March 2025 Astronomy Roundup β¨
Hereβs a look at this monthβs top astronomy news!
πͺSaturnβs Moon Count Soars to 274: In an exciting discovery announced March 11th, astronomers identified 128 previously unknown moons orbiting Saturn, bringing its total to a record-breaking 274! These irregular moons, likely captured asteroids, will eventually receive official names based on Gallic, Norse, and Canadian Inuit deities. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)
π SPHEREx and PUNCH Launch Together: On March 11th, NASAβs SPHEREx (a mission to map more than 450 million galaxies in infrared light) and PUNCH (which will study the Sunβs outer atmosphere) launched aboard a single SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This dynamic duo will help unravel cosmic inflation and solar wind mysteries! (Image credit: NASA)
π Lunar Eclipse and a Cosmic βDiamond Ringβ: Did you catch the lunar eclipse on March 13th? The Blue Ghost lunar lander witnessed it from a unique vantage point - the Moonβs surface! This stunning βdiamond ringβ effect shows sunlight flaring around Earthβs silhouette as our planet passed directly between the Sun and the Moon. (Image credit: Firefly Aerospace)
π©βπ Butch and Suni Return from the ISS: After over nine months in space, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams splashed down safely on March 18th! While aboard the ISS, Suni set a female spacewalk record (62 hours), and the crew conducted 150+ experiments, from testing wooden satellites to cancer research in microgravity. (Image credit: MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)
π DESI Data Could Rewrite Dark Energyβs Story: Early results from the second data release of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), announced March 19th, suggest dark energyβs strength may change over timeβa finding that could completely revolutionize cosmology if confirmed! (Image credit: DESI Collaboration/NSF NOIRLab/KPNO/AURA/P. HorΓ‘lek/R. Proctor)
What was your favorite highlight this month? π
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