TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
July 1, 2026
The Cotton Candy Clouds of Rho Ophiuchi
Although they look like cotton candy, you cannot eat these clouds! Taken in Cádiz, Spain, today's image features the Rho Ophiuchi complex, a rich tapestry of young and old astronomical phenomena. This colorful cloud complex is a nearby star-forming region containing hundreds of young stellar objects, including protostars and T Tauri stars. Light from the triple star system at its center reflects off of small dust grains to create the blue reflection nebula. Ultraviolet light from hot stars ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, creating the red emission nebula. Antares, a red supergiant big enough to engulf the Solar System’s asteroid belt, lights up the yellow region. Dark interstellar dust blocks some of the complex’s color. Recent JWST observations exhibit shadows cast by hidden circumstellar disks, the beginning stages of planet formation. Messier 4, a globular cluster almost as old as the universe, sits in the bottom right and witnesses yet another chaotic burst of youth in the Milky Way.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnFw3CYL89E
Where is the EBS wizard when you need him, to drop a nice detailed emergency message explaining our current situation, on a loop for a week.
That would get them all caught up, maybe a little too fast though.
>>24777170 LB
Luna did a nice recap interview right after
Cracking the code on CIA's MKUltra Project? | Rep. Luna 1-1
Jun 30, 2026
The National News Desk's Taylor Murray sits down one-on-one with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna to discuss today's hearing on MKUltra, a covert CIA operation aimed at developing mind-control techniques using drugs, hypnosis, and other experimental methods.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSLR18zQsrQ
moar MKUltra hearing links
https://oversight.house.gov/release/luna-opens-hearing-on-mkultra-project-transparency/
https://oversight.house.gov/release/hearing-wrap-up-declassifying-information-is-important-for-preserving-public-trust/
X Class Flare at Earth, Quake Forecast Strikes! | S0 News and frens
July.1.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGDi8Kq3yo0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvrOMfmhLy0 (thornews: wild & hot earthquakes and weather)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx5s_Y0S80U (Stefan Burns: A California Megaquake Will Be A USA Mega-Disaster…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa73I0v1U9o (EarthMaster: 6.0 Earthquake off the Coast of Mexico.. Watch for northward movement.. Tuesday)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imq4-xBsZco (MrMBB333: A potentially dangerous situation is BREWING! Be ready!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abPwebB02FI (Time for Truth: One Minute. Two Massive Earthquakes. Venezuela's Unfolding Tragedy)
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/solar-cycle-25/2026/06/30/sun-releases-strong-flare-11/
https://www.space.com/stargazing/sun-unleashes-powerful-x-class-solar-flare-and-earth-bound-cme-that-could-spark-northern-lights-for-july-4-weekend
https://www.spaceweather.gov/news/solar-wind-data-and-display-changes
https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/july-skywatching-guide-moon-planets-conjunctions
https://watchers.news/2026/07/01/enhanced-risk-issued-for-severe-thunderstorms-across-midwest-and-upper-great-lakes/
https://www.weatherbug.com/news/Storms-Flare-Up-Across-The-Midwest-Northeast-And-Plains?source=news
https://8am.media/eng/u-s-deploys-nearly-1000-troops-for-earthquake-relief-in-venezuela/
https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/07/1167850
https://watchers.news/2026/07/01/strong-m6-0-earthquake-hits-off-the-coast-of-iwate-prefecture-japan/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/6-0-magnitude-earthquake-strikes-220029062.html
https://meteoagent.com/schumann-resonance-forecast
https://www.tornadohq.com/
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes-volcanoes/news/318138/Volcano-earthquake-report-for-Wednesday-1-Jul-2026.html
https://www.solarham.com/
https://www.spaceweather.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/
Dusting Off 3I/ATLAS: Interstellar Travelers Must Clean their Windshields!
June 30, 2026
In a new paper posted here, Matthew Belyakov (from Caltech) and collaborators present the first spectroscopic mineralogical analysis of the dust shed by the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.
The analysis pertains to mid-infrared spectroscopy of 3I/ATLAS by the Webb telescope. The object exhibited a strong spectral feature at a wavelength of 10-micrometers, implying a dust composition dominated by amorphous silicates.
Unlike Solar System comets which show significant crystalline silicate dust, the composition of the dust shed by 3I/ATLAS after perihelion is more similar to the dust in the interstellar medium.
This adds a new unexpected property of 3I/ATLAS to the list of 22 anomalies I already posted here.
The simplest interpretation of this anomaly is that 3I/ATLAS formed in a distant part of its home planetary system out of interstellar medium-like material, without substantial incorporation of silicates condensed near its host star.
Such a formation process differs markedly from the mixing scenarios commonly hypothesized for Solar System comets.
After reading this preprint, I was intrigued to calculate the amount of interstellar dust that may have accumulated on the surface of 3I/ATLAs as a result of its long journey through the disk of the Milky-Way galaxy.
The dust disk of the Milky Way galaxy has a radius of order 30,000 light-years and a thickness of order 300 light-years. The interstellar dust accounts for about a percent of the gas mass in the Milky Way, totaling of order a hundred million Solar masses.
The average mass density of dust in the Milky Way disk is obtained by taking the ratio between its total mass and the disk volume.
The age estimate of 3I/ATLAS is about 10–12 billion years, based on its high speed — characteristic of old stars, the anomalously high isotope ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-13 and the extraordinarily high deuterium abundance (as derived here).
The path length traversed by 3I/ATLAS through the Milky-Way disk is obtained through the product of its speed relative to the Local Standard of Rest of the Milky-Way (about 60 kilometers per second) times its estimated age (about 10 billion years).
Multiplying this path length with the mean mass density of the dust disk gives a net column-density of accumulated dust on its surface. Before my morning jog at sunrise, I calculated the result to be about 0.4 grams per square centimeter.
This suggests a surface layer of accumulated interstellar dust with a thickness of order a centimeter.
Given that the estimated radius of 3I/ATLAS is about a kilometer, the total mass of interstellar dust that it may have collected is about 60,000 metric tons.
This makes only a small fraction — of order 30 parts per million — of the total mass of 3I/ATLAS. Indeed, a centimeter thick layer of accumulated interstellar dust makes a small fraction of the total meter-scale layer of dust that was shed by 3I/ATLAS near perihelion based on the new preprint.
The practical lesson from my early morning calculation is clear and simple. Interstellar travelers must dust off their windshield or else they would accumulate a centimeter thick layer of opaque dust over a travel period of 10 billion years.
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/dusting-off-3i-atlas-interstellar-travelers-must-clean-their-windshields-132dcd338bda
other space objects
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/on-mysterious-orbs-and-fireballs-4563eecd282a
https://starlust.org/alpha-capricornids-meteor-shower-july-2026-peak-date-best-viewing-time-and-how-to-watch/
https://www.wionews.com/science/powerful-comet-shower-from-oort-cloud-racing-towards-earth-study-finds-1782916959903
https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/5977594-china-to-build-early-warning-asteroid-monitoring-system-cnsa
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/watch-the-skies/2026/06/30/fireflies-and-fireballs-summer-stargazing-with-meteor-watch-day-asteroid-day/
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2026/06/Humans_changed_an_asteroid._Now_we_find_out_how
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/6/30/800062802/community/white-to-move-and-mate-in-two-839-the-nasa-pegasus-barge/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgK3TkC3jBM (Angry Astronaut: How is this possible? 3 Fireball UAP in the same place? PLUS, NEW 3I Atlas discovery!)
Astronauts Repair Canadarm2 Robotic Arm and Complete Spacewalk
June 30, 2026 3:49PM
NASA astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir concluded their spacewalk outside the International Space Station at 3:40 p.m. EDT.
During the 7-hour, 20-minute spacewalk, Williams and Meir completed their primary objective to remove and replace a wrist joint on the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
Following the repair by the astronauts, NASA’s Mission Control in Houston powered up Canadarm2 to successfully complete an initial check out the system’s power and data connectivity.
Over the coming week, ground controllers also will begin moving the arm as system checkouts continue.
NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) elected to replace the wrist joint after it malfunctioned during normal Canadarm2 operations on May 27 after the arm drew elevated motor current and did not move as expected.
Repairs to robotics, like Canadarm2, are normal and expected after more than 25 years of continuous operations, as the system was designed with replaceable components and planned maintenance in mind.
The faulty joint will be returned to Earth to be inspected and refurbished for future use on the robotic arm, if needed.
U.S. Spacewalk 95 was Williams’ second career spacewalk and the fifth for Meir. It also was the 280th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/06/30/astronauts-repair-canadarm2-robotic-arm-and-complete-spacewalk/
extra NASA
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/curiosity-blog-sols-4934-4940-in-the-land-of-the-polygons/
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/chandra/nasas-chandra-reveals-red-white-blue-universe-for-us-250th/
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/tess/nasas-tess-mission-finds-planetary-system-in-new-way/
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-studies-how-planet-survived-death-of-its-star/
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-awards-more-moon-base-science-previews-new-opportunities/
https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-awarded-144-million-nasa-clps-contract-for-accelerated-blue-ghost-lunar-mission/
https://www.nasa.gov/moonbase/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQcNSJc8gEg (Moon Base: Humanity's First Outpost on the Lunar Surface (Official NASA Trailer))
extra extra NASA
https://www.nasa.gov/general/nextstep-3-b-moon-base-demonstrations/
https://www.nasa.gov/ames-partnerships/human-landing-system-virtual-showcase-at-nasa-arc/
https://x.com/NASA/status/2072036723563868576
https://x.com/NASAMoonBase/status/2072041541799948629
NASA Awards More Moon Base Science, Previews New Opportunities
Jun 30, 2026
NASA announced Tuesday the selection of three companies to land four new missions on the Moon in late 2028 as part of the agency’s Moon Base Program.
Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines will deliver NASA science payloads to the lunar surface as the agency builds the first outpost on another celestial world.
“These new awards to our commercial partners, totaling nearly $600 million to land more missions on the Moon with science payloads, demonstrate our commitment to accelerating our effort to build a long-term presence on the lunar surface, and give us more opportunity to develop the skills we need to prosper there,” said Lori Glaze, associate administrator for the Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Astrobotic is awarded $297.9 million total for two deliveries, as well as Firefly Aerospace $144.2 million and Intuitive Machines $148.3 million for one delivery each as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative, a backbone of the Moon Base.
Each will use updated versions of already-flown lander designs to enable NASA’s increased mission cadence.
“We’re building a proving ground for Moon Base operations,” said Ryan Stephan, NASA’s Moon Base acting director of cargo landers.
“Accelerating our Moon mission ordering cadence and launch opportunities enable us to move quickly to learn, iterate, and improve.”
With 17 lunar surface deliveries across multiple providers, NASA also announced new opportunities for American industry to contribute to the Moon Base.
The agency is considering plans to send to the Moon, PROMISE (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration), a hybrid engineering development version of the Mars Perseverance and Curiosity rovers.
Agency experts will define potential opportunities for PROMISE to characterize the lunar surface, subsurface, and prospect for resources.
In addition, NASA plans to solicit proposals in the coming months for lunar landers to deliver a power and avionics technology demonstration, another science manifest, and a South Pole optical imager.
NASA also will share an open solicitation for Moon Base technology demonstrations and seek a lunar communication and navigation relay constellation to enable improved communication between Moon Base elements and Earth.
1/2
The awards announced June 30 will play a critical role in establishing the infrastructure for lunar surface operations.
The companies are responsible for initiating and executing procurements, providing an assessment of a similar previous lunar lander, and incorporating lessons learned to improve the overall mission reliability.
Each delivery will carry three NASA payloads to the lunar surface:
Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS): An array of four cameras that uses a technique called stereo photogrammetry to produce a 3D view of the impact of an engine’s exhaust plume on lunar dust as the lander descends on the Moon’s surface.
Collecting data from a variety of engine sizes, propellants, and landing locations, these high-resolution stereo images will aid in creating models to predict lunar dust erosion and ejecta characteristics, playing a vital role as bigger, heavier spacecraft and hardware are delivered to the Moon near each other.
Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA): Reflects laser beams transmitted by Moon orbiters or landing spacecraft to help them determine their orbit position or navigate to the surface.
A small cookie-sized device made of eight quartz corner-cube prisms set into a dome-shaped aluminum frame, the array is passive, requiring no power or maintenance.
These arrays have flown on previous CLPS landers and international lunar landers and will continue to be used to build a network of permanent location markers on the Moon for future exploration.
Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS): Helps to better understand the radiation environment from a variety of lunar transit approaches and at different locations on the lunar surface.
Derived from heritage hardware, this radiation monitor uses a tiny, advanced silicon detector to measure the energy carried by incoming space radiation.
It will provide information about how strong radiation is and what kind of radiation is hitting the lunar surface, and provides the kind of detailed radiation data NASA needs to design safer missions, protect astronauts, and plan long‑duration exploration.
The agency also is reviewing options for these landers to deliver potential additional payloads to the Moon.
“By flying the same science instruments on multiple landers, we will better understand potential hazards during landing and build out a global network of environmental data and location markers on the Moon,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters. “It’s akin to having weather stations in different locations on Earth. These three payloads are flight-proven and their data is critical to supporting safe human exploration of the lunar surface.”
NASA is advancing development of the Moon Base, a long-term lunar exploration and infrastructure initiative designed to enable sustained human presence and expanded scientific and commercial activity on the lunar surface.
As part of the Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send 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.
2/2