SpaceX: Super Heavy’s historic landing is done — but the show isn’t over

SpaceX: The Super Heavy booster is now back at its launchpad, suspended mid-air between two massive metal arms called “chopsticks”. Waves of deafening cheers rang out on the livestream as SpaceX engineers and employees celebrated the achievement. While the Super Heavy booster’s job is over, the Starship spacecraft is still soaring through space. The vehicle lit up its own engines after detaching from the booster and it is now coasting through space.

On October 11th 2024, a severe geomagnetic storm brought spectacular light displays to many parts of the United States, with skies as far south as San Antonio bathed in rich hues of magenta and green. The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights as they are commonly known, are often more visible in Earth’s polar regions, but due to heightened solar activity these dancing displays could be seen with the naked eye in numerous southern states. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the storm was ranked 4 out of 5 in severity, allowing for more widespread illuminations across night skies, particularly across Europe.

However in Lubbock, Texas, the Aurora Borealis is putting on quite the show across West Texas. Further north, auroras were spotted over Queens, New York, in an unusually colorful light display for such a densely populated area. The timing of the strong solar activity brought the spectacle to many other regions of the world, with photographers sharing images from England to China, and even Australia, where the phenomenon known as Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, was captured in Fish Creek, near Melbourne.

Auroras appeared to rain down over pumpjacks in Alberta, Canada.

Skies burst with red and green behind a windmill in Buckinghamshire, England. Lights showered a spectacular array of colors over the Kissing Trees in Kinghorn, Scotland. The Northern Lights, weakened though still visible, were spotted behind an observation tower in New Braunfels, outside of San Antonio. Visible solar activity is significantly less common in more southern regions of the United States.

Illuminations could be seen over the Jinshanling Great Wall in China’s Hebei Province. A glowing red Kyiv was visible, as even the city lights did not manage to dampen the skies over the Ukrainian capital. Lights also trailed from traffic as fiery skies danced overhead in Brandenburg, Germany. In October 2023, 12P/Pons-Brooks follows a lengthy orbital path, returning to our vicinity roughly every 71 years.

Occasionally, the gravitational forces, orbital interactions, and cosmic collisions in outer space can disrupt the trajectory of an asteroid or comet, sending them on erratic paths that bring them close to Earth, potentially posing an impact risk. Fortunately, the majority of these celestial objects are relatively small and do not pose a significant threat of causing harm. A volcanic comet the size of a small city exploded as it headed toward the sun, emitting a cloud of ice and gas that looks like a gigantic pair of horns.

The Devil Comet is a cryovolcanic, or cold volcano.

An astronomical spectacle is headed our way as the colossal Devil Comet, known for its ice volcano and distinctive horns, makes its way toward Earth. While this massive celestial visitor might seem ominous with its fiery moniker, experts assure that it poses no danger to humanity. The Devil Comet, also known by its scientific name 12P/Pons-Brooks, first graced our skies in 1812, with a subsequent appearance in 1883.

One of the most remarkable aspects of this cosmic traveler is its status as one of just around 20 comets with an active ice volcano. These unique cold volcano comets contain a fascinating mix of ice, dust, and gas known as cryomagma. They are characterized by a surrounding gas that seeps out from within, creating a captivating cosmic display. 12P/Pons-Brooks is set to dazzle earthlings in mid-April 2024 when it reaches its brightest phase.

At that time, it will be positioned approximately 144,158,116 miles away from Earth. Comets are renowned for their unpredictability, especially regarding their brightness as they approach Earth. While it might not become a household name like a total solar eclipse, 12P/Pons-Brooks is anticipated to be a splendid celestial sight, visible not only to stargazers with the naked eye but also to those with basic binoculars or a starter backyard telescope.

It is a wait and see situation for sky-watchers who eagerly anticipate 12P/Pons-Brooks’ arrival.

12P/Pons-Brooks’ fluctuating brilliance adds to the allure of these celestial wanderers. 12P/Pons-Brooks earned its curious moniker when astronomers identified striking horns protruding from its nucleus. These are actually tails of gas and dust that result from unusual outbursts still being studied by scientists. These outbursts are when comets suddenly become more active, expelling gas and dust at an increased rate.

12P/Pons-Brooks brightens really rapidly and then sort of fades back to the brightness it had before. And in 12P/Pons-Brooks, these are really bright and large outbursts. This is what makes 12P/Pons-Brooks so interesting to scientists. 12P/Pons-Brooks’ nucleus stretches approximately 12.4 miles, nearly twice the size of Mount Everest. This colossal size sets it apart from typical comets, which generally measure between 0.6 and 1.8 miles in width.

This distinctiveness has generated significant excitement among both astronomers and the general public. As 12P/Pons-Brooks’ eagerly anticipated appearance in our night skies approaches, experts recommend keeping a close watch on updates and developments related to this extraordinary celestial event. This Devil may have horns, but it brings with it a mesmerizing show that is set to light up our Earthly skies.

12P/Pons-Brooks has a solid nucleus about 18.6 miles wide and is filled with a mix of ice, dust and gas known as cryomagma, and is roughly three times the size of Mount Everest.
The violent explosion seen by astronomers on October 5th 2023 is the second in four months. Radiation from the sun heats the comet’s insides, the pressure builds up and the comet violently explodes, shooting its frosty guts out into space through large cracks in the nucleus’s shell. The explosion produced a cloud that resembles a pair of horns. 12P/Pons-Brooks was first spotted in 1812 when comet hunter Jean-Louis Pons discovered it.

The Devil Comet will reach its closest point to Earth on April 21st 2024. 12P/Pons-Brooks poses no danger to Earth. It is likely to be visible to the naked eye before it heads catapulted back toward the outer solar system. The next time 12P/Pons-Brooks will be that close to Earth will be in 2095. The so-called Devil Comet is better known as 12P/Pons-Brooks, a short-period comet that enters the inner solar system every 71 years or so.

It was discovered in 1812 and is currently over 273 million miles from Earth in the constellation Hercules, but too dim to see without a telescope. However, it is destined to next loop around the sun in 2024, getting within Earth’s orbit, but it presents no danger. It is predicted to reach its brightest April through June 3024, when it may even be visible to the naked eye at magnitude +4.7.

12P/Pons-Brooks, which is about the same size as Halley’s comet, will be closest to the sun next April 21st 2024 and making its closest approach to Earth on June 2nd 2024.

However, 12P/Pons-Brooks will not cross Earth’s orbital path around the sun, so it can be no danger. 12P/Pons-Brooks has been nicknamed the Devil Comet because of its unusual horned shape during an outburst. During the outburst its central core, its nucleus, unexpectedly brightened and the halo of material around it expanded, possibly blocking some of it from view.

It may be that binoculars will be needed to find it. The timing of 12P/Pons-Brooks’ latest visit to the inner solar system means it might just be visible during the next total solar eclipse on April 8th 2024, which will be visible from parts of Mexico, United States, and Canada. That creates a unique opportunity for skywatchers to potentially view the comet during totality possibly with the naked eye.

12P/Pons-Brook comes in the wake of comet 2022 E3 (ZTF), the so-called green comet, and 2020’s comet NEOWISE, but looks set to put on an extra special display. The Devil Comet which is hurtling towards Earth and has exploded on its way from the sun has created a lot of buzz about being roughly twice the size of Mount Everest and having cloud horns, which make it appear menacing. However, although the comet is large and unusual, it does not mean that it poses any threat to planet Earth.

The comet, which is called 12P/Pons-Brooks by scientists made an appearance in the skies of the Earth last time more than 70 years ago.

Judging by the comet’s brightness, astronomers estimated that the comet’s solid part or its nucleus is around 12.4 miles across, which is approximately double the size of Mount Everest. Generally, comets are between 0.6 and 1.8 miles wide, so it is big, it is an outlier, and it is rare. The comet will still remain around one-and-half astronomical units away from Earth.

The horns of the comet have been formed by tails of gas and dust released in an odd series of explosive outbursts which scientists have still not been able to understand. It might be bright enough that you can see with your naked eye or with binoculars, but that is not because it is going to be super close, it is because it is just generally very bright. Two such outbursts were seen this year, the first occurred in July and the other earlier this month.

An outburst is where comets suddenly get much more active, throwing off tons of gas and dust in a short period of time. The outbursts have been particularly interesting because of their frequency and where they took place. As per one theory, the comet contains forms of ice which after getting exposed to the sun’s heat for the time leads to volatile explosions.

However, those explosions have typically been seen closer to the sun and do not occur often.

It might happen twice in five years. The solar system is a violent place, as evidenced by the fiery history of 12P/Pons–Brooks, a monster-size comet hurtling toward the sun. For the second time in four months it has grown horns after a volcanic eruption. But destructive space rocks can not be blamed for the biggest Marsquake ever recorded, instead, scientists finally figured out that the record-breaking shaking was caused by tectonic plates shifting beneath the Red Planet’s surface.

In March 2023, United States start-up Relativity Space is planning to launch its 3D-printed rocket Terran 1, skipping planned tests and heading straight for orbit. The Terran 1 was not launched on March 8th 2023 due to an issue involving the temperature of the fuel. Relativity Space is expected to release a new launch date soon. Terran 1 will be the largest 3D-printed object to attempt orbital flight.

The rocket is about 35 meters tall, making it one of the smallest orbital rockets in the industry, and 85 per cent of its mass is 3D-printed. The rocket is designed to lift up to 1250 kilograms into low-Earth orbit, and Relativity Space is charging $12 million per flight. In comparison, SpaceX’s ubiquitous Falcon 9 can lift more than 22,000 kilograms into orbit and costs about $67 million per flight.

Terran 1 is fully expendable, and for this first test flight it will not have a payload.

If the rocket makes it into space, the flight will be considered a success. Relativity Space has opted to skip one last planned test of the rocket and go straight to the launch. The skipped planned test was static fire, in which the rocket’s engines are fired while the rocket is secured to the ground. By not completing static fire, Relativity Space accepts the increased likelihood of an abort on its first launch attempt.

But if all systems are performing nominally, Relativity Space would rather release and launch during its next operation than continue to wear the vehicle through additional testing on the ground. The rocket and each of its engines breezed through a barrage of tests to get here, and one more test would potentially cause more wear and tear than it is worth. Relativity Space’s stated goal is to facilitate an industrial society on Mars, and Terran 1 is far too small to make it there.

While it is designed to bring small satellites into orbit, its primary purpose is a smaller-scale prototype for Relativity Space’s 66-meter-tall Terran R rocket, which the company intends to launch for the first time in 2024. Terran R is planned to be fully reusable, mostly 3D-printed and able to carry up to 20,000 kilograms into orbit. Aside from launching larger satellites into orbit around Earth, Terran R will also eventually offer customers a point-to-point space freighter capable of missions between the Earth, Moon, and Mars.

That is the vehicle customers need.

Terran 1 is Relativity Space’s pathfinder, its development platform to get to Terran R. Relativity Space, a California-based startup that counts billionaire Mark Cuban as one of its early investors, will try to launch the first 3D-printed, methane-fueled rocket into orbit from Cape Canaveral. The test flight has a three-hour launch window, and there is a 90% chance of favorable weather.

The two-stage rocket, called the Terran 1, will lift off from Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission is a demonstration for Relativity Space’s Terran 1 to haul more than a ton of cargo into low Earth orbit. The Terran 1 is aimed at the commercial launch market for small to mid-sized satellites, making Relativity Space one of several privately-developed small satellite launch companies in the last few years.

There are a number of firsts on this rocket. It has the chance of being the first liquid oxygen rocket to make it to orbit. It has, by far, the highest 3D-printed content of any rocket in history. Terran 1 is sitting at about 85% by mass, where no any other rocket has gone past 4%. Relativity Space has nicknamed the Terran 1’s test flight as “Good Luck, Have Fun.” Terran 1 will not carry any customer satellites.

The Terran 1 could become the first methane-fueled launcher to reach orbit if the eight-minute flight goes well, beating two much larger rockets, United Launch Alliance (ULA)’s Vulcan and SpaceX’s Starship.

Methane is the propellant choice of the future, especially for reusable rockets. Methane is a more efficient fuel than kerosene, which is used on SpaceX’s Falcon 9, Russia’s Soyuz launcher, and ULA’s Atlas 5. It also burns cleaner and leaves less residue inside an engine than kerosene, easing refurbishment and reuse between missions. Before the first Terran 1 has even left the launch pad, the company started development of a larger fully reusable rocket called the Terran R, a vehicle the company says will become a point-to-point space freighter capable of missions between the Earth, moon, and Mars.

But the first test flight of the smaller Terran 1 is a major milestone for Relativity Space, a company founded in 2015 by Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone. Ellis is CEO of Relativity Space, while Noone stepped down as the company’s chief technology officer in 2020. Relativity Space now boasts some 1,000 employees, a million-square-foot headquarters, a factory in Long Beach California, and $1.3 billion in venture capital and equity fundraising, including an early $500,000 investment from billionaire Mark Cuban.

In 2021, Relativity Space reached a valuation of $4.2 billion before launching any rockets.