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The Outer Space Portal

Introduction

The lower half shows a blue planet with patchy white clouds. The upper half has a man in a white spacesuit and maneuvering unit against a black background. — Because of the hazards of a vacuum, astronauts must wear a pressurizedspace suit while off-Earth and outside their spacecraft.

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Outer space, or simplyspace, is the expanse that exists beyondEarth's atmosphere and betweencelestial bodies. It contains ultra-lowlevels of particle densities, constituting anear-perfect vacuum of predominantlyhydrogen andhelium plasma, permeated byelectromagnetic radiation,cosmic rays,neutrinos,magnetic fields anddust. The baselinetemperature of outer space, as set by thebackground radiation from theBig Bang, is 2.7 kelvins (−270 °C; −455 °F).

Theplasma between galaxies is thought to account for about half of thebaryonic (ordinary) matter in the universe, having anumber density of less than onehydrogen atom per cubic metre and akinetic temperature of millions ofkelvins. Local concentrations of matter have condensed intostars andgalaxies. Intergalactic space takes up most of the volume of theuniverse, but even galaxies andstar systems consist almost entirely of empty space. Most of the remainingmass-energy in theobservable universe is made up of an unknown form, dubbeddark matter anddark energy.

Outer space does not begin at a definite altitude above Earth's surface. TheKármán line, an altitude of 100 km (62 mi) abovesea level, is conventionally used as the start of outer space in space treaties and for aerospace records keeping. Certain portions of the upperstratosphere and themesosphere are sometimes referred to as "near space". The framework for internationalspace law was established by theOuter Space Treaty, which entered into force on 10 October 1967. This treaty precludes any claims ofnational sovereignty and permits all states to freelyexplore outer space. Despite the drafting ofUN resolutions for the peaceful uses of outer space,anti-satellite weapons have been tested inEarth orbit.

The concept that the space between the Earth and the Moon must be a vacuum was first proposed in the 17th century after scientists discovered thatair pressure decreased with altitude. The immense scale of outer space was grasped in the 20th century when the distance to theAndromeda Galaxy was first measured. Humans began the physical exploration of space later in the same century with the advent of high-altitudeballoon flights. This was followed by crewedrocket flights and, then, crewed Earth orbit, first achieved byYuri Gagarin of theSoviet Union in 1961. The economic cost of putting objects, including humans, into space is very high, limiting humanspaceflight tolow Earth orbit and theMoon. On the other hand,uncrewed spacecraft have reached all of the knownplanets in theSolar System. Outer space represents a challenging environment forhuman exploration because of the hazards ofvacuum andradiation.Microgravity has a negative effect on humanphysiology that causes bothmuscle atrophy andbone loss. (Full article...)

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Galileo spacecraft image of Io. The dark spot just left of center is the erupting volcano Prometheus. Whitish plains on either side of it are coated with volcanically emplaced sulfur dioxide frost, while yellower regions are encrusted with a higher proportion of sulfur.

Io is the innermost of the fourGalilean moons of the planetJupiter and, with adiameter of 3,642 kilometres (2,263 mi), thefourth-largest moon in theSolar System. It was named after the mythological character ofIo, a priestess ofHera who became one of the lovers ofZeus. With over 400 activevolcanoes, Io is the most geologically active object in the Solar System. This extreme geologic activity is the result of tidal heating from friction generated within Io's interior as it is pulled betweenJupiter and the other Galilean satellites—Europa,Ganymede andCallisto. Several volcanoes produce plumes ofsulfur andsulfur dioxide that climb as high as 500 km (300 mi) above the surface. Io's surface is also dotted with more than 100 mountains that have been uplifted by extensive compression at the base of the moon's silicate crust. Some of these peaks are taller than Earth'sMount Everest. Unlike most satellites in the outer Solar System, which are mostly composed of water-ice, Io is primarily composed of silicate rock surrounding a molten iron or iron sulfide core. Most of Io's surface is characterized by extensive plains coated with sulfur and sulfur dioxide frost. Io's volcanism is responsible for many of the satellite's unique features. Its volcanic plumes and lava flows produce large surface changes and paint the surface in various shades of yellow, red, white, black, and green, largely due toallotropes and compounds of sulfur. Numerous extensive lava flows, several more than 500 km (300 mi) in length, also mark the surface. The materials produced by this volcanism provide material for Io's thin, patchy atmosphere and Jupiter's extensivemagnetosphere. Io's volcanic ejecta also produce a largeplasma torus around Jupiter.

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Image 1
Orion Nebula
Orion Nebula
Credit: Hubble Space Telescope
A composite photo of theOrion Nebula, the closest region ofstar formation to Earth. It is composed of 520 separate images andNASA calls it "one of the most detailed astronomical images ever produced". Thenebula is located belowOrion's Belt and is visible to thenaked eye at night. It is one of the most scrutinized and photographed objects in the night sky, and is among the most intensely-studied celestial features.
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Image 2
Planum Boreum
Photo credit:Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
False-color Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter image of a side of the Chasma Boreale, a canyon in the polarice cap of thePlanum Boreum (north pole ofMars). Light browns are layers of surface dust, greys and blues are layers ofwater andcarbon dioxide ice. Regular geometric cracking is indicative of higher concentrations of water ice.

The Planum Boreum's permanent ice cap has a maximum depth of 3 km (1.9 mi). It is roughly 1200 km (750 mi) in diameter, an area equivalent to about 1½ times the size ofTexas. The Chasma Boreale is up to 100 km (62.5 mi) wide and featuresscarps up to 2 km (1.25 mi) high. For a comparison, theGrand Canyon is approximately 1.6 km (1 mi) deep in some places and 446 km (279 mi) long but only up to 24 km (15 mi) wide.
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Image 3
Pillars of Creation
Photograph:NASA,ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team
ThePillars of Creation, a series ofelephant trunks ofinterstellar gas anddust in theEagle Nebula, are the subject of a famousHubble Space Telescope photograph taken in 1995. They are so named because the depicted gas and dust, while being eroded by the light from nearby stars, are in the process of creating new stars. Shown here is a 2014 rephotograph, which was unveiled in 2015 as part of the telescope's 25th anniversary celebrations.
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Image 4
Andromeda Galaxy
Photo: Adam Evans
TheAndromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years away. The image, created using ahydrogen-alpha filter, also showsMessier objects 32 and110, as well asNGC 206 and the starNu Andromedae. OnDecember 15, 1612, German astronomerSimon Marius became the first person to describe the galaxy using a telescope.
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Image 5
Sombrero Galaxy
Sombrero Galaxy M104
Credit: NASA /STScI
TheSombrero Galaxy is aspiral galaxy in theVirgo constellation. It was discovered in the late 1700s. It is about 28 millionlight years away and is just faint enough to be invisible to the naked eye but easily visible with small telescopes. In our sky, it is about one-fifth the diameter of thefull moon. M104 is moving away fromEarth at about 1,000 kilometers per second.
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Image 6
Ignace-Gaston Pardies
Map credit:Ignace-Gaston Pardies
Ignace-Gaston Pardies (1636–1673) was a French Catholic priest and scientist. Hiscelestial atlas, entitledGlobi coelestis in tabulas planas redacti descriptio, comprised six charts of the night sky and was first published in 1674. The atlas uses agnomonic projection so that the plates make up a cube of thecelestial sphere. The constellation figures are drawn fromUranometria, but were carefully reworked and adapted to a broader view of the sky. This is the second plate from a 1693 edition of Pardies's atlas, featuring constellations includingPegasus andAndromeda, visible in thenorthern sky.
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Image 7
TRACE image of sunspots
Sunspot
Credit: NASA/TRACE
ATRACE image ofsunspots on the surface, orphotosphere, of thesun from September2002, is taken in the farultraviolet on a relatively quiet day for solar activity. However, the image still shows a large sunspot group visible as a bright area near the horizon. Although sunspots are relatively cool regions on the surface of the sun, the bright glowing gas flowing around the sunspots have a temperature of over one million °C (1.8 million °F). The hightemperatures are thought to be related to the rapidly changingmagnetic field loops that channel solarplasma.
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Image 8
Kepler's Supernova
Supernova remnant
Credit: NASA
ThisSupernova remnant ofKepler's Supernova (SN 1604) is made up of the materials left behind by the gigantic explosion of a star. There are two possible routes to this end: either a massive star may cease to generate fusion energy in its core, and collapse inward under the force of its own gravity, or awhite dwarf star may accumulate material from a companion star until it reaches a critical mass and undergoes a similar collapse. In either case, the resulting supernova explosion expels much or all of the stellar material with great force.
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Image 9
Milky Way
Photo credit:Spitzer Space Telescope
Thisinfrared image shows hundreds of thousands of stars crowded into the swirling core of our spiralMilky Way galaxy. Invisible-light pictures, this region cannot be seen at all becausecosmic dust lying between Earth and the galactic center blocks our view.
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Image 10
Jupiter
Image credit:NASA
Ananimated view ofVoyager I's approach toJupiter. Oneframe of this image was taken each Jupiter day (approximately 10 hours) between January 6 and February 9, 1979, as thespace probe flew from 58 million to 31 million kilometers from Jupiter during that time. The small, round, dark spots appearing in some frames are the shadows cast by themoons passing between Jupiter and theSun, while the small, white flashes around the planet, are the moons themselves.
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Image 11
Retrograde and direct motion
Image credit:Seav
Ananimated image showing theapparent retrograde motion of Mars in 2003 as seen fromEarth. All the true planets appear to periodically switch direction as they cross the sky. Because Earth completes itsorbit in a shorter period of time than the planets outside its orbit, we periodically overtake them, like a faster car on a multi-lane highway. When this occurs, the planet will first appear to stop its eastward drift, and then drift back toward the west. Then, as Earth swings past the planet in its orbit, it appears to resume its normal motion west to east.
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Image 12
Earthrise, as seen by Apollo 8
Apollo 8
Credit: William Anders
"Earthrise," the first occasion in which humans saw theEarth seemingly rising above the surface of theMoon, taken during theApollo 8 mission on December 24, 1968. This view was seen by the crew at the beginning of its fourthorbit around the Moon, although the veryfirst photograph taken was in black-and-white. Note that the Earth is in shadow here. A photo of afully lit Earth would not be taken until theApollo 17 mission.
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Image 13
STS-116
Photo credit:NASA
NASA astronaut Robert Curbeam (left) andEuropean Space Agency (ESA) astronautChrister Fuglesang participate inSTS-116's first of three planned sessions ofextra-vehicular activity (EVA) as construction resumes on theInternational Space Station. The landmasses depicted in the background are theSouth Island (left) andNorth Island (right) ofNew Zealand.
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Image 14
Geostationary orbit
Animation credit:Cmglee
This is an animation showinggeocentric satellite orbits, to scale with the Earth, at 3,600 times actual speed. The second-outermost (shown in grey) is ageostationary orbit, 35,786 kilometres (22,236 miles) above Earth'sequator and following thedirection ofEarth's rotation, with anorbital period matching the planet'srotation period (ageosynchronous orbit). An object in such an orbit will appear to occupy a fixed position in the sky. Some 300 kilometres (190 miles) farther away is thegraveyard orbit (brown), used for satellites at the end of their operational lives. Nearer to the Earth are the orbits of navigational satellites, such asGalileo (turquoise),BeiDou (beige),GPS (blue) andGLONASS (red), inmedium Earth orbits. Much closer to the planet, and within the innerVan Allen belt, are satellites inlow Earth orbit, such as theIridium satellite constellation (purple), theHubble Space Telescope (green) and theInternational Space Station (magenta).
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Image 15
Tvashtar Paterae
Photo credit:New Horizons probe
An animation of an eruption by theTvashtar Paterae volcanic region on the innermost ofJupiter'sGalilean moons,Io. Theejecta plume is 330 km (205 mi) high, though only its uppermost half is visible in this image, as its source lies over the moon's limb on its far side. This animation consists of a sequence of five images taken byNASA'sNew Horizons probe on March 1, 2007, over the course of eight minutes from 23:50UTC.
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Image 16
Astronaut Bruce McCandless using a Manned Maneuvering Unit
Manned Maneuvering Unit
Credit: NASA
AManned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) is ajet pack (propulsion backpack that snaps onto the back of thespace suit) which has been used on untetheredspacewalks fromNASA'sSpace Shuttle, allowing anastronaut to move independently from the shuttle. The MMU was used on three Shuttle missions in 1984. It was first tested on February 7 during missionSTS-41-B by astronautsBruce McCandless II (seen here) andRobert L. Stewart.
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Image 17
Solar flare
Photo:Goddard Space Flight Center
Asolar flare, a sudden flash of brightness observed over theSun's surface or the solar limb which is interpreted as a large energy release, recorded on August 31, 2012. Such flares are often, but not always, followed by a colossalcoronal mass ejection; in this instance, the ejection traveled at over 900 miles (1,400 km) per second.
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Image 18
Jupiter
Diagram:Kelvin Song
A diagram ofJupiter showing a model of the planet's interior, with a rockycore overlaid by a deep layer of liquidmetallic hydrogen and an outer layer predominantly ofmolecular hydrogen. Jupiter's true interior composition is uncertain. For instance, the core may have shrunk as convection currents of hot liquid metallic hydrogen mixed with the molten core and carried its contents to higher levels in the planetary interior. Furthermore, there is no clear physical boundary between the hydrogen layers—with increasing depth the gas increases smoothly in temperature and density, ultimately becoming liquid.
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Image 19
Needle Galaxy
Photograph:Ken Crawford
NGC 4565 (also known as the Needle Galaxy) is an edge-onspiral galaxy about 30 to 50 millionlight-years away in theconstellation Coma Berenices. NGC 4565 is a giant spiral galaxy more luminous than theAndromeda Galaxy, and has a population of roughly 240 globular clusters, more than theMilky Way.
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Image 20
NGC 6357
Photograph credit:NASA
NGC 6357 is adiffuse nebula in the constellationScorpius. This composite image of the nebula contains X-ray data from theChandra X-ray Observatory and theROSAT telescope (purple), infrared data from theSpitzer Space Telescope (orange), and optical data from the SuperCosmos Sky Survey (blue). Radiation from hot, young stars is energizing the cooler gas in the clouds that surround them. Often known as the Lobster Nebula, the astronomical object has also been termed the Madokami Nebula by fans of the animeMadoka Magica due to its supposed resemblance to the main character. Scientists at theMidcourse Space Experiment prefer the name War and Peace Nebula, because the bright, western part resembles a dove, while the eastern part looks like a skull ininfrared images.
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Image 21
433 Eros asteroid
433 Eros
Credit: NASA
Theasteroid433 Eros was named after theGreek god oflove Eros. ThisS-type asteroid is the second-largestnear-Earth asteroid. This image shows the view looking from one end of theasteroid across the gouge on its underside and toward the opposite end.
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Image 22
Geology of Venus
Image credit:NASA
Aradar image of thesurface of Venus, centered at 180 degrees east longitude. This composite image was created from mapping by theMagellan probe, supplemented by data gathered by thePioneer orbiter, with simulated hues based on color images recorded byVenera 13 and14. Noprobe has been able to survive more than a few hours onVenus's surface, which is completely obscured by clouds, because theatmospheric pressure is some 90 times that of the Earth's, and its surface temperature is around 450 °C (842 °F).
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Space-related portals

General images

The following are images from various outer space-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Porouschondrite dust particle (fromCosmic dust)
Image 2A laser-guided observation of theMilky Way Galaxy at theParanal Observatory in Chile in 2010 (fromOutline of space science)
Image 3A computer-generated map of objects orbiting Earth, as of 2005. About 95% are debris, not working artificial satellites (fromOuter space)
Image 4The distribution ofionized hydrogen (known by astronomers as H II from old spectroscopic terminology) in the parts of the Galactic interstellar medium visible from the Earth's northern hemisphere as observed with the Wisconsin Hα Mapper (Haffner et al. 2003) harv error: no target: CITEREFHaffnerReynoldsTufteMadsen2003 (help). (fromInterstellar medium)
Image 5V-2 Rocket in the Peenemünde Museum (fromSpace exploration)
Image 6Smooth chondrite interplanetary dust particle. (fromCosmic dust)
Image 7Asteroid4 Vesta, imaged by theDawn spacecraft (2011) (fromSpace exploration)
Image 8Surface of Mars by theSpirit rover (2004) (fromSpace exploration)
Image 9AstronautBuzz Aldrin had a personal Communion service when he first arrived on the surface of theMoon. (fromSpace exploration)
Image 10Artistic image of a rocket lifting from a Saturn moon (fromSpace exploration)
Image 11A dusty trail from the early Solar System to carbonaceous dust today. (fromCosmic dust)
Image 12Known orbit planes ofFengyun-1C debris one month after the weather satellite's disintegration by theChinese ASAT (fromSpace debris)
Image 13Saudi officials inspect a crashedPAM-D module in January 2001. (fromSpace debris)
Image 14Amicrometeoroid left this crater on the surface ofSpace Shuttle Challenger's front window onSTS-7. (fromSpace debris)
Image 15Collision on Launch Avoidance lead to delayed spacecraft launches to avoid potential conjunctions/collisions during launch. Seen here is a Collision Avoidance analysis that mandated a four-minute delay for the launch ofSPADEX in 2024. (fromSpace debris)
Image 16Delta-v's in km/s for various orbital maneuvers (fromSpace exploration)
Image 17Tupan Patera on Jupiter's moon Io (fromSpace exploration)
Image 18Infographic showing the space debris situation in different kinds of orbits around Earth (fromSpace debris)
Image 19First television image of Earth from space, taken byTIROS-1 (1960) (fromSpace exploration)
Image 20Spatial density of LEO space debris by altitude, according to 2011 a NASA report to theUnited Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (fromSpace debris)
Image 21A proposed timeline of the origin of space, fromphysical cosmology (fromOutline of space science)
Image 22Apollo 16 LEM Orion, theLunar Roving Vehicle and astronautJohn Young (1972) (fromSpace exploration)
Image 23Atmospheric attenuation indB/km as a function of frequency over the EHF band. Peaks in absorption at specific frequencies are a problem, due to atmosphere constituents such as water vapor (H₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). (fromInterstellar medium)
Image 24Gabbard diagram of almost 300 pieces of debris from the disintegration of the five-month-old third stage of the Chinese Long March 4 booster on 11 March 2000 (fromSpace debris)
Image 25For the first time, theNASA /ESA /Canadian Space Agency /James Webb Space Telescope has observed the chemical signature of carbon-rich dust grains at redshift z ≈ 7, which is roughly equivalent to one billion years after the birth of the Universe, this observation suggests exciting avenues of investigation into both the production of cosmic dust and the earliest stellar populations in our Universe. (fromCosmic dust)
Image 26A wide field view of outer space as seen from Earth's surface at night. Theinterplanetary dust cloud is visible as the horizontal band ofzodiacal light, including thefalse dawn (edges) andgegenschein (center), which is visually crossed by theMilky Way (fromOuter space)
Image 27South is up in thefirst image of Earth taken by a person, probably byBill Anders (during the 1968Apollo 8 mission) (fromOuter space)
Image 28The sparse plasma (blue) and dust (white) in the tail ofcomet Hale–Bopp are being shaped by pressure fromsolar radiation and the solar wind, respectively.
Image 29View of an orbital debris hole made in the panel of theSolar Max satellite (fromSpace debris)
Image 30Interstellar medium andastrosphere meeting (fromInterstellar medium)
Image 31Spent upper stage of aDelta II rocket, photographed by theXSS 10 satellite (fromSpace debris)
Image 32Distribution of Matter in a cubic section of the universe. The blue fiber-like structures represent matter, while the empty regions show thecosmic voids (fromOuter space)
Image 33TheLong Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) is an important source of information on small-particle space debris. (fromSpace debris)
Image 34Zodiacal light caused by cosmic dust. (fromCosmic dust)
Image 35Debris impacts onMir's solar panels degraded their performance. The damage is most noticeable on the panel on the right, which is facing the camera with a high degree of contrast. Extensive damage to the smaller panel below is due to impact with a Progress spacecraft rather than space debris. (fromSpace debris)
Image 36The diversity found in the different types and scales of astronomical objects make the field of study increasingly specialized. (fromOutline of space science)
Image 37Three-dimensional structure inPillars of Creation. (fromInterstellar medium)
Image 38Timeline of theexpansion of the universe, where space is represented schematically at each time by circular sections. On the left, the dramatic expansion ofinflation; at the center, the expansionaccelerates (artist's concept; neither time nor size are to scale) (fromOuter space)
Image 39Cosmic dust of theAndromeda Galaxy as revealed in infrared light by theSpitzer Space Telescope. (fromCosmic dust)
Image 40Voyager 1 is the first artificial object to reach the interstellar medium. (fromInterstellar medium)
Image 41Astronaut Piers Sellers during the third spacewalk ofSTS-121, a demonstration of orbiter heat shield repair techniques (fromOutline of space science)
Image 42Debris density in low Earth orbit (fromSpace debris)
Image 43Conventional anti-satellite weapons such as theSM-3 missile remain legal under thelaw of armed conflict, even though they create hazardousspace debris (fromOuter space)
Image 44A driftingthermal blanket photographed in 1998 duringSTS-88 (fromSpace debris)
Image 45This light-year-long knot of interstellar gas and dust resembles acaterpillar. (fromInterstellar medium)
Image 46Reconstruction of solar activity over 11,400 years. Period of equally high activity over 8,000 years ago marked. (fromSpace climate)
Image 47Concept for aspace-based solar power system to beam energy down to Earth (fromOuter space)
Image 48Newton's cannonball, an illustration of how objects can "fall" in a curve around the planet (fromOuter space)
Image 49Objects in Earth orbit including fragmentation debris, November 2020, NASA: ODPO (fromSpace debris)
Image 50Earth and the Moon as seen from cislunar space on the 2022Artemis 1 mission (fromOuter space)
Image 51AMESSENGER image from 18,000 km showing a region about 500 km across (2008) (fromSpace exploration)
Image 52Growth of tracked objects in orbit and related events; efforts to manageouter space global commons have so far not reduced the total amount of debris or the growth of objects in orbit (fromSpace debris)
Image 53Near-Earth space showing the low-Earth (blue), medium Earth (green), and high Earth (red) orbits. The last extends beyond the radius of geosynchronous orbits (fromOuter space)
Image 54Bow shock formed by themagnetosphere of the young starLL Orionis (center) as it collides with theOrion Nebula flow
Image 55Artist's impression of dust formation around a supernova explosion. (fromCosmic dust)
Image 56Baker–Nunn cameras were widely used to study space debris. (fromSpace debris)
Image 57Spatial density of space debris by altitude according to ESA MASTER-2001, without debris from the Chinese ASAT and 2009 collision events (fromSpace debris)
Image 58Space debris identified as WT1190F, burning up in a fireball over Sri Lanka (fromSpace debris)
Image 59A computer-generated animation by theEuropean Space Agency representing space debris in low earth orbit at the current rate of growth compared to mitigation measures being taken (fromSpace debris)
Image 60After reentry, Delta 2 second stage pieces were found in South Africa. (fromSpace debris)
Image 61Buzz Aldrin taking acore sample of theMoon during theApollo 11 mission (fromSpace exploration)
Image 62The originalMagdeburg hemispheres (left) used to demonstrate Otto von Guericke's vacuum pump (right)
Image 63Concept art for a NASA Vision mission (fromSpace exploration)
Image 64Illustration of a satellite breaking up into multiple pieces at higher altitudes (fromSpace debris)
Image 65Astronomers used theJames Webb Space Telescope to image the warm dust around a nearby young star, Fomalhaut, in order to study the firstasteroid belt ever seen outside of the Solar System in infrared light. (fromCosmic dust)
Image 66Because of the hazards of a vacuum, astronauts must wear a pressurizedspace suit while outside their spacecraft.
Image 67Major elements of 200 stratospheric interplanetary dust particles. (fromCosmic dust)
Image 68NASA computer-generated image of debris objects in Earth orbit, c. 2005 (fromSpace debris)
Image 69Map showing theSun located near the edge of the Local Interstellar Cloud andAlpha Centauri about 4light-years away in the neighboringG-Cloud complex (fromInterstellar medium)
Image 70Herbig–Haro object HH 110 ejects gas through interstellar space. (fromInterstellar medium)
Image 71Self-portrait ofCuriosity rover onMars's surface (fromSpace exploration)
Image 72Model of Vostok spacecraft (fromSpace exploration)
Image 73Cosmic dust of theHorsehead Nebula as revealed by theHubble Space Telescope. (fromCosmic dust)
Image 74Comet103P/Hartley (2010) (fromSpace exploration)
Image 75Vanguard 1 is expected to remain in orbit until at least the year 2250. (fromSpace debris)
Image 76Apollo Command Service Module in lunar orbit (fromSpace exploration)
Image 77Space Shuttle Endeavour had a major impact on its radiator duringSTS-118. The entry hole is about 5.5 mm (0.22 in), and the exit hole is twice as large. (fromSpace debris)
Image 78View fromInternational Space Station, showing the yellow-greenairglow of Earth'sionosphere with the Milky Way in the background. (fromOuter space)
Image 79Gabbard diagram of debris from the disintegration of the third stage of a Chinese Long March 4 booster (fromSpace debris)
Image 80Illustration of Earth's atmosphere gradual transition into outer space (fromOuter space)
Image 81Perseverance's backshell sitting upright on the surface of Jezero Crater (fromSpace debris)
Image 82Crew quarters onZvezda, the base ISS crew module (fromSpace exploration)

Did you know(auto-generated)

... that, for theSpace 220 Restaurant, Disney reached out to NASA engineers to understand what a space elevator might look like?
... that some severeenvironmental impacts of the invasion of Ukraine can be seen from space?
... that thespace industry of India has supported the launch of more than 100 domestic satellites and more than 300 foreign satellites?
... thatNature's Fynd, producer ofmicrobe-based meat substitutes, is working withNASA to develop abioreactor for use in space travel?
... thatLouis W. Roberts was among the highest ranking African-American space program staff atNASA while theApollo program was underway?

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Space news

2026 in space

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Asteroid close approaches

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Rapidly-rotating asteroid2025 MN45

Exoplanets	HD 137010 b (unconfirmed)

Comets

Space exploration

Tianwen-2 sample collection from469219 Kamoʻoalewa
Hayabusa2 flyby of98943 Torifune
BepiColombo orbitsMercury
Hera arrival at65803 Didymos

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For a full schedule of launches and deep-space rendezvous, see2026 in spaceflight.

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Molecules detected in outer space

Molecules

Diatomic	Aluminium monochloride Aluminium monofluoride Aluminium(II) oxide Argonium Carbon cation Carbon monophosphide Carbon monosulfide Carbon monoxide Cyano radical Diatomic carbon Fluoromethylidynium Helium hydride ion Hydrogen chloride Hydrogen fluoride Hydrogen (molecular) Hydroxyl radical Imidogen Iron(II) oxide Magnesium monohydride Methylidyne radical Nitric oxide Nitrogen (molecular) Oxygen (molecular) Phosphorus monoxide Phosphorus mononitride Potassium chloride Silicon carbide Silicon monoxide Silicon monosulfide Sodium chloride Sodium iodide Sulfanyl Sulfur mononitride Sulfur monoxide Titanium(II) oxide
Triatomic	Aluminium(I) hydroxide Aluminium isocyanide Amino radical Carbon dioxide Carbonyl sulfide CCP radical Chloronium Diazenylium Dicarbon monoxide Disilicon carbide Ethynyl radical Formyl radical Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) Hydrogen isocyanide (HNC) Hydrogen sulfide Hydroperoxyl Iron cyanide Isoformyl Magnesium cyanide Magnesium isocyanide Methylene Methylidynephosphane N₂H⁺ Nitrous oxide Nitroxyl Ozone Potassium cyanide Sodium cyanide Sodium hydroxide Silicon carbonitride c-Silicon dicarbide SiNC Sulfur dioxide Thioformyl Thioxoethenylidene Titanium dioxide Tricarbon Trihydrogen cation Water
Four atoms	Acetylene Ammonia Cyanoethynyl Formaldehyde Fulminic acid HCCN Hydrogen peroxide Hydromagnesium isocyanide Isocyanic acid Isothiocyanic acid Ketenyl Methyl cation Methyl radical Methylene amidogen Propynylidyne Protonated carbon dioxide Protonated hydrogen cyanide Silicon tricarbide Thiocyanic acid Thioformaldehyde Tricarbon monosulfide Tricarbon monoxide
Five atoms	Ammonium ion Butadiynyl Carbodiimide Cyanamide Cyanoacetylene Cyanoformaldehyde Cyanomethyl Cyclopropenylidene Formic acid Isocyanoacetylene Ketene Methane Methoxy radical Methylenimine Propadienylidene Protonated formaldehyde Silane Silicon-carbide cluster
Six atoms	Acetonitrile Cyanobutadiynyl radical Cyclopropenone Diacetylene E-Cyanomethanimine Ethylene Formamide HC₄N Ketenimine Methanethiol Methanol Methyl isocyanide Pentynylidyne Propynal Protonated cyanoacetylene
Seven atoms	Acetaldehyde Acrylonitrile Vinyl cyanide Cyanodiacetylene Ethylene oxide Glycolonitrile Hexatriynyl radical Methyl isocyanate Methylamine Propyne Vinyl alcohol
Eight atoms	Acetic acid Acrolein Aminoacetonitrile Cyanoallene Ethanimine Glycolaldehyde Hexapentaenylidene Methyl formate Methylcyanoacetylene
Nine atoms	Acetamide Cyanohexatriyne Dimethyl ether Ethanethiol Ethanol Methyldiacetylene N-Methylformamide Octatetraynyl radical Propene Propionitrile
Ten atoms or more	Acetone Benzene Benzonitrile Buckminsterfullerene (C₆₀, C₆₀⁺, fullerene, buckyball) Butyronitrile C₇₀ fullerene Cyanodecapentayne Cyclopentindene Ethyl formate Ethylene glycol Heptatrienyl radical Methyl acetate Methyl-cyano-diacetylene Methyltriacetylene Propionaldehyde Pyrimidine

Deuterated
molecules

Unconfirmed

By year

v t e 2020 in space
« 2019 2021 »
Space probe launches	Solar Orbiter (Feb 2020) Hope (Jul 2020) Tianwen-1 (Jul 2020) Mars 2020 (Jul 2020) Perseverance rover Mars HelicopterIngenuity Chang'e 5 (lunar sample return mission; Nov 2020)
Impact events	2020 China bolide
Selected NEOs	Asteroid close approaches 594913 ꞌAylóꞌchaxnim (809875) 2020 BX12 2020 CW 2020 CD3(temporary satellite) (52768) 1998 OR2 2020 HS7 2020 JJ 2020 LD (163348) 2002 NN4 2020 OY4 2020 QG 2011 ES4 2018 VP1 2020 SO(space debris) 2020 SW 2020 SL1 2020 UA 2020 VV 2020 VT4 (153201) 2000 WO107 (501647) 2014 SD224 (614689) 2020 XL5
Exoplanets	AU Mic b Gliese 414 Ab Ac Gliese 433 b c d GJ 1151 b radio emissions K2-315b Kepler-1649c KOI-456.04 Lacaille 9352 b c M51-ULS-1b OGLE-2016-BLG-1928(rogue planet) Tau Ceti j(predicted) TOI-561 b c d e TOI-700 b c d TOI-732 b c TOI-1338 b TOI-1339 b c d TYC 8998-760-1 c WD 1856+534 b
Discoveries	Betelgeuse dimming FRB 180916 location and periodicity Radcliffe wave Ophiuchus Supercluster explosion PSO J03094+27 (distant blazar) 2MASS J1047+21 wind speed measurements SGR 1935+2154 (soft gamma ray repeater) HR 6819 black hole hypothesis PHL 293B ending of P Cygni profile hydrogen emission lines Swift J1818.0–1607 (young magnetar) GW190814(announced) South Pole Wall GW190521(announced) Phosphine detection in theatmosphere of Venus Water detection on the sunlit surface of theMoon
Comets	C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) P/2019 LD2 (ATLAS) C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) C/2020 F8 (SWAN) C/2019 U6 (LEMMON) C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) 2P/Encke 88P/Howell C/2020 M3 (ATLAS) 156P/Russell–LINEAR C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)
Space exploration	Spitzer retirement (Jan 2020) BepiColombo (Earth gravity assist; Apr 2020, Venus gravity assist; Oct 2020) OSIRIS-REx (sample collection from asteroidBennu; Oct 2020) Hayabusa2 (sample return from asteroidRyugu; Dec 2020) Chang'e 5 (lunar sample return; Dec 2020)
Outer space portal Category:2019 in outer space —Category:2020 in outer space —Category:2021 in outer space

v t e 2019 in space
« 2018 2020 »
Space probe launches	Beresheet (lunar lander; Feb 2019) LightSail 2 (solar sail demonstration; Jun 2019) Chandrayaan-2 /Vikram /Pragyan (lunar obiter, lander and rover; Jul 2019)
Impact events	Kamchatka meteor (announced) 2019 MO
SelectedNEOs	Asteroid close approaches 2018 XB4 2019 AS5 2016 AZ8 66391 Moshup 2019 OK 1620 Geographos 2006 QV89 2100 Ra-Shalom 2019 SU3 2019 TA7 2019 UN13
Exoplanets	AD Leonis b Beta Pictoris c DS Tucanae b Gliese 251 c Gliese 357 d Gliese 588 b c Gliese 687 c Gliese 555 b Gliese 754 b Gliese 784 b HR 5183 b Kepler-47d confirmed K2-288Bb L 1159-16 b c d LP 816-60 b LTT 1445 Ab Luyten's Star d e PDS 70c Proxima Centauri c Struve 2398 Bb Bc Tau Ceti i (hypothesized) Teegarden's Star b c V1298 Tauri b c d e Wolf 359 b c
Discoveries	2019 AQ3 ASASSN-19bt AT2019qiz GRB 190114C EPIC 204376071 GW190412 GW190521g (first-ever light from bh-bh merger) GW190814 (first-ever "mass-gap" collision) J043947.08+163415.7 K2-18b water vapor M87* imaged PSR J0030+0451 mapped PSR J0740+6620 S5-HVS1 2I/Borisov 20 moons of Saturn WD 0145+234 detection ofexoasteroid disruption WD J0914+1914
Comets	C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto) 78P/Gehrels 168P/Hergenrother 163P/NEAT 138P/Shoemaker–Levy 171P/Spahr 289P/Blanpain
Space exploration	New Horizons (encounter with486958 Arrokoth; Dec 2018 / Jan 2019) Chang'e 4 /Yutu-2 (landing on thefar side of the Moon; Jan 2019) Opportunity (end of mission; Aug 2018 / Feb 2019) Hayabusa2 (departure from162173 Ryugu; Dec 2019)
Outer space portal Category:2018 in outer space —Category:2019 in outer space —Category:2020 in outer space

v t e 2018 in space
« 2017 2019 »
Space probe launches	TESS (lunar flyby; Apr 2018) Queqiao (mission to theMoon; May 2018) InSight /Mars Cube One (mission toMars; May 2018) Parker Solar Probe (solar space mission; Aug 2018) BepiColombo (mission toMercury; Oct 2018) Chang'e 4 /Yutu-2 (mission to theMoon; Dec 2018)
Impact events	2018 LA Kamchatka meteor
SelectedNEOs	Asteroid close approaches 2010 WC9 2017 VR12 2017 YE5 (585310) 2017 YZ1 2018 AH 2018 BD 2018 BF3 2018 CB 2018 CC (276033) 2002 AJ129 (505657) 2014 SR339 2018 CF2 2018 CL 2018 CN2 2018 CY2 2018 DV1 2018 GE3 2018 PD20 (845854) 2018 LF16 2018 WV1 (163899) 2003 SD220
Exoplanets	Gliese 1132 c possibleexomoon Kepler-1625b I K2-141b K2-146b K2-148b K2-155d K2-229b K2-239b K2-239c K2-239d K2-288Bb EPIC 211945201 b HD 89345 b KELT-21b NGTS-3Ab
Discoveries	LSPM J0207+3331 VVV-WIT-07 MACS J1149 Lensed Star 1 10 moons of Jupiter 541132 Leleākūhonua(announced) Hyperion proto-supercluster 2MASS J18082002−5104378 Farout (2018 VG18) FarFarOut (2018 AG37first imaged) AT2018hyz SN 2018cow
Novae	V357 Muscae (Nova Muscae) V906 Carinae (Nova Carinae) V392 Persei (Nova Persei)
Comets	C/2017 T1 (Heinze) C/2017 U7 C/2018 C2 (Lemmon) 37P/Forbes 66P/du Toit 64P/Swift–Gehrels 38P/Stephan–Oterma C/2018 F4 (PanSTARRS) C/2018 V1 (Machholz-Fujikawa-Iwamoto) 46P/Wirtanen
Space exploration	Hayabusa2 (asteroidRyugu arrival; Jun 2018) Kepler retirement (Oct 2018) InSight (Mars landing; Oct 2018) Dawn retirement (Nov 2018) OSIRIS-REx (asteroidBennu arrival; Dec 2018) Voyager 2 (enters interstellar space; Dec 2018) New Horizons (encounter with486958 Arrokoth; Dec 2018 / Jan 2019)
Outer space portal 2017 in outer space —2018 in outer space —2019 in outer space

v t e 2017 in space
« 2016 2018 »
Space probe launches	ASTERIA (miniature space telescope; August 2017)
Impact events	Bolides in 2017 2017 China bolide
SelectedNEOs	Asteroid close approaches 2017 AG13 2017 BS5 2017 BQ6 2016 WF9 (671294) 2014 JO25 2017 OO1 2017 QP1 3122 Florence 2017 SX17 2012 TC4 2017 TD6 2017 VL2 2017 VW13 2017 XO2 3200 Phaethon
Exoplanets	HATS-36b HD 113996 b KELT-18b Kepler-19d Kepler-80g Kepler-90i K2-66b K2-138b LHS 1140 b Luyten b NGTS-1b OGLE-2016-BLG-1190Lb OGLE-2016-BLG-1195Lb Ross 128 b Tau Ceti g h TRAPPIST-1 e f g h darkalbedo ofWASP-12b WASP-107b YZ Ceti b c d
Discoveries	GW170104 Ring of Haumea 2moons of Jupiter GW170608 Saraswati Supercluster GW170814 IGR J17329-2731 (X-ray source) GW170817 neutron star merger 1I/ʻOumuamua ULAS J1342+0928 RZ Piscium
Comets	C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) 41P/Tuttle–Giacobini–Kresák 103P/Hartley C/2015 ER₆₁ (PanSTARRS) C/2015 V2 (Johnson) P/2006 VW139 C/2017 O1 (ASASSN) 96P/Machholz
Space exploration	Cassini retirement (impacted into Saturn; Sep 2017) OSIRIS-REx (Earth gravity assist; Sep 2017)
Outer space portal Category:2016 in outer space —Category:2017 in outer space —Category:2018 in outer space

v t e 2016 in space
« 2015 2017 »
Space probe launches	Hitomi (X-ray observatory; Feb 2016) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (Mars orbiter; Mar 2016) OSIRIS-REx (asteroid sample-return mission; Sep 2016)
Impact events	DN160822 03
SelectedNEOs	Asteroid close approaches (85990) 1999 JV6 1994 WR12 2013 TX68 2016 EU85 469219 Kamoʻoalewa 2016 PQ (164121) 2003 YT1
Exoplanets	38 Virginis b atmospheric composition of55 Cancri e BD+20 594b Gliese 536 b HD 19467 b HD 131399 Ab(retracted in 2022) HD 164922 c HIP 41378 b c d e f K2-33b K2-332 b K2-72 b c d e KELT-9b KELT-11b Kepler-20g Kepler-56d Kepler-737b Kepler-1229b Kepler-1520b Kepler-1625b Kepler-1638b Kepler-1647b OGLE-2007-BLG-349(AB)b OGLE-2012-BLG-0950Lb Proxima Centauri b Pr0211 c Qatar-3b Qatar-4b Qatar-5b TRAPPIST-1 b c d TW Hydrae b V830 Tauri b 2MASS J11193254–1137466 AB 2MASS J2126–8140 as planet
Discoveries	GW150914(announced) IDCS 1426 Planet Nine(hypothesized) GN-z11 SDSS J1240+6710 Crater 2 1 moon ofMakemake (S/2015 (136472) 1) GW151226(announced) (523794) 2015 RR245(announced) 1 moon ofGonggong (Xiangliu) BOSS Great Wall GRB 160625B 471325 Taowu(announced) 2014 UZ224(announced) WISE J080822.18-644357.3 Virgo I
Novae	ASASSN-15lh SN 2016aps ASASSN-16kt ASASSN-16ma
Comets	252P/LINEAR 460P/PanSTARRS 53P/Van Biesbroeck C/2016 R2 (PANSTARRS) 81P/Wild 9P/Tempel 144P/Kushida 43P/Wolf–Harrington 45P/Honda–Mrkos–Pajdušáková
Space exploration	Juno (enteredJupiter orbit; Jul 2016) Rosetta /Philae (end of mission tocomet 67P; Sep 2016) Schiaparelli EDM (Mars lander; Oct 2016)
Outer space portal Category:2015 in outer space —Category:2016 in outer space —Category:2017 in outer space

2015 in space

« 2014
2016 »

Space probe launches

Space probes	SMAP (weather satellite; Jan 2015) LISA Pathfinder (technology demonstration; Dec 2015)
Space observatories	DSCOVR (weather satellite; Feb 2015) Astrosat (space telescope; Sep 2015)