A spectacular celestial event is set to captivate skywatchers this week as a full harvest supermoon aligns with a partial lunar eclipse, offering a unique viewing opportunity for observers across North America, South America, Africa, and Europe.

According to NBC News, the partial lunar eclipse will begin on Tuesday evening at 8:41 pm ET, as the Earth passes between the moon and the sun. This alignment will cause part of the moon's surface to be obscured by Earth's shadow, creating a dimming effect that will become more noticeable around 10:13 pm ET.

This supermoon has a really cool origin story! Check it out in the 49 second clip from Ben. pic.twitter.com/DVZ6XxjnCL

— WVLT Weather (@WVLTWeather) September 15, 2024

The eclipse will reach its peak at 10:44 pm ET, with approximately 8% of the moon's surface engulfed in full shadow. This occurrence will happen just minutes after the moon becomes full at 10:35 pm ET.

Observers are advised that, unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses can be safely viewed with the naked eye without the need for protective eyewear. The celestial show will continue as the moon exits Earth's shadow, with the event concluding early Wednesday at approximately 12:47 am ET.

NASA explains that September's full moon is known as the harvest moon due to its association with harvest time in the Northern Hemisphere. Adding to the event's significance, this particular full moon qualifies as a supermoon, occurring when the moon is at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical 27-day orbit.

"When a full moon happens to coincide with its closest approach to Earth, it appears slightly bigger and brighter than the average full moon," a NASA spokesperson said. "This is why it's referred to as a 'supermoon'."

This rare combination of a harvest supermoon and a partial lunar eclipse provides an excellent opportunity for astronomy enthusiasts and casual observers alike to witness a remarkable natural phenomenon. Weather permitting, viewers across the designated regions should be able to enjoy this celestial spectacle, marking a highlight in this year's astronomical calendar.

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A "super blue moon" is when a supermoon coincides with a blue moon. On Monday, the moon will appear about 30% brighter than average in a "super blue moon'—an event occurring when a supermoon coincides with a blue moon (second full moon in a month). The next super blue moon is predicted for January 2037 by NASA.

Supermoons occur 3-4 times a year when the full moon is closest to Earth, appearing slightly larger and brighter. In 2024, there will be four consecutive supermoons from August to November, with the October 17th one being the closest and most "super." The difference in appearance will be difficult for amateurs to perceive.

The blue moon is easier to view in a dark spot, and camera exposure levels need to be adjusted.

There are varying definitions of supermoons and blue moons among astronomers, leading to confusion. Most define a supermoon as any full moon within 90% of its closest approach to Earth. Blue moons do not actually appear blue.

September 2024 will have a partial lunar eclipse during a supermoon, visible in various parts of the world.

A rare major lunar standstill occurs every 18.6 years when the moon reaches orbit extremes, rising and setting at its most northerly and southerly positions beyond the sun's.

Sources: Hindustan Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Futurism, Washington Times, NOLA, Canadian Inquirer, Kentucky Today, Times Free Press, Twisted Sifter, Rocky Mount Telegram, NTD, AOL, Palm Beach Post, TVP World, Times Now News.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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Io, Jupiter's second-smallest moon is the most volcanically active world in the solar system, with hundreds of active volcanoes spewing lava for billions of years.

NASA's Juno mission and ground-based telescopes like the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) have captured infrared images revealing widespread lava lakes, active volcanoes, overlapping lava deposits, sulfur rings, and volcanic plumes reaching up to 300 kilometers above the surface of Io.

Juno's infrared mapping instrument, the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM), conducted flybys above Io, capturing infrared imagery revealing lava lakes and hot spots covering about 3% of Io's surface, with temperatures ranging from 450 to 1,350 degrees Fahrenheit (232-732 degrees Celsius). The findings were published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment

The high spatial resolution images from Juno suggest magma wells up in the middle of lava lakes, forming crusts that sink along the rim or break against the walls, forming lava rings similar to those in Hawaiian lava lakes, indicating a balance between erupting and circulated melt.

The ongoing volcanic activity on Io shaped its surface over billions of years, driven by the gravitational tug-of-war between Jupiter and its other moons.

Sources: Mashable, Gizmodo, JPL, Newsweek, NASA, Economic Times, ScienceAlert, SUCH TV, Global Village Space, EarthSky, Borsa Italiana, Space.com, SciTechDaily, Phys.org, SpaceDaily, Science Times, Sci.News

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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China's Chang'e-6 mission successfully returned approximately 2kg of soil samples from the Moon's far side, landing in Inner Mongolia. This is considered a world first, as past U.S. and Soviet missions only collected samples from the Moon's near side.

The mission, part of China's lunar exploration series since 2007, lasted about two months and faced challenges due to the far side's terrain and communication difficulties.

Samples were collected through drilling and using a robotic arm, including 2.5-billion-year-old volcanic rocks and materials from the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

The far side of the moon has unique features including more craters, a thicker crust, and fewer dark plains compared to the near side. It offers unique research opportunities due to less lava coverage and potential insights into lunar origins and formation.

Scientists expect the samples to help understand the Moon's formation, evolution, early impact history, and lunar geological activity.

CNSA director Zhang Kejian and President Xi Jinping declared the mission a complete success.

China's ambitious space program aims to dominate exploration, with plans for manned lunar missions, a permanent lunar facility by 2030, and achievements like Mars landings and space station construction.

The U.S. views China's efforts as potentially militaristic, contrasting with their upcoming Artemis 3 mission. China has offered to share moon samples with American researchers.

Moon landing missions are challenging, with recent probes from India, Israel, Japan, and Russia failing to reach their destinations as planned.

Sources: NPR, New York Times, BBC, ABC News, South China Morning Post, Yahoo News, India TV News, Deccan Herald, Muswellbrook Chronicle, Aussiedlerbote, BreakingNews.ie, India Today, Devdiscourse, Wire News Fax, Westside People Mag, One News Page, Phys.org, Globe Echo, WION

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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Israel and Germany have teamed up on lunar exploration. German space technology group OHB SE has signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Israeli startup Helios to include Helios' technology for producing oxygen on the lunar surface in OHB's first three Lunar Surface Access Service (LSAS) missions to the moon.

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Helios is an Israeli company founded in 2018 and has the backing of the Israeli Space Agency, the Ministry of Energy and the Israeli Innovation Authority.The company's vision is to enable sustainable human life on Earth and beyond. Among its core developments are reactors to produce oxygen on the lunar surface and reactors to produce iron and silicon on Earth with zero carbon emissions.

"Production of oxygen on the lunar surface is key to enable the expansion of humanity beyond Earth and to dramatically reduce the cost of space exploration. Oxygen is going to be the most sought after consumable in space as it makes up over 60% of the mass of any fully loaded space vehicle designated for lunar missions and beyond," explains Helios CEO Jonathan Geifman. "Helios' lunar mission with OHB serves to mature its oxygen production technology under real lunar environment, and is a significant step to realize the upcoming cislunar industry."

"Returning and establishing a permanent base on the Moon requires international cooperation and the creation of partnerships between space agencies and privately-held companies", says Director-General of the Israeli Space Agency Uri Oron. "The Israeli Space Agency welcomes the cooperation between OHB SE, Helios and Israel Aerospace Industries. This cooperation demonstrates the strong, long-lasting relationship between Germany and Israel, and the contribution this partnership can yield to the space industry."

"With this memorandum of understanding, Helios is taking an important step towards being able to test hardware for in-situ resource utilization on the Moon at an early stage," says Dr. Timo Stuffler, head of Business Development at OHB. "In the future, ice on the moon will also be used to build rocket refueling stations and energy stations by splitting it into oxygen and hydrogen."

OHB and IAI are making every effort to bring scientific and commercial payloads to the lunar surface with the LSAS lunar transfer starting in 2025.

"In all, customers' payloads may have a total mass of between 80-110 kilograms (176-242 lbs.), depending on the mission type. We are pleased that more than 100 interested parties from science and industry have already contacted us," says Séverine Jacquet, who fields initial customer contacts for OHB.

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Israeli startup Helios, backed by the Israeli Space Agency, is planning to join Japan-based ispace's second and third missions to the lunar surface to demonstrate its technology for the production of oxygen and metals on the moon itself.

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One of the most sought-after materials needed for cislunar space is oxygen, mainly for the refueling of rockets and spacecraft. Oxygen comprises over 70% of the propellant weight. The ability to produce oxygen on the Moon is key to sustaining human existence off the planet Earth.

According to Jonathan Geifman, Helios's co-founder and CEO, "The technology we are developing is part of the value chain that enables the establishment of permanent bases away from Earth. In order not to have to endlessly transport equipment to the lunar station and causing life outside of Earth to operate under restrictive constraints, we need to look at things through the prism of infrastructure that can produce materials from natural resources."

Japanese Ambassador to Israel Mizushima Koichi, hosted a signing ceremony between the Israeli and Japanese companies to establish the initial agreement. Two memoranda of understanding stipulate that ispace may deliver Helios' technology to the lunar surface onboard ispace's lander by the end of 2023 and mid-2024.

Helios' payloads, called Lunar Extractor 1 and Lunar Extractor 2 aims to demonstrate the process of producing oxygen and metals from lunar soil. Lunar soil contains over 40% oxygen by weight, locked in oxides and minerals. Lunar Extractor 1 is designed to separate oxygen from the soil using electrolysis. This creates a byproduct – metal, which can be cast into a mold, possibly becoming the first artifact ever produced on the Moon.

Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of ispace, said, "Utilizing the resources on the Moon is the natural conclusion and would lead to large economic impact for a cislunar ecosystem and eventually the sustainability of the Earth. ispace, as a pioneer in building the cislunar ecosystem, is honored to provide our lunar transportation service and assist Helios to demonstrate their technology on the Moon. We are very excited by their technology and we believe this effort will stimulate more players to enter this market."

Head of the Israel Space Agency Avi Blasberger said the agency welcomes the cooperation between ispace and Helios and hoped it would lead to further collaboration.

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SpaceIL said the new pledges means that it has raised almost all of the $100 million it estimates is needed for the mission to meet its 2024 launch target.

SpaceIL said the funding would come from South African-Israeli billionaire Morris Kahn, who bankrolled much of the first mission, French-Israeli billionaire Patrick Drahi and South African philanthropist Martin Moshal, co-founder of venture capital firm Entree Capital.

The first "Beresheet," or "Genesis" spacecraft, built by SpaceIL and state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, crashed into the moon moments before touchdown in April 2019, falling short in its attempt to become the first privately funded lunar landing.

According to the Davidson Institute, a branch of the Weizmann Institute of Science research university in Israel, the spacecraft suffered a string of technical malfunctions. That included damage to the star trackers, a type of navigation tool, failure of computer systems and engine failure.

The new mission, to be called Beresheet 2, was first announced in late 2020 and plans to set new global space records through a double landing on the moon and the installment of the lightest ever moon landers, each weighing 60 kg (132 pounds) without fuel.

It will be composed of three spacecraft – an orbiter and two landers – with the mission hoping to follow China in becoming only the second to successfully land on the far side of the moon.

The orbiter, known as the mothership, is set to remain in space for years, serving as a platform for educational science activities through a remote connection that allows students from around the world to participate in deep-space research.

"The Beresheet project is my life's mission, so I decided to take it up again. I plan to do everything that is within my power to take Israel back to the moon, this time for a historic double landing," said Kahn, who is chairman of SpaceIL.

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Firefly, based in Texas, is one of the nine companies selected by NASA to participate in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to deliver science payloads to the surface of the moon. A payload is a vehicle that can include passengers, scientific experiments or instruments and other equipment.

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"Firefly is excited to partner with IAI in architecting a complete lunar science mission for NASA's CLPS initiative. IAI's culture of engineering innovation and bold vision make our partnership a perfect solution for America as the nation realizes its return to the moon," said Firefly CEO Tom Markusic.

"This agreement with IAI will allow Firefly to build on our momentum and expand our lunar capabilities by creating a US-built version of IAI's historic lunar lander. Having access to flight-proven lunar lander technology and the expertise of IAI engineers makes Firefly well-placed to gain a foothold in the cislunar market."

"The experience gained in the Beresheet moon mission co-developed with SpaceIL puts IAI at the forefront of lunar lander technology, and enables us to undertake additional lunar missions with proven technology and significant engineering experience and know-how," said Boaz Levi, executive vice president and general manager of Systems, Missiles & Space Group.

"We are proud to partner with Firefly Aerospace and offer NASA our experience in rapid and affordable lunar missions, including all lessons learned from the Beresheet endeavor," Levi continued.

"We see in Firefly a similar mix of courage and technological knowledge that fits the IAI spirit and will drive us to the moon quickly and robustly. This is an additional badge of honor to the Israeli space industry, which IAI, Israel Space House, leads."

However, SpaceIL announced last month that it will not make a second attempt to successfully land on the moon and instead seek a new challenge.

Israel nearly became the fourth country, following the United States, China, and Russia, to successfully land a craft on the moon as Beresheet, save for a last-minute issue with its main engine just before touchdown in mid-April that caused it to crash into the lunar surface.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The agency said the pictures were captured by its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter from some 56 miles (90 kilometers) above the moon's surface.

"The cameras captured a dark smudge, about 10 meters wide, that indicates the point of impact. The dark tone suggests a surface roughened by the hard landing, which is less reflective than a clean, smooth surface," NASA said.

"There are many clues that we're actually looking at a man-made crater instead of a meteoroid-caused one. This is an important consideration, since the moon, having no atmosphere, is constantly bombarded by space rocks that leave craters," it added.

Israel's first-ever lunar probe was launched into orbit by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries on February 22 from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Until now, only the United States, Russia and China have been able to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon.

The Beresheet mission was originally part of the Google Lunar XPrize competition and even made the final cut before the contest ended last year without a winner.

The organizers decided to press ahead on their own and the project was financed largely by philanthropists Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson together with SpaceIL President Morris Kahn at a cost of about $100 million.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS. Read more at https://www.i24news.tv/en.

Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson own the company that is the primary shareholder of Israel Hayom.

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Beresheet, named after the first word and the first book in the Torah (meaning "in the beginning"), lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Feb. 22 and almost completed its 6.5 million-kilometer (4 million-mile) journey to the moon. It succeeded in entering the moon's orbit, which is an accomplishment achieved by only seven countries.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration played a supportive role, exemplifying the close relationship between the United States and Israel, by sending a payload called the Lunar Retroreflector Array (LRA).

"The LRA is a small dome-shaped assembly with eight quartz mirrors. The mirrors are intended to be reflectors that other spacecraft can use for orientation and high-precision landings," reported Extreme Tech.

In April 2018, a former U.S. congressman from Oklahoma, Jim Bridenstine, 43, became the 13th administrator of NASA and has been a major supporter of the Israeli space mission.

"While NASA regrets the end of the SpaceIL mission without a successful lunar landing of the Beresheet lander, we congratulate SpaceIL, the Israel Aerospace Industries and the state of Israel on the incredible accomplishment of sending the first privately funded mission into lunar orbit," he said in a statement. "Every attempt to reach new milestones holds opportunities for us to learn, adjust and progress. I have no doubt that Israel and SpaceIL will continue to explore and I look forward to celebrating their future achievements."

Jewish News Syndicate spoke with Bridenstine by phone. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Q: NASA sent the LRA alongside the Israeli lunar spacecraft. Despite Beresheet crashing, did the LRA remain intact?

A: We're trying to figure that out right now. It's possible we might be able to get some reflection from it, but we don't know as of yet.

Q: Just days after the crash, SpaceIL announced a second attempt to land on the moon. Does NASA plan to be part of that mission?

A: Yes, 100%. We look forward to it.

Q: What would it consist of?

A: We're going through a process right now to determine what type of payload we would like to have on Beresheet 2. At this point, we haven't decided, but we look forward to working with our partners over there at SpaceIL to figure out what are the mass capabilities, what are the volume capabilities, the power capabilities – all of the things that we need to determine so that we can figure out what is the best payload that we can put on board.

Q: For our readers, do you mind describing what a payload is and what it could look like on Beresheet 2.0?

A: We're looking at putting in some scientific instruments on board the vehicle so that we can actually do a number of different experiments. We want to characterize the lunar regolith, which is the soil of the moon. We want to maybe understand if there is water-ice in that regolith. If there is water-ice, how pure is it? How is it mixed with the regolith? And how hard would it be to extract those kinds of things? There are a lot of different scientific instruments that we can put on board to help us better understand the lunar surface, and we are working with SpaceIL to make those determinations.

Q: Aside from the SpaceIL mission, what role does NASA play in the U.S.-Israel relationship? Are there any upcoming joint projects?

A: NASA and Israel have a history. It goes back to Ilan Ramon, who was the first Israeli astronaut who died on the Columbia in 2003. This is a long relationship that has been very good for our nations, and we look forward to continuing it not just with scientific discoveries, but also eventually human exploration. We would be very interested in seeing how Israel might be willing and able to participate in our return to the moon, which, of course, we want to see as an international effort. Israel has amazing capabilities we think could be helpful to our efforts there.

Q: What would a return to the moon look like in terms of cooperation between America and Israel?

A: It's really up to Israel to help identify where they would like to participate. But I don't want to get too far ahead of where that process is.

Q: Besides the responsibilities entailed in each job, what has been the difference between being a congressman and now as NASA administrator in terms of this relationship? Is there something about the alliance you've discovered as the head of NASA that you didn't know while in Congress?

A: I don't think so. Our partnership with Israel has been long and steadfast. And it seems to be the case here at NASA as well. I know that this administration has been a very strong supporter of Israel, and they've been very supportive of our efforts to collaborate with Israel on space exploration, so it's been a good and productive relationship.

Q: What are the biggest challenges going forward for space exploration as it pertains to the U.S.-Israel relationship? Is it beating out adversaries like China or Iran?

A: From a space exploration perspective, what NASA does, we partner with nations around the world to achieve stunning outcomes. NASA is really not involved in the geopolitical challenges that exist around the world. In fact, we have a partnership with Russia that goes back to 1975, the Apollo Soyuz program. That was, of course, during the Cold War, and we've been partnering with Russia since 1975 and even today on the International Space Station. So, terrestrial relationships and those kind of very challenging dynamics, we work really hard to not have those challenges spill over into space exploration.

That's really what's unique about NASA. We have an ability to partner with all nations, and we continue to do that.

Q: One of the most noteworthy aspects of the Beresheet initiative was the cost. Does that prove that the United States or any other country could go to space without spending excessive taxpayer funds?

A: The cost was really amazing. We're talking about $95 million to deliver a payload to the moon, as it was really, really close to achieving its objectives. We expect Beresheet 2 will be successful, and that it will be even less expensive than 'Beresheet.'

There's another dynamic here. It's not just that it was inexpensive; it's that it was commercial. I think the nation of Israel put something like $10 million into it, and the rest was privately funded. That's another amazing accomplishment. We can get to the moon with private, with commercial investment. I think that's one of the lessons of 'Beresheet.'

My first trip as the NASA administrator was, in fact, to Israel. I had the opportunity to share this amazing effort of SpaceIL with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was a great meeting. I enjoyed it very much, and I'll tell you he was as excited as anybody when it comes to Israel's space exploration initiative.

Q: Do you mind elaborating on that trip and that meeting?

A: It was a very positive and productive trip. We met with the heads of the Israel Space Agency. We met with the leadership of SpaceIL and, of course, we met with political leadership. For a small, young country, they have a lot of amazing capabilities, and certainly, they have a lot of value that they can add to the human effort to expand into the solar system. So I look forward to working with them in a lot of ways in the future.

Q: Earlier, you mentioned the Ilan Ramon. Is there any possibility we could see an Israeli astronaut on the next U.S. mission to the moon?

A: The vice president has said that the next man and the first woman on the moon will be Americans. But certainly, beyond that, we would love to have Israel partner with us in a way to maybe one day have an Israeli astronaut on the surface of the moon.

This article is reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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