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Posts by
Deborah Byrd
Cassini milestones before the final plunge
Milestones for Cassini's final week at Saturn. Today's distant flyby of the large moon Titan will slow down the spacecraft enough so that - on Friday - Cassini will make its final plunge into Saturn's atmosphere.
September 11, 2017
Another X-flare from the sun
We're near solar minimum, but the sun has been active! Click here for a video of solar flares so far in September, 2017 and for news for the sun's most recent X-flare.
September 11, 2017
Most detailed color images of Saturn’s rings, ever
As we prepare to say goodbye to Cassini at Saturn - one of the longest-running and most awesome space missions ever - here's yet another first, a finely seen section of Saturn's inner-central B Ring, in natural color.
September 11, 2017
Ultraviolet light key to life search, too?
Too little UV light, and life might not ever start. Too much, in the form dramatic UV flares from stars, and the atmospheres of orbiting planets might undergo damage.
September 10, 2017
X-ray astronomy and planet-hosting stars
X-ray astronomers explored how quickly young stars settle down after blasting the space around themselves - including any possible planets - with energetic radiation.
September 10, 2017
What drives Jupiter’s brightest auroras?
The sun drives Earth's auroras. But Jupiter’s brightest auroras may be accelerated by processes within the giant planet's own magnetic field.
September 9, 2017
Thursday night was fantastic for auroras
Space weather forecasters predicted the possibility of strong geomagnetic storms, resulting in a strong display of the aurora borealis, or northern lights … and they were right!
September 8, 2017
Asteroid 3122 Florence: Video and images
This large asteroid swept closest to Earth on September 1. It's big enough that astronomers are still catching it in small telescopes, as a small, slow-moving “star.”
September 8, 2017
Giant sunspots, solar flares, aurora alert!
Sunwatchers are still tracking those 2 large sunspot groups making their way across the Earth-facing side of the sun. Then yesterday there was an X-flare! Watch for possible auroras.
September 7, 2017
See an extra-red moon or sun this week?
If you live in the U.S. or Canada, a peculiarly red moon - or very spectacular sunrise or sunset - might be due to smoke from wildfires. Click in for images from Earth and space.
September 6, 2017
