Luna 1, launched by the Soviet Union in 1959, was the first spacecraft designed to study the Moon. It was also the first artificial object to leave Earth’s gravity and travel close to the Moon. However, due to a small technical error, it missed its target and became the first human-made object to orbit the…
Humanity has taken a small step closer to the Sun, thanks to NASA’s Parker Solar Probe. It has now become the closest man-made object to the Sun, reaching just 6 million kilometers from its surface. Currently, the probe is in a position where it cannot communicate with Earth due to a temporary signal blackout. By…
Scientists have discovered a cave beneath the surface of the Moon that could be accessible for future lunar explorers. This underground chamber is located not far from the Apollo landing site, specifically around 400 kilometers away from the “Sea of Tranquility,” where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first set foot on the Moon 55 years…
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory recently marked its 25th anniversary by releasing an image of the massive galaxy NGC 6872. This spiral galaxy, also known as the Condor Galaxy, resides in the Pavo or Peacock constellation. The observatory, which was launched on July 23, 1999, is named in honor of the Indian astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. Compared…
The Artemis 2 mission is set to take four astronauts on a journey around the moon and back in September 2025. The core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, crucial for this mission, has recently been completed and shipped by Boeing and NASA. This marks a significant milestone in the Artemis program, which…
Have you ever seen pictures of the Amazon rainforest? It’s mostly flat, but in the wildest, most remote parts of the Amazon near the Peruvian border, there’s a mountain that rises half a kilometer above the flat forest. This mountain, known as Cerro El Cono, is believed to be the peak of an extinct volcano….
Aditya-L1, India’s first solar observatory spacecraft, has successfully completed its first orbit in the halo trajectory around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1). The spacecraft began its orbit around the Lagrange point on January 6 and took 178 days to complete this initial mission phase. Launched on September 2 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh aboard…
NASA’s Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, has recently set new records in its mission to explore the Red Planet. Originally designed for just five flights, Ingenuity has surpassed all expectations by completing over 50 flights since its arrival with the Perseverance rover in February 2021. Ingenuity’s latest flight, conducted last week, saw the helicopter reach an altitude…
For the first time, samples from the far side of the Moon, which is never visible from Earth, have been brought back to our planet. The Chang’e 6 spacecraft’s return module landed in Inner Mongolia, China, after a 53-day mission, carrying approximately 2 kg of lunar rocks. This marks a significant milestone in space exploration…
Europa, the fourth largest of Jupiter’s 95 moons, holds a special place in our solar system. It is the sixth closest moon to Jupiter and, along with Io, Ganymede, and Callisto, was among the first moons discovered beyond Earth. These moons, known as the Galilean moons, were first observed by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei,…
