Astronomers have discovered a strange new object in our Milky Way galaxy. The celestial object is emitting X-rays around the same time it's shooting out radio waves. Located 15,000 light-years away, scientists say this object could be a star, pair of stars or something else entirely. Findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory spotted the X-ray emissions by chance last year while focusing on a supernova remnant, or the remains of an exploded star. The hyperactive phase of this object appeared to last about a month.
The latest solar storm has triggered northern lights farther south than normal including into parts of Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City. There were no immediate reports of disruptions to power and communications from Thursday's storm. Friday forecast shows continued higher-than-normal activity, but the chances for another overnight show are slim farther south of Canada and the northern Plains states. The sun is near the peak of its current 11-year cycle, sparking all the recent solar activity. In May, Earth got slammed by severe solar storms, the strongest in more than two decades.
An unusually strong solar storm hitting Earth could produce northern lights in the U.S. and potentially disrupt power and communications this weekend. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning Friday. The agency says the sun is producing strong solar flares and has hurled at least seven outbursts of plasma our way. NOAA has alerted operators of power plants and spacecraft in orbit to take precautions. NOAA says the storm could produce northern lights as far south as Alabama and Northern California.
A chilly, midday darkness fell across North America as a total solar eclipse began its race across the continent. Monday's spectacle was eagerly awaited by millions of spectators in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. It's North America's biggest eclipse crowd ever, thanks to the densely populated path. Cloud cover threatened to spoil the view in some places, especially in parts of Texas, but the skies cleared with minutes to spare. During a total solar eclipse, the moon passes in front of the sun and blocks the sunlight for a few minutes. The rest of North America will see a partial eclipse, weather permitting.
A private U.S. lunar lander is in orbit around the moon, a day before it will attempt to land on the surface. Intuitive Machines' spacecraft launched last week and reached the moon Wednesday. On Thursday, flight controllers in Houston will attempt a landing. A smooth touchdown would return the U.S. to the lunar surface for the first time since NASA astronauts closed out the Apollo program in 1972. If successful, it would also become the first private outfit to ace a moon landing. Another U.S. company tried last month, but it never got to the moon because of a fuel leak.
Another private U.S. company is taking a shot at the moon, launching a month after a rival's lunar lander missed its mark. SpaceX's Falcon rocket blasted off in the wee hours of Thursday from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. It sent Intuitive Machines' lunar lander on its way to the moon, a quick one-week trip that should result in a touchdown attempt next week If successful, it would be the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years. NASA has experiments on board and is seeking to jump-start the lunar economy ahead of astronaut missions later this decade.
Japan has become the fifth country in history to reach the moon. Its spacecraft, which wasn't carrying astronauts, landed on the lunar surface early Saturday. But an issue with the power supply means that the mission could be in jeopardy. Officials say they need more time to analyze whether the spacecraft made a pinpoint landing. That was a key priority of the mission. The head of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science says officials believe that rovers were launched, sending data back to Earth. But he says the spacecraft's solar battery isn't generating power and that it only has a few more hours of battery life.
