Latest news with #CopernicusSentinel-3
India Today
09-06-2025
- Science
- India Today
Massive sandstorm blowing from Africa's Sahara desert seen from space
Sand and dust from the Sahara desert are highly responsible for fertilising several parts of global oceans and the world's landmasses. New satellite pictures have now captured the Saharan dust in action. A thick plume of sand and dust from the Sahara Desert is seen in these images blowing from the west coast of Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. The images were captured during multiple observations from Copernicus Sentinel-3 and Copernicus Sentinel-5P on May 7, 2025. The images show a dense, orange plume of Saharan sand over approximately 1,50,000 sq km of the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Sandstorms can be a major contributor to reduced air quality and can cause hazards to human health. (Photo: ESA) Sandstorms, which are common over the Sahara, occur when large amounts of dust particles from the desert are swept up by strong winds. They can float for days or even weeks, depending on how dry, fast and turbulent the air masses become. The satellite images also reveal the concentration of aerosols in the dust plume: darker tones of orange denote denser aerosol concentrations. The image was captured by the Sentinel-5P which carries the state-of-the-art Tropomi instrument that maps a multitude of trace gases and can measure the aerosol index, which is an indicator of the presence and intensity of aerosols such as dust. "This combination of Sentinel-3 and -5P satellite imagery allows scientists to improve their understanding of these massive dust clouds, and forecasters to provide better air quality predictions. These data are extremely important for air-quality models," the European Space Agency, said in a statement. The images show a dense, orange plume of Saharan sand. (Photo ESA) The team said that sandstorms can be a major contributor to reduced air quality and can cause hazards to human health. "The suspended particles, in fact, cause hazy skies, trigger air quality alerts and, when breathed, can lead to cardiovascular conditions and lung problems. The travelling Saharan dust plays an important role in our ecosystem. It is a major source of minerals and nutrients for phytoplankton and for ecosystems on the other side of the world, including the Amazon rainforest," ESA added.
Newsweek
28-04-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Did Russia Lose Top Secret Space Nuke Satellite? What We Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A satellite launched by Russia, which the U.S. has said is linked to a nuclear anti-satellite weapon program, is no longer functioning correctly, it has been reported. The Cosmos 2553 satellite appears to have been spinning out of control over the past year, according to Reuters, citing Doppler radar data from space-tracking firm LeoLabs and optical data from Slingshot Aerospace. The satellite has been at the center of U.S. allegations that Russia has been developing a nuclear weapon that can destroy satellite networks. However, Moscow has denied that such a program exists. It was launched on February 5, 2022, by the Russian Aerospace Forces, a branch of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell told Newsweek that it could be just a research and development satellite, which probably completed its mission around a month after launch, and "tiny" changes in its orbit had been detected. Newsweek reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment. Why It Matters House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner, who warned in June 2024 about Russia's nuclear anti-satellite weapons program, is among U.S. officials who have raised the alarm about Cosmos 2553. Reports that the satellite is spinning uncontrollably add to intrigue about Moscow's alleged space weapon efforts. What To Know On February 5, 2022, 20 days before Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Cosmos 2553 was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia's northern Arkhangelsk region and was delivered into orbit by a Soyuz-2.1a rocket. Russia's armed forces announced that the purpose of the mission was to test how the satellite's instruments and systems handled radiation and heavy charged particles. But U.S. officials linked it to a program aimed at developing a nuclear anti-satellite weapon (ASAT), which could destroy satellite networks. While Moscow views SpaceX's Starlink satellite constellation as a legitimate military target because of their battlefield use by Ukraine, Russia has denied it is developing such a weapon. It says the satellite is for research purposes. In April 2024, Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at strengthening the 1967 Outer Space Treaty barring nuclear weapons in space. Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia during the launch of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite on April 25, 2018. It was also the launch site of the Cosmos 2553 satellite, Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia during the launch of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite on April 25, 2018. It was also the launch site of the Cosmos 2553 satellite,Errant Movements The Cosmos 2553 has been in orbit some 1,100 miles above Earth, in a hotspot of cosmic radiation that communications satellites typically avoid, Reuters said. The satellite is potentially carrying a "dummy warhead" and, in testing new technologies, Moscow may have placed it in a remote orbit to avoid monitoring, according to the annual Threat Assessment by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). However, LeoLabs detected in November what it said looked like errant movements by the satellite. Slingshot, whose telescope network has been tracking the satellite since its launch, also detected movements in May 2024 that showed the object's brightness had become variable, indicating a potential tumble. The CSIS said observations indicated that the satellite was no longer operational, although Slingshot said recent observations showed the object had stabilized. U.S. Space Command is also aware of a change in Cosmos 2553's altitude, according to Reuters, although it did not comment further. McDowell, from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, posted on X, formerly Twitter, about how the orbit height of Kosmos-2553 had changed over time by less than one kilometer for the satellite. Here's the orbit height of Kosmos-2553 vs time, showing some tiny (less than 1 km) altitude changes. — Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) April 25, 2025 He told Newsweek he did not have access to optical variation data, which could confirm or refute whether Moscow had lost control of the object, but said there had been "tiny" changes to its orbit. He said it was likely a research and development satellite that had completed its mission within a month or so of launch. Even if it were linked to a weapons program, having the satellite die would not be a big deal for Russia, he added. What People Are Saying CSIS Space Threat Assessment: "Based upon persistent radar monitoring by LeoLabs of Cosmos-2553, there is high confidence it has been tumbling since mid-November 2024 This observation strongly suggests the satellite is no longer operational." The global telescope network Slingshot noted that "the object's brightness became variable, indicating a potential tumble." Jonathan McDowell, astrophysicist and editor of Jonathan's Space Report, told Newsweek: "It has made only tiny changes to its orbit. I suspect this is just a research and development satellite, which probably completed its mission within a month or so of launch. "Even if it is related to a weapons program, I don't think having the satellite die now would be a big deal for them." What Happens Next Russia, China and the U.S. continue to invest in military space capabilities as concerns grow about how technologies could have hostile military uses. The CSIS report said that Chinese and Russian satellites in both low and geostationary Earth orbits are developing more advanced maneuvering capabilities, which can be used for space warfighting and may alarm the U.S. and its allies.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What will the partial solar eclipse of March 2025 look like from space?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A partial solar eclipse will come to Earth on Saturday, March 29, 2025, as the moon passes in front of the sun. From Earth, photographers will capture images of a bite being taken out of the sun. From space, a fleet of satellites will image a shadow being cast across Earth. The moon projects two kinds of shadows at all times. There's a large fuzzy outer shadow, called the penumbra, and a much smaller, darker central shadow, the umbra. The latter causes a total solar eclipse, which is seen across a dark and narrow corridor on Earth called the path of totality. That's not what's happening on March 29, when only the moon's penumbra will touch Earth. Related: Where will the partial solar eclipse be visible in March 2025? Although a partial eclipse will be seen from Europe, western Africa, eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S., satellites will see a dark shadow across the Atlantic Ocean that will blend with the night side of Earth. Why? It's down to where the moon's penumbral shadow will be darkest. This partial solar eclipse is so very early as a total solar eclipse. At its maximum point in the Nunavik region of Quebec, Canada, observers will see 94% of the sun blocked by the moon at sunrise. This is where the eclipse shadow will be at its darkest. As the penumbra spreads across Europe, where only a relatively slight eclipse will be seen, the moon's shadow will be much lighter and thus harder for satellites to show. The shadow of a solar eclipse always moves from west to east even though the sun, the moon and stars appear to rise in the east and set in the west. That's because the moon orbits in the same direction as Earth's rotation, but at 2,300 miles per hour (3,700 kilometers per hour), it travels twice as fast, according to Ernie Wright at NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio. Earth's curvature further increases the speed of the shadow. Geostationary weather and environmental monitoring satellites orbiting 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) from Earth tend to capture the best images of an eclipse shadow. Satellites to look out for, which in the past have imaged solar eclipses, including GOES-16, Copernicus Sentinel-3 and Himawari. It's also possible that astronauts aboard the International Space Station will image the eclipse, as they did during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. For that, follow astrophotographer-astronaut Don Petit, who's currently on the ISS and sending back spectacular imagery.
