It's 2/2/22! For this day of 2️⃣s, here are some iconic pairs in our solar system. Some asteroids come in twos, such as Ida & Dactyl, as seen by the Galileo spacecraft. This year, our #DARTMission will perform its test at another pair, Didymos & Dimorphos: go.nasa.gov/3ofmhes an asteroid and its tiny moonlet against the blackness of sp
Two small moons of Saturn, Janus & Epimetheus, share very similar orbits around the planet, and they regularly swap positions. This series of images was captured by Cassini. go.nasa.gov/3giKM6T
Pluto and its largest moon Charon, seen here by the #NewHorizonsMission, are sometimes described as a double planet, since they orbit around the common center of gravity between them. go.nasa.gov/3giWoH0 smaller Charon and larger Pluto in space
Mars has two small moons, Phobos & Deimos ("fear" and "dread" in Greek). These portraits come from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. go.nasa.gov/2OClkMO lumpy, cratered moon, almost round in spacesmaller, potato-shaped moon with a few craters
Much of what we know about the worlds of the solar system comes from our robotic explorers. Sometimes, as with @NASAVoyager 1 & 2 or the @NASAMars rovers Spirit & Opportunity, two spacecraft means more science and less chance of a total mission loss. illustration of voyager spacecraft in space far from the sunillustration of the Opportunity rover superimposed on an act
Sometimes, as in the case of @NASAMoon’s GRAIL mission or @NASAEarth's GRACE missions, a pair of spacecraft flying in precise formation measure gravitational fields with astounding accuracy. go.nasa.gov/2KB6HEB illustration showing two box-shaped spacecraft over the surf
@NASAMoon @NASAEarth Plenty of compelling pairs outside the solar system, too.

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More from @NASASolarSystem

Nov 24, 2021
Luck favors the prepared! The #DARTMission has lifted off to begin its journey to a double asteroid, where it will test techniques to deflect an asteroid if someday one presents a hazard to Earth. Ride along here and at nasa.gov/dart rocket lifting through clouds, setting them aglow
The #DARTMission spacecraft has separated from the @SpaceX rocket, and is on its way to the Didymos double asteroid system, where it is expected to arrive late next year. video still frame showing spacecraft against the blackness o
@SpaceX More updates will be available here, from @AsteroidWatch, and at nasa.gov/dart

Learn more about DART, asteroids, and the science that is searching out their secrets: solarsystem.nasa.gov
Read 4 tweets
Nov 5, 2021
There was a flurry of activity on the surface of the Sun this week, including large solar flares and storms. Here, @NASASun’s Solar Dynamics Observatory in Earth orbit captured an especially active solar region on Nov. 2.
1/4
The Sun launched multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that sent waves of charged particles toward Earth. The SOHO spacecraft caught one as it blasted out into the solar system.
2/4
When these particles arrived at Earth, its magnetic field directed them toward the north & south poles, where they lit up the atmosphere with auroras. These geomagnetic storms were so powerful that people far from the poles got to see the show. This view was captured in Utah. 3/4
Read 5 tweets
Jun 7, 2021
At this very moment, our #JunoMission is approaching Jupiter’s giant moon Ganymede. Learn more about this historic flyby: missionjuno.swri.edu/news/nasas-jun…

Track Juno’s position in real time with our 3D solar system simulation: go.nasa.gov/3x1a5kU screen shot of app simulati...
The Juno spacecraft continues its approach on the night side of Ganymede.

Current distance to Ganymede: about 16,000 miles (26,000 kilometers).

Speed relative to Ganymede: about 41,000 MPH (66,000 kilometers per hour). screenshot of app showing s...
Closing in! Current distance: 6,000 miles (9,600 kilometers). Current speed: 41,300 MPH (66,500 kilometers per hour). screenshot showing simulate...
Read 5 tweets
Apr 20, 2021
Congratulations to the Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter team on the first powered flight on another planet!

How far could robotic rotorcraft like Ingenuity take us in space exploration? Far. Very far.

Let’s talk about titans and dragonflies. 1/4
Saturn’s moon Titan is bigger than Mercury! With a soupy atmosphere thicker than Earth's and only 1/7th the gravity, it’s the perfect place to explore with a flying rover. 2/4
The surface is loaded with enigmatic features like dunes of weird carbonaceous material and mountains of ice-rock. It even has boulders and pebbles created by liquid methane, as seen in this image from @esa's Huygens probe that landed on Titan. 3/4 photograph of rocky terrain...
Read 4 tweets

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