TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
January 19, 2026
CTB 1: The Medulla Nebula
What powers this unusual nebula? CTB 1 is the expanding gas shell that was left when a massive star toward the constellation of Cassiopeia exploded about 10,000 years ago. The star likely detonated when it ran out of elements, near its core, that could create stabilizing pressure with nuclear fusion. The resulting supernova remnant, nicknamed the Medulla Nebula for its brain-like shape, still glows in visible light because of the heat generated by its collision with confining interstellar gas. Why the nebula also glows in X-ray light, though, remains a topic of research. One hypothesis holds that an energetic pulsar was created and powers the nebula with a fast outwardly moving wind. Following this lead, a pulsar was found in radio waves that appears to have been expelled by the supernova explosion at over 1000 kilometers per second. Although the Medulla Nebula appears as large as a full moon, it is so faint that it took 84-hours of exposure with a small telescope in Texas, USA, to create the featured image.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqxmLMKmllY
X Flare, Radiation Storm Now, Solar Storm Coming | S0 News and fairweather frens
Jan.19.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NFrqhh2a5I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P06rSERssHU (X1.9 Solar Flare + Halo CME (1/18/2026))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGHMTYxN-Yw (BPEarthwatch: Full Halo Solar CME Inbound .Update)
https://x.com/NightSkyNow/status/2013046246827757633
https://x.com/MrMBB333/status/2013262259561398520
https://x.com/StefanBurnsGeo/status/2013254821122298199
https://x.com/SchumannBotDE/status/2013265478613946399
https://x.com/TamithaSkov/status/2013029820607996329
https://www.space.com/live/aurora-forecast-northern-lights-possible-tonight-jan-19
https://weatherboy.com/sun-launches-x-class-solar-flare-severe-geomagnetic-storm-on-earth-likely/
https://www.space.com/astronomy/sun/sun-erupts-with-powerful-x-class-flare-as-huge-cme-races-toward-earth-impact-possible-within-24-hours
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/x-class-flare-activity-observed-18-january-2026
https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=19&month=01&year=2026
https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/news/view/599/20260118-x1-9-solar-flare-with-earth-directed-cme.html
Stefan Burns
@StefanBurnsGeo
SCHUMANN ANOMALY DAY 2 ⚡ We're now at 34 hours of near continuous anomalous high-power energy propagation at non-resonate frequencies in the 0-40 Hz hange.
Based on their characteristics, I'm beginning to suspect these signals are being artificially induced. If that's so, why??
6:42 AM · Jan 18, 2026
https://x.com/StefanBurnsGeo/status/2012898307467628943
UFO mania
@maniaUFO
Planet Nibiru Confirmed By Google Sky?🧐🤔
Images now being shown of Winged Planet, Could this be the Legendary Nibiru?
5 h 42m 21.0s 22° 36′ 45.7″ These are The Google Sky Coordinates.
8:33 AM · Jan 18, 2026
https://x.com/maniaUFO/status/2012926206014869721
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/3i-atlas-mystery-harvard-scientist-avi-loeb-reveals-weird-hubble-discovery-regarding-1772043
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/avi-loeb-sparks-global-storm-claim-3i-atlas-could-alien-ai-lurking-our-solar-system-1771778
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/what-if-3i-atlas-is-ai-atlas-e51cfbc94181
https://medium.com/@adekipades/3i-atlas-larson-sekanina-hubble-image-7-january-2026-forensic-analysis-and-artist-impression-f2d47a07d57b
https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2026/01/18/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-at-opposition-online-observation-22-jan-2026/
https://kerrycassidy.substack.com/p/3iatlas-and-the-financial-system
https://x.com/manic_papa/status/2013261316304060420
https://x.com/drew4worldruler/status/2013147950407389560
https://x.com/JenksNelso5885/status/2013239402273669582
https://x.com/Ammar1176708/status/2013235899388088745
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/interstellar-atlas-intruders-solar-system-aliens-space-10482687/
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/un-iawn-planetary-defense-document-on-3i-atlas-what-nasa-and-esa-already-know/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U2hDhcQNxk (Ray's Astrophotography: Comet 3IATLAS — Highly Active! Long Ion Tail… Something Weird Is Happening - I Took a PICTURE)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY_3SHqt84o (Angry Atronaut: 3I Atlas is speeding up, and pulsing! PLUS, 18 anomalies!!)
3I/ATLAS Mystery: Harvard Scientist Avi Loeb Reveals 'Weird' Hubble Discovery Regarding Interstellar Visitor
19 January 2026, 1:39 PM GMT
Hubble images show 'weird' sunward jets defying solar physics
The cosmos has a knack for upending our expectations just when we think we have the neighbourhood mapped out.
On Jan. 14, 2026, the Hubble Space Telescope swivelled its gaze toward the interstellar visitor known as 3I/ATLAS, capturing a series of six images that have left the astronomical community — and Harvard's Professor Avi Loeb — grappling with a genuine enigma.
This is not your average comet; it is a celestial rebel that appears to be defying the very laws of solar physics we rely on to categorise our own solar system's icy wanderers.
The latest snapshots reveal a massive, glowing halo of material surrounding the object's nucleus, extending more than 130,000 kilometres toward the sun.
To put that in perspective, that is roughly a third of the distance between the Earth and the moon. However, the real 'weirdness' began when researchers applied a specific digital filter to the data.
The brightness map captured by Hubble represents the state of 3I/ATLAS after its perihelion, showing how the interstellar guest is reacting to the intense heat of our local star.
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The Larson-Sekanina Rotational Gradient filter, which is meant to remove the circular glow and show the structures underneath, gave very surprising results when it was used on the Hubble images.
3I/ATLAS has a strange arrangement of outflows instead of the usual swept-back tail that looks like hair blowing in the wind.
The data shows a prominent 'anti-tail' shooting directly toward the sun, accompanied by a trio of 'mini-jets.' These mini-jets are arranged with an almost mathematical precision, separated from one another by exactly 120 degrees.
Most bafflingly, not a single one of these jets is pointing away from the sun. In the world of cometary science, where solar wind and radiation usually push material back into a long, trailing tail, this sunward orientation is effectively unheard of.
Adding to the mystery is the object's rhythmic movement. A recent paper co-authored by Professor Loeb and Toni Scarmato, which analysed previous Hubble data from December 2025, found that this jet system is not static.
It wobbles periodically by approximately 20 degrees every 7.1 hours. During the half-hour window that Hubble watched the visitor on Jan. 14, the orientation shifted by about 5.6 degrees, suggesting a complex, rotating engine at the heart of this interstellar traveller.
Seeking Answers as 3I/ATLAS Reaches Opposition
The next few days are critical for unravelling this mystery. On Jan. 22, 2026, a rare celestial alignment will occur: the Earth will be aligned to within 0.69 degrees of the line connecting 3I/ATLAS to the sun.
This 'opposition' is similar to the geometry of a full moon; because we will be looking at the visitor from the same direction as the sun's light, we will see its reflective surfaces in their maximum possible brightness.
Crucially, because we will be looking at the object from the sun's perspective, that defiant sunward anti-tail will be pointed directly at us.
Scientists hope that measuring the surge in brightness and the way light is polarised during this alignment will reveal what the anti-tail is actually made of.
This rare vantage point will allow researchers to see the glowing dust and the nucleus at their absolute peak visibility from Earth.
The big question remains: what kind of material can punch through hundreds of thousands of kilometres of solar wind and radiation without being deflected?
Is it composed of large dust grains, fragments of ice, or something even more substantial? Early data from the SPHEREx space observatory indicated the presence of icy fragments before perihelion, but this signature vanished in December 2025.
In its place, SPHEREx found a twenty-fold increase in water production and a cocktail of organic molecules including methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), methanol (CH3OH) and formaldehyde (H2CO).
For these delicate organics to have survived a multi-billion-year journey across the void of interstellar space, Loeb argues they must have been protected deep within the object — at least 10 metres beneath its surface.
Whether 3I/ATLAS is a natural relic of a distant star system or something more remains to be seen, but for now, it is the most intriguing guest the solar system has ever hosted.
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NASA administrator tours Marshall as Huntsville advances Moon-to-Mars missions
January 19, 2026
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, visited Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville last week as teams there continue work on some of NASA’s most critical human spaceflight programs, including preparations for upcoming Artemis missions and advanced propulsion technologies.
During the visit, Isaacman met with Marshall leadership and workforce members to learn more about the center’s role in supporting NASA’s long-term exploration goals, from returning astronauts to the Moon to enabling future missions to Mars and beyond.
Following the visit, Isaacman praised the Huntsville workforce, writing that time spent with Marshall employees reinforced his confidence in the center’s mission and leadership.
U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) praised Marshall’s national importance after the visit. In a post on X, Britt pointed to the center’s decades-long leadership role within NASA and its continued contributions to U.S. space exploration efforts.
Marshall serves as the home of NASA’s Space Launch System program, the heavy-lift rocket designed to carry astronauts and cargo beyond low Earth orbit. Teams are currently preparing for the launch of Artemis II, following the rocket’s rollout at Kennedy Space Center.
Work is also underway at Marshall and the Michoud Assembly Facility to support future missions, including Artemis III, which is expected to return astronauts to the lunar surface through Marshall-led efforts within NASA’s Human Landing Systems program.
Beyond Artemis, Marshall engineers are advancing next-generation nuclear propulsion technologies aimed at powering future deep-space missions beyond the Moon.
https://256today.com/nasa-administrator-tours-marshall-as-huntsville-advances-moon-to-mars-missions/
https://twitter.com/SenKatieBritt/status/2012186680846078197
NASA Marshall
@NASA_Marshall
Don't miss your chance to #SendYourName to the Moon! 🌕
We’re collecting names that will be included on an SD card that will fly inside Orion during the Artemis II mission.
Don't forget a boarding pass for your furry friends, kids, and loved ones, too >https://go.nasa.gov/49NQ4mf
9:13 AM · Jan 18, 2026
https://x.com/NASA_Marshall/status/2012936437528764426
https://www3.nasa.gov/send-your-name-with-artemis/
How Long, Not Long
Jan 19, 2026
On March 24, 1965, a march from the campus of City of St. Jude to the Alabama state capitol building in Montgomery marked the culmination of a campaign that transformed voting rights in the United States.
The historic event included more than 25,000 civil rights activists—including more than 3,000 people who had walked from Selma—who gathered and camped at the Catholic social service complex during the final leg of the third and final Selma-to-Montgomery march.
On that last night of the multi-day protest, marchers camped on a rain-soaked field at St. Jude and drank in the music of some of the day’s biggest stars, including Harry Belafonte, Joan Baez, Sam Cooke, Billy Eckstine, Tony Bennett, Leonard Bernstein, Odetta Holmes, Nina Simone, Sammy Davis Jr., and Peter, Paul and Mary.
Early the next morning, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the procession of marchers on a five-mile route to the state capitol.
Decades later, on September 16, 2025, the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured this image of Montgomery, showing the ground the marchers covered.
As documented in a series of aerial photographs, marchers departed from St. Jude in a long line, headed north toward downtown, turned east onto Dexter Avenue, passed the Baptist church where King was once a pastor, and concluded on the steps of the state capitol building (below).
From there, King gave his "How Long, Not Long" speech (also called Our God is Marching On), which many historians consider among his most consequential.
On that warm, sunny day, he called out to the crowd assembled before him: "I know you are asking today, 'How long will it take?'
Somebody’s asking, 'How long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?'
Somebody’s asking, 'When will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham and communities all over the South, be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men?'"
Then came his answer:
"I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because 'truth crushed to earth will rise again.'"
Then, a bit later, he delivered a line that would become one of his most famous and enduring: "How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
The Selma to Montgomery march proved to be a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement, helping galvanize public support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 later that year, a law that prohibited racial discrimination in voting.
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/how-long-not-long/
Current / Former NASA Planetary Science Analysis Groups
January 18, 2026
These are the current NASA Planetary Science Analysis Groups listed by NASA – just in case that page goes away (it happens a lot at NASA these days). Full page below
Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group (ExMAG)
Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG)
Mapping and Planetary Spatial Infrastructure Team (MAPSIT)
Mars Exploration Analysis Group (MEPAG)
Mercury Exploration Assessment Group (MExAG)
Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG)
Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG)
Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG)
In addition to the Planetary Advisory Committee (PAC), NASA’s Planetary Science Division (PSD) receives feedback through analysis/assessment groups (AGs).
The AGs are community-organized groups, not authorized by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), that provide feedback to PSD, but not formal recommendations.
Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group (ExMAG)
The Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group (ExMAG) is a community-based, interdisciplinary group providing a forum for discussion and analysis of matters concerning the collection, curation, and analysis of extraterrestrial samples, including planning future sample return missions.
ExMAG also supports human exploration objectives and their implications for architecture planning and activity prioritization for future exploration of planetary surfaces insofar as they plan on collecting samples for return and analysis.
ExMAG subcommittees include the Asteroid Subcommittee, Exploration Hardware Subcommittee, Genesis Subcommittee, Facilities & Informatics Subcommittee, Lunar Subcommittee, Mars Subcommittee, Meteorite Subcommittee, and Microparticle Subcommittee.
Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG)
LEAG is responsible for analyzing scientific, technical, commercial, and operational issues associated with lunar exploration in response to requests by NASA.
The LEAG serves as a community-based, interdisciplinary forum for future exploration and provides analysis in support of lunar exploration objectives and their implications for lunar architecture planning and activity prioritization.
It provides findings and analysis to NASA through the NASA Advisory Council within which the LEAG Chair is a member of the Planetary Science Subcommittee (PSS).
Mapping and Planetary Spatial Infrastructure Team (MAPSIT)
The acquisition, organization and analysis of planetary spatial data, including images, cartography and geologic mapping is critical for linking science investigation and exploration planning for all solid bodies in the Solar System.
The Mapping and Planetary Spatial Infrastructure Team (MAPSIT) is a community-based, interdisciplinary forum for the discussion, analysis, and representation of matters concerning the creation and development of planetary geographic information and cartographic
cont.
https://nasawatch.com/space-science-news/current-former-nasa-planetary-science-analysis-groups/
Jupiter Has More Oxygen: New Simulations Reveal Hidden Planetary Secrets
January 19, 2026 in Planets
Jupiter has more oxygen than the sun according to new simulations revealing the gas giant contains 1.5 times more oxygen.
Advanced computer models combining atmospheric chemistry and hydrodynamics tracked water vapor circulation beneath Jupiter’s clouds.
This discovery reveals formation history and explains how planets accumulate oxygen-rich material near the cosmic snowline.
Jupiter has more oxygen than the sun, a revolutionary finding from advanced computer simulations.
New models combining atmospheric chemistry and hydrodynamics reveal the gas giant contains 1.5 times more oxygen. This discovery solves decades-long mysteries about Jupiter’s composition and formation.
Research teams from the University of Chicago and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed unprecedented simulations tracking water vapor circulation.
Jupiter has more oxygen locked in deep atmospheric water than previously quantified, providing insights into early solar system formation.
Discovering How Jupiter Has More Oxygen: Simulation Breakthrough Reveals Gas Giant Secrets
Jupiter has more oxygen than the sun—approximately 1.5 times higher, according to new simulations. Advanced computer models combining atmospheric chemistry with hydrodynamics tracked water vapor circulating through Jupiter’s deep layers.
Oxygen exists predominantly locked in water molecules far below visible clouds. This discovery reveals Jupiter formed beyond the cosmic snowline through accretion of icy material containing abundant oxygen-rich frozen water.
For decades, scientists questioned Jupiter’s oxygen content, frustrated by observational barriers preventing direct measurement.
Jupiter has more oxygen trapped in water vapor and condensed ice deep beneath visible clouds, far beyond spacecraft detection range.
Researchers from the University of Chicago and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed revolutionary computer simulations combining atmospheric chemistry with hydrodynamics to overcome this challenge.
Their models tracked water vapor circulation, condensation, and chemical reactions simultaneously with gas motion through Jupiter’s atmosphere.
The breakthrough approach revealed Jupiter has more oxygen than the Sun—approximately 1.5 times higher—fundamentally changing understanding of planetary formation.
cont.
https://nasaspacenews.com/2026/01/jupiter-has-more-oxygen/
The number of fires burning in the Arctic is rising, according to NASA researchers
19/01/2026 07:00
The Arctic is warming 4x faster than the global average. This directly impacts rain and snow in the region and decreases soil moisture, making the land more flammable.
Lightning is the primary ignition source of Arctic fires, which are also occurring farther north.
Arctic Fires
According to Jessica McCarty, Deputy Earth Science Division Chief at NASA’s Ames Research Center and an Arctic fire specialist, “Fire has always been a part of boreal and Arctic landscapes, but now it’s starting to act in more extreme ways that mimic what we’ve seen in the temperate and the tropical areas.”
McCarty is also the lead author of the report published in 2025 by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP).
The concern isn’t how many fires are burning, but rather how hot they’re burning.
“It’s the intensity that worries us most because it has the most profound impact on how ecosystems are changing,” explains Tatiana Loboda, chair of the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland.
Much of the vegetation in the Arctic is covered in snow during the winter and thaws in the spring. Vegetation dries out in sunlight. When given an ignition, like a lightning strike, fire can fuel quickly.
New Arctic Report
The 2025 AMAP report showed that increasingly flammable landscape combined with more lightning strikes is leading to larger, more frequent and intense fires than the landscape can handle.
Brendan Rogers, senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, “There is variability year to year, but across the decades we are averaging about double the burned area in the North American Arctic compared to the mid-20th century.”
The Arctic is accustomed to low-intensity fires, which leaves most of the forest standing so the upper soil levels can recover quickly.
Intense fires can kill off trees and can trigger secondary succession, where new species replace those that died. These intense fires burn deep into the carbon-rich soil and accelerate snowmelt.
Researchers began observing fires consistently sparking in the Arctic as early as late March, which is much earlier in the year compared to historical records.
Loboda explains, “A lot of areas now burn two, three, or even five times during a very short period. It’s an immense impact: It’s happening across the tundra and the boreal regions, and these areas can’t recover.”
Implications of the Arctic Burning
Peat is thousands and thousands of years old.
cont.
https://www.yourweather.co.uk/news/science/the-number-of-fires-burning-in-the-arctic-is-rising-according-to-nasa-researchers.html
==The Inspiring True Story of Hidden Figures: Meet the Real NASA Mathematicians Who Got Man on the Moon
January 19, 2026 07:00AM EST
Hidden Figures may have been a box office sensation thanks to its leading ladies Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe, but it was the story of the real NASA women behind the film that captivated the world.
The behind-the-scenes calculations done by mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson became instrumental to the space race missions headed by astronauts such as John Glenn (the first American to orbit the Earth), Alan Shepard (the first American in space) and Neil Armstrong (the first person to walk on the moon).
"These [women] are our true American heroes," Monáe, who portrayed Jackson in the three-time Oscar-nominated movie told CNN. "It's because of them that we can have that as America. We can feel proud that we achieved something so extraordinary."
More than nailing their numbers, the real-life women behind the characters, known as “calculators” in the NASA Langley Research Center where they worked, were pioneers of the workforce, overcoming gender and race discrimination to break glass ceilings in their field.
Johnson gave Henson and co. her stamp of approval, telling the Los Angeles Times of the film, “It was well-done. The three leading ladies did an excellent job portraying us.”
Keep reading to find out the inspired true story of Hidden Figures, from its historically accurate events to its inspiring real-life trailblazers.
Who was Katherine Johnson?
Creola Katherine Johnson, known as the “human computer,” was a mathematician who worked for NASA from 1953 to 1986.
Having entered high school at the age of 10, she graduated summa cum laude from college at age 18 per the organization. “I counted everything.
I counted the steps to the road, the steps up to church, the number of dishes and silverware I washed … anything that could be counted, I did,” she later recalled to NASA.
The Virginia school teacher went on to become the first Black woman to integrate into West Virginia University’s graduate school in 1939, though she left prematurely to focus on her family with husband James Goble.
Johnson later married James A. Johnson following Goble’s death in 1956.
After joining NASA in 1953, Johnson continued to make history. In 1960, she co-authored a report with a NASA engineer, marking the first time a woman in her flight research division had ever been credited on a research report.
“The movie and book were pretty accurate. Women did not have their names included as authors on technical [papers] in the early days,” Johnson later told the Los Angeles Times.
According to the institution, Johnson’s calculations were instrumental in supporting some of the biggest milestones in aeronautic history.
She contributed a trajectory analysis for Freedom 7, the first American spacecraft to carry a person into space in 1961.
She also famously ran hand calculations confirming the computerized orbital equations that controlled the trajectory of Glenn’s Friendship 7 mission — the first to orbit Earth — in 1962.
In later years, Johnson worked on what she went on to cite as her greatest contribution to space: her calculations for the organization’s Apollo projects, including the lunar module (the lander spacecraft that allowed for Apollo 11’s first flight to the Moon), the Apollo 11 mission, and the Apollo 13 mission, for which she provided contingency procedures that allowed its astronauts to get home safely when its equipment malfunctioned.
She also reportedly worked on calculations for the fourth human space flight program, a.k.a. the Space Shuttle program, and helped create plans for a mission to Mars.
cont.
https://people.com/inside-the-true-story-of-hidden-figures-8782551
Was the Red Planet once blue? New evidence points to an ancient ocean on Mars
January 19, 2026
Mars may have once possessed an ocean at least as large as Earth's Arctic Ocean, a new study suggests.
Previous research suggested rivers and seas once existed on Mars, raising the question of whether it might have once been capable of supporting life. However, much remains uncertain about how blue the Red Planet once was.
In the new study, researchers analyzed high-resolution images from various cameras on Mars probes, including the European Space Agency (ESA)'s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, ESA's Mars Express, and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
"Together, these instruments act like a geological time machine, helping us reconstruct the planet's past condition," study lead author Ignatius Argadestya, a planetary geologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland, told Space.com.
The scientists investigated the southeast part of a 620-mile (1,000-kilometer) canyon known as Coprates Chasma.
This gorge makes up part of the Valles Marineris, the largest canyon system on Mars, which stretches more than 2,485 miles (4,000 km) long along the Red Planet's equator.
Specifically, the researchers focused on geological formations known as scarp-faced deposits at the lower end of Coprates Chasma. These resembled fan deltas on Earth — fan-shaped cones of debris and sand that form where rivers pour into oceans.
Although wind-sculpted dunes currently cover these former delta structures on Mars, their original shape is still recognizable.
All the scarp-faced deposits the scientists identified occurred at the same range of elevations — a depth of 11,975 to 12,300 feet (3,650 to 3,750 meters) in the Valles Marineris and the northern lowlands. In addition, they all formed about 3.37 billion years ago.
The researchers suggested these scarp-faced deposits are evidence of an ancient shore. All in all, they estimated Mars once possessed an ocean across its northern hemisphere that was at least as large as the Arctic Ocean on Earth.
"The most important implication is that Mars may have sustained stable surface water on a planetary scale for longer periods than previously thought," Argadestya said.
"Water on Mars may once have formed connected systems across vast distances, rather than existing only in isolated lakes."
The scientists noted they are not the first to speculate about the existence and size of any ocean on Mars.
"What our study contributes is a new line of geological evidence that helps constrain where the shoreline may have been and how high the water once reached," Argadestya said.
In the future, the scientists plan to investigate the composition of ancient Martian soils. These could help shed light on what kind of erosion Mars experienced from water, Argadestya noted.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/was-the-red-planet-once-blue-new-evidence-points-to-an-ancient-ocean-on-mars
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44453-025-00015-8
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 29 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida
JAnuary 18, 2026
Another Starlink launch is now in the record books.
SpaceX on Sunday (Jan. 18) sent a new batch of 29 Starlink satellites (Group 6-100) into low Earth orbit. At 6:31 p.m. EDT (2331 GMT), the company launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
About nine minutes later, the Falcon's upper stage reached its preliminary orbit and was on track to deploy its payload approximately an hour after leaving the ground, following a coast period and second burn of its Merlin engine.
The launch marked the 24th successful re-flight of the Falcon 9's first stage (B1080). The booster performed a propulsive landing, touching down on its four deployed legs atop the droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The ever-growing Starlink megaconstellation now numbers more than 9,500 active satellites, according to tracker Jonathan McDowell.
The network provides internet access to regions around the world where others means of connecting is sparse. The service also supports wifi on airlines and direct cell-to-satellite calls for select providers.
Sunday's launch marked SpaceX's 8th launch of 2026 and 591st Falcon 9 mission since 2010.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlink-6-100-b1080-ccsfs-asog
https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-6-100
The EGT Programme: your road to space
19/01/2026
Dreaming of a career in space? The 2026 ESA Graduate Trainee opportunities are launching soon! It’s time to polish up your CV, craft your motivation letter and get ready to reach for the stars.
If you’re in the final year of a Master’s degree, or recently graduated, in engineering, science, IT or business services, this is your chance to work on cutting-edge missions alongside Europe’s top space professionals.
EGTs join us for one year, with the possibility of a second year, and the programme puts you right at the centre of Europe’s thriving space activities. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to shape the future of space exploration!
Here are six important pieces of information on the EGT Programme while we wait for applications to open.
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Who can apply?
To be eligible for the EGT Programme, you must be:
a student in the final year of a Master’s degree or a recent graduate in engineering, science, IT or business services, with a maximum of one year’s professional experience post graduation.
a citizen of one of the following ESA Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia, as Associate Members, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta as European Cooperating States.
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What the EGT Programme offers
A unique professional experience as part of a team of scientists, engineers and business professionals from all over Europe, working together on inspiring space missions in an international environment.
A great opportunity to gain extensive experience that could open doors to a long-term career within Europe’s space sector.
A one-year contract (with possible extension to a second year) with 2.5 days' paid leave per month.
Excellent employment conditions, including a monthly salary exempt from national income tax in ESA Member States.
Reimbursement of travel expenses at the beginning and end of the contract.
Expatriation allowance and/or an installation allowance on arrival if you move from another country.
Comprehensive health cover under ESA’s social security scheme.
cont.
https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/The_EGT_Programme_your_road_to_space
China lofts AlSat 3A imaging craft for Algeria
Jan 19, 2026
China has launched a Long March 2C rocket carrying a remote sensing satellite for Algeria, extending long running space cooperation between the two countries.
The two stage launcher lifted off at 12:01 pm local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and placed the AlSat 3A spacecraft into its planned orbit.
Project contractor China Great Wall Industry, the overseas trading arm of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, confirmed that the mission achieved all planned objectives.
AlSat 3A, built by the China Academy of Space Technology, is an optical remote sensing satellite designed to collect data and imagery to support land use planning, disaster prevention and mitigation tasks in Algeria.
The craft is the first of two optical remote sensing satellites to be supplied to Algeria under a contract signed in July 2023 between China Great Wall Industry and the Algerian Space Agency.
The agreement also covers delivery of associated ground systems, personnel training and other technical support services to help Algeria operate and exploit the new satellites.
The latest launch follows the successful delivery of the Alcomsat 1 communications satellite in December 2017 and marks what officials describe as a new milestone in bilateral space collaboration.
Long March 2C was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, another subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
The launcher is 43 meters long with a core diameter of 3.35 meters and a liftoff mass of around 242.5 metric tons, and is primarily used to place payloads into low Earth and sun synchronous orbits.
This mission was the 626th flight of the Long March rocket family and the third orbital launch conducted by China in 2026.
https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_lofts_AlSat_3A_imaging_craft_for_Algeria_999.html
China previews how powerful its new Xuntian space telescope will be ahead of 2027 launch
January 19, 2026
China is getting close to launching a large space telescope to orbit along with its Tiangong space station, and scientists have just completed a full observation simulation in preparation.
The bus-sized Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) — also known as Xuntian, or "surveying the heavens" — is being readied for a launch as soon as early 2027. It features a 6.6-foot-wide (2 meters) primary mirror, slightly smaller than that of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Xuntian will, however, be a much more capable sky survey instrument, according to Chinese space officials. It carries a 2.5-billion-pixel camera and boasts a field of view around 300 times larger than the venerable Hubble, surveying the sky from near-ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths and delivering high spatial resolution imagery.
As preparations for launch enter the final stages, a collaborative Chinese research team built an end-to-end simulation suite to provide mock observations for both the telescope's optical and other observation systems to replicate expected instrumental and observational conditions and evaluate the telescope's overall performance.
The results were published in the journal Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics in early January.
The Chinese Space Station Telescope is expected to make major contributions to a range of fields, including cosmology, the study of galaxies, the evolution of the Milky Way and stars and planets.
It could also provide insights into dark matter and dark energy, according to the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), which led the mock observation study.
After launch on a Long March 5B rocket, Xuntian will fly independently in low Earth orbit, but it will co-orbit with the Tiangong space station. As shown in a video published by China Central Television (CCTV), the spacecraft will be able to dock with Tiangong.
Astronauts will then be able to conduct extravehicular activities, or spacewalks, to maintain, repair or even upgrade the observatory, as NASA astronauts did with Hubble five times between 1993 and 2009.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/china-previews-how-powerful-its-new-xuntian-space-telescope-will-be-ahead-of-2027-launch-video
https://www.raa-journal.org/issues/all/2026/v26n2/
Uncrewed Chinese space capsule safely makes its way back to Earth
19 Jan 2026 18:59
The return capsule of China’s Shenzhou-20 spacecraft landed safely in northern China on Monday morning, successfully completing a recovery operation after the capsule was deemed unsuitable for a crewed return.
According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the uncrewed capsule touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region this morning, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Recovery teams secured the landing area and carried out technical inspections, confirming the capsule was largely undamaged and that onboard materials were preserved in good condition.
The return mission had been delayed after engineers determined the capsule was not suitable for carrying astronauts back to Earth.
CMSA officials said small cracks were discovered in the capsule’s viewport window, likely caused by impacts from space debris, prompting a decision to prioritize safety and return the spacecraft without a crew.
Meanwhile, preparations for future missions are continuing. The Shenzhou-23 spacecraft has arrived at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, where it will serve as the next rolling backup in China’s manned spaceflight program.
China launched the Shenzhou-20 mission in April 2025, sending three astronauts to the country's orbiting space station for a six-month stay. Their return was originally scheduled for Nov. 5, 2025, but the spacecraft failed to meet the requirements for a safe crewed return.
https://news.az/news/uncrewed-chinese-space-capsule-safely-makes-its-way-back-to-earth
Advisory on the Long March 12 rocket launch
19 January 2026
The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) confirms the launch of the Long March 12 rocket from the People’s Republic of China.
Expected debris from the rocket launch was projected to have fallen within the identified drop zones: approximately 22 NM away from Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and 14 NM away from Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park. The drop zone is within Philippine archipelagic waters.
The Long March 12 rocket was launched from the Hainan International Commercial Launch Site in Wenchang, Hainan at around 3:48 PM PhST on 19 January 2026.
Details of the rocket drop zone were disclosed through a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) warning of an “aerospace flight activity.” PhilSA disseminated a pre-launch report to relevant government agencies and authorities prior to the launch.
Unburned debris from rockets, such as the booster and fairing, are designed to be discarded as the rocket enters outer space.
While not projected to fall on land features or inhabited areas, falling debris poses danger and potential risk to ships, aircraft, fishing boats, and other vessels that will pass through the drop zone.
There is also a possibility for the debris to float around the area and wash toward nearby coasts. Additionally, the possibility of an uncontrolled re-entry to the atmosphere of the rocket’s upper stages returning from outer space cannot be ruled out at this time.
PhilSA reiterates its advice for the public to inform local authorities if suspected debris is sighted. PhilSA also cautions against retrieving or coming in close contact with these materials that may contain remnants of toxic substances such as rocket fuel.
https://philsa.gov.ph/news/advisory-on-the-long-march-12-rocket-launch-5/
Korea, US discuss cooperation in space commerce
Jan 19, 2026 10:27 pm KST
Senior officials of Seoul and Washington met in Seoul on Monday to discuss ways to deepen bilateral cooperation between Korean and U.S. space companies, the foreign ministry said.
Park Jong-han, deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, and Taylor Jordan, director of the Office of Space Commerce at the U.S. Department of Commerce, took part in the talks, according to the ministry.
In the meeting, Park stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation in establishing a trustworthy supply chain and for joint entries into overseas markets amid a rapidly expanding global space economy.
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/others/20260119/korea-us-discuss-cooperation-in-space-commerce
Ukrainian MPs ready to renounce claim to Donbass – Die Welt
19 Jan, 2026 13:49
Ukrainian MPs are ready to renounce Kiev’s claim to Donbass in order to achieve peace with Russia, German outlet Die Welt has claimed, citing a high-ranking lawmaker.
The report comes amid accelerated advances by Russian forces along most of the front line. Moscow said last week that eight settlements and a total of 300 square kilometers had been liberated in the first two weeks of January alone.
Die Welt’s correspondent in the Ukraine, Steffen Schwarzkopf, said live on air on Saturday that “an extremely influential parliamentarian” told him that the deteriorating situation has made many Ukrainian MPs change their stance on territorial concessions to Moscow.
According to Schwarzkopf, his interlocutor acknowledged that “yes, we have to make a compromise, even if it’s extremely painful; and yes, we have to give up Donbass.”
The MP noted that she and her colleagues believe a ceasefire is needed “at any cost,” the correspondent said.
The lawmaker refused to talk on camera because what she said contradicts the position of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, who has repeatedly ruled out the possibility of giving up any land to Russia, he stressed.
Schwarzkopf claimed that the MP told him there is “a climate of fear” in Kiev and that her political career “would be over immediately” under pressure from the secret services if she made such statements publicly.
In his address to the Russian Foreign Ministry in June 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow will stop hostilities if Kiev officially renounces its aspirations to join NATO and withdraws troops from the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in Donbass, and from the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye.
The four territories joined the Russian state in the fall of 2022 as a result of referendums. Russia’s stance has since hardened, however.
Putin said in late December that considering the events on the ground, Moscow has “practically zero” interest in a Ukrainian pullout from Donbass and other areas, and that Russia will achieve its aims either diplomatically or militarily.
https://www.rt.com/news/631142-ukraine-parliament-donbass-zelensky/
Putin envoy to meet with US officials in Davos – media
19 Jan, 2026 11:48
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev will meet with the US delegation on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Reuters has reported, citing informed sources.
Axios correspondent Barak Ravid claimed in a post on X that Dmitriev will hold talks with US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and the American leader’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the Swiss city on Tuesday.
The sides will discuss the US president’s plan to settle the Ukraine conflict, according to Ravid’s sources.
The Russian Embassy in Switzerland said last week that it has not received any official invitations addressed to Russian officials, business people or journalists to attend the event in Davos.
The country’s representatives have been barred from WEF since the escalation between Moscow and Kiev in 2022.
Dmitriev has visited the US several times since Trump took office a year ago, where he has negotiated ways to restore bilateral ties and stop the fighting between Moscow and Kiev.
His latest trip took place in December, when he held two days of talks with Witkoff and Kushner. Both sides described the talks as “constructive.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week that the Russian authorities are looking forward to another visit by Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow.
The date has not yet been set, Peskov noted. Bloomberg claimed earlier, citing sources, that the trip could happen this month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Witkoff six times in 2025, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Kiev’s top negotiator Rustem Umerov said on Sunday that talks with the Americans on finding a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict will continue at the World Economic Forum (WEF), which is being held between Monday and Friday.
Trump, who addressed the WEF via video link in 2025, is expected to attend the high-profile gathering in person this time.
Last week, Trump said that he believes Zelensky is responsible for stalling the peace process. “I just think he’s… having a hard time getting there. I think [Putin] is ready to make a deal… I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal.”
In his address to foreign ambassadors on Thursday, Putin said that Moscow “seeks a lasting sustainable peace [with Ukraine] that secures safety for each and every one.”
He warned previously that Russia is capable of achieving all its goals through military means if Kiev continues to reject diplomacy.
https://www.rt.com/news/631144-dmitriev-us-ukraine-davos/
https://www.grantspasstribune.com/winter-blackout-on-the-front-lines-drone-strikes-disrupt-power-in-occupied-southern-ukraine/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-live-trump-putin-zelensky-davos-peace-talks-b2902928.html
https://www.the-independent.com/bulletin/news/russia-ukraine-war-latest-trump-b2902976.html
other Russia and Ukraine
https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/two-killed-dozens-injured-in-russian-drone-strikes-across-ukraine-23612595
https://112.ua/en/rosia-atakuvala-ukrainu-115-bpla-ppo-zbila-96-droniv-133920
https://112.ua/en/rosiani-atakuvali-zaporizza-dronami-zagoranna-na-infrastrukturnomu-obekti-133887
https://voennoedelo.com/en/posts/id12296-ukrainian-drones-swarm-russian-troops-in-priluki-battle
https://www.zmescience.com/future/ukraine-world-first-hydrogen-drone/
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/68341
https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2026/01/19/7229345/
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/ukraine-reveals-russia-s-new-geran-5-jet-1768813778.html
https://thekenyatimes.com/latest-kenya-times-news/world-watches-as-russia-unveils-game-changing-supercam-drone-fleet-in-abu-dhabi/
https://www.romania-insider.com/drone-fragments-romania-vaslui-january-2026
Winter Blackout on the Front Lines: Drone Strikes Disrupt Power in Occupied Southern Ukraine
January 19, 2026
Hundreds of thousands of residents in Russian-occupied parts of southern Ukraine were left without electricity over the weekend after drone strikes damaged key sections of the regional energy network, according to authorities installed by Moscow.
The outages, which unfolded during winter conditions, underscored the growing role of energy infrastructure as a pressure point in the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.
Officials in the Russian-controlled portions of the Zaporizhzhia region reported that electricity was cut to large swaths of territory after what they described as Ukrainian drone attacks struck substations and transmission facilities.
State media and occupation administrations said more than 200,000 households across hundreds of towns and villages lost power, with some areas also experiencing disruptions to heating and water systems.
Repair crews were dispatched, but restoration efforts were complicated by ongoing security risks and freezing temperatures.
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The blackout was one of the most significant disruptions to civilian energy supply in occupied southern Ukraine in recent months.
Reuters and the Associated Press both reported that the strikes targeted infrastructure rather than residential areas, reflecting a broader shift in the conflict toward long-range drone warfare and attacks on logistics and utilities.
The affected areas sit deep behind current front lines, highlighting Ukraine’s expanding ability to reach targets well beyond immediate combat zones.
Russian-installed officials said emergency generators were deployed to hospitals and other critical facilities, while rolling outages were implemented elsewhere to stabilize the grid.
They also claimed that some power disruptions extended intermittently toward Crimea and neighboring Russian regions, though independent verification of those reports remains limited.
Ukrainian authorities did not publicly comment on the specific strikes, a common practice regarding operations in occupied territory.
The incident unfolded against the backdrop of continued Russian attacks on Ukraine’s own energy system.
Over the past two winters, Russia has repeatedly targeted power plants, substations, and transmission lines across Ukrainian-controlled cities, including Kyiv and Odesa, causing prolonged outages and forcing the government to implement nationwide power rationing.
Analysts note that both sides now view energy infrastructure as strategically significant, not only for military logistics but also for civilian morale during harsh winter months.
International observers say the latest outages illustrate how the war has evolved into a conflict of attrition, with drones increasingly used to bypass traditional front lines.
Low-cost unmanned aircraft have become a central tool for striking high-value targets such as refineries, rail hubs, and power facilities, allowing each side to impose economic and humanitarian pressure without large-scale ground offensives.
For civilians living under occupation, the power cuts added another layer of hardship to daily life already shaped by war, shortages, and uncertainty.
Local administrations urged residents to conserve heat and electricity where possible, while repair crews worked under military protection to assess damage and restore service.
By late Sunday, partial power had reportedly been returned to some districts, though officials warned that full restoration could take days.
As winter deepens, energy security is expected to remain a focal point of the conflict.
The latest blackout in southern Ukraine reflects a broader reality of the war, where battles are increasingly fought not only over territory, but over the systems that keep modern societies functioning.
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