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THE UNIVERSE
Capturing the Sky
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Launched on March 11, the SPHEREx space observatory has spent the last six weeks undergoing checkouts, calibrations, and other activities to ensure it is working as it should. Now it’s mapping the entire sky — not just a large part of it — to chart the positions of hundreds of millions of galaxies in 3D to answer some big questions about the universe.
On May 1, the spacecraft began regular science operations, which consist of taking about 3,600 images per day for the next two years to provide new insights about the origins of the universe, galaxies, and the ingredients for life in the Milky Way.
“Thanks to the hard work of teams across NASA, industry, and academia that built this mission, SPHEREx is operating just as we’d expected and will produce maps of the full sky unlike any we’ve had before,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This new observatory is adding to the suite of space-based astrophysics survey missions leading up to the launch of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Together with these other missions, SPHEREx will play a key role in answering the big questions about the universe we tackle at NASA every day.”
SPHEREx MISSION
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THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Under Io’s Surface
NASA’s Juno mission has gathered new findings after peering below Jupiter’s cloud-covered atmosphere and the surface of its fiery moon, Io. Not only has the data helped develop a new model to better understand the fast-moving jet stream that encircles Jupiter’s cyclone-festooned north pole, it has revealed insights into the moon’s inner structure and volcanic activity.
POLAR CYCLONES
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HUMANS IN SPACE
US Spacewalk 93
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers concluded the first spacewalk of Expedition 73 at 2:49 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 1. The 5 hours and 44 minute spacewalk was the 275th in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.
SPACE STATION NEWS
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THE UNIVERSE
Magnetar Gold Rush
Since the big bang, the early universe had hydrogen, helium, and a scant amount of lithium. Later, some heavier elements, including iron, were forged in stars. But how did the first elements heavier than iron, such as gold, get created and distributed throughout the universe? A study using 20-year-old archival data from NASA and European Space Agency telescopes finds evidence for a surprising source of a large amount of these heavy elements: flares from highly magnetized neutron stars, called magnetars.
LEARN MORE
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SCIENCE
Galaxy Hunting
Become a citizen scientist and help identify the shapes of thousands of galaxies in images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. These classifications will help scientists answer questions about how galaxies have changed over time, what caused these changes, and why.
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| | | | Since October 2024, NASA scientists have flown the Aerosol Wind Profiler instrument across the United States to collect nearly 100 hours of data — including a flight through a hurricane. The goal? To gather extremely precise measurements of wind direction, wind speed, and aerosol concentration—all crucial elements for accurate weather forecasting. | | | | What's up for May? Skywatchers can observe four bright planets, the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower, and a potential nova explosion. | | 10 years ago this week, NASA’s MESSENGER mission to Mercury came to an end. MESSENGER was the second spacecraft to visit Mercury and the first to orbit the planet, mapping it in detail and revealing details about what it is made of and how it has changed over time. | |
| For how many years did MESSENGER orbit Mercury? | | | | Find out the answer in next week's edition of the NASA newsletter! 🤓 | | |
Do you have a telescope? Would you like to see some of the same night sky objects from the ground that Hubble has seen from space? We invite you to commemorate the Hubble Space Telescope’s 35th anniversary by accepting our yearlong stargazing challenge! New challenge objects will be featured weekly.
This week’s object is Messier 53 (M53), a globular cluster of stars some 60 thousand light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. Discovered by the German astronomer Johann Elert Bode in 1775, Messier 53 is one of the most distant globular clusters from Earth. M53 has an apparent magnitude of 8.3 and can be seen through a small telescope in the constellation Coma Berenices. Larger instruments will resolve the cluster’s individual stars.
JOIN THE CELEBRATION
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