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Sam's News — space — 2026-08-09

TL;DR

Astronomy

Total solar eclipse August 12 reveals sun's corona

A total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026 will cross Greenland, Iceland and parts of Spain and Portugal, giving observers a rare direct view of the sun's corona during up to 2 minutes 18 seconds of totality.

  • Path includes eastern Greenland, western Iceland, and northern Spain/Portugal
  • Maximum totality: 2 minutes 18 seconds
  • Occurs during declining Solar Cycle 25, with sunspot number ~102
  • Less active than the 2024 eclipse (sunspot number ~144) but busier than 2017-2020 eclipses
  • Red hydrogen-alpha prominences may be visible around the Moon's edge

Sources: Space.com Research, Space RSS

Sun's corona to be visible during August 12 total solar eclipse

The August 12 total solar eclipse will provide a rare unobstructed view of the sun's outer corona.

Sources: Space.com RSS

Space

NASA advances Artemis plan for permanent lunar base

NASA is advancing its Artemis program toward a permanent lunar base near the south pole, with a $20–30 billion plan targeting completion by 2036 and a first crewed landing in late 2028.

  • Base to span hundreds of square miles, built over the next decade
  • Three phases: surface access access by 2029, initial operations 2029-2032, semi-permanent crew from 2032
  • Contracts: Astrolab $219M and Lunar Outpost $220M for lunar terrain vehicles
  • Blue Origin awarded $234M each for Blue Moon landers
  • Firefly Aerospace got $75M for 2028 MoonFall drone scouting mission
  • Gateway lunar station canceled to redirect funds to surface base
  • Artemis 4 crewed landing targeted for late 2028

Sources: Space.com Research, AOL.com RSS

Air-breathing satellite thruster tests very low Earth orbit frontier

Air-breathing electric propulsion technology could enable satellites to operate in very low Earth orbit, a previously unexplored frontier.

Sources: Space.com RSS

Technology

HP partners with NASA on mission-critical systems

HP and NASA announce collaboration to support mission-critical work on Earth and in space.

Sources: HP RSS