains a sample of Ann Peebles' 1973 single “I Can't Stand the Rain,” was written and composed by Don Bryant, Bernard Miller, Missy Elliott, and producer Timbaland for her debut album Supa Dupa Fly in 1997. Elliott received two Grammy Award nominations for the album: Best Rap Album and Best Rap Solo Performance for “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly).”

NASA's choice of Missy Elliott—who recently became the first female hip-hop artist in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame—may have been influenced by more than just her futuristic branding. The artist has produced revolutionary songs addressing topics such as feminism, gender equality, and sex and body positivity, making her a pioneer for a new generation of female artists.

While it's unclear why NASA has chosen to transmit a song after over a decade, since the transmission of the Beatles “Across the Universe” to North Star, Polaris, the decision to send Elliott's hit song into space reflects the organization's commitment to blend culture and science. Elliott's innovative and creative work as an artist aligns with NASA's goal of bringing artistic expression into space exploration.

On July 12, NASA transmitted Missy Elliott’s hit song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” to Venus, making it the second song to ever be sent into space.

Supa-flying to Venus!

For the first time, a hip-hop song was transmitted #OutOfThisWorld. @MissyElliott‘s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” traveled 158 million miles to Venus through NASA's Deep Space Network from @NASAJPL‘s Deep Space Station 13 in California: https://t.co/Gg5ibm80hb pic.twitter.com/BwsdTNNqCv

— NASA (@NASA) July 15, 2024

YOOO this is crazy! We just went #OutOfThisWorld with @NASA and sent the FIRST hip hop song into space through the Deep Space Network. My song “The Rain” has officially been transmitted all the way to Venus, the planet that symbolizes strength, beauty and empowerment. The sky is… pic.twitter.com/g6HofNQSt1

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) July 15, 2024

Elliott’s music often features space-themed imagery and a futuristic aesthetic, making her a fitting choice for a collaboration that blends culture with space exploration.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Missy Elliott (@missymisdemeanorelliott)

Beyond creating innovative beats, the four-time Grammy Award-winning artist has made an impact with her music by addressing themes such as feminism and gender equality.

I’m just Waiting on that Spaceship to take y’all #OUTOFTHISWORLD it’s gone be crazzzzzzy facts#outofthisworldtour pic.twitter.com/xbsPFLcLZd

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) June 9, 2024

Elliott has an influential role in shaping contemporary music by inspiring a new generation of artists and creating cultural milestones, including her recent achievement of having her work reach outer space.

OH SNAPWe bout to go #OUTOFTHISWORLD on this tour 4real tho! The ENERGY gone be through the ROOF! Look up in the sky & see where the SPACESHIP gonna land next @ciara @BustaRhymes @Timbaland https://t.co/f6wE0hldEQ pic.twitter.com/eovTLnUfoL

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) May 13, 2024

Missy Elliott: Website | Instagram | X
h/t: [IFL Science]

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READ: From Earth to Venus: NASA Sends Missy Elliott’s Hit Song ‘The Rain’ Into Space

Perseid Meteor Shower as seen in 2017 from Egypt. (Photo: Ahmed abd elkader mohamed via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Summer is a prime time for meteor watching.The weather is great, the nights are warm, and the skies are putting on a show. As Earth enters the path of debris fields in space, the debris hits our atmosphere. The hot rocks burn up as they pass through our atmosphere, creating the trailing “shooting stars” that we see from Earth. A meteor shower is a stunning celestial event, and there are plenty of chances for American viewers to catch the spectacle in summer 2024. Chief among these is the annual Perseid Meteor shower, which due to the lower moonlight expected this year, will be particularly visible and exciting.

The Perseids will begin in late July, amping up to a peak on August 11 and 12, before tailing off through August 18, 2024. At peak, observers will likely see between 50 and 100 meteors in an hour. For the week leading up to August 12, the Moon is at less than 50% brightness, allowing the shooting meteors to shine. Meteor enthusiasts should be sure to watch in pre-dawn darkness for the best viewing, and intrepid travelers can hope to catch especially amazing views from national parks including Grand Canyon National Park. (See a list of the top seven dark sky parks to view the event from on Outside.)

In case you miss the Perseids, there are other smaller meteor showers throughout the summer. From late July to late August 2024, according to Space.com, six meteor showers will occur, including the “Capricornids, Delta Aquarids, Piscis Australids, Alpha Capricornids, Iota Aquarids, and Kappa Cygnids.” So get outside and observe these incredible sights. The Perseids have been fascinating humans since at least 36 CE when they were first recorded by observers, and they are just as incredible in 2024.

In the second week of August 2024, observers can expect to see an especially impressive display of the Perseid Meteor shower.

The shower seen in summer 2010. (Photo: ESO/S. Guisard via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

The Moon will be at less than 50% brightness, making it a perfectly dark sky for the best viewing of “shooting stars.”

The meteor shower in 2007. (Photo: Brocken Inaglory via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

h/t: [Space]

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Photo:NASA/Goddard/ASU

As beautiful as the Moon is, its surface is not especially hospitable to humans. Temperatures at the equator range from 250°F (121°C) during the day to -208°F (-133°C) after dark. Add in micrometeorites and high levels of radiation and it seems unlikely that astronauts will ever spend extended periods of time on the Moon’s surface. However, according to a new study published in Nature, the first confirmed lunar cave has been identified and could eventually be a base camp for astronauts on long-term missions.

Scientists have been theorizing about lunar caves for at least 50 years. In 2009, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)  launched in order to make a 3D map of the Moon. It gathered evidence in 2010 of very deep pits, including one on the Sea of Tranquility, near where Apollo 11 landed in 1969.

The radar imaging of this 300-foot-wide pit has now been reanalyzed using new signal processing techniques. As a result, University of Trento scientists Lorenzo Bruzzone and Leonardo Carrer determined the pit is indeed an opening to a cave that is as long as 14 tennis courts and 130 feet wide.

Photo: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Despite its promising structure, getting in and out of the cave might be tricky. It's nearly a completely vertical slope down, and it's 410 feet below the surface on the west side. On the east side, it's even deeper at 443 feet. As Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration researcher Robert Wagner explained to The Guardian, “Getting into that pit requires descending 125 meters before you reach the floor, and the rim is a steep slope of loose debris where any movement will send little avalanches down on to anyone below. It’s certainly possible to get in and out, but it will take a significant amount of infrastructure.”

Scientists are hoping this is just the first of many caves to be discovered as the LRO has already identified over 200 lunar pits. The confirmed lunar cave, along with other pits, are thought to be the result of lava tubes formed from volcanic activity that occurred billions of year ago. Not only could caves be vital to future long-term missions in terms of shelter, they may also contain ice and be a source of water. Study author Carrer notes, “After all, life on Earth began in caves, so it makes sense that humans could live inside them on the Moon.”

The research implications of having access to lunar caves would also be wide-reaching. The geological record from inside the caves will provide billions of years of information. This data would aide researchers in understanding both volcanoes and the formation of the Moon.

“It’s really exciting,” Carrer says. “When you make these discoveries and you look at these images, you realize you’re the first person in the history of humanity to see it.”

While lunar caves have been theorized about for half a century, researchers have recently confirmed the existence of one on the Sea of Tranquility.

One of many large pit craters so far found on the Moon — do these pits provide access to open lava tubes? Image is 1170 meters wide. (Photo:NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)

This is a spectacular high-Sun view of the Mare Tranquillitatis pit crater revealing boulders on an otherwise smooth floor. This image from LRO’s Narrow Angle Camera is 400 meters (1,312 feet) wide, north is up.
(Photo: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University)

The lunar cave is thought to be a lava tube cave that is the result of volcanic activity billions of years ago.

This image was taken in August 2019 inside a lava tube near Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano, where scientists had come to study the microbes and minerals that could reveal insights about similar extra-terrestial environments. (Photo:NASA/Goddard)

h/t: [Smithsonian Magazine]

All images via NASA.

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Since 1992, when the first exoplanet was confirmed, over 6,600 have been discovered in 4,868 planetary systems. Inspired by these discoveries, Slovakian artist and designer Martin Vargic has created two visual representations that are aesthetically beautiful and scientifically fascinating.

One infographic, the Exoplanet Zoo, shows over 1,100 known exoplanets arranged by the amount of heat they receive from their relative stars. The other, Icy and Rocky Worlds, sorts nearly 900 known exoplanets that are confirmed or thought to be rocky or terrestrial by the heat they receive.

While he took some artistic liberties, such as the ring systems, the vast majority of the exoplanets' look and feel are anchored in science. Created using data from The Extrasolar Planet Encyclopaedia, NASA Exoplanet Archive, and ExoKyoto, each piece took Vargic six months to complete.

“I researched extensively on the possible coloration of exoplanets,” Vargic tells My Modern Met. “The appearances of giant planets on the graphic are based on the Sudarsky's scale and likely presence of different cloud or haze compounds at different temperatures, as well as existing exoplanet art.”

Both posters, which are on sale via Vargic's Halcyon Maps, offer plenty to enjoy. Some of the fascinating exoplanets included are WASP-12b, an exceedingly hot egg-shaped planet warped by its proximity to its star, and 55 Cancri e. This exoplanet is confirmed to have a lava ocean and an interior mainly composed of diamonds.

“I hope the infographics help people appreciate the sheer number and variety of exoplanets we already know of, just how few are comparatively found in the habitable zone, the sheer extremes of temperature distant exoplanets can be found at, and perhaps inspire them to pursue space and astronomy further,” shares Vargic. “Despite their scale, both infographics combined still portray only one-quarter of all exoplanets discovered so far!”

Scroll down to see more details from both of these incredible astronomy infographics.

Artist Martin Vargic has created infographics that explore the fascinating world of exoplanets.

He sorted nearly 2,000 exoplanets by temperature using data from several astronomical sources.

One infographic hones in on terrestrial and rocky planets.

Exoplanet Zoo and Icy and Rocky Worlds are available as posters on Vargic's Halcyon Maps.

Halcyon Maps: Website | Facebook | X

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Martin Vargic.

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Aganippe Fossa, the steep-walled canyon on Mars. (Photo: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)

Mars is known as the Red Planet for its color shining in the night sky, one planet over from our Earth. Although appearing like a warm desert in many satellite images, the planet is actually shockingly cold, a fact with which any human mission will eventually have to contend with. Space exploration has devoted a lot of time and effort to gathering information on the neighboring planet with satellites and rovers dedicated to it. One such satellite is the Mars Express orbiter operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). Onboard is a High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) which recently sent some exciting images of Aganippe Fossa, a 373-mile (600 km) “scar” on the surface of the planet back to Earth.

Aganippe Fossa is what is technically known as a graben, which ESA defines as “a ditch-like groove with steep walls on either side.” It stretches for an impressive 373 miles, longer than the 277-mile length of the United States' Grand Canyon.

Topographical images representing the relative altitudes of the surface of Mars show the depth (in blue) of the canyon. The red to the bottom left of the image (below) indicates the rising slope of Arsia Mons, a volcano rising 5.6 miles (9 km) above the planet's nearby surface. It is one of several volcanoes in this region of Mars, known as Tharsis.

Aganippe Fossa likely formed due to the region's volcanic activity. According to the ESA: “It seems likely that it was formed as magma rising underneath the colossal mass of the Tharsis volcanoes caused Mars’ crust to stretch and crack.”

As if the planet has a stretchmark, the Aganippe Fossa holds a story of change. It also traverses two wildly different lanscapes as shown in the images. The rough leftmost half is called “hummocky terrain,” rocky hills and valleys. This transitions into “lobate terrain” which features more gentle slopes and rocky features. To the far right are “zebra stripes” created by winds whipping sand into patterns.

While the Mars Express continues to explore, each image it sends back—like this new one of Aganippe Fossa—expands our knowledge of the Red Planet.

The ESA’s Mars Express captured a new highly detailed image of a deep 373-mile-long “scar,” a narrow canyon, on the surface of the red planet.

Aganippe Fossa's region shown in different colors to indicate altitude. “Lower altitude parts of the surface are shown in blues and purples, while higher altitude regions show up in whites and reds, as indicated on the scale to the top right,” according to the ESA. (Photo: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)

h/t: [Live Science]

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In this 30-second exposure, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, in Spruce Knob, West Virginia. (Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA)

If you make a wish every time you spot a “shooting star,” July 30 will be a busy night for you. Two different meteor showers are scheduled to peak on that night. As a result, it will be possible to see a meteor every two minutes during the darkest hours. Especially if you live in southern latitudes, the Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids will inspire even those with the shortest attention spans to keep their eyes on the sky.

The Delta Aquariids will be the source for most of the meteors. Up to 25 per hour will stud the sky in late July. The Alpha Capricornids will be less frequent. However, they'll be brighter and might even include some fireballs. “This shower is not very strong and rarely produces in excess of five shower members per hour,” writes the American Meteor Society. “What is notable about this shower is the number of bright fireballs produced during its activity period.”

The meteor showers' names are based on their radiant. This is the location in the sky where it appears they're originating to us on Earth. The Delta Aquariids will look like they are coming from the constellation Aquarius, specifically the bright star Delta Aquarii. Similarly, the Alpha Capricornids will appear to be originating from the star Alpha Capricorni. If you're into astrology, you'll know that Capricorn and Aquarius are next to each other. Hence, the overlap in peak dates being especially exciting since skywatchers won't be able to tell which meteors are which necessarily.

While they're named for stars, meteor showers are the result of debris from comets entering the Earth's atmosphere at high speeds and burning up. The Delta Aquariids originate from the 96P Machholz comet and the 169P/NEAT comet created the Alpha Capricornids. 

The Aquariid showers will be happening from July 18 through August 21. You can already catch a glimpse of the Capricornids which started on July 3 and will last until August 15. While it might be hard for those of us farther north in the Northern Hemisphere to catch a glimpse of the meteor showers, we'll have our turn with the Perseid meteor showers which peak in mid-August.

No matter which meteor shower you attempt to enjoy, make sure to leave city lights behind and allow half an hour for your eyes to adjust.

Two different meteor showers in the same part of the night sky will be peaking on July 30, 2024.

The Eta Aquariids meteor shower, which peaked in early May, was captured in this stunning image by astrophotographer Petr Horálek. It was taken near San Pedro de Atacama, a Chilean town about 50 km away from the Chajnantor observatory site, where APEX and ALMA, astronomical facilities co-owned by ESO, are located. The Eta Aquariids meteors are caused by leftover debris from Halley’s comet and make up the bright, arrow-like darts of light in the photo. (Photo: P. Horalek/European Southern Observatory, CC BY-NC-SA)

h/t: [Good News Network]

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Photo: Csabai-29

Since it first entered Jupiter's orbit in 2016, NASA's JunoCam has given the world an unparalleled look at the planet. This visible-light camera/telescope sits in the Juno space probe and sends data back to Earth each time it completes a flyby of the gas giant. Thanks to citizen scientists who process the raw data that NASA uploads, we can see a crisp, clear view of Jupiter in all its glory.

While the JunoCam was only supposed to be operational for 20 months, as this was the original length of the Juno mission, it's still providing us a view of the planet and will continue to do so as long as the probe remains operational.

The photos it provides, particularly of Jupiter's cloud formations and swirling storm systems, are particularly impressive. It's important to remember that the colors we see here are all added in post-production. The JunoCam itself has three color filters—red, blue, and green. As it faces the planet, it snaps images to produce photo strips that are then stitched together to create a complete image.

The people who take the time to process this data enhance the final image so the colors appear as they would to the human eye, even if the raw data looks different.

Of course, taking photos of Jupiter isn't the only thing on Juno's mind. In fact, the imagery is a secondary goal to help with public outreach. In reality, the main aim of the mission is to learn more about Jupiter's composition and how it was formed.

Still, given the stunning visual results, we can't help but be grateful that NASA thought to incorporate a camera to give us a detailed view of the giant planet. Scroll down to see some of our favorite JunoCam photos and see NASA's JunoCam website to discover the newest featured images created by citizen scientists.

Here are some spectacular images of Jupiter taken by NASA's JunoCam.

Photo: Enhanced image by Betsy Asher Hall and Gervasio Robles based on images provided courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS, processing by Prateek Sarpal, © CC NC SA

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstad/Sean Doran © CC NC SA

Photo: Enhanced image by Kevin M. Gill (CC-BY) based on images provided courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS, Processing by Brian Swift CC BY

Photo: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Björn Jónsson © CC NC SA

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstadt/Sean Doran © CC NC SA

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstadt/Sean Doran © CC NC SA

Photo: NASA / SwRI / MSSS / Tanya Oleksuik © CC NC SA

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS, processing by David Marriott

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS, processing by Gerald Eichstädt/Seán Doran, © BY NC ND

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Georgios_NK

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Photo: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger

Scientists believe we're nearing the reoccurrence of the nova T Coronae Borealis (T CrB), nicknamed the Blaze Star. It's expected before 2026, and based on recent activity, it's likely to brighten the night sky this summer. The explosion happens roughly every 80 years. So unless you're a toddler or a vampire, this is probably your only chance to witness it.

A nova is an event that happens between two stellar bodies that make up a binary star. All binary star systems include a white dwarf, the extremely dense remnants of stars that have already exhausted their fuel. They are so dense they contain the mass of our Sun within the volume of the Earth. In T CrB's case, its white dwarf is in orbit with a red giant, which is a low-density massive star nearing the end of its life before becoming a white dwarf itself.

These two stars circle each other every 228 days with the dense white dwarf pulling off matter from its red giant. As the white dwarf gains more mass, its temperature and pressure steadily increase until the ignition point for hydrogen is met. Then an explosion akin to a thermonuclear bomb going off occurs. The explosion doesn't destroy either of the stars, but it blasts the accretion disc of material the white dwarf had siphoned from the red giant back home to restart the cycle.

Novae typically originate in binary systems containing sun-like stars, as shown in this artist's rendering. A nova in a system like this likely produces gamma rays (magenta) through collisions among multiple shock waves in the rapidly expanding shell of debris. (Photo: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger)

Scientists aren't sure why the T CrB nova seems to take place every 80 years. It might have something to do with how comparatively large the white dwarf is. They do know, however, that similar to the last two occurrences, T CrB has been growing in brightness since 2015 for seven years. Then for the past year it was dimming in magnitude. This is thought to be a sign that the nova will happen this summer. T CrB is usually too dim for it to be seen in the night sky, but it will be visible to the human eye for a few days to a week when the nova happens.

Along with the February 1946 nova, T CrB was definitely witnessed in 1866. Nineteenth century astronomers were even able to predict that it would return in 80 years from their observations. Impressively, astronomer Bradley Schaeffer has also managed to find two more likely instances of the T CrB in historical archives. In 1787, an English reverend and astronomer, Francis Wollaston, observed nova-like behavior in the same part of the sky that T CrB is.

Even further back, 570 years before Wollaston, a German abbot named Burchard saw a star become much brighter. Schaeffer has ruled out other possible explanations for this bright star suddenly appearing. It was in the wrong region of the sky to have been a visible planet and there was no mention of a tail suggesting it wasn't a comet.

“A wonderful sign was seen,” Burchard wrote. He also noted that the object near the constellation Corona Borealis “shone with great light” for “many days.” Monks were familiar with comets and at the time considered them bad omens. However Burchard seemed to think this event was a positive sign. This is why Schaeffer is convinced this was an instance of T CrB going nova. And if it was a supernova, its remnants would still be detectable.

This image of the classic nova GK Persei contains X-rays from Chandra (blue), optical data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (yellow), and radio data from the National Science Foundation’s Very Large Array (pink). The X-ray data show hot gas and the radio data show emission from electrons that have been accelerated to high energies by the nova shock wave. The optical data reveal clumps of material that were ejected in the explosion. The nature of the point-like source on the lower left is unknown. (Photo: NASA)

Schaeffer hopes to find more historical observations to give us a greater understanding of novas. Either way, this instance will stand apart from previous generations as we now have far more advanced technology to observe it. As project scientist for NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Stephanie Hays explains, “Typically, nova events are so faint and far away that it’s hard to clearly identify where the erupting energy is concentrated. This one will be really close, with a lot of eyes on it, studying the various wavelengths and hopefully giving us data to start unlocking the structure and specific processes involved. We can’t wait to get the full picture of what’s going on.”

The last time the Blaze Star graced the night sky, NASA was still over a decade from being founded and the world was recovering from the end of the Second World War. This nova will be an event that connects us across generations through history. Despite the massive societal shifts that have happened in between sightings, the nova continues to highlight how unfathomable the scale of the universe is to us humans on tiny Earth. It will also be an opportunity to advance the science of what we can comprehend.

Based on past observed behavior, the recurrent nova T Corona Borealis will make an appearance this summer before it restarts its 80-year cycle.

Dead Star Warps Light of Red Giant-This artist concept depicts an ultra-dense dead star, called a white dwarf, passing in front of a red giant. This is a binary system similar to the one about to have a nova, T Corona Borealis. (Photo:NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Last occurring during the Truman presidency, this will be the first time space telescopes exist to capture images of the explosive event.

A stunning amount of energy is unleashed when a star goes nova. (Photo: NASA/Goddard)

With more knowledge about novas, we'll get closer to understanding the life cycles of stars.

The white dwarf remains intact even though the explosion releases as much energy as our sun emits in 100,000 years.(Photo: NASA/Goddard)

Look up after sunset during summer months to find Hercules! Scan between Vega and Arcturus, near the distinct pattern of Corona Borealis. Once you find its stars, use binoculars or a telescope to hunt down the globular clusters M13 (and a smaller globular cluster M92). If you enjoy your views of these globular clusters, you’re in luck – look for another great globular, M3, in the nearby constellation of Boötes. (Photo: NASA/ Stellarium)

h/t: [IFLScience]

All images via NASA.

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An artist's concept of Gliese 12 b with a thin atmosphere and it's red dwarf in the distance. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (Caltech-IPAC))

The search for extraterrestrial life has long motivated astronomers. The universe is vast and many realms still remain unknown. Thankfully, the evolving technology of astronomers at NASA and other research centers has shed light on increasingly far reaches of the skies. Observations from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) have recently revealed yet another exoplanet—a planet beyond our Solar System.

This exoplanet, known as Gliese 12 b, is fascinating because it is the most promising exoplanet discovered in terms of potential habitability. More information is needed, but the exciting find announced in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society is already turning astronomical heads.

Gliese 12 b is about 40 light-years from Earth. It orbits a star named Gliese 12, a red dwarf much cooler than our own Sun. The exoplanet makes a complete orbit in a swift 12.8 days unlike our Earth's year-long journey. However, Gliese 12 b is quite close in size to Earth, about the size of Venus which is slightly smaller than our own planet.

Gliese 12 b being much closer to its own duller sun means it gets 1.6 times the radiation than Earth does. Estimates place the surface temperature at about 107 degrees Fahrenheit at the exoplanet's surface. While significantly hotter than Earth, this estimate could be affected by the exoplanet's atmosphere—if it has one. Within the habitable zone of distance from its star, further investigation may reveal a planet that can sustain liquid water, and maybe life.

Scientists hope to use the James Webb Space Telescope to peer closer at the exoplanet and search for signs of an atmosphere. According to a statement, “Getting an answer is vital because it would reveal if Gliese 12 b can maintain temperatures suitable for liquid water—and possibly life—to exist on its surface, while also unlocking answers about how and why Earth and Venus evolved so differently.” Venus' atmosphere amps up its heat to unbearable temperatures, while our atmosphere maintains the conditions for water and life.

Larissa Palethorpe, an author of the study, commented, “It is thought that Earth's and Venus' first atmospheres were stripped away and then replenished by volcanic outgassing and bombardments from residual material in the solar system. The Earth is habitable, but Venus is not due to its complete loss of water. Because Gliese 12 b is between Earth and Venus in temperature, its atmosphere could teach us a lot about the habitability pathways planets take as they develop.”

The newly discovered exoplanet, Gliese 12 b, offers the best chance at discovering a habitable planet like Earth.

Earth with different possible Gliese 12b atmospheres which change the size. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (Caltech-IPAC))

h/t: [Science Alert]

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