NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

June 22, 2025

A Berry Bowl of Martian Spherules

How were these unusual Martian spherules created? Thousands of unusual gray spherules made of iron and rock and dubbed blueberries were found embedded in and surrounding rocks near the landing site of the robot Opportunity rover on Mars in 2004. To help investigate their origin, Opportunity found a surface dubbed the Berry Bowl with an indentation that was rich in the Martian orbs. The Berry Bowl is pictured here, imaged during rover's 48th Martian day. The average size of a Martian blueberry rock is only about 4 millimeters across. By analyzing a circular patch in the rock surface to the left of the densest patch of spherules, Opportunity obtained data showing that the underlying rock has a much different composition than the hematite rich blueberries. This information contributes to the growing consensus that these small, strange, gray orbs were slowly deposited from a bath of dirty water.

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

Protesters fight NASA budget cuts affecting Cleveland’s Glenn Research Center

Updated: Jun. 21, 2025, 4:58 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – More than 80 protesters lined East Ninth Street, in Cleveland on Saturday to voice opposition to proposed NASA funding cuts scheduled for 2026.

Demonstrators gathered along the west side of the street, displaying signs to passing motorists and cheering when drivers honked in support of their cause.

The demonstration was organized by Stand Up for Science, a Washington, D.C.-based grassroots nonprofit that works to mobilize support for science programs.

According to the American Astronomical Society, the proposed budget prioritizes human spaceflight while significantly reducing funding for science programs.

The proposed cuts call for reducing full-time civil service staff members at NASA Glenn Research center in Brook Park from 1,391 in 2025 to 837 in 2026.

The plan includes an overall 24% overall reduction to NASA’s budget, with the Science Mission Directorate facing a particularly steep 47% cut.

The Science Mission Directorate oversees NASA’s space research programs in Earth science, heliophysics, planetary science and astrophysics.

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/06/protesters-fight-nasa-budget-cuts-affecting-clevelands-glenn-research-center.html

NASA Detects Intense Heat Signature Near Iranian Nuclear Site after US Strike

Sun 22 Jun 2025 | 08:35 AM

NASA detected a significant thermal anomaly near Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility just minutes before the U.S. announced a targeted military strike on the site, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

According to the report, the infrared monitoring system registered a strong heat emission in the vicinity of Fordow approximately 30 minutes before former U.S. President Donald Trump announced the airstrikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure.

The system, which routinely identifies heat signatures associated with large-scale fires, explosions, or industrial incidents, had reportedly not recorded any comparable activity in the Fordow area during the previous month.

Infrared Clues Before Confirmation

While the system can occasionally detect natural wildfires or industrial heat emissions, experts noted that this particular signal coincided unusually with a major military event.

“This kind of spike is often consistent with the thermal profile of missile strikes or high-impact explosive events,” a satellite imagery analyst told the Times.

The Fordow site is one of Iran’s most fortified nuclear facilities, located deep underground and often monitored by international agencies, including the IAEA.

Coordinated Strikes Across Iran

The thermal detection preceded the U.S. government's formal announcement that its air force had carried out precision strikes on three major nuclear sites in Iran: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

In a televised address shortly after the operation, Trump stated that the objective of the strike was to “eliminate Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity and neutralize future nuclear threats.”

He urged Iran to “choose peace,” warning that further attacks could follow if Tehran does not de-escalate.

Satellite Intelligence in Modern Warfare

This event underscores the growing role of space-based monitoring in modern conflict analysis.

Satellite heat mapping and infrared sensors have become essential tools not only for environmental observation but also for tracking real-time military activity in remote or restricted regions.

NASA has not issued an official comment on the detection, though the data, which is publicly accessible in some formats, has sparked interest among independent analysts and conflict monitoring organizations.

https://see.news/nasa-detects-intense-heat-signature-near-iranian-nuclear-site-after-us-strike

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/501161/us-navy-and-nasa-release-draft-environmental-impact-statement-eis-proposed-continued-use-state-lands-kauai

U.S. Navy and NASA release Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed, continued use of state lands on Kauai for the Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility and NASA’s Kōkeʻe Park Geophysical Observatory

06.20.2025

The Navy and NASA invite and encourage the public to participate in the Draft EIS public comment period and to attend upcoming public meetings.

The U.S. Department of the Navy (Navy) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as applicants and joint lead agencies, have prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and welcome the community’s input on the environmental analysis.

The public’s participation in the public review and comment period is important to ensure community concerns are identified and addressed.

The Navy and NASA analyzed the potential environmental consequences of the Navy’s proposal to retain the use of 8,172 acres of state lands on Kauai for operational continuity and sustainment in support of continued military training, testing, and facility operations at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), and NASA’s proposal to retain the use of 23 acres of state lands on Kauai in support of continued operations including measurements of the Earth’s rotation and local land motion at Kōkeʻe Park Geophysical Observatory (KPGO).

The Navy and NASA utilize these lands on Kauai pursuant to leases and easements granted by the State of Hawaii.

The Proposed Action is needed because the existing real estate agreements for these state lands are set to expire between 2027 and 2030. Navy use of these state lands is required to maintain technological and safety capabilities supporting PMRF training and testing.

Navy training and testing operations do not occur on these state lands. The environmental effects of these training and testing operations are fully analyzed in previous, focused environmental documents referenced in Section 1.5 of the Draft EIS.

For NASA, these state lands are critical to maintain data collection efforts of global significance. It also ensures the continued conservation management by the Navy and NASA of natural and cultural resources on these lands.

By ensuring continued Navy and NASA operations on Kauai, the real estate action would also preserve local jobs and income for Kauai residents, financially contribute to the overall economic well-being of Kauai, and maintain continued conservation management of natural and cultural resources on state lands at no cost to the State of Hawaii.

For portions of PMRF, the Navy has real estate agreements with the State of Hawaiʻi for 8,172 acres, comprised of 684 acres of leaseholds and 7,488 acres of easement lands.

The Navy operates on approximately 410 acres of the total acres leased from the State of Hawaii. The majority of the leasehold and easement areas remain intentionally undeveloped as they are used as an encroachment buffer and security for the range’s mission.

The Navy’s current leases and easements support mission operations, access, and utilities at five general locations: Main Base , Kamokalā Ridge, Mānā Water Well, Miloli‘i Ridge, and Mākaha Ridge.

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NASA operates 23 acres, comprised of 16 acres of leaseholds and seven acres of easement lands, across five parcels along a 1 mile stretch of road in Kōke‘e State Park.

NASA issued the Navy a Use Permit in 2016 for portions of KPGO to conduct radar, telemetry, and communications services in support of PMRF operations.

For the Board of Land and Natural Resources, in addition to its role as the lessor of state lands, the proposed real estate action presents an opportunity to secure a revenue source to support its management of public lands and associated environmental and conservation programs.

Fees from leases and easements would be put into a state fund as required by law.

The Draft EIS analyzed the potential environmental effects of the Proposed Action and alternatives, including the No Action Alternative.

The Draft EIS satisfies both federal and State of Hawaii requirements and provides the necessary analyses to allow the Navy, NASA, and the Board of Land and Natural Resources to consider the environmental effects of the Proposed Action as part of their decision making.

Members of the public are encouraged to participate in the review process by providing input on the proposed real estate action, including on the environmental impacts of the alternatives, environmental or cultural concerns, information the public would like the Navy and NASA to know, and any other information the public would like to see addressed in the Final EIS.

IMPORTANT DATES: The Navy and NASA invite the public to review and comment on the Draft EIS and to attend public meetings.

These public meetings will be conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and in support of Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 343.

The public meetings will also serve as an opportunity to obtain public input concerning potential effects to historic properties pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and HRS Section 6E-8.

The public review and comment period begins June 20, 2025, and ends August 7, 2025. The public is encouraged to submit comments by August 7, 2025, 11:59 p.m. HST. Written and oral comments can be submitted at the public meetings in person or online.

PUBLIC MEETINGS: The Navy and NASA will host public meetings at three locations on Kauai. Each meeting will include a live online broadcast and public comment opportunity.

The public is encouraged to attend any of the public meetings to talk story, learn more, and submit written or oral comments.

The meetings will include information stations, a presentation that will be broadcast live online, and oral comments from the public in person and online.

All meetings will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. HST at the locations listed below. To participate online, register at PMRF-KPGO-EIS.com.

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>IRAN ATTEMPTED TO LAUNCH A NUKE

and they got kablooey'd

Did you guys know Tehran has a Jurassic Park attraction?

https://www.visitiran.ir/attraction/tehran-jurassic-and-spider-park

https://surfiran.com/mag/jurassic-park-tehran/

After US Sanctions, China Deploys Indigenous OS In Space To Cut Foreign Reliance

June 22, 2025 10:31 AM2 min read

China has reportedly trialed a domestically developed operating system aboard a small satellite, a move aimed at reducing dependence on foreign software in space-based applications.

Researchers used the OpenHarmony real-time operating system (RTOS)—a streamlined version of Huawei Technologies’ HarmonyOS—onboard the Dalian-1 Lianli CubeSat during more than 1,000 hours of in-orbit experimentation, reports the South China Morning Post.

The test showed marked improvements in speed and stability for microsatellite operations.

Yu Xiaozhou, a professor at the Dalian University of Technology and lead author of the study, stated that the mission demonstrated notable gains in system responsiveness and reliability thanks to the home-grown software platform, the report adds.

OpenHarmony replaced traditional firmware and foreign operating systems commonly used in Chinese microsatellites.

The satellite, released from the Tiangong space station, also ran on a chip manufactured in China, creating what researchers called a fully indigenous software-hardware solution.

The technology enabled subsystems like the magnetometer, sun sensor, and orientation unit to operate with microsecond-level responsiveness while consistently delivering high-frequency data updates, the report further adds.

Beyond its performance, the system endured extended pre-deployment conditions, including 253 days in external storage outside the space station.

Once activated, it produced sub-meter resolution images of Earth—capabilities that could aid regional planning efforts in coastal areas such as Dalian.

The software milestone stems from China’s broader effort to wean itself off foreign tech, a push accelerated after Huawei Technologies was added to the U.S. trade blacklist in 2019.

The ban restricted access to American tech tools and catalyzed initiatives like OpenHarmony, which is now overseen by the OpenAtom Foundation and applied across sectors, including embedded systems and aerospace.

Previously, Chinese satellites had relied on open-source foreign software such as FreeRTOS, which posed limitations under export restrictions.

The latest mission marks a significant step toward technical independence in China’s satellite development roadmap.

https://www.benzinga.com/news/space/25/06/46043554/after-us-sanctions-china-deploys-indigenous-os-in-space-to-cut-foreign-reliance

Ominous 'Chamaeleon' is hiding a stellar secret: Space photo of the week

June 22, 2025

Stars form within dark molecular clouds of gas and dust called nebulae, but it's rare to capture these stellar nurseries clearly.

A dramatic new image from the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) in Chile unveils the Chamaeleon I dark cloud — the closest such place to the solar system — in unprecedented detail.

The dark patches exposed in the new image give Chamaeleon I an ominous look, but within the thick veils of interstellar dust are pockets of light created by newly formed stars.

Chamaeleon I is approximately 2 billion years old and is home to around 200 to 300 stars.

Those young stars, now emerging from swirling gaseous plumes, are lighting up three nebulae — Cederblad 110 (at the top of the image), the C-shaped Cederblad 111 (center) and the orange Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula (bottom).

In astronomy, the word "nebula" is used to describe a diverse range of objects. It was initially used to describe anything fuzzy in the sky that wasn't a star or a planet, and it also refers to planetary nebulae, shells of gas ejected from dying stars.

However, these three are reflection nebulae, which glow brightly only because they're illuminated by starlight.

That's in contrast to the famous Orion Nebula, which emits its own light because the intense radiation of stars within or near the nebula energizes its gas, according to NASA.

Chamaeleon I is just one part of the expansive Chamaeleon Cloud Complex — imaged in 2022 by the Hubble Space Telescope — which includes the smaller Chamaeleon II and III clouds.

Chamaeleon I has been imaged many times before, most recently by the James Webb Space Telescope in 2023.

What makes this new image stand out is its spectacular detail. Mounted on the National Science Foundation's Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, DECam's 570-megapixel sensor reveals an intriguing faint red path of nebulosity between Cederblad 110 and Cederblad 111.

Formed when streams of gas ejected by young stars collided with slower-moving clouds of gas, they're known as Herbig-Haro objects and are embedded throughout Chamaeleon I.

https://www.livescience.com/space/ominous-chamaeleon-is-hiding-a-stellar-secret-space-photo-of-the-week

SpaceX calls last minute abort of Starlink 10-23 due to signal issue

Update June 22, 2:38 a.m. EDT

SpaceX scrubbed the mission due to an issue with the flight termination system; confirms new launch time.

SpaceX was less than two minutes away from the launch its 260th orbital flight from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station when it called an abort.

The SpaceX launch director said there was a poor signal coming from the flight termination system on the Falcon 9 rocket.

When it launches, the mission, dubbed Starlink 10-23, will add another 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to the company’s low Earth orbit constellation.

SpaceX is now targeting Monday, June 23, at 1:25 a.m. EDT (0525 UTC) for its next launch attempt.

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff.

The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 95 percent chance for favorable weather during Sunday’s launch window.

SpaceX will use the first stage booster, tail number B1069, to launch the mission, which will fly for a 25th time. Some of its previous missions include CRS-24, Eutelsat’s Hotbird 13F and 20 batches of Starlink satellites.

A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1069 will target a landing on the droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’ If successful, this will be the 114th touchdown for this vessel and the 465th booster landing to date.

The Starlink 10-23 mission will be SpaceX’s 57th Starlink launch of the year out of a total of 76 Falcon 9 flights. The company aims to launch 170 Falcon rockets by the end of 2025.

https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/06/21/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-27-starlink-satellites-on-falcon-9-rocket-from-cape-canaveral-2/

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-10-23