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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
March 26, 2026
Black Holes and Neutron Stars: 218 Mergers and Counting
What is the sound of two black holes merging in deep space? Sound waves don't propagate in vacuum, but gravitational waves do. In 2015 we were able to "hear" them for the first time and confirm one of Albert Einstein's theoretical predictions. Each square on the grid of the featured image represents one of the gravitational wave detections announced so far by the LIGO-VIRGO-KAGRA Collaboration. These plots show how the binary pair accelerates in their orbit around each other towards merger: the rising frequency effect is called a "chirp". Although there are significantly more neutron stars than black holes, most of the detections are binary black hole mergers. That happens because black holes are heavier and their signals are louder and can be seen farther away, resulting in more detections. These events are rare, and we don't expect to see one close by in our Galaxy any time soon. But they are happening continuously throughout the cosmos.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot_Iu5buAaE
Another April Comet Arriving, Strange Sky Energy | S0 News and fairweather frens
Mar.26.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm2-u4WecTA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4x1T9mmXRo (BPEarthwatch: The 4 Horsemen are Riding!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmU7FLZNIDo (TheEarthMaster: Cascadia Tremor counts and Northern California Earthquake activity. Wednesday Night update)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG4xNjVNzlE (Stefan Burns: If This Happens, EVERYTHING Tips Over the Edge…)
https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxfVeHfdNlbSrqSYPbeVNb6AlCPN9I06cQ
https://x.com/MattDevittWX/status/2036825721495023702
https://x.com/schumannbot/status/2037167721196958175
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes-volcanoes/news/298575/Volcano-earthquake-report-for-Thursday-26-Mar-2026.html
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-viewline-tonight-and-tomorrow-night-experimental
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/
Strong Non-Gravitational Breaking by Interstellar Objects is a Technological Signature!
March 26, 2026
Interstellar objects are identified by their positive energy relative to the Sun. This is not a metaphor but rather a physical characteristic, formulated as: E 0.
It means that interstellar objects move faster than the escape speed from the Solar System, which is dominated by the Sun’s gravity.
Far from the Sun, their energy is purely in the form of kinetic energy (per unit mass):
E = (1/2) U²
where U is their velocity in interstellar space. Since energy is conserved under the Sun’s gravity, their local velocity v evolves as a function of their changing distance r from the Sun according to the relation:
E = -GM/r + (1/2) v²
Altogether, in the presence of gravity:
v² = U² + 2GM/r
The local escape speed v_e at a distance r from the Sun is defined as the value of v for U=0, namely:
v_e² = 2GM/r
The Solar escape speed v_e represents the minimum speed needed to carry an object out of the Solar System.
Any object observed moving faster than v_e at a heliocentric distance r is flagged as interstellar in origin. At the orbital radius of Earth, the escape speed is 42.1 kilometers per second.
However, the situation changes under the action of a non-gravitational force, such as the rocket effect from outgassing.
Let us restrict our attention to the simple case of a non-gravitational acceleration, A[r], that scales similarly to gravity as 1/r² (as was the case for 1I/`Oumuamua or 3I/ATLAS) and always points opposite to the object’s velocity, namely away from the Sun before perihelion.
In this case, the energy E of the interstellar object will be reduced by A*r as the object arrives from interstellar space to a distance r from the Sun.
The reduction in energy results from the fact that this non-gravitational acceleration allows down the object and reduces its positive kinetic energy. The effect is equivalent to pumping the breaks on a vehicle.
If the energy change exceeds the positive value E that the interstellar object possessed to start with, then the net energy value will turn negative and the object will become gravitationally bound to the Sun.
The condition for an interstellar object to be trapped by the Sun owing to its non-gravitational acceleration is A*r (1/2) U², or equivalently:
A U²/2r
This can be compared to the gravitational acceleration at a distance r from the Sun, g=(GM/r²) = (v_e^/2r).
The above requirement for trapping an interstellar object in the Solar System is therefore:
Consider the example of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS which entered the Solar System with an interstellar speed of U = 58 kilometers per second.
The escape speed at its perihelion distance of 1.36 times the Earth-Sun separation is v_e = 36 kilometers per second.
In order for 3I/ATLAS to slow down enough and stay in the Solar System, the object had to break with a non-gravitational acceleration that is larger than the gravitational acceleration by a factor of
A/g (58/36)² = 2.6
The actual non-gravitational acceleration that was measured for 3I/ATLAS, as discussed in the recent paper I co-authored with Valentin Thoss and Andi Burkert here, is merely:
A/g ~ 0.0001
Clearly, 3I/ATLAS did not slow down at the level needed for it to stay in the Solar System.
The required threshold for staying of A/g 2.6 applies to any fragments released by 3I/ATLAS, since the acceleration condition for any object to stay in the Solar System does not depend on the object’s mass.
Today, the NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory released its data preview here. The full Rubin database over the coming decade is expected to reveal dozens of new interstellar objects.
If any of them appears to slow down enough to become gravitational bound to the Solar System, this breaking should be regarded as a strong enough technological signature to elevate its rank close to 10 on the Loeb Classification Scale of interstellar objects (as discussed here, here and here).
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/strong-non-gravitational-breaking-by-interstellar-objects-is-a-technological-signature-99511ecb855c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iaOQBoCQWI (Avi Loeb: 3I/ATLAS Is Exceedingly Rich in Deuterium)
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2603.23786
https://www.newswise.com/articles/nasa-s-hubble-detects-first-ever-spin-reversal-of-tiny-comet
https://futurism.com/space/interstellar-object-3i-atlas-deuterium-nuclear-fuel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NChjtOGk-zo (Dobsonian Power: NEW OFFICIAL 3I/ATLAS VIDEO RELEASED!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QobPcjDSjY (NASA Space News: MASSIVE COMET! Will C/2026 A1 Break Apart in the Corona?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Tj_e6MksQ (Chuck's Astro: Live: Let's Capture NGC 4490 - The Cocoon Galaxy)
let er rip with consecutive 107 minute solos
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15675413/emergency-energy-playbook-lockdown-iea.html
https://www.iea.org/reports/sheltering-from-oil-shocks/summary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKS7RbRn2EE (MrMBB333: It's Happening! 'National Emergencies" ALREADY being declared!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFIsl4Wf7io (Melanie King: Global Energy LOCKDOWN Is COVID 2.0 But 10x WORSE (They Told Us Everything 😳))
Emergency playbook for worldwide crises quietly released: 'Get ready for lockdown 2.0'
Updated: 04:25 EDT, 25 March 2026
The quiet release of an emergency energy playbook has sparked global concern, with some warning to 'get ready for lockdown 2.0' if fuel shortages worsen.
The guidance comes from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which last week released its report 'Sheltering From Oil Shocks' outlining 10 steps countries could take if supplies tighten.
The report was issued in response to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has all but choked off traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil routes, triggering fears of prolonged shortages and soaring fuel prices.
Among the recommendations are expanding remote work where possible, reducing highway speed limits and cutting back on air travel to limit strain on global supplies.
The IEA also suggests shifting travel from private cars to public transportation and restricting vehicle access in major cities on alternating days based on license plates.
It further proposed increasing carpooling, adopting fuel-efficient driving practices and diverting liquefied petroleum gas away from vehicles to preserve supplies for essential uses.
Several of the measures, if adopted, would require sweeping changes to daily routines, particularly in major cities heavily dependent on private vehicles and air travel.
While the watchdog said the steps are intended to help countries stretch limited supplies, stabilize markets and shield households from the worst effects, the 10 measures have sparked fury online.
Many social media users linked the report to Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, with some writing: 'We're not doing this again.'
Roughly 15 million barrels of crude oil and another five million barrels of refined oil products typically pass through the Strait of Hormuz each day, accounting for about 20 per cent of global oil consumption.
With shipments disrupted, crude oil prices have already surged above $100 per barrel, sending shockwaves through global markets and raising alarm among countries heavily dependent on Middle Eastern supplies.
Even short disruptions to traffic through the strait can ripple across global supply chains within days, driving up fuel costs and straining economies worldwide.
The report lays out a sweeping list of changes aimed at cutting energy demand across daily life, with many of the most immediate steps focused on transportation, one of the world's largest sources of oil consumption.
The IEA found that adding three additional work-from-home days per week for eligible worker could reduce national oil consumption from passenger vehicles by 2 to 6 per cent, while individual drivers could cut their own fuel use by as much as 20 per cent.
Reducing highway speed limits by about six miles per hour could lower fuel consumption for individual drivers by 5 to 10 per cent, while cutting national oil use for private cars by 1 to 6 per cent.
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Heavy freight trucks, which typically operate at lower speeds, could still achieve savings of around 5 per cent.
The IEA also urged governments to shift more travelers on to public transportation, including buses and trains, which could reduce national oil demand for cars by 1 to 3 per cent.
Encouraging walking and cycling for shorter trips would deliver even greater reductions.
In densely populated cities, officials recommend limiting private vehicle access on alternating days based on license plate numbers, a strategy designed to reduce congestion, engine idling and fuel-intensive stop-and-go driving.
Such measures could cut national car oil use by 1 to 5 per cent.
The report also highlighted the role of car sharing and more efficient driving habits, such as maintaining proper tire pressure, limiting air conditioning use and avoiding aggressive acceleration.
When combined, these steps could reduce fuel demand for passenger vehicles by up to 8 per cent.
Commercial transportation is another major target. The agency said eco-driving practices for delivery trucks and freight vehicles, including optimizing loads, reducing unnecessary braking and limiting idling, could lower fuel consumption for commercial road transport by 3 to 5 per cent.
In areas where vehicles rely on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the IEA suggested shifting those vehicles back to gasoline where possible, preserving limited LPG supplies for critical uses such as cooking and household heating.
Taken together, the recommendations reflect a worst-case planning scenario designed to prevent widespread shortages if global oil flows remain disrupted.
Beyond road transport, the report warns that aviation, household energy use and industry must also adapt if shortages worsen.
One of the most dramatic recommendations calls for slashing business air travel by as much as 40 per cent, a move the agency said could significantly reduce jet fuel demand worldwide.
The IEA estimated that cutting business-related flights at that scale could lower global jet fuel demand by 7 to 15 per cent, particularly if companies widely adopt virtual meetings.
Households are also urged to prepare for potential cooking fuel shortages by switching to electric or alternative cooking methods, particularly in regions heavily dependent on LPG supplies.
Industrial operations are also under scrutiny, with the report urging facilities to prioritize available fuel sources and improve maintenance practices, steps that could reduce oil use in individual facilities by up to 5 per cent.
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Science and Operational Prep Work Top Wednesday’s Schedule
March 25, 2026 12:11PM
Science preparation and procedure reviews topped the schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday.
The seven Expedition 74 crew members conducted a variety of tasks to ready for upcoming experiments and to conduct cargo operations.
NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir worked separately throughout the day to consolidate food and complete post-spacewalk work following the March 18 spacewalk to install a modification kit on the 2A power channel of the space station ahead of future solar array upgrades.
This work included the inspection of the suit glove heaters, data recorders, cameras, and helmet lights.
To prepare for upcoming experiment operations, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot spent the morning cleaning and inserting samples into the Soft Matter Dynamics experiment containers, which explore the dynamics of droplets and their size evolution in emulsions.
After donning the RelaxPro actigraphy device earlier this week, Adenot transferred the data to ground teams for analysis. She then familiarized herself with spacesuit systems before loading software onto payload hard drives.
In the Kibo module, NASA astronaut Chris Williams spent a large portion of the day installing new data management system racks, which are used to house and manage data for various science experiments. Later in the day, he worked on food consolidation then inspected medical hardware.
Following yesterday’s arrival of the Progress 94 cargo spacecraft, space station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev reviewed cargo transfer and stowage plans as they gear up to unload the nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies delivered by the spacecraft.
Later on, Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev photographed landmarks across Earth for documentation. Fedyaev also spent time throughout the day conducting some orbital plumbing and reconfiguring station cameras.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/03/25/science-and-operational-prep-work-top-wednesdays-schedule/
NASA Webb, Hubble Share Most Comprehensive View of Saturn to Date
Mar 25, 2026
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope have teamed up to capture new views of Saturn, revealing the planet in strikingly different ways.
Observing in complementary wavelengths of light, the two space observatories provide scientists with a richer, more layered understanding of the gas giant’s atmosphere.
Both sense sunlight reflected from Saturn’s banded clouds and hazes, but where Hubble reveals subtle color variations across the planet, Webb’s infrared view senses clouds and chemicals at many different depths in the atmosphere, from the deep clouds to the tenuous upper atmosphere.
Together, scientists can effectively ‘slice’ through Saturn’s atmosphere at multiple altitudes, like peeling back the layers of an onion.
Each telescope tells a different part of Saturn’s story, and the observations together help researchers understand how Saturn’s atmosphere works as a connected three-dimensional system.
Both complement previous observations done by NASA’s Cassini orbiter during its time studying the Saturnian system from 1997 to 2017.
The Hubble image seen here was captured as part of a more than a decade long monitoring program called OPAL (Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy) in August 2024, while the Webb image was captured a few months later using Director’s Discretionary Time.
The newly released images highlight features from Saturn’s busy atmosphere.
In the Webb image, a long-lived jet stream known as the “ribbon wave” meanders across the northern mid-latitudes, influenced by otherwise undetectable atmospheric waves.
Just below that, a small spot represents a lingering remnant from the “Great Springtime Storm” of 2010 to 2012. Several other storms dotting the southern hemisphere of Saturn are visible in Webb’s image, as well.
All these features are shaped by powerful winds and waves beneath the visible cloud deck, making Saturn a natural laboratory for studying fluid dynamics under extreme conditions.
Several of the pointed edges of Saturn’s iconic hexagon-shaped jet stream at its north pole, discovered by NASA’s Voyager spacecraft in 1981, are also faintly visible in both images.
It remains one of the solar system’s most intriguing weather patterns. Its persistence over decades highlights the stability of certain large-scale atmospheric processes on giant planets.
These are likely the last high-resolution looks we’ll see of the famous hexagon until the 2040’s, as the northern pole enters winter and will shift into darkness for 15 years.
In Webb’s infrared observations, Saturn’s poles appear distinctly grey-green, indicating light emitting at wavelengths around 4.3 microns.
This distinct feature could come from a layer of high-altitude aerosols in Saturn’s atmosphere that scatters light differently at those latitudes.
Another possible explanation is auroral activity, as charged molecules interacting with the planet’s magnetic field can produce glowing emissions near the poles.
NASA’s Hubble and Webb have already explored Saturn’s auroras, provided insights into Jupiter’s spectacular auroras also seen with Hubble, confirmed the auroras of Uranus glimpsed in 2011 by Hubble, and detected Neptune’s auroras for the first time with Webb.
In Webb’s infrared image, the rings are extremely bright because they are made of highly reflective water ice. In both images, we’re seeing the sunlit face of the rings, a little less so in the Hubble image, hence the shadows visible underneath on the planet.
There are also subtle ring features such as spokes and structure in the B ring (the thick central region of the rings) that appear differently between the two observatories.
The F ring, the outermost ring, looks thin and crisp in the Webb image, while it only slightly glows in the Hubble image.
Saturn’s orbit around the Sun, combined with the position of Earth in its annual orbit, determines our changing viewing angle of Saturn’s face and ring.
These 2024 observations, taken 14 weeks apart, show the planet moving from northern summer toward the 2025 equinox.
As Saturn transitions into southern spring, and later southern summer in the 2030’s, Hubble and Webb will have progressively better views of that hemisphere.
Hubble’s observations of Saturn for decades have built a record of its evolving atmosphere.
Programs like OPAL, with its annual monitoring, are allowing scientists to track storms, banding patterns, and seasonal shifts over time.
Webb now adds powerful infrared capabilities to this ongoing record, extending what researchers can measure about Saturn’s atmospheric structure and dynamic processes.
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasa-webb-hubble-share-most-comprehensive-view-of-saturn-to-date/
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/webb-captures-saturn-in-infrared/
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-sets-coverage-for-first-artemis-crewed-mission-around-moon/
extra Artemis II
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/artemis-2/nasa-sets-coverage-for-artemis-ii-moon-mission/
https://science.nasa.gov/learning-resources/science-activation/artemis-moon-tree-dedicated-in-honor-of-mary-w-jackson/
https://www.nasa.gov/general/nasa-ames-experts-available-for-artemis-ii-flight-test-interviews/
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/03/25/nasa-teams-continue-artemis-ii-preparations-at-launch-pad/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lxDQj7CFyI (10 Days in Orion)
NASA Sets Coverage for First Artemis Crewed Mission Around Moon
Mar 25, 2026
A variety of prelaunch, launch, and mission events for NASA’s Artemis II mission around the Moon will stream online.
The agency is targeting no earlier than Wednesday, April 1, for the test flight during a two-hour window that opens at 6:24 p.m. EDT, with additional launch opportunities through Monday, April 6.
Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed mission under the Artemis program and will launch from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon. Among objectives, the agency will test the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems for the first time with people and lay the groundwork for future crewed Artemis missions.
Briefings, events, and 24/7 mission coverage will stream on the agency’s YouTube channel, and events will each have their own stream closer to their start time. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.
The date and/or time of all events are subject to change. A full listing of coverage activities for Artemis II is available online:
https://go.nasa.gov/4c46fOu
The following highlighted prelaunch and launch events are all listed in Eastern time:
Friday, March 27
2:30 p.m.: Agency leadership, including NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) President Lisa Campbell, and other leaders, will greet the astronauts as they arrive at NASA Kennedy. The Artemis II crew members will answer questions from media in attendance.
Sunday, March 29
9:30 a.m.: The Artemis II crew members will virtually answer reporters’ questions from their quarantine facility.
2 p.m.: NASA will hold a news conference to provide a status update for launch.
Monday, March 30
5 p.m.: Following a mission management meeting, NASA will host a news conference to provide an update on launch preparations.
Tuesday, March 31
1 p.m.: NASA will hold a prelaunch news conference.
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Wednesday, April 1
7:45 a.m.: Coverage of tanking operations to load propellant into NASA’s (SLS) Space Launch System rocket begins, including views of the rocket and audio from a commentator.
12:50 p.m.: NASA+ coverage of launch begins. Coverage will continue on YouTube after Orion’s solar array wings deploy in space.
Approximately two-and-a-half hours after launch, NASA will hold a postlaunch news conference after the SLS rocket’s upper stage performs a burn to send Orion and its crew to high Earth orbit.
Mission coverage
NASA’s real-time coverage will continue throughout the mission on YouTube. The agency also will provide a separate live stream of views from the Orion spacecraft as bandwidth allows.
The agency will provide daily mission status briefings from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston beginning Thursday, April 2, except for April 6, due to lunar flyby activities.
The crew will participate in live conversations throughout the mission. NASA will provide the exact times of each of these downlink events in the Artemis blog and on the agency’s launch events page.
To participate virtually in briefings, media must RSVP no later than two hours before the start of each briefing to the NASA Johnson newsroom at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov.
NASA website launch, mission coverage
Updates during the launch countdown and throughout the mission will be posted on the Artemis blog.
All the latest imagery will be available at: Artemis II Multimedia
To track Orion in space, visit: nasa.gov/trackartemis
Attend launch virtually
Members of the public may register to attend the launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.
Audio-only launch coverage
Media may listen to the audio-only coverage of the tanking and launch broadcast by dialing 256-715-9946, passcode 682 040 632.
For those in Brevard County on the Space Coast, launch audio also will be available on Launch Information Service and Amateur Television System’s VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and KSC Amateur Radio Club’s UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode.
The deadline for media accreditation for in-person coverage of launch and mission events has passed.
The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online. For questions about media accreditation at NASA Kennedy, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.
For questions about media accreditation at NASA Johnson, please email: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov.
For information on obtaining feeds, email the NASA+ programming team: nasa-dl-nasaplus-programming@mail.nasa.gov.
As part of Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.
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