Page 3 - Moon

Moon's surface once a magma ocean, suggests Isro's Chandrayaan-3 data

Data from ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission supports the theory that the Moon was once covered in an ocean of magma, or a 'magma ocean', an analysis, published in the journal Nature, has suggested. The analysis pertained to measurements of the lunar soil, recorded by the Pragyan rover and taken at multiple points along a 100-metre track on the surface. The rover was deployed by the Vikram lander, which made a soft landing near the south pole of the Moon on August 23, 2023. Chandrayaan-3, consisting of the lander and rover, was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Bengaluru. The study's authors, including those from the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, said that previous missions, such as NASA's Apollo and the Soviet Union's Luna, have mainly relied on samples of soil taken from equitorial and mid-latitude regions of the Moon, respectively. Analysing Pragyan's data, which came from the Moon's south pole, the researchers found that the samples suggested that

Scientists propose 'Doomsday vault' on moon to save endangered species

Scientists believe that the 'doomsday vault' is a perfect way to store biodiversity samples on the moon, ensuring protection from natural disasters, wars, and socioeconomic threats, etc.

Why Ladakh was chosen for India’s first Mars and Moon research station

Ladakh has been chosen as the location for India’s first Mars and Moon analogue research station, where scientists can simulate activities for Moon and Mars missions. Watch the video to know why.

Moon to occult Saturn: Know about Saturn eclipse date, time, and more

A rare Saturn Eclipse will take place after 18 years in India, on July 24 and 25, 2024. The Saturn will hide behind the moon giving a unique celestial viewing opportunity

Strawberry Moon 2024: Everything you need to know about June full moon

According to Bob Bonadurer, director of the planetarium at the Milwaukee Public Museum, the strawberry moon is the most colorful of the year because it travels low and shallow path across the sky

Chang'e-7 mission: Egypt, Bahrain join China to build hyperspectral camera

The Egyptian Space Agency, Bahrain's National Space Science Agency, and Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics signed an agreement for the joint development of hyperspectral camera

Japan billionaire cancels moon trip due to uncertainty over SpaceX rocket

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on Saturday canceled his planned flight around the moon on a SpaceX vehicle because of uncertainty about when it may be possible. The tycoon in 2018 launched plans for the lunar flyby voyage. He bought seats for eight traveling companions in 2022 for what would be his second space journey after his 12-day trip to the International Space Station (ISS) on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2021. Maezawa was aiming the moon trip for 2023, a target seen by most space observers as overly optimistic given the progress of SpaceX's Spaceship mega-rocket project. would have been the first private flight around the moon. That project became unfeasible, said the mission organizer on Saturday in a statement posted on its website. Without clear schedule certainty in the near-term, it is with a heavy heart that Maezawa made the unavoidable decision to cancel the project. To all who have supported this project and looked forward to this endeavor, we sincerely ...

NASA plans to develop first railway systems on moon, here's full update

NASA announced plans to build the first railway station on the moon for efficient payload transportation. This railway system is part of NASA's Moon to Mars initiative

Isro to continue Chandrayaan series until an Indian lands on Moon: Somanath

The Indian Space Research Organisation will continue its Chandrayaan series of lunar probes until an astronaut from the country lands on the Moon, said ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Wednesday. Last August, the premier space agency's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft made a soft landing on the south pole of the lunar surface, making India the first country to achieve the feat. Chandrayaan 3 has done very well. Data has been collected and scientific publication has just started. Now, we want to continue the Chandrayaan series till an Indian lands on the Moon. Before that, we have to master many technologies, such as going there and coming back. That we are trying to do in the next mission, he told reporters on the sidelines of an event. Somnath was in Ahmedabad as the chief guest of a programme organised by the Astronautical Society of India. About India's first-ever human space flight mission, Gaganyaan, Somanath said ISRO will carry out an uncrewed mission, a test vehicle flight mission and a

Eid-ul-Fitr 2024: When the crescent moon sighting will be seen in countries

Eid-ul-Fitr 2024: The crescent moon will be visible at different times and dates in different countries. Here's all you need to know

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: Nasa takes a dig at itself 'Oops I did it again'

Nasa shared a meme on its sister X profile, Nasa Sun and Space, during the total solar eclipse 2024. The total solar eclipse happens when the moon completely blocks the sun for sometime

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: All you should know about next week's eclipse

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: Next week North America will witness a total solar eclipse that will cover the sun for a period of 4 minutes and 28 seconds. Here's all you need to know

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: Will it be the longest eclipse in last 50 years?

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: This is a very rare total solar eclipse and it will be the longest eclipse in the last fifty years. Here's how one should watch the solar eclipse

Penumbral lunar eclipse 2024 coincides with Holi festival, know its impact

Penumbral lunar eclipse 2024: A stunning astronomical event to coincide with one of India's biggest festivals, Holi. Check whether it will impact the festival or not

First US Moon landing in over 50 yrs via private firm likely today: Details

US Moon landing updates: A smooth touchdown would be a big win for the United States to restart its lunar probe, more than 50 years after its Apollo program closed down in 1972

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: Here's when and where to see the eclipse

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: This is great news for all solar enthusiasts as they can witness the total solar eclipse in April this year. Here's all you need to know about it

Explained: Why now is the time to address humanity's impact on the moon

Nasa estimates there are 227,000 kilos of human garbage littering the moon

Nasa spacecraft successfully 'pings' Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander on Moon

Laser instrument onboard a NASA spacecraft orbiting the Moon has successfully pinged the Vikram lander of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission, the US space agency said. The laser beam was transmitted and reflected between the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and an Oreo-sized device on Vikram lander, opening the door to a new style of precisely locating targets on the Moon's surface, NASA said. The lander was 100 kilometers away from LRO, near Manzinus crater in the Moon's south pole region, when LRO transmitted laser pulses toward it on December 12 last year. After the orbiter registered light that had bounced back from a tiny NASA retroreflector aboard Vikram, NASA scientists knew their technique had finally worked. Sending laser pulses towards an object and measuring how long it takes the light to bounce back is a commonly used way to track the locations of Earth-orbiting satellites from the ground. However, using the technique in reverseto send laser pulses from a moving spacecraf

Japan spacecraft lands on lunar surface, becomes 5th country to reach moon

Japan's space agency said early Saturday that its spacecraft is on the moon, but is still "checking its status". More details will be given at a news conference, officials said. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, came down onto the lunar surface at around 12:20 am. Tokyo time Saturday (1520 GMT Friday). No astronauts were onboard the spacecraft. If SLIM landed successfully, Japan would become the fifth country to accomplish the feat after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India. As the spacecraft descended, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's mission control said that everything was going as planned and later said that SLIM was on the lunar surface. But there was no mention of whether the landing was successful. Mission control kept repeating that it was checking its status" and that more information would be given at a news conference. It wasn't immediately clear when the news conference would start. SLIM, nicknamed "the Moon Sniper," started its

US-made lunar lander has 'no chance' of touching down on moon: Report

Astrobotic's announcement comes a day after the moon lander, called Peregrine, launched aboard United Launch Alliance LLC's new Vulcan rocket but suffered an apparent propulsion issue in space