spacetoday.net: space news from around the webin association with SpaceNews


Venus may have aurorae without a magnetic field
Posted: Sat, Apr 7, 2012, 9:59 AM ET (1359 GMT)
Venus Express illustration (ESA) Venus, a planet without its own magnetic field, may still be able to generate auroral activity, scientists reported this week. Data collected by Europe's Venus Express spacecraft shows evidence of reconnection of magnetic fields in Venus's magnetotail, a region on the opposite side of the planet from the Sun created by the solar wind's interaction with the planet's upper atmosphere. This reconnection, which converts magnetic energy to kinetic energy, creates auroral activity for planets with their own magnetic fields, like the Earth; scientists hypothesize this reconnection activity in Venus's magnetotail could do the same. Similar phenomena could also take place on comets, scientists said, causing their tails to break off.
<<previous article   next article>>
news in brief
Rocket Lab launches second pair of TROPICS cubesats
Posted: Sat, May 27 11:00 AM ET (1500 GMT)

Virgin Galactic conducts first suborbital spaceflight since 2021
Posted: Sat, May 27 10:56 AM ET (1456 GMT)

South Korea launches eight satellites on KSLV-2
Posted: Sat, May 27 10:52 AM ET (1452 GMT)

news links
Tuesday, May 30
Shenzhou 16 lifts off with China’s first civilian astronaut on board
South China Morning Post — 5:34 am ET (0934 GMT)
North Korea says "reconnaissance satellite" to be launched in June
Kyodo International — 5:30 am ET (0930 GMT)


about spacetoday.net   ·   info@spacetoday.net   ·   mailing list