Pictures from Space! Our space image of the day

Space can be a wondrous place, and we’ve got the pictures to prove it! Take a look at our favorite space pictures here, and if you’re wondering what happened to today in space history don’t miss our On This Day in Space video show here!
 

Northern Lights illuminate the skies over the U.S.

Friday, October 11, 2024: A powerful eruption of plasma erupted from the sun on Tuesday (Oct. 8), lashing Earth’s protective magnetic field on Thursday (Oct. 10). This generated powerful geomagnetic storms reaching the extreme G5 scale. These storms can cause disruption to power and communications infrastructure, but they also bring with them the opportunity to see the Aurora Borealis or “Northern Lights” at much lower latitudes than usual. Today’s image comes courtesy of Space.com’s own Josh Diner, who was able to capture the Northern Lights over Griffey Lake, in Bloomington, Indiana, Thursday night at 10:10 pm EDT.

Good work Josh!

Hurricane Milton looms over the VAB

Thursday, October 10, 2024: Hurricane Milton made landfall yesterday on Florida’s west coast and made its way across the state to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Though the Space Coast didn’t experience as severe storm surges and wind speeds as cities like Tampa or Sarasota, KSC was on high alert, raising its base status to HURCON 1 — closing the center to all but essential personnel. In a post on X, accompanied by this photo, KSC said, “The center is now closed, with the exception of essential emergency response personnel and Ride Out Team members.” 

A rising comet comes to the Northern Hemisphere

Wednesday, October 9, 2024: Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is arriving at its projected pinnacle of brightness, followed by a transition into the evening sky. Until now, the comet has been visible primarily for those living in the Tropics and the Southern Hemisphere, though in recent days, the comet has made itself evident to those across parts of the United States, albeit deep in the dawn twilight, hovering low above the east-southeast horizon. Soon, however, observers across the Northern Hemisphere will get their first really good look at this newest visitor to the sun.