The Week in Space | 2026-10-11
The Week in Space
2026-10-11
This week's video
Spacetime Explained Visually
Space news
A few discoveries and missions from the past seven days, with the science behind the headlines.
Solar wind particles reveal the origin of a magnetic kink
Solar Orbiter has traced a large S-shaped magnetic kink in the solar wind back to the Sun. Its Solar Wind Analyser detected charged oxygen and carbon particles with signatures of hot magnetic loops near the solar surface. The measurements support interchange reconnection as the origin of this switchback, while waves and turbulence appear to influence its later movement through space. Studying both stages could help researchers better understand the solar wind and the space weather that affects satellites and Earth.
Source: ESA. Reported 2026-10-08.
A giant Martian cloud hints at an unusual way to make ice
A new model using Mars Express observations suggests that the long cloud beside the Arsia Mons volcano may form without dust particles helping ice crystals grow. In the proposed process, called homogeneous nucleation, water vapour freezes directly into ice under unusually humid conditions. Winds flowing past the roughly 20-kilometre-high volcano could create those conditions by lifting and rapidly cooling moist air. The model reproduces much of the observed cloud, although some details still differ, so the explanation remains a strong inference.
Source: ESA. Reported 2026-10-07.
Webb looks inside a young stellar nursery
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured infrared imagery of the stellar nursery NGC 7129, located 3,300 light years from Earth. The observations reveal stars in various stages of development hidden behind dense dust clouds, including the luminous central star LkH-alpha 234 and younger protostars. Outflows from these developing stars carve cavities into surrounding gas and create glowing shocks. The images help researchers study how young stars interact with the clouds where they form.
Source: ESA. Reported 2026-10-06.
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Written with AI from original NASA and ESA reports. Thanks for exploring with us.