4 key things NASA just revealed about the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
Since the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered this past July — just the third confirmed object to arrive from another star — astronomers have been closely following its passage through our solar system. As the icy visitor brightened on its coast toward the sun, the public narrative brightened too, with online rumors casting it as a possible alien spacecraft during the recent 43-day-long government shutdown when NASA could not comment on the object or release new images. Last week, with the shutdown over, NASA held a long-awaited briefing in which it shared observations and early analysis from more than
Blue Origin announces New Glenn upgrade plans
MUNICH — A week after successfully launching and landing the current version of New Glenn, Blue Origin announced a series of upgrades to the vehicle. The company said Nov. 20 it plans to increase the thrust of the engines used on New Glenn and make other improvements. The upgrades include increasing the thrust of the seven BE-4 engines on the rocket’s first stage from a combined 3.9 million pounds-force to 4.5 million pounds-force. The two BE-3U engines on the upper stage will increase their total thrust from 320,000 to 400,000 pounds-force. “These enhancements will immediately benefit customers already manifested
Space forecasters say severe solar storms could hit Earth and trigger auroras
NEW YORK — Space weather forecasters issued an alert on Tuesday for incoming severe solar storms that could produce colorful northern lights and temporarily disrupt communications. In the past few days, the sun has burped out several bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections that could reach Earth Tuesday night and early Wednesday. The potential severe geomagnetic storms could disrupt radio and GPS communications, according to forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. How bright the auroras are and how far south they are visible will depend on when the solar bursts get here and how they interact