Published By: Devyani

Science & Space Roundup: Top News of the Day (March 15)

Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Lander Captures Rare ‘Diamond Ring’ Effect on the Moon in Historic Lunar Landing

(Credit- @Firefly_Space- X)

Firefly Aerospace, a Texas-based space company, recently shared a stunning Moon image captured by its Blue Ghost lander. The photo reveals the rare "diamond ring" effect, where sunlight streams through lunar valleys during an eclipse. Posted on March 14, the image was taken in Mare Crisium, a lunar basin, as the sun emerged from behind Earth. Blue Ghost landed there on March 2, marking Firefly’s second commercial lunar landing after Intuitive Machines in 2024. Unlike its predecessor, Blue Ghost landed upright, making Firefly the first company to achieve a "fully successful" soft landing. Named after a rare firefly species, the compact, four-legged lander stands 6 feet 6 inches tall and 11 feet wide, designed for maximum stability. A giant leap for space exploration!

Mars Mystery: Perseverance Rover Uncovers Rock That Could Hint at Ancient Microbial Life

(Credit- @JCDAmos- X)

A mysterious arrowhead-shaped rock on Mars, discovered by NASA's Perseverance rover in Jezero Crater, has scientists buzzing with excitement. Found in an ancient river valley called Neretva Vallis, the rock—dubbed "Cheyava Falls" after Arizona's tallest waterfall—hints at possible signs of ancient microbial life. Its surface is dotted with tiny, colorful spots nicknamed "poppy seeds" and "leopard spots," which are rich in iron and show varying oxidation states, suggesting organic activity may have altered their color. The rock also contains calcium sulfate veins, indicating water once flowed through it. While some features could result from non-biological processes, evidence points to low-temperature conditions, keeping the mystery of Martian life alive.

Tiny Worlds Found Next Door: Four Mini-Planets Discovered Orbiting Barnard’s Star

(Credit- @redditSpaceView- X)

Astronomers have made an exciting discovery: four tiny planets orbiting Barnard’s Star, just six light-years from Earth. Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, this finding is a big leap in the hunt for rocky exoplanets beyond our solar system. These are some of the smallest planets ever detected using radial velocity, a method that measures the subtle wobbles a planet’s gravity causes in its host star.

Barnard’s Star, a fast-moving red dwarf discovered in 1916, is known for its longevity and tendency to host planets. While past searches for planets around it turned up empty, advanced tools like the MAROON-X spectrograph on Hawaii’s Gemini Telescope have now revealed four mini-worlds. These planets, about 20-30% Earth’s mass, zip around their star in just a few days—making them some of the smallest and fastest-orbiting exoplanets ever found.

NASA’s PUNCH Mission Goes Live: A New Era in Solar Weather Tracking

(Credit- @NASA- X)

NASA’s PUNCH mission is now live, and it’s a game-changer for understanding the Sun’s behavior. Launched on March 11, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, this mission uses four small satellites working in sync to create stunning 3D views of the Sun’s corona and track the solar wind—a stream of charged particles flowing from the Sun. Over the next two years, PUNCH will gather real-time data to help predict space weather, like solar storms that can mess with satellites, power grids, and even astronaut safety.

(Credit- @NASASun- X)

Led by the Southwest Research Institute, PUNCH is part of NASA’s Explorers Program. Unlike past missions, it acts like a “virtual telescope,” offering continuous 3D imaging of the Sun’s outer atmosphere and its transition into the solar wind. This setup lets scientists trace solar wind patterns and monitor coronal mass ejections—massive solar eruptions that can disrupt life on Earth and in space. With PUNCH, we’ll get better warnings to safeguard our tech and space missions.