Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Beauty pass of Roman, coming around from behind with high-gain antenna rotating.
Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab
Where is Roman?
Roman is making its three-month journey from Earth to Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, or L2. Along the way, Roman is undergoing a process called commissioning, where systems are turned on, adjusted, calibrated, and prepared for science operations. Commissioning is the time for scientists and engineers to make sure that Roman is performing as expected. The schedule is subject to change as the team assesses and adjusts as needed.
An hour and 23 minutes after launch, Roman began to emerge from the tight configuration that allowed it to fit in the rocket fairing. The solar panels and sunshade deployed, shading the rest of the observatory and providing power to the systems. Within the upcoming days, the antenna will swing out and the visor-like deployable aperture cover will move into place to permanently reveal and shade the primary mirror.
Roman’s Orbit
This visualization shows the stable, halo orbit that Roman will have around L2. At this location, the gravity of the Sun and Earth, together with an object’s motion around the Sun, let it stay lined up with Earth as they orbit, allowing Roman to have a relatively steady orbit without using much fuel. This location also offers exceptionally stable optical performance and a constant, unobstructed view of a wide swath of the sky; Earth won’t block much of Roman’s view since it will be so distant. And at L2, heat from Earth, the Sun, and the Moon have less effect on infrared telescopes, which “see” heat.
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Explore the Roman Systems
Learn more about the systems that are getting turned on, tested and calibrated.
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, transits the Sun during launch from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 30, 2026. Roman is named after the agency’s first chief astronomer.
Roman will survey billions of stars and galaxies with a field of view far larger than Hubble’s, helping scientists study dark energy, exoplanets, and the evolution of the universe.
Every month, NASA Earth Observatory features a puzzling satellite image. The September 2026 puzzler appears above.
Your Challenge Identify the location shown in this satellite image. Share what clues you see, where you think it is, and what makes this place interesting or unique to you.
How to Answer Submit your response using this form and select “Puzzler Answer” as the topic. Please include your preferred name or alias.
You can keep it simple and just guess the location. Want to impress us? Tell us which satellite and instrument captured the image, which spectral bands were used, or point out a subtle detail about the geology or history of the area. If something catches your eye, or if this is your home or means something to you, we’d love to hear about it.
The Prize We can’t offer prize money or a trip to space to see Earth like satellites and astronauts do. But we can offer something almost as rewarding: puzzler bragging rights.
About a week after the challenge, we’ll post the answer at the top of this page, along with a link to an Earth Observatory Image of the Day story that explains the image in more detail. We’ll recognize the first person who correctly guesses the location, and we may also highlight readers who share especially thoughtful or interesting answers. By submitting a response, you acknowledge that your comments may be edited, excerpted, and published on this page.
Until then, zoom in, look closely, and enjoy the challenge. See you at the reveal!
Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology, Mehmet Fatih Kacır, 3rd from left, signs the Artemis Accords for the Republic of Türkiye as NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, left, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Space and Environment Connor Tomlinson, and Turkish Space Agency President, Yusuf Kıraç, right, look on, Monday, August 31, 2026, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington.
NASA/Bill Ingalls
During a ceremony hosted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman at the agency’s headquarters in Washington on Monday, the Republic of Türkiye signed the Artemis Accords, joining the growing international coalition of like-minded nations dedicated to peaceful, transparent space exploration.
“It is my privilege to welcome the Republic of Türkiye as the 71st signatory of the Artemis Accords,” said Isaacman. “Last year, President Trump directed NASA to accelerate its return to the lunar surface and establish humanity’s first enduring presence on another world, a Moon Base, as well as lay the foundation for the manned exploration of Mars. NASA never undertakes these grand endeavors alone. On the Moon Base, we’re taking the Artemis Accords principles and putting them into practice on the lunar surface. NASA has invited every signatory to take part in this endeavor, creating opportunities for nations to contribute major pieces of hardware, scientific payloads, technology demonstrations, CubeSats, and other capabilities to future Artemis missions.”
Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır signed on behalf of Türkiye. The President of the Turkish Space Agency Yusuf Kıraç, and the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Space and Environment Connor Tomlinson, also participated in the event.
Türkiye’s recent achievements in human spaceflight underscore its commitment to space exploration. In 2024, the country’s first astronaut, Alper Gezervaci, traveled to the International Space Station on Axiom Mission 3 and conducted scientific research alongside NASA astronauts. That same year, a second Turkish astronaut, Tuva Atasever, flew on Virgin Galactic 07 suborbital mission, conducting experiments and physiology research.
Türkiye will soon launch its first lunar mission, AYAP-1, joining the small but growing group of countries building and launching their own satellites to the Moon.
The country’s signing also comes as the country prepares to host the International Astronautical Congress in Antalya this October. Dozens of Artemis Accords signatories are expected to attend to discuss the future of peaceful and transparent space exploration.
In 2020, NASA and the State Department joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies. They introduced the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing the safety and coordination between nations as they explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond, committing nations to:
explore peaceably and transparently
render aid to those in need
enable access to scientific data
ensure activities do not interfere with those of others
preserve historically significant sites and artifacts by developing best practices
By signing the Artemis Accords, nations open the door to opportunities for future lunar exploration with NASA, advancing humanity’s return to the Moon, and shaping the Golden Age of space exploration and innovation.
A satellite view shows the iceberg after it pivoted out of the fjord into Nares Strait, wedged against a small, brown island.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin
A satellite view shows a large tabular iceberg at the junction of its home fjord and Nares Strait.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin
A satellite view shows the iceberg after it pivoted out of the fjord into Nares Strait, wedged against a small, brown island.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin
A satellite view shows a large tabular iceberg at the junction of its home fjord and Nares Strait.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin
AUGUST 24
AUGUST 23
An iceberg from Petermann Glacier encounters Joe Island in northwestern Greenland, visible in images captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9 on August 23, 2026 (right), and August 24, 2026 (left). NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin.
Summer is prime iceberg season in Greenland’s glacier-fed fjords, and 2026 was no exception. Especially notable was the berg that broke from the Petermann Glacier along Greenland’s northwest coast in August. Roughly the size of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, it was the largest calving event by any Arctic glacier since 2020.
Iceberg calving is a routine part of an outlet glacier’s life cycle. Scientists watch the process closely, however, along with numerous other observations of the ice and its environment, for longer-term signs of instability. Petermann is one of Greenland’s largest marine-terminating glaciers and acts as a gatekeeper for ice flowing from the ice sheet into the ocean. Its future stability has implications for sea level rise.
The calving event of summer 2026 was spotted on August 4 by Adam Garbo, a doctoral student in glaciology at the University of Ottawa, in imagery from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 mission. Garbo and an international team of colleagues have been using remote sensing to study and track the glacier’s ice tongue.
The team reported that the large tabular iceberg, or “ice island,” measured just over 76 square kilometers (29 square miles) at the time it calved—the largest to break from the glacier since the ice island of 2012 (130 square kilometers). The 2012 calving followed earlier major events in 2008 (31 square kilometers) and 2010 (just over 250 square kilometers).
The August 2026 event could have been even bigger. Garbo and colleagues had been expecting a major calving once one of the large rifts they were monitoring finally cut all the way across Petermann’s ice tongue. “What surprised us was that the calving instead followed a different fracture, producing a smaller ice island than we had originally anticipated,” Garbo said. As of late August, two large rifts remained and were expected to eventually produce new ice islands of roughly 94 square kilometers and 84 square kilometers, though the timing remained uncertain.
August 24, 2026
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin
Glaciologist Mauri Pelto of Nichols College has also been tracking the iceberg, using images from NASA-USGS Landsat satellites, as it drifted down Petermann Fjord toward Nares Strait. In the week since it calved, the berg drifted an average of 3 kilometers per day. It continued toward the fjord’s junction with Nares Strait, where it rammed into a small rocky outcrop known as Joe Island (Joe Ø). The brief encounter is visible in images captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9 on August 23 (top right) and August 24 (top left). A detailed view of the August 24 image is shown above.
Joe Island sits at the mouth of Petermann Fjord, making it one of the first obstacles a departing ice island meets. Collisions with it—like the one that split the 2010 ice island in two—often mark the start of a berg’s breakup. Petermann bergs tend to be thinner and more fragile than those calved by glaciers such as Greenland’s Jakobshavn and Helheim, and thinner still than Antarctica’s behemoths, Pelto noted.
“We were certainly watching closely as it interacted with Joe Island and were impressed that it survived the interaction without further fragmentation,” Garbo said.
The ice island was estimated to be less than 150 meters thick at the time of calving. Wind and surface currents have swept it out of the fjord, and satellite images show it pivoting away from Joe Island and continuing southwest through Nares Strait. As it drifts, it will fracture into smaller pieces as tides, winds, currents, and melting continue to weaken the ice.
Thicker bergs that calve from tidewater glaciers without floating ice-shelf extensions can drag and even become grounded on the seafloor within the fjord, while ice islands, like those from Petermann, might run aground later in their drift. Many ice islands have become “grounded” off the coasts of Coburg and Baffin islands.
Garbo and colleagues noted that ice islands and their fragments have been known to travel considerable distances, posing potential hazards to marine activities and infrastructure while also distributing freshwater through the ocean as they melt.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Kathryn Hansen.
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
A Plane Lunar Eclipse
Explanation: Did you need to be on the right side of this airplane to see this eclipse? No. Lunar eclipses are routinely seen from the half of the Earth facing the Moon when the eclipse occurs, making them some of the most commonly witnessed astronomical events. You don’t even need any special equipment to see one — just your unaided eyes. Lunar eclipses are also some of the mostphotographedastronomicalevents because, unlike with a solar eclipse, your eyes and camera do not have to look toward the bright Sun. However, considering the featured image taken last week from Portugal, if you were on the left side of that airplane during takeoff, you might have trouble seeing it — at first. But even then, after takeoff, since lunar eclipses typically last for hours, you might soon be able to safely cross the aisle(s) to see it.
On Aug. 24, technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida began installing the four RS‑25 engines in the core stage of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will carry the Artemis III crew into low Earth orbit in 2027.
Each RS‑25 engine has a unique serial number that records its detailed flight history. The four engines assigned to Artemis III — E2054, E2057, E2048, and E2052 — previously powered multiple space shuttle missions. Engine 2048 helped launch NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik’s earlier mission aboard space shuttle Atlantis during STS‑129. It also flew on Space Shuttle Discovery during STS‑95 in 1998, the mission that returned 77-year‑old space pioneer U.S. Sen. John Glenn to orbit, making him the oldest person to fly in space at that time.
Use the Moon to find Antares and the Teapot, spot brilliant Venus, welcome the equinox, and see the Harvest Moon near Saturn and Neptune.
Skywatching Highlights
Sept. 14-20: Use the Moon to find Antares and the Teapot; dark skies may reveal the Milky Way center
Sept 18: Venus reaches peak brilliance for this evening appearance
Sept. 22: September equinox; fall begins in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere
Sept. 26: Harvest Moon rises near Saturn and Neptune
Birds fly over a barn as a harvest Moon rises.
Mike Linnihan
Transcript
The Moon joins a tea party… Venus cranks up the brightness… the seasons officially change… and the Harvest Moon meets up with some planetary neighbors.
That’s What’s Up for September.
A sky chart looking southwest after sunset on Sept. 20, 2026.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
From September 14 through 20, let the Moon guide you to a few celestial landmarks. About an hour after sunset, look south to find the Moon in the evening sky.
Night by night, the Moon shifts position against the background stars, passing near Antares.
This bright, reddish star marks the heart of the constellation Scorpius.
Next you’ll see the Teapot, a group of stars in neighboring Sagittarius that really does resemble a teapot, complete with a handle, lid, and spout.
If you are under an especially dark sky… you may see hazy steam rising from the Teapot’s spout. Follow that steam to its thickest part, and you’ll be looking toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
A sky chart looking west after sunset on Sept. 18, 2026.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Look west on September 18 as Venus hits peak brilliance, shining at its brightest of this evening appearance..
You won’t have to search hard to find it. Shortly after sunset, Venus will stand out as a brilliant point of light low above the western horizon, outshining every star around it. A clear view of the horizon will give you the best chance to catch it before it sets.
On September 19, celebrate International Observe the Moon Night!
People around the world are invited to look up and connect with our nearest celestial neighbor while learning more about lunar science, exploration, and the many ways the Moon has shaped cultures around the world. Find an event near you — or learn how to participate from wherever you are — at go.nasa.gov/ObserveTheMoon.
Then on September 22, it’s officially fall in the Northern Hemisphere …while spring begins in the Southern Hemisphere.
That’s the September equinox, when the Sun is directly above Earth’s equator and day and night are close to equal in length around the world.
From there, daylight keeps getting shorter in the Northern Hemisphere and longer in the Southern Hemisphere.
A sky chart looking east after sunset on Sept. 26, 2026.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
And on September 26, the Harvest Moon takes center stage, rising in the east shortly after sunset.
It won’t be alone. Saturn appears nearby, with faint Neptune completing a wide triangle in the sky.
Saturn is the easy one-you can see it with just your eyes. Neptune is a bit more challenging. At around magnitude 8, it’s too faint to see with the unaided eye …so you’ll need binoculars or a telescope to spot it. Darker skies and good observing conditions can help bring it into view.
Here are the phases of the Moon for September.
The phases of the Moon for September 2026.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
You can stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at NASA Science. I’m Raquel Villanueva from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up this month.
Learn More and Get Involved
Night Sky Network
The Night Sky Network is a nationwide coalition of amateur astronomy clubs bringing the science, technology, and inspiration of NASA’s missions to the general public.
NASA Skywatching Resources
Expert skywatching tips and more from our experts.
NASA Uses Subscale Aircraft to Accelerate Flight Innovation
An atmospheric probe model attached upside down to a quad rotor remotely piloted aircraft ascends with the Moon visible on Oct. 22, 2024. The quad rotor aircraft released the probe above Rogers Dry Lake, a flight area adjacent NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The probe was designed and built at the center.
Credits: NASA/Steve Freeman
Testing new aerospace concepts in flight remains one of NASA’s most effective ways to advance knowledge and reduce risk.
The Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, supports this mission by using small, remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft as cost‑effective platforms to mature innovative ideas, accelerate learning, and enable smoother transitions to full‑scale flight.
When experiments require a flight platform, several NASA remotely piloted aircraft are available: the Alta‑X quadrotor; the Dryden Remotely Operated Integrated Drone (DROID) with its 10‑foot wingspan; and the Multi‑Use Cub, a 14‑foot‑span fixed‑wing aircraft with an expandable payload capacity for flight experiments. For electric vertical takeoff and landing testing, the HQ‑90 quadrotor provides an additional option.
Once aircraft and experiments are cleared for operations, laboratory pilots support the mission, including ground operations and flight activities.
Justin Link, left, holds the subscale aircraft in place, while Justin Hall manages engine speed during preliminary engine tests on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at NASA’s Armstong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Link is a pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems at the center’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory and Hall is the chief pilot.
NASA/Christopher LC Clark
Flight expertise
Each staff member serves as an experienced and certified subscale aircraft pilot and is prepared to fly unique one-of-a-kind or modified commercial aircraft wherever the mission requires.
NASA’s FireSense project conducted flights in the Geneva State Forest, located about 100 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama. NASA Armstrong flight research staff integrated the instrument onto an Alta-X drone and tested the system before deployment. Two team members then transported the drone and sensor to the forest, prepared the vehicle for flight, and operated it during the mission. The NASA sensor was flown on the drone to demonstrate how remotely piloted aircraft can gather localized weather data that influences smoke movement and fire behavior. This information may help operational agencies improve wildfire decision-making and better allocate firefighters and resources.
Other missions occur closer to NASA Armstrong, such as the Enhancing Parachutes by Instrumenting the Canopy (EPIC) project. EPIC involved air‑launching a capsule containing a parachute and flexible sensor from the Alta‑X. Laboratory staff piloted the flights, supported flight operations, and worked with the EPIC team to design and integrate the parachute‑drop mechanism and safety system into the aircraft.
These tests demonstrated that a flexible sensor could help researchers study supersonic parachutes. Continuation of this work can help fill gaps in computer models, making supersonic parachutes safer and more reliable for delivering science instruments and payloads to Mars.
Justin Link, left, pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems, and Justin Hall, chief pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems, install weather instruments on NASA’s Alta X drone at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Members of the center’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory used the Alta X to support the agency’s FireSense project in March 2025 for a prescribed burn in Geneva State Forest, which is about 100 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama.
NASA/Steve Freeman
Advancing challenging research
The Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory uses rapid design and testing capabilities to help small aircraft fly big ideas. These concepts could lead to future breakthroughs that support NASA’s missions across aeronautics, science, and exploration.
For decades, NASA and its partners have advanced Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology. The research demonstrated an autopilot could detect and recover from an imminent ground collision – a capability now helping save lives in high‑performance U.S. military jets. NASA Armstrong had key roles in that work and developed a simplified version, the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System, which was installed on the DROID for testing.
The system demonstrated on the DROID — developed to assist general aviation pilots as well as remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft — performed well and led to further research toward a version that provides alerts and steering cues. The NASA Armstrong Technology Transfer Office is working to license the technology for U.S. businesses to develop the system as a commercial product.
The Prandtl‑D (Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Lower Drag) flying‑wing glider was also designed, fabricated, and flown at NASA Armstrong. Researchers found that its twisted wing design could reduce drag and generate thrust at the wingtips, advancing concepts that may support greater fuel economy for future aircraft. The original Prandtl‑D is now part of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collection in Washington, and the Prandtl-D3 is at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Researchers continue developing the next generation of the design in the laboratory.
A wide range of capabilities in the laboratory help transform promising concepts into flight-ready test structures. These include rapid prototyping using traditional and advanced 3D manufacturing techniques, as well as composite and conventional fabrication processes. The team of engineers and technicians also provides custom component design and specialized fabrication to meet unique research needs.
The laboratory supports electrical and mechanical design, hardware and software integration, and the safety and flight-readiness processes required for successful missions. Additional technical facilities, such as the Experimental Fabrication Branch and the Environmental Laboratory at NASA Armstrong, further enhance these capabilities. Together, they support development, testing, and validation activities that advance NASA’s aeronautics and exploration goals.
Deborah Jackson, Al Bowers and Abbigail Waddell successfully launch the subscale Prandtl-D 3C glider.
