1. Scientists discovered the largest comet known to date
Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is 10 times wider and 1,000 times larger than comets known so far. The last time this comet approached our Sun was approximately 3 million years ago . According to reports, it will happen again in 2031.
2. A new moon was discovered orbiting Jupiter
An amateur astronomer discovered a new Jovian moon . Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, has at least 79 moons. The latest moon discovered so far was Ejc0061, identified by amateur astronomer Kai Ly in 2003.
3. In early June 2021, NASA announced two new missions to Venus for 2030.
The DAVINCI+ mission will study the atmosphere of the planet Venus. The VERITAS mission will attempt to map the planet’s terrain from orbit. They are the first dedicated missions to Venus by NASA since 1989.
4. The Sun is waking up as it reaches the active phase of its roughly decade-long cycle.
In early November, a series of CMEs (coronal mass ejections) triggered geomagnetic storms on Earth . CMEs interact with our planet’s magnetic field and can cause satellite outages and power losses.
5. The James Webb Space Telescope, a project 30 years in the making, was finally launched on December 25, 2021.
The successor to the Hubble telescope, James Webb, will orbit approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth at the Lagrange point L2. The powerful telescope will help answer questions about the evolution of the universe and our own solar system.
