Partial Solar Eclipse in White Light.
Credit: Unknown
Known distances of stars from Earth in the 1890s, chart and table. The story of the sun, moon and stars. 1898.
Tiggghhhttt
Our solar system is huge, let us break it down for you. Here are a few things to know this week:
1. The New New Horizons
Seven months after the Pluto flyby, information and discoveries continue to flow from the New Horizons mission, as the spacecraft transmits more and more data to scientists on Earth.
2. A Longlasting Dawn
The Dawn orbiter is in good health as it carries out the ongoing reconnaissance of the dwarf planet Ceres, which is revealing some spectacular and mysterious landscapes.
3. Storm Watch: Saturn
This week the Cassini spacecraft will be watching for storms in Saturn’s turbulent atmosphere. On March 6, it will spend about 14 hours acquiring a movie of the narrow, braided F ring. Check out some past photos of Saturnian storms HERE.
4. The Next Flight to Mars Departs Soon
The ExoMars 2016 mission, a joint endeavor between the European Space Agency and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, is set to lift off in March. The 2016 mission consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter and the Schiaparelli Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module. We’re supplying some of the technology that will fly aboard the orbiter. In 2018, the ExoMars rover is slated to follow.
5. Early Encounter with a Comet
As we continue to marvel at the latest images from Rosetta, this week is a good time to remember the 30th anniversary of the Vega 1 Comet Halley flyby. This Russian spacecraft dropped off a balloon probe at Venus before continuing on to the comet, which is photographed and examined at close range by flying through its coma.
Want to learn more? Read our full list of the 10 things to know this week about the solar system HERE.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
Yep, dope haha!
Io: Moon over Jupiter. Captured by the Cassini spacecraft on April 8th 2012.
js
Just a socially awkward college student with an interest in the celestial bodies in our universe.
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