Scientists at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have detected a new plasma wave in Jupiter’s aurora using NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The finding, published in Physical Review Letters, reveals how Jupiter’s magnetic field shapes auroral activity differently from Earth. The study opens new directions for understanding planetary auroras and magnetic field interactions.

Rocket Lab reached a key milestone with its 70th Electron rocket launch, successfully sending five secret satellites into orbit on Aug. 23, 2025. The mission, called “Live, Laugh, Launch,” lifted off from New Zealand and ended its live stream early at the request of the undisclosed customer. Rocket Lab now looks ahead to the debut of its larger Neutron rocket later this year.

On August 20, researcher Maximilian Teodorescu captured a rare photo of two dramatic solar events — a giant tornado of plasma rising 130,000 km and an eruptive prominence spanning 200,000 km. Both were shaped by the sun’s unstable magnetic fields. While the prominence did release a CME, it is not aimed at Earth.

An international team of astronomers has detected RBFLOAT, the brightest fast radio burst (FRB) ever recorded, just 130 million light-years away in Ursa Major. Detected by CHIME in March 2025, the powerful radio flash was traced to galaxy NGC-4141. Follow-up imaging with the James Webb Space Telescope revealed a faint stellar source near the burst, possibly linked to a neutron star or magnetar. The discovery offers fresh insight into the origins of FRBs and opens new opportunities for rapid future studies.