NASA SOHO spots CME headed for Earth tomorrow; Solar storm may spark auroras, radio blackouts

For the first time ever, NASA has tested its next generation of Mars helicopters in two different worlds. A new rotor for helicopters that will be used in future missions was tested recently at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, while real-life flight simulation was conducted on Mars through the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which broke altitude and airspeed records during an experimental flight. The NASA team was surprised by the performance of the new Mars helicopter while conducting the test. Know the details.

On Sunday, a coronal mass ejection (CME) struck the Earth sparking a 15-hour-long solar storm that peaked at G2-class intensity. The impact was so strong that auroras were visible across most of Europe despite it being a moonlit night. As the planet is still recovering from it, NASA models have detected yet another CME that is partially targeting the southern hemisphere of the planet. It can reach the Earth by November 30, and early reports suggest that while the storm is expected to be a minor one, it will still spark auroras at high latitudes.

A huge spike in the cases of solar activity has raised concerns among researchers. Sunspots have always been a central point of research for space scientists as they can have a significant effect on our planet. That is why space agencies like ESA and NASA keep an eye on the Sun and solar activity with the help of their advanced instruments.

NASA in October launched the Psyche mission to study a metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The Psyche spacecraft was installed with a Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) tool which made a mind-blowing achievement by sending the first-ever laser message to Earth from 16 million kilometres afar. The communication message was part of an experiment which NASA was able to conduct successfully. Know more about the DSOC experiment here.

Yesterday, a massive sunspot spanning 200,000 kilometers containing as many as 12 dark cores was reported on the Sun. As per information from the NASA Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO), there was a high chance that it could explode at any moment, and that is exactly what happened just an hour ago. An M-class solar flare was seen erupting on the sunspot, whose extreme ultraviolet radiation sparked a short-wave radio blackout on the Earth. While NASA has not been able to confirm the presence of any Earth-bound coronal mass ejection (CME), this information should be revealed in a few hours' time.

The roguelite city builder Against the Storm has managed to garner an "overwhelmingly positive" review standing on Steam in the year that it's been in Early Access, and now it's getting a full launch on December 8.

The barrage of solar activity continues as we near the peak of solar cycle 25. For the unaware, a solar cycle is an 11-year period where the Sun's activity dips and rises. The lowest point of activity in the cycle is known as the solar minimum, while the period of highest activity is known as the solar maximum. As we approach the solar maximum, Earth is predicted to face more CMEs, sunspots, solar flares, and solar storms.

Against the Storm, the dark fantasy city builder developed by Eremite Games, will leave early access on December 8, according to a recently published blog update shared on Steam.

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Eremite Games’ Against the Storm, a roguelite city-builder, is exiting Steam Early Access on December 8th. It’s also launching day one on PC Game Pass. Check out the announcement trailer, which also explains how the game works.

NASA's groundbreaking Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment has shattered records, achieving "first light" by successfully transmitting data via laser over an astounding distance of nearly 10 million miles (16 million km). This achievement, approximately 40 times farther than the Moon's distance from Earth, signals a transformative leap in deep space communication technology.