"CosmicVoyager: Unveiling the Universe - Your Space Savvy Guide"

On March 6, 2023, the Arctic sea ice pack appeared to reach its maximum extent for this winter, at 14.62 million square kilometers, or 5.64 million square miles, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Fieldwork and satellites like NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite are monitoring the changing ice pack, and helping to predict how the ice will change in the future. Sea ice is frozen seawater that floats on the ocean surface. It forms in both the Arctic and the Antarctic in each hemisphere’s winter; it retreats in the summer, but does not completely disappear. This floating ice has a profound influence on the polar environment, influencing ocean circulation, weather, and regional climate. Since 1979, satellites have provided a consistent continuous record of sea ice. Through 2015, the average monthly September extent of Arctic sea ice has declined by 13.4 percent per decade relative to the average from 1981 to 2010. Declines are occurring in every geographic area, in every month, and every season. Natural variability and rising temperatures linked to global warming appear to have played a role in this decline. The Arctic may be ice-free in summer before the end of this century.On March 6, 2023, the Arctic sea ice pack appeared to reach its maximum extent for this winter, at 14.62 million square kilometers, or 5.64 million square miles, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Fieldwork and satellites like NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite are monitoring the changing ice pack, and helping to predict how the ice will change in the future. Sea ice is frozen seawater that floats on the ocean surface. It forms in both the Arctic and the Antarctic in each hemisphere’s winter; it retreats in the summer, but does not completely disappear. This floating ice has a profound influence on the polar environment, influencing ocean circulation, weather, and regional climate. Since 1979, satellites have provided a consistent continuous record of sea ice. Through 2015, the average monthly September extent of Arctic sea ice has declined by 13.4 percent per decade relative to the average from 1981 to 2010. Declines are occurring in every geographic area, in every month, and every season. Natural variability and rising temperatures linked to global warming appear to have played a role in this decline. The Arctic may be ice-free in summer before the end of this century.

Between September 2019 and March 2020, wildfires killed billions of animals and decimated more than 200 thousand square kilometers of Australian forest, an area larger than Nebraska. Later, thousands of kilometers away in the Southern Ocean, massive algae blooms covered a surface larger than the area of Australia itself. The connection between these major wildfires and the subsequent explosion of phytoplankton production is an example of the events NASA's upcoming Plankton, Aerosols, Clouds, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission will help investigate. PACE's suite of instruments will allow scientists to get a clearer picture of carbon as it links land use and fires, atmospheric aerosols and marine communities, and ultimately improves those uncertain the data we put into climate models.

NASA studies the makeup and workings of the universe, from the smallest particles of matter and energy to its large-scale structure and evolution. Scientists look far back in space and time to learn the full cosmic history of stars and galaxies. They tease out details of the environments around black holes and observe the most powerful explosions since the big bang. NASA is discovering numerous planets beyond our solar system, decoding how planetary systems form, and learning how environments hospitable for life develop. “Cosmic Cycles: A Space Symphony" is a groundbreaking collaboration between acclaimed composer Henry Dehlinger, NASA, and the National Philharmonic, featuring a unique fusion of music and video in seven multimedia works on the Sun, Earth, Moon, Planets, and Cosmos. This transformative project takes the audience on a captivating voyage through the universe, showcasing the beauty and power of the marriage between music and science.

Ivona Cetinić, the Science Lead for Ocean Biogeochemistry for PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) describes the weird, wonderful and important world of phytoplankton and why it's important for the PACE mission to study these tiny creatures.

Two solar eclipses will cross the United States in 2023 and 2024. On October 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will create a “ring of fire” in the sky from Oregon to Texas. On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will darken the skies from Texas to Maine. On both dates, all 48 contiguous states in the U.S. will experience a partial solar eclipse. A map developed using data from a variety of NASA sources shows both eclipse paths as dark bands. Outside those paths, yellow and purple lines show how much of the Sun will become blocked by the Moon during the partial eclipses.

Recent observations from the Hubble Space Telescope show that Neptune's clouds are almost completely disappearing! Astronomers report that their continual monitoring of Neptune’s weather uncovered a link between its shifting cloud abundance and the 11-year solar cycle, where the Sun’s activity waxes and wanes under the driving force of its entangled magnetic field. At present, the cloud coverage seen on Neptune is extremely low, with the exception of some clouds hovering over the giant planet’s south pole. A team of astronomers discovered that the abundance of clouds normally seen at the icy giant’s mid-latitudes started to fade in 2023..

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has begun integrating and testing the spacecraft’s electrical cabling, or harness, which enables different parts of the observatory to communicate with one another. The wire harness is so intricate that it was first built on a mock-up structure. The video shows it lifted from that first structure, using a custom-built basket called the harness transfer tool, and placed into the primary structure that will fly with the observatory. Now, engineers will weave the harness through the flight structure in Goddard’s big clean room. This ongoing process will continue until most of the spacecraft components are assembled. In the meantime, the Goddard team will soon begin installing electronic boxes that will eventually provide power via the harness to all the spacecraft’s science instruments.

Watch this video to learn more about XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission), a collaboration between JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA.

OSIRIS-REx is NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission. It launched in September 2016 on a journey to explore a near-Earth asteroid called Bennu. In October 2020, the spacecraft ventured to the asteroid’s surface and collected about 250 grams of material for delivery to Earth. Now, two years and four months after leaving Bennu, OSIRIS-REx is closing in on the place where its journey began. The mission’s thrilling finale will take place on September 24, 2023, as a capsule containing the Bennu samples touches down in Utah’s West Desert. Follow the journey to Bennu and back at:

Landsat Next is on the horizon—the new mission will not only ensure continuity of the longest space-based record of Earth’s land surface, it will fundamentally transform the breadth and depth of actionable information freely available to end users. Let's take a look at the new capabilities that will define the next Landsat mission, which will unlock new applications for water quality, crop production, soil health and much more

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft continues gathering a wide variety of data on our Moon using its suite of scientific instruments. The information collected has led to many scientific discoveries that have shed light on the Moon's history, composition, and potential for future exploration with the upcoming Artemis missions. This video highlights some of those recent discoveries that involve impact craters, volcanic activity, and the Moon's South Pole.

On Oct. 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America. Visible in parts of the United States, Mexico, and many countries in South and Central America, millions of people in the Western Hemisphere can experience this eclipse. But what is an annular eclipse? Why does it happen? And why does it create a “ring of fire” in the sky?

Until the 20th century, astronomers learned virtually all they knew about sources in the sky from only the tiny fraction of electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the eye. However, as astronomers have discovered how to collect radiation outside this part of the spectrum, they have been able to learn much more about the universe. Many objects reveal different aspects of their composition and behavior at different wavelengths. Other objects are completely invisible at one wavelength, yet are clearly visible at another. In this video, Dr. Padi Boyd explains the exciting future of multiwavelength astronomy and how important Hubble is to exploring the mysteries of the universe.

At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, we’re leveraging our scientific and technical expertise across multiple capacities, including lunar and planetary science, sun science and space weather, space communications and navigation, astronaut search and rescue, agile launch support, and in-space services, to support NASA’s Artemis initiative for a new era of crewed lunar exploration.

On Oct. 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America. Visible in parts of the United States, Mexico, and many countries in South and Central America, millions of people in the Western Hemisphere can experience this eclipse. Eclipses are a wonderful experience, but it’s important to carefully follow safety procedures. During an annular eclipse, there is no period of totality when the Moon completely blocks the Sun. Therefore, it is never safe to look directly at the annular eclipse without proper eye protection specially designed for solar viewing. Do not use standard binoculars or telescopes to watch a solar eclipse without safe solar filters attached to the front of the device. Regular sunglasses are NOT safe for attempting to look directly at the Sun.

From forest floor to space, NASA scientists and collaborators are advancing tools and methods to predict, remotely detect, and ultimately mitigate wildfires. That process starts with understanding fire behavior, tracking them with satellites, and getting that data in the hands of land managers and communities facing record-breaking fire seasons.

In October 2023, NASA is launching the Heliophysics Big Year – a global celebration of solar science and the Sun’s influence on Earth, our solar system, and beyond. Modeled after the “Big Year” concept from citizen scientists in the bird-watching community, the Heliophysics Big Year challenges everyone to get involved with fun Sun-related activities.

NASA's Near Space Network delivers critical communications and navigation services to missions observing the Earth, studying the Sun, and exploring the Moon and beyond. Through our network, spacecraft can send different types of data back to Earth, anything from an astronaut talking to mission control, a science image of a neutron star, and so much more

Gravitational waves are invisible ripples in the fabric of space-time. They are caused by some of the most violent and energetic events in the universe. These include colliding black holes, collapsing stellar cores, merging neutron stars or white dwarf stars, the wobble of neutron stars that are not perfect spheres and possibly even the remnants of gravitational radiation created by the birth of the universe. In this video, Dr. Padi Boyd explains gravitational waves and how important Hubble is to exploring the mysteries of the universe.

A young planet whirling around a petulant red dwarf star is changing in unpredictable ways orbit-by-orbit. It is so close to its parent star that it experiences a consistent, torrential blast of energy, which evaporates its hydrogen atmosphere – causing it to puff off the planet. But during one orbit observed with the Hubble Space Telescope, the planet looked like it wasn’t losing any material at all, while an orbit observed with Hubble a year and a half later showed clear signs of atmospheric loss.

Plasma makes up 99.9% of the visible universe, but what is it? This video discusses what plasma is, where it lives, and how NASA studies it.