Space photos: The most amazing images this week!
The space picture that helped spark Earth Day, a famed space telescope celebrating 30 years in orbit, and an exoplanet that probably was misidentified. These are just some of the top space images this week on Space.com.
New moon geologic map will reveal more mysteries
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(Image credit: NASA/GSFC/USGS)Scientists at the United States Geological Service recently produced the most comprehensive geologic map of the moon. The digital map includes data from the last five decades, including the Apollo human moon missions that visited the moon in the 1960s and 1970s. The data will be useful to figure out more about the moon’s complex history; the prevailing scientific theory suggests the moon was formed from the debris of a Mars-sized body crashing into Earth billions of years ago.
Full story: Scientists use Apollo data to create the best geologic moon map ever
Hubble @ 30: The best images from the famed space telescope
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(Image credit: NASA/ESA/STScI)The NASA-European Space Agency’s Hubble Space Telescope has changed our view of the universe forever, and its images continue to captivate as the observatory reaches its 30th anniversary in space. Our photo gallery shows the best images Hubble has captured over the years, including galactic shots, planetary views and the famed “Pillars of Creation” showing an area of starbirth in the Eagle Nebula.
Full story: The best Hubble Space Telescope images of all time!
Arecibo captures masked asteroid en route past Earth
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(Image credit: Arecibo Observatory/NASA/NSF)An asteroid is going to fly by Earth harmlessly on April 29, and the Arecibo Observatory already has images of it. 1998 OR2 was captured on April 18, 2020, and staff (who are wearing masks and social distancing to reduce risk during the novel coronavirus pandemic) joked that the radar images revealed the asteroid itself is wearing a mask. The asteroid will zoom by Earth at 16 lunar distances, which is nowhere near a concern for our planet’s safety.
Full story: Big asteroid shows itself ahead of Earth flyby on April 29 (photo )
How an ‘exoplanet’ vanished from view
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(Image credit: (C) ESA/NASA, M. Kornmesser)A mystery of a disappearing exoplanet could be explained by one simple answer: there was never any exoplanet at all. Fomalhaut b was first spotted as a bright dot by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2004 and 2006, but disappeared from view a decade later. More recent research suggests the bright dot was the aftermath of an asteroid collision.
Full story: Mysterious ‘disappearing’ exoplanet was just a big cloud of asteroid trash, study suggests
How one picture of Earth helped spark the environmental movement
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(Image credit: NASA)Fifty years ago, the Apollo 8 crew was in orbit around the moon and Bill Anders captured an iconic image — our planet, rising above the barren lunar landscape. The image has since become a symbol of the environmental movement, as it showed how precious a jewel our planet is in barren space. One of the most visible milestones was the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970.
Full story: Earth Day at 50: How Apollo 8’s ‘Earthrise’ photo helped spark the first celebration
New planet-hunting telescope looks at first alien worlds
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(Image credit: ESA)Europe’s Characterizing Exoplanet Satellite (CHEOPS) observed its first alien worlds. Since the spacecraft is still in its commissioning phases, it focused on well-known star systems that were stable, with little signs of activity, just to make sure the satellites instruments were working correctly. CHEOPS, it turns out, is doing even better than predicted.
Full story: Europe’s planet-hunting CHEOPS telescope spies its 1st alien worlds
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
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