On Monday‚ April 8th‚ people across North America witnessed a rare celestial event known as a total solar eclipse. This phenomenon occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and blocks the face of the Sun for a short period. The eclipse plunged the sky into darkness for people living in the Canadian Maritimes‚ the American Eastern Seaboard‚ parts of the Midwest‚ and northern Mexico. Fortunately for all‚ geostationary satellites orbiting Earth captured images of the Moons shadow as it moved across North America.One such satellite was the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16 (GOES-16)‚ part of the Earth observation network jointly run by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The GOES-16 (GOES-East) satellite is the first of the series‚ regularly monitoring space weather and providing continuous imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earths western hemisphere. From its orbit at a distance of 36‚000 km (~22‚370 mi) from Earth‚ GOES-16 captured the passage of the eclipse across North America from approximately 10:00 A.M. to 05:00 P.M. EST (07:00 A.M. to 02:00 P.M. PST). Solar eclipses take several forms‚ which include what many residents in North America witnessed yesterday (i.e.‚ the Moon completely blocking the face of the Sun). Theres also an annual eclipse‚ which happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth when it is at or near its farthest point from Earth. As a result‚ the face of the Sun is not completely obscured and is visible as a bright ring in the sky. Theres also a partial eclipse‚ which happens when the Sun‚ Moon‚ and Earth are not perfectly lined up‚ making the Sun appear crescent-shaped.Theres also what is known as a hybrid solar eclipse‚ which can appear to shift between annular and total (due to Earths curvature) as the Moons shadow moves across the globe. A total eclipse‚ however‚ is the rarest of these events‚ where people located directly in the center of the Moons shadow will see only the Suns outer atmosphere (the corona). The next total eclipse is not expected to occur until August 12th‚ 2026‚ and will be visible to residents in Greenland‚ Iceland‚ Spain‚ Russia‚ and a small area of Portugal. For people in Europe‚ Africa‚ and North America‚ the same eclipse will appear as a partial one. The passage of the Moons shadow across Earths surface is known as the path of totality. As the images show‚ this path spanned across the North American continent from Mexico to the eastern tip of Canada. Aside from GEOS-16‚ images were also taken by the European Space Agencys (ESA)Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission using its Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR). This satellite monitors Earths oceans‚ land‚ glaciers‚ and atmosphere to monitor and improve our understanding of global weather dynamics.In addition to providing a rare glimpse at what a total eclipse looks like from space‚ the combined images are also an effective tool for researching how an eclipse influences Earths weather. As the Moon obscures light and heat from the Sun‚ air temperatures drop in the path of totality and can cause cloud formations to evolve in different ways. Data from GOES-16‚ Sentinel-3‚ and other Earth Observation satellites is now being used to explore these effects.Further Reading: ESAThe post Here';s the Total Solar Eclipse‚ Seen From Space appeared first on Universe Today.

In 2009‚ NASA launched the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO.) Its ongoing mission is to map the lunar surface in detail‚ locating potential landing sites‚ resources‚ and interesting features like lava tubes. The mission is an ongoing success‚ another showcase of NASAs skill. Its mapped about 98.2% of the lunar surface‚ excluding the deeply shadowed regions in the polar areas. But recently‚ the LRO teams skill was on display for another reason: it captured images of another satellite speeding over the lunar surface.The Republic of Korea‚ or what most of us call South Korea‚ launched their Danuri lunar orbiter in August 2022. Its the nations first lunar orbiter‚ and its mission is to develop and test technologiesincluding the space internetand make a topographic map of the lunar surface. The map will help select future landing sites and identify resources such as uranium‚ helium-3‚ silicon‚ aluminum‚ and water ice. Danuri carries a suite of instruments‚ including a spectrometer‚ a magnetometer‚ and different cameras. Significantly‚ it contains a camera that will allow it to image the shadowed polar regions beyond the LROs capabilities. A rendering of South Koreas Danuri‚ Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO). Image Credit: Korean Aerospace Research Institute.NASA contributed to the Korea Aerospace Research Institutes (KARI) Danuri mission. NASA built the Shadowcam instrument that images the shadowed regions at the lunar poles. As a sort of high-five to their fellow space-faring nation‚ the LRO captured images of Danuri as it sped by under the LRO. On March 5th and 6th‚ the pair of orbiters sped by each other at a combined velocity of 11‚500 km/h (7‚200 mp/h). There were three orbits that put the LRO in a position to capture images of the swiftly moving Danuri. During each orbit‚ the vertical separation between the two was different. The LRO was 5 km (3 miles) above Danuri in the first image. The LRO had to change its angle. To catch Danuri‚ it had to aim 43 degrees down from its usual angle. Danuri looks like a streak in this LRO image taken 5 km above it. Image Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State UniversityOn the second orbit‚ only 4 km (2.5 miles) separated the pair of orbiters.During the second orbit‚ the LRO captured this image of Danuri from only 4 km (2.5 miles) above it. The LRO was oriented 25 degrees toward the South Korean orbiter. Image Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State UniversityOn the third and final orbit‚ the separation between the two spacecraft was greater: 8 km (5 miles.) This time‚ the LRO was oriented at a 60-degree angle. In the image on the right‚ the Danuri pixels are unsmeared. The LRO was 8 km (5 miles) above Danuri when it captured this image. The image is rotated 90 degrees to look like what a person would see if they onboard the LRO and looking out a window. Image Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State UniversityDanuri is difficult to see in the final image. NASA says Danuri is in the white box near the right-hand corner of the image. If you can see it‚ you should consider becoming a citizen scientist. For perspective‚ the crater above the white box is 12 km (7.5 miles) wide. Image Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State UniversityThis isnt the first time the pair of orbiters have played the imaging game. Back in April 2023‚ it was Danuris turn to take a picture of the LRO. At the time‚ the Korean spacecraft passed about 18 km (11 miles) above the LRO and imaged it with its ShadowCam instrument. Danuri captured this image of the LRO when the NASA satellite was 18 km (11 miles) below it. The combined velocity of both spacecraft was 11‚000 km/h (7‚000 mp/h.) Image Credit: NASA/KARI/Arizona State UniversityThis isnt the first time lunar orbiters have captured each others portraits. In 2014‚ the LRO captured NASAs Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) before it was sent to impact the lunar surface. Read about it here. The post US Satellite Photographs a South Korean Satellite from Lunar Orbit appeared first on Universe Today.

Theres a lot we dont know about the planet nearest to us. Venus is shrouded in clouds‚ making speculation about whats happening on its surface a parlor game for many planetary scientists for decades. But one idea that always seems to come up in those conversations volcanoes. Its clear that Venus has plenty of volcanoes estimates center around about 85‚000 of them in total. However‚ science is still unclear as to whether there is any active volcanism on Venus or not. A new set of missions to the planet will hopefully shed some light on the topic and a new paper from researchers from Europe looks at how we might use information from those missions to do so.The authors break the question of whether there is active volcanism on Venus into two distinct approaches. First‚ can Venus maintain its current atmospheric composition without adding gases from volcanic sources? Second‚ is there any evidence for transient effects that would only be possible if active volcanoes existed?Lets explore the first approach first. One major data point to consider with this approach is the variability of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere over periods as long as decades. Some researchers have pointed to this variability as clear evidence of volcanism. Still‚ some take a more nuanced view and point out that the variability could be caused by unknown surface-atmosphere interactions or even interactions between two layers of the atmosphere itself.Fraser has a particular interest in Venus heres why.Transient effects in the atmosphere could include any number of features‚ ranging from water vapor to particulate matter (e.g.‚ volcanic ash). So far‚ data collected on this has been limited and mainly done with remote sensing missions. However‚ at least a few of the new missions to Venus will involve taking data as they descend through the atmosphere.One of those DAVINCI plans to take measurements in situ in the atmosphere. It will come with a couple of spectrometers‚ inertial measurement units‚ and high-tech cameras to collect data in the planets lower atmosphere. The spectrometers themselves should be able to directly and clearly detect trace volcanic gases in the atmosphere. Ionic concentrations‚ such as the deuterium/hydrogen ratio‚ would also indicate ongoing volcanic outgassing.But what about gases higher up in the atmosphere? EnVision‚ another mission‚ will specialize in that area of the planet using different types of near-IR and ultraviolet spectroscopy. It might help solve some mysteries in Venus cloud tops‚ including where an unknown reservoir of sulfur dioxide is located‚ as it seems to be a feedstock to an unknown process taking place in the clouds that defies current modeling efforts.Venera was one of the previous efforts to map the surface of Venus. Fraser discusses its history here.Though it is beyond the scope of the current paper‚ another potentially interesting sensor on a cloud-based platform would be an infrasound sensor as it would be able to directly detect pressure differences caused by volcanic eruptions. Unfortunately‚ no current planned mission would maintain position in the atmosphere for long enough for such a sensor to do its work‚ though a few have been proposed in recent years.Theres still going to be a long wait time before any of these analytical techniques can be put to good use. Of the three main missions heading to Venus shortly‚ the earliest DAVINCI isnt planned to launch for at least another five years‚ with arrival at Venus a few years later. Thats plenty of time for theorists to fine-tune their ideas about what the mission might find. And hopefully‚ it will help us answer the question of volcanism on our closest neighbor once and for all.Learn More:Wilson et al. Possible Effects of Volcanic Eruptions on the Modern Atmosphere of VenusUT Potentially Active Volcanoes Have Been Found on VenusUT We Now Have a Map of all 85‚000 Volcanoes on VenusUT Volcanoes on Venus May Still Be ActiveLead Image:Maat Mons Volcano on VenusCredit NASA / JPLThe post How Much of Venuss Atmosphere is Coming from Volcanoes? appeared first on Universe Today.

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