NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

February 1, 2025

Nacreous Clouds over Sweden

Vivid and lustrous, wafting iridescent waves of color wash across this skyscape from northern Sweden. Known as nacreous clouds or mother-of-pearl clouds, they are rare. But their unforgettable appearance was captured in this snapshot on January 12 with the Sun just below the local horizon. A type of polar stratospheric cloud, they form when unusually cold temperatures in the usually cloudless lower stratosphere form ice crystals. Still sunlit at altitudes of around 15 to 25 kilometers, the clouds diffract the sunlight even when the Sun itself is hidden from direct view.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

Officials visit NASA Space Center

February 1, 2025

To continue advancing space cooperation between the United States and India, including on human spaceflight, then-Deputy Secretary Kurt Campbell (eighth from left), then-Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer (sixth from left), and Indian Ambassador to the United States Vinay Kwatra (fourth from left) visited NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, Dec. 17, 2024.

During their visit, they met with astronauts from the Indian Space Research Organization training at Johnson Space Center to execute a joint effort to the International Space Station in partnership with NASA next year.

They also met with senior space industry representatives to discuss opportunities for further collaboration across the space innovation value chain in the United States and India.

https://statemag.state.gov/2025/02/0225ib04/

NASA Radar Imagery Reveals Details About Los Angeles-Area Landslides

Jan 31, 2025

Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California used data from an airborne radar to measure the movement of the slow-moving landslides on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County.

The analysis determined that, during a four-week period in the fall of 2024, land in the residential area slid toward the ocean by as much as 4 inches (10 centimeters) per week.

Portions of the peninsula, which juts into the Pacific Ocean just south of the city of Los Angeles, are part of an ancient complex of landslides and has been moving for at least the past six decades, affecting hundreds of buildings in local communities.

The motion accelerated, and the active area expanded following record-breaking rainfall in Southern California in 2023 and heavy precipitation in early 2024.

To create this visualization, the Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) team used data from four flights of NASA’s Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) that took place between Sept. 18 and Oct. 17.

The UAVSAR instrument was mounted to a Gulfstream III jet flown out of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and the four flights were planned to estimate the speed and direction of the landslides in three dimensions.

In the image above, colors indicate how fast parts of the landslide complex were moving in late September and October, with the darkest reds indicating the highest speeds.

The arrows represent the direction of horizontal motion. The white solid lines are the boundaries of the active landslide area as defined in 2007 by the California Geological Survey.

“In effect, we’re seeing that the footprint of land experiencing significant impacts has expanded, and the speed is more than enough to put human life and infrastructure at risk,” said Alexander Handwerger, the JPL landslide scientist who performed the analysis.

The insights from the UAVSAR flights were part of a package of analyses by the ARIA team that also used data from ESA’s (the European Space Agency’s) Copernicus Sentinel-1A/B satellites.

The analyses were provided to California officials to support the state’s response to the landslides and made available to the public at NASA’s Disaster Mapping Portal.

Handwerger is also the principal investigator for NASA’s upcoming Landslide Climate Change Experiment, which will use airborne radar to study how extreme wet or dry precipitation patterns influence landslides.

The investigation will include flights over coastal slopes spanning the California coastline.

https://www.nasa.gov/science-research/earth-science/nasa-radar-imagery-reveals-details-about-los-angeles-area-landslides/

https://maps.disasters.nasa.gov/arcgis/apps/MinimalGallery/index.html?appid=5ab043517e0b4964966f3d711a1ecc2f

NASA Flight Tests Wildland Fire Tech Ahead of Demo

Jan 31, 2025

NASA is collaborating with the wildfire community to provide tools for some of the most challenging aspects of firefighting – particularly aerial nighttime operations.

In the future, agencies could more efficiently use drones, both remotely piloted and fully autonomous, to help fight wildfires.

NASA recently tested technologies with teams across the country that will enable aircraft – including small drones and helicopters outfitted with autonomous technology for remote piloting – to monitor and fight wildfires 24 hours a day, even during low-visibility conditions.

Current aerial firefighting operations are limited to times when aircraft have clear visibility – otherwise, pilots run the risk of flying into terrain or colliding with other aircraft.

NASA-developed airspace management technology will enable drones and remotely piloted aircraft to operate at night, expanding the window of time responders have to aerially suppress fires.

“We’re aiming to provide new tools – including airspace management technologies – for 24-hour drone operations for wildfire response,” said Min Xue, project manager of the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) project within NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. “This testing will provide valuable data to inform how we mature this technology for eventual use in the field.”

Over the past year, ACERO researchers developed a portable airspace management system (PAMS) drone pilots can use to safely send aircraft into wildfire response operations when operating drones from remote control systems or ground control stations.

Each PAMS, roughly the size of a carry-on suitcase, is outfitted with a computer for airspace management, a radio for sharing information among PAMS units, and an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast receiver for picking up nearby air traffic – all encased in a durable and portable container.

NASA software on the PAMS allows drone pilots to avoid airborne collisions while remotely operating aircraft by monitoring and sharing flight plans with other aircraft in the network.

The system also provides basic fire location and weather information.

A drone equipped with a communication device acts as an airborne communication relay for the ground-based PAMS units, enabling them to communicate with each other without relying on the internet.

To test the PAMS units’ ability to share and display vital information, NASA researchers placed three units in different locations outside each other’s line of sight at a hangar at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

Researchers stationed at each unit entered a flight plan into their system and observed that each unit successfully shared flight plans with the others through a mesh radio network.

Next, researchers worked with team members in Virginia to test an aerial communications radio relay capability.

Researchers outfitted a long-range vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with a camera, computer, a mesh radio, and an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast receiver for air traffic information.

The team flew the aircraft and two smaller drones at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, purposely operating them outside each other’s line of sight.

The mesh radio network aboard the larger drone successfully connected with the small drones and multiple radio units on the ground.

NASA researchers then tested the PAMS units’ ability to coordinate through an aerial communications relay to simulate what it could be like in the field.

At Monterey Bay Academy Airport in Watsonville, California, engineers flew a winged drone with vertical takeoff and landing capability by Overwatch Aero, establishing a communications relay to three different PAMS units.

Next, the team flew two smaller drones nearby. Researchers tested the PAMS units’ ability to receive communications from the Overwatch aircraft and share information with other PAMS units.

Pilots purposely submitted flight plans that would conflict with each other and intentionally flew the drones outside preapproved flight plans.

The PAMS units successfully alerted pilots to conflicting flight plans and operations outside preapproved zones.

They also shared aircraft location with each other and displayed weather updates and simulated fire location data.

The test demonstrated the potential for using PAM units in wildfire operations.

“This testing is a significant step towards improving aerial coordination during a wildfire,” Xue said.

“These technologies will improve wildfire operations, reduce the impacts of large wildfires, and save more lives,” Xue said.

https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/nasa-flight-tests-wildland-fire-tech-ahead-of-demonstration/

NASA becomes latest federal agency to block China’s DeepSeek on ‘security and privacy concerns’

Updated Fri, Jan 31 2025 2:17 PM EST

NASA is the latest federal agency to ban use of China’s DeepSeek AI technology by employees and block access to the platform from its systems, CNBC has learned.

In a memo on Friday to all NASA personnel from the agency’s chief artificial intelligence officer, employees were informed that DeepSeek’s servers “operate outside of the United States, raising national security and privacy concerns.”

“DeepSeek and its products and services are not authorized for use with NASA’s data and information or on government-issued devices and networks,” the memo said.

NASA didn’t immediately provide a comment.

DeepSeek’s free-to-download AI assistant is now available in the U.S., rivaling products like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and Google Gemini.

DeepSeek’s app rocketed to the top of Apple’s App Store at the start of the week, unseating OpenAI’s ChatGPT from the lead spot.

DeepSeek was still No. 1 on Friday.

Reports of DeepSeek’s power and efficiency roiled U.S. markets early in the week, notably hammering chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom, which have soared in value by selling costly processors for building AI models and running massive workloads.

President Donald Trump said Monday that DeepSeek’s sudden rise should be a “wake-up call” for U.S. tech companies.

As of Jan. 31, NASA personnel are not permitted to use DeepSeek to “share or upload agency data on DeepSeek products or services,” and are “not authorized to “access DeepSeek via NASA devices and agency-managed network connections.”

And NASA’s Security Operations Center has now blocked use of DeepSeek on “agency-managed devices and networks,” the memo said.

Late last week, the U.S. Navy instructed its members to avoid using DeepSeek.

In a warning issued by email, the Navy said DeepSeek’s AI was not to be used “in any capacity” due to “potential security and ethical concerns associated with the model’s origin and usage.”

Axios reported Thursday that U.S. congressional offices were being told that use of DeepSeek was “unauthorized for official House use,” citing a notice from the House’s chief administrative officer.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/31/nasa-becomes-latest-federal-agency-to-block-chinas-deepseek.html

https://www.space.com/stargazing/planetary-parade-february-2025-when-where-and-how-to-see-it

Planetary parade February 2025: When, where and how to see it

February 1, 2025

Throughout February, a striking gathering of the five brightest planets—Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn—along with the more elusive Uranus and Neptune, will be the main celestial attraction in the evening sky.

Later in the month, anyone with a clear, unobstructed view of the horizon may be able to see all five bright planets stretching across the sky.

Two of these planets, Mercury and Saturn, will appear especially close together on Monday, Feb. 24 — the highlight of this month-long planetary display.

While this planetary alignment isn't particularly rare, it is relatively uncommon. Spotting two, three, or even four bright planets at once is not unusual, but the chance to see all five together doesn't come around often.

Looking ahead, a similar alignment will occur in late October 2028, though that event will take place before sunrise, requiring early risers to catch the view.

For February 2025, however, all you need to do is step outside at dusk—an especially convenient viewing time.

By far, the most prominent of the five planets is Venus. Although it reached its greatest angular distance east of the sun on Jan. 10, it continues to shine brilliantly in the west-southwest sky at dusk throughout February — a breathtaking evening lantern.

Venus will remain at peak brightness for much of the month, and if you observe it through steadily held binoculars or a small telescope, you'll see it as a crescent.

As February progresses, Venus's disk will appear larger as it moves closer to Earth, while its crescent thins as the planet aligns more closely with the Earth-sun line of sight.

The next planet to spot is Saturn, the famed "lord of the rings." To find it, simply look toward Venus and extend an imaginary line straight downward — the first bright star-like object you come across will be Saturn.

Your first impression might be, "Wow, it's so dim!" But in reality, Saturn shines as brightly as a first-magnitude star.

However, when compared to Venus, which is a full six magnitudes brighter, Saturn appears significantly fainter—only about 1/250 as bright!

Saturn is typically more radiant, but right now, its ring system is nearly edge-on from Earth's perspective, contributing little reflected light.

To catch a glimpse of the rings—now appearing as a thin, bright line bisecting the planet's disk—you'll need a small telescope with at least 30x magnification.

During the first two weeks of February, watch as the gap between Venus and Saturn gradually widens.

In the second half of the month, Saturn will become increasingly difficult to spot against the brightening evening twilight, eventually fading into the sun's glare by month's end.

But we'll be coming back to it in a moment.

Then there's Jupiter — unmistakable with its silvery-white brilliance, though only one-tenth as bright as Venus.

The largest planet in our solar system appears high in the south at dusk, accompanied by two famous naked-eye star clusters, the Pleiades and Hyades, as well as several bright winter stars.

The most notable is the orange-hued Aldebaran, positioned just below Jupiter.

With binoculars or a small telescope, you can also spot Jupiter's four largest moons, first observed by Galileo in 1610 with his crude telescope.

Make a special effort to view them on the night of Feb. 25-26, when three of them—Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto—form a strikingly tight triangle on one side of the planet, while Io sits alone on the other.

The triangle will appear "tightest" at 12:39 a.m. Eastern Time on Feb. 26 (0539 GMT, or 9:39 p.m. Pacific Time on Feb. 25).

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>>22484818

Fiery Mars and his two companions

Now, look halfway up in the eastern sky for orange-yellow Mars, which blazes into view as night falls. During February, it is accompanied by the "Twin Stars" of Gemini, Pollux and Castor.

This striking trio spends nearly the entire night crossing the sky, forming a distinctive triangle that gradually shifts in size and shape as the month progresses.

Mars was at opposition and closest to Earth in January. During February, as Earth moves ahead in its orbit, Mars lags behind, causing it to fade by about three-quarters of a magnitude over the course of the month.

Mercury takes us back to Saturn

The fifth and final planet is the smallest in our solar system: Mercury. This rocky little world becomes visible during the final week of February, shining almost as brightly as Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, at magnitude -1.2.

It will set just over an hour after the sun on Feb. 24. Remember when we said we'd come back to Saturn?

Well, on Feb. 24, Mercury will be in conjunction with Saturn, with the two planets appearing relatively close — just 1.5 degrees apart.

This will be your chance to complete the set and say you've seen all five evening planets at once. Mercury will be positioned to Saturn's right and shining about eight times brighter.

To spot them, you'll need a flat, unobstructed west-southwest horizon and a very clear, transparent sky. Start looking about 30 minutes after sunset, scanning two fist-widths at arm's length directly below Venus.

We strongly recommend using binoculars to scan near the horizon. Mercury should be easy to pick up, and once you've found it, you should have no trouble seeing it with the naked eye.

Saturn, however, is another story. While it's likely visible through binoculars, spotting it without optical aid will be a challenge.

But if you succeed, you'll have seen all five—and won this round of "planetary bingo."

Honorable mention

We've covered the five brightest planets visible to the naked eye, but two more can be spotted with good binoculars or a small telescope. A star chart or atlas will help pinpoint their exact locations in the sky.

Uranus can sometimes be spotted with the naked eye by those with excellent eyesight, a clear, dark sky, and prior knowledge of where to look. At its brightest, it shines at magnitude +5.6 and is easily identifiable with good binoculars.

A small telescope may reveal its tiny, greenish disk.

Finally, we come to the most distant of the eight classical planets: Neptune. It will spend all of 2025 in the constellation Pisces. At its peak magnitude of +7.8, this bluish-hued world is visible only with good binoculars or a telescope.

Try spotting it on the evening of Feb. 1, when it appears near brilliant Venus and a waxing crescent moon. Later in the month, it fades into the bright evening twilight as it approaches conjunction with the sun on March 20.

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On this day in space: Feb. 1, 2003: Space shuttle Columbia disaster

February 1, 2025

On Feb. 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart as it returned to Earth after spending more than two weeks in space.

The accident killed all seven astronauts on board. Columbia's STS-107 crew included: Rick Husband, commander; Michael Anderson, payload commander; David Brown, mission specialist; Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; Laurel Clark, mission specialist; William McCool, pilot; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist from the Israeli Space Agency.

This was the second fatal accident of the space shuttle program following the Challenger disaster in 1986, and NASA suspended space shuttle flights for more than two years as it investigated the disaster. Investigators found that a piece of foam had broken off of the shuttle's external fuel tank during launch.

That chunk of foam hit the shuttle's left wing and damaged the heat shield, which ultimately led to the spacecraft's destruction.

NASA resumed space shuttle flights in 2005, with new safety procedures in place to prevent the type of external tank foam loss that doomed Columbia.

Future shuttle flights also included a 50-foot inspection boom to scan an orbiter's heat shield for damage and a flip maneuver when arriving at the International Space Station so astronauts on the outpost could photograph the entire heat shield.

https://www.space.com/39251-on-this-day-in-space.html