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The northern lights are fleeting and fantastical. But Elise Wright Knutsen, an atmospheric physicist at the University of Oslo, has gotten used to them. “I’m Norwegian, so the aurora is a big thing here,” she said. “You kind of grow up with it happening over your head.” But catching her first glimpse of the aurora … Read more

Ed Smylie, the NASA official who led a team of engineers that cobbled together an apparatus made of cardboard, plastic bags and duct tape that saved the Apollo 13 crew in 1970 after an explosion crippled the spacecraft as it sped toward the moon, died on April 21 in Crossville, Tenn. He was 95. His … Read more

President Trump’s recent trip to the Persian Gulf was notable for the ways that American foreign policy overlapped with his family’s business interests. But another powerful White House figure also cut lucrative deals in the region last week: Elon Musk. Tagging along on Mr. Trump’s state visit to Saudi Arabia last week, Mr. Musk, the … Read more

New Yorkers, get ready for the latest solar spectacle. Each year at the end of May, and again in mid-July, residents and tourists flood the streets of Manhattan for a spectacular view of the sun setting in the west, flanked by the city’s famous streetscapes. Nicknamed Manhattanhenge, the event attracts more people each year, some … Read more

new video loaded: SpaceX’s Starship Has Smooth Launch but Uncontrolled Reentry transcript Back transcript SpaceX’s Starship Has Smooth Launch but Uncontrolled Reentry The spacecraft sprang a propellant leak, causing it to break apart and scatter debris in the Indian Ocean. We did spring a leak in some of the fuel tank systems inside of Starship, … Read more

President Trump on Saturday said that he planned to withdraw his nomination of Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and close associate of Elon Musk’s, to be the next NASA administrator, days before Mr. Isaacman’s expected confirmation to the role by the Senate. Mr. Trump in recent days told associates he intended to yank Mr. Isaacman’s … Read more

A geomagnetic storm is expected to set skies aglow in the northern part of the United States on Sunday night into early Monday morning, with the northern lights potentially visible as far south as Alabama to Northern California, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. The geomagnetic storm reached severe … Read more

Marc Garneau, a former military officer who became the first Canadian to fly into space before pursuing a career in federal politics under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, becoming the country’s foreign minister, has died. He was 76. His death was announced on Wednesday in a statement by his wife, Pamela Garneau, who said he had … Read more

After the relationship between President Trump and Elon Musk exploded into warfare Thursday, Mr. Trump suggested that he might eliminate the tech titan’s federal contracts. “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do … Read more

Spacecraft and specialized telescopes have been studying the sun closely for decades, probing the secrets of its spots, flares and corona. But neither human nor robotic eyes had properly seen the north or south poles of the sun. On Wednesday, the European Space Agency released the first clear images of the sun’s south pole, which … Read more