Space

FILE - The moon covers the sun during a total solar eclipse Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, in Cerulean, Ky. On April 8, 2024, the sun will pull another disappearing act across parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada, turning day into night for as much as 4 minutes, 28 seconds. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

April’s total solar eclipse is a month away. Here’s why it’s worth the watch and how to stay safe

A map of April 2024’s total solar eclipse

Safety first: How to watch April’s total solar eclipse that will cut across North America

What you can expect to experience during April’s total solar eclipse

FILE - People gather near Redmond, Ore., to view the sun as it nears a total eclipse by the moon, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. The April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse in North America first hits land at Mexico’s Pacific coast, cuts diagonally across the U.S. from Texas to Maine and exits in eastern Canada. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

From watch parties to music festivals, choose your April 8 total solar eclipse adventure

How do animals react during a total solar eclipse? Scientists plan to find out in April

A donut with toppings representing an eclipse is displayed at the Donut Dude shop on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Liberty Township, Ohio. Businesses are capitalizing on the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse expected to dim skies across a generous stretch of North America. (Travel Butler County/RVP Photography via AP)

Businesses are ready for April’s total solar eclipse with celestial-themed doughnuts and beer

A gorilla family is observed by people visiting the Fort Worth Zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Researchers will be standing by to observe how animals’ routines at the zoo are disrupted when skies dim on April 8. They previously detected other strange animal behaviors in 2017 at a South Carolina zoo that was in the path of total darkness. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

How do animals react during a total solar eclipse? Scientists plan to find out in April

This image shows a frame from a 15-second ultra-high-definition video featuring a cat named Taters which was streamed via laser from deep space by NASA on Dec. 11, 2023. It was part of the technology demonstration known as Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), which is attached to the Psyche spacecraft traveling to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The video was loaded into Psyche's laser experiment long before the spacecraft blasted off to a metal-rich asteroid in October. (NASA via AP)

Orange tabby cat named Taters steals the show in first video sent by laser from deep space

FILE - Visitors hold their hands out to receive the sun's energy as they celebrate the Spring equinox atop the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico, Thursday, March 21, 2019. Spring gets its official start Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in the Northern Hemisphere. On the equinoxes, the Earth's axis and orbit line up so both hemispheres get the same amount of sunlight. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

The spring equinox is here. What does that mean?

Spring gets its official start Tuesday in the Northern Hemisphere. This year’s vernal equinox arrives on Tuesday. But what does that mean?

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship launches at dawn in the haze on it's third test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SpaceX comes close to completing test flight of mega rocket but loses spacecraft near end

Space One's Kairos rocket explodes after liftoff from a launch pad in Kushimoto, Wakayama prefecture, western Japan, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Commercial rocket trying to put a satellite into orbit explodes moments after liftoff in Japan

Support teams work around the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft shortly after it landed with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Russia cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov aboard in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Fla., Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP)

Four astronauts from four countries return to Earth after six months in orbit

This image provided by the Roswell Police Dept. shows the new uniform patch. Famous for being the spot where a spacecraft purported crashed in 1947, Roswell, New Mexico, has become a mecca for people fascinated by extraterrestrial phenomenon. So it's only fitting that the city’s police force has uniform patches that are out of this world. The new patch was unveiled on Friday, March 8, 2024. (Roswell Police Dept. via AP)

Roswell police have new patches that are out of this world, with flying saucers and alien faces

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SpaceX comes close to completing test flight of mega rocket but loses spacecraft near end

SpaceX’s mega rocket has flown higher and farther than ever before. The nearly 400-foot Starship blasted off from Texas on Thursday on the third test flight. But the spacecraft was lost near the end of its hourlong trip. (14 March 2024)

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WATCH: Moment when Japan’s first private-sector rocket exploded shortly after takeoff

A rocket touted as Japan’s first from the private sector to go into orbit exploded shortly after takeoff on Wednesday, Mar. 13. Livestreamed video of the launch showed the rocket called Kairos blasting off, but exploding midair within seconds.

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Four new astronauts head to the International Space Station for a 6-month stay

Four new crew members have boarded the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin arrived on board a SpaceX Dragon capsule on Tuesday morning.

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AP Top Stories March 5 A

Here’s the latest for Tuesday March 5th: Super Tuesday voting in U.S.; Supreme Court rejects effort to bar Trump from ballot; UN says “reasonable grounds” to believe Hamas committed rape in Oct. 7th attack; New crew arrives at International Space Station.

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A map of April 2024’s total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse will cross North America in April. This animated map shows the path of totality across parts of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. (Feb. 29) (AP Animation: Panagiotis Mouzakis and Marshall Ritzel)

Stratolaunch conducts first powered flight of new hypersonic vehicle off California coast

U.S. aerospace company Stratolaunch has conducted the first powered test flight of a new unmanned hypersonic research vehicle.

FILE - Visitors look on as SpaceX's Starship, the world's biggest and most powerful rocket, stands ready for a scheduled launch from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Wednesday, April 19, 2023. SpaceX would acquire public land in Texas to expand its rocket launch facilities under a tentative deal that is moving forward after months of opposition from nearby residents and some local officials near the U.S.-Mexico border. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Texas approves land-swapping deal with SpaceX as company hopes to expand rocket-launch operations

SpaceX is set to acquire public land from Texas after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved a land-swapping deal that would cede 43 acres to entrepreneur Elon Musk’s company in exchange for 477 acres that are yet to be bought.

This image provided by NASA, processed by Kevin M. Gill, shows Jupiter's moon Europa captured by the Juno spacecraft on Sept. 29, 2022, with north to the left. Research published Monday, March 4, 2024, suggests there's less oxygen on the icy surface of Jupiter's moon Europa than thought — and that could affect what if any life might be lurking in the moon’s underground ocean. (Kevin M. Gill/NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI via AP)

Jupiter’s moon Europa may have less oxygen than expected, a finding that might put a damper on life

New research suggests there’s less oxygen on the icy surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa than thought. This could affect what if any life might be lurking in the moon’s underground ocean.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule with a crew of four on a mission to the International Space Station lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Sunday, March 3, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

4 new astronauts head to the International Space Station for a 6-month stay

SpaceX has launched four astronauts to the International Space Station who will oversee the arrival of two new rocketships during their stint. The U.S.

This image provided by Intuitive Machines shows a view from the Odysseus lunar lander made with a fisheye lens on Feb. 22, 2024. Before its power was depleted, Odysseus sent this photo in its farewell transmission, received on Thursday, Feb. 29. (Intuitive Machines via AP)

First US moon lander in half a century stops working a week after tipping over at touchdown

The first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon since the Apollo astronauts has fallen silent, a week after breaking a leg and tipping over near the lunar south pole.

In this photo released by Roscosmos space corporation on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, the Soyuz-2.1b rocket blasts off at the Vostochny cosmodrome outside the city of Tsiolkovsky, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the city of Blagoveshchensk in the far eastern Amur region, Russia. A Russian Soyuz rocket successfully put an Iranian satellite into orbit along with 18 Russian satellites on Thursday. (Roscosmos space corporation via AP)

Russian rocket successfully puts Iranian satellite into orbit

A Russian rocket has successfully put an Iranian satellite into orbit, a launch that underlines increasingly close cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.

FILE - This undated photo released by the Roscosmos State Space Corporation shows the International Space Station (ISS). Russia's Roscosmos state corporation on Wednesday reported an air leak in the Russian segment of the International Space Station, but said it posed no threat to its crew. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP, File)

Russian space officials say air leak at International Space Station poses no danger to its crew

Russian space officials have acknowledged a continuing air leak from the Russian segment of the International Space Station, but say it poses no danger to its crew.

This image provided by Intuitive Machines shows a broken landing leg on the Odysseus lander. The lander touched down near the moon's south pole on Feb. 22, 2024, but then fell over on its side, hampering communications. (Intuitive Machines via AP)

Private US moon lander still working after breaking leg and falling, but not for long

The first private U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon broke a leg at touchdown before falling over. Intuitive Machines, the company that built the lander, said it was still generating solar power as of Wednesday night.

This image provided by Intuitive Machines on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024 shows its Odysseus lunar lander over the south pole region of the Moon. The toppled lunar lander is still beaming back pictures of the moon, as its nears the final hours of its life. The photos were taken shortly before last Thursday's touchdown. (Intuitive Machines via AP)

Toppled moon lander sends back more images, with only hours left until it dies

A toppled moon lander is still beaming back pictures, as its nears the final hours of its life. Intuitive Machines posted the latest photos of the moon’s unexplored south polar region Tuesday.

These photos provided by NASA show images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera team which confirmed Odysseus completed its landing. After traveling more than 600,000 miles, Odysseus landed within 1.5 km of its intended Malapert A landing site, using a contingent laser range-finding system patched hours before landing. (NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University via AP)

Sideways moon landing cuts mission short, private US lunar lander will stop working Tuesday

A private U.S. lunar lander is expected to stop working Tuesday, its mission cut short after landing sideways near the south pole of the moon.

FILE - This image provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/Takara Tomy/Sony Group Corporation/Doshisha University shows an image taken by a Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) of a robotic moon rover called Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, on the moon. A Japanese moon explorer, after making a historic “pinpoint” lunar landing last month, has also captured data from 10 lunar rocks, a far greater than expected work that could help find the clue to the origin of the moon, its project manager said Wednesday, Feb. 14 , 2024. (JAXA/Takara Tomy/Sony Group Corporation/Doshisha University via AP, File)

Japan’s moon lander survives a second weekslong lunar night, beating predictions

Japan’s first moon lander responded to a signal from Earth, suggesting it has survived a second freezing weekslong lunar night, Japan’s space agency said Monday.

FILE - A China's Comac C919 aircraft performs during first day of Singapore Airshow in Singapore, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. China’s C919 single-aisle jet made its international debut at the Singapore Airshow, attracting masses of visitors and hundreds of orders, but analysts say it still has a long way to go before it can compete with aircraft from market leaders Boeing and Airbus. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

China’s homegrown C919 jet in spotlight at Singapore air show, but not quite ready to compete

China’s C919 single-aisle jet made its international debut at the Singapore Airshow, attracting masses of visitors and hundreds of orders, but analysts say it still has a long way to go before it can compete with aircraft from market leaders Boeing and Airbus.

This August 1989 image provided by NASA shows the planet Neptune photographed by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, processed to enhance the visibility of small features. The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center announced Friday , Feb. 23, 2024, that astronomers have found three previously unknown moons in our solar system — two additional moons circling Neptune and one around Uranus. (NASA via AP)

Astronomers spot new tiny moons around Neptune and Uranus

The moon count in our solar system just went up by three. Astronomers have found two previously unknown moons circling Neptune and one around Uranus.

FILE- Picture shows the moon's surface taken by the Russian moonprobe Luna 9, Feb. 4, 1966. The pictures for the first time enable scientists to analyze the microstructure of the moon's surface. The picture was released by the radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, England, which picked up Luna 9's signals. (AP Photo/File)

Here’s a look at moon landing hits and misses

Landing a spacecraft on the moon has long been a series of hits and misses and now a U.S. company is the first private outfit to achieve a touchdown.

On Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 the Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lunar lander captures a wide field of view image of Schomberger crater on the Moon approximately 125 miles (200 km) uprange from the intended landing site, at approximately about 6 miles (10 km) altitude. (Intuitive Machines via AP)

The Odysseus moon lander tipped over at touchdown, and that’s limiting the data it’s sending back

Intuitive Machines initially believed its six-footed private lunar lander, was upright after Thursday’s touchdown. But CEO Steve Altemus said Friday the craft “caught a foot in the surface,” falling onto its side and, quite possibly, leaning against a rock.

FILE - Eclipse watchers squint through protective filters as they view an eclipse of the sun from the top deck of New York's Empire State Building in New York on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 1932. Full solar eclipses occur every year or two or three, often in the middle of nowhere like the South Pacific or Antarctic. (AP Photo/File, File)

AP PHOTOS: Total solar eclipses through the decades

The complete shrouding of our sun by the moon has mesmerized humanity for millennia — a moment in time when skies darken and stillness creeps in.

This image provided by researcher J. Larsson in February 2024, made from a combination of Hubble Space Telescope images, shows the aftermath of supernova 1987A. Scientists have confirmed that the exploding star morphed into a neutron star, one of the oddest objects in the universe. (J. Larsson via AP)

Space telescope spies neutron star in the debris of famous supernova

Scientists have confirmed what became of a star that exploded in a stunning supernova visible to Earth more than three decades ago.

Main Engine Control Computer designer for Intuitive Machines Dan Harrison cheers amongst fellow employees during a watch party moments after they became the first commercial company to softly land on the moon on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Houston. ( Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP)

The Odysseus lander gets the US back on the moon for the first time since Apollo 1972

A private lander has made the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years. Intuitive Machines’ lander touched down Thursday, but left flight controllers scrambling before gaining better contact.

Hyundai's Supernal's CEO Shin Jaiwon speaks to The Associated Press during an interview along the Singapore Airshow in Singapore, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. As the aviation sector seeks ways to make air travel less polluting and more sustainable, aerospace company Embraer and South Korean automaker Hyundai are among the companies betting on a new form of air travel, air taxis. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Hyundai’s Supernal and Embraer-backed Eve Air Mobility see future in electric-powered air taxis

As the aviation sector seeks ways to make air travel less polluting and more sustainable, aerospace company Embraer and South Korean automaker Hyundai are among the companies betting on a new form of air travel -– air taxis.

This photo provided by the European Space Agency shows the European Remote Sensing 2 satellite (ERS-2) satellite in a clean room before its launch in 1995. The Earth-observing satellite fell out of orbit Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, and harmlessly broke apart over the Pacific. (ESA via AP)

Old European satellite plunges harmlessly through the atmosphere over the Pacific

An old Earth-observing satellite has fallen out of orbit and harmlessly burned up. The European Space Agency says its satellite broke apart over the Pacific on Wednesday, halfway between Hawaii and Alaska.

This image provided by Intuitive Machines shows its Odysseus lunar lander over the near side of the moon following lunar orbit insertion on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (Intuitive Machines via AP)

Private US spacecraft enters orbit around the moon ahead of landing attempt

A private U.S. lunar lander is in orbit around the moon, a day before it will attempt to land on the surface.

South Korean Air Force's Black Eagles aerobatic team performs during the first day of the Singapore Airshow in Singapore, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Singapore Airshow kicks off with aerial displays; Boeing and China’s COMAC announce new orders

The Singapore Airshow – Asia’s largest – kicks off Tuesday with an array of aerial displays including some by China’s COMAC C919 narrow-body airliner.

An H3 rocket lifts off at Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southern Japan Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japan’s new flagship H3 rocket reaches orbit in a key test after failed debut last year

Japan’s flagship H3 rocket has reached orbit and released two small observation satellites in a key second test following a failed debut launch last year, buoying hope for the country in the global space race.

This photo provided by NASA on Jan. 22, 2024 shows a view of eight sample trays containing the final material from asteroid Bennu. NASA reported Thursday, Feb. 15, that the Osiris-Rex spacecraft collected 121.6 grams (4.3 ounces) of dust and pebbles from asteroid Bennu. That’s about a cupful _ the biggest cosmic haul ever from beyond the moon. (Erika Blumenfeld and Joseph Aebersold/NASA via AP)

NASA’s final tally shows spacecraft returned double the amount of asteroid rubble

NASA finally has counted up all the asteroid samples returned by a spacecraft last fall. And it’s double the rubble goal.

Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Before Russia’s satellite threat, there were Starfish Prime, nesting dolls and robotic arms

What would it mean if Russia used nuclear warheads to destroy U.S. satellites? Your home’s electrical and water systems could fail.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury presents the European aerospace giant full year results, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024 in Blagnac, near Toulouse, southwestern France. (AP Photo/Fred Scheiber)

Airbus targets 800 aircraft deliveries for 2024 even as supply chain issues linger

Airbus says it plans to deliver more aircraft to customers in 2024 even as supply chain headaches continue to afflict the European airplane maker.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is launched from a pad at Kennedy Space Center, seen from Port Canaveral, Fla. Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via AP)

Another lunar lander rockets toward the moon for a touchdown attempt

Another private U.S. company is taking a shot at the moon, launching a month after a rival’s lunar lander missed its mark.

FILE - This image provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/Takara Tomy/Sony Group Corporation/Doshisha University shows an image taken by a Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) of a robotic moon rover called Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, on the moon. A Japanese moon explorer, after making a historic “pinpoint” lunar landing last month, has also captured data from 10 lunar rocks, a far greater than expected work that could help find the clue to the origin of the moon, its project manager said Wednesday, Feb. 14 , 2024. (JAXA/Takara Tomy/Sony Group Corporation/Doshisha University via AP, File)

Are we about to find out the moon’s origin? Japan’s space agency says it may now have clues

A Japan space agency official says an unmanned spacecraft that landed on the moon last month has captured and transmitted data analyzing 10 lunar rocks, a greater-than-expected achievement that could help provide clues about the origin of the moon.

An H3 rocket lifts off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southern Japan on March 7, 2023. Japan's space agency on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, postponed the second test flight of its new flagship rocket H3 series that was planned for this week because of bad weather forecasts at the launch site, as space officials scramble scramble to ensure a successful liftoff a year after a failed debut flight. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japan space agency says test flight for new flagship rocket is rescheduled for Saturday

Japan’s space agency says its new flagship H3 rocket will have a second test flight on Saturday, two days after an originally planned liftoff was postponed due to a bad weather forecast at the launch site in southwestern Japan.

An H3 rocket lifts off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southern Japan on March 7, 2023. Japan's space agency on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, postponed the second test flight of its new flagship rocket H3 series that was planned for this week because of bad weather forecasts at the launch site, as space officials scramble scramble to ensure a successful liftoff a year after a failed debut flight. (Kyodo News via AP)

Bad weather forces Japan’s space agency to delay launch of second test-flight of flagship rocket

Japan’s space agency has postponed the second test flight of its new flagship rocket H3 series planned for this week because of bad weather forecast at the launch site.