“Astronaut Callie Rodriguez continues her space adventures as the first woman to walk on the Moon in NASA’s new graphic novel, “First Woman: Expanding Our Universe.”
Fictional astronaut Callie Rodriguez continues exploring space as the first woman to walk on the Moon in a new issue of NASA’s First Woman graphic novel series. Now available digitally in English and Spanish, “First Woman: Expanding Our Universe,” follows Callie and her crewmates as they work together to explore the unknown, make scientific discoveries, and accomplish their mission objectives.
This second issue of the graphic novel series features a diverse crew of astronauts on the Moon’s surface, learning and growing as a team navigating the unexpected while conducting experiments and technology demonstrations for the benefit of humanity.
Through the First Woman series, NASA is inspiring the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation – as it works in real life to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under the Artemis program.
“Diversity is at the core of NASA’s missions, and the reason we continue breaking the boundaries of what’s possible. First Woman embodies the rich history of countless women who broke barriers and continue to lead NASA to the stars,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “So much of what NASA does is to inspire future explorers because each member of the Artemis Generation should feel represented in our missions. Callie’s story reminds us that we will do what has never been done before — land the first woman on the Moon, and it will inspire the world.”
When readers last met Callie, she and her robot RT were sheltering inside of a lunar lava tunnel. Find out what happens next by visiting the revamped First Woman website, which includes a new Spanish-language option, and the agency’s updated First Woman app available for download on Android and iOS.
The website and immersive app allow audiences to explore a new virtual 3D environment, technologies and objects related to lunar exploration. Fans also can explore updated First Woman content, including videos, interactive games, and other materials related to ongoing and future NASA missions.
“Callie is an inspirational character for underrepresented communities and, as a person of Indian descent with young children, I deeply understand the power of a diverse fanbase seeing a place for themselves within our ambitious missions. To solve the many challenges of sustainable lunar exploration, we need innovative ideas from diverse sources and non-traditional communities,” said Dr. Prasun Desai, acting associate administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We continue that aspirational theme with our second issue, diving further into the crew’s complex mission and personal backgrounds while expanding a wealth of interactive, multilingual science, technology, engineering, and mathematics content across our digital platforms.”
The series debut, “First Woman: Dream to Reality,” saw a large response across the United States and abroad, with nearly 100,000 print copies distributed. The digital audience garnered nearly 300,000 webpage views, and the First Woman app was downloaded by thousands of users, earning a 2022 Webby Award for Best Integrated Mobile Experience.
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NASA will collaborate with its international partners to translate First Woman into more languages in the future.
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U.S. forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are expecting an above-normal 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, with 13 to 19 named storms, and 6 to 10 of those becoming hurricanes.
But, how do they know what’s likely to happen months in the future?
I’m an atmospheric scientist who studies extreme weather. Let’s take a look at what Atlantic hurricane forecasts are based on and why those forecasts can shift during the season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
What goes into a seasonal forecast
Think of the preseason hurricane forecast as the 30,000-foot view: It can’t predict if or when a storm will hit a particular location, but it can offer insight into how many storms are likely to form throughout the entire Atlantic, and how active the season overall might be.
These outlooks rely heavily on two large-scale climate factors.
The first is the sea surface temperature in areas where tropical cyclones tend to form and grow. Hurricanes draw their energy from warm ocean water. So when the Atlantic is unusually warm, as it has been in recent years, it provides more fuel for storms to form and intensify.
Once water temperatures are 79 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius), hurricanes can form. Most of the Gulf was above that by late May 2025.NOAA/NESDIS
The second key ingredient that meteorologists have their eye on is the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, which forecasters refer to as ENSO. ENSO is a climate cycle that shifts every few years between three main phases: El Niño, La Niña, and a neutral space that lives somewhere in between.
During El Niño, winds over the Atlantic high up in the troposphere – roughly 25,000 to 40,000 feet – strengthen and can disrupt storms and hurricanes. La Niña, on the other hand, tends to reduce these winds, making it easier for storms to form and grow. When you look over the historical hurricane record, La Niña years have tended to be busier than their El Niño counterparts, as we saw from 2020 through 2023.
We’re in the neutral phase as the 2025 hurricane season begins, and probably will be for at least a few more months. That means upper-level winds aren’t particularly hostile to hurricanes, but they’re not exactly rolling out the red carpet either.
At the same time, sea surface temperatures are running warmer than the 30-year average, but not quite at the record-breaking levels seen in some recent seasons.
Taken together, these conditions point to a moderately above-average hurricane season.
It’s important to emphasize that these factors merely load the dice, tilting the odds toward more or fewer storms, but not guaranteeing an outcome. A host of other variables influence whether a storm actually forms, how strong it becomes, and whether it ever threatens land.
The smaller influences forecasters can’t see yet
Once hurricane season is underway, forecasters start paying close attention to shorter-term influences.
These subseasonal factors evolve quickly enough that they don’t shape the entire season. However, they can noticeably raise or lower the chances for storms developing in the coming two to four weeks.
One factor is dust lofted from the Sahara Desert by strong winds and carried from east to west across the Atlantic.
These dust plumes tend to suppress hurricanes by drying out the atmosphere and reducing sunlight that reaches the ocean surface. Dust outbreaks are next-to-impossible to predict months in advance, but satellite observations of growing plumes can give forecasters a heads-up a couple weeks before the dust reaches the primary hurricane development region off the coast of Africa.
Dust blowing in from the Sahara Desert can tamp down hurricane activities by shading the ocean over the main development region for hurricanes and drying out the atmosphere, just off the African coast. This plume spread over 2,000 miles in June 2020.NASA
Another key ingredient that doesn’t go into seasonal forecasts but becomes important during the season are African easterly waves. These “waves” are clusters of thunderstorms that roll off the West African coast, tracking from east to west across the ocean. Most major storms in the Atlantic basin, especially in the peak months of August and September, can trace their origins back to one of these waves.
Forecasters monitor strong waves as they begin their westward journey across the Atlantic, knowing they can provide some insight about potential risks to U.S. interests one to two weeks in advance.
Also in this subseasonal mix is the Madden–Julian Oscillation. The MJO is a wave-like pulse of atmospheric activity that moves slowly around the tropics every 30 to 60 days. When the MJO is active over the Atlantic, it enhances the formation of thunderstorms associated with hurricanes. In its suppressed phase, storm activity tends to die down. The MJO doesn’t guarantee storms – or a lack of them – but it turns up or down the odds. Its phase and position can be tracked two or three weeks in advance.
Lastly, forecasters will talk about the Loop Current, a deep river of warm water that flows from the Caribbean into the Gulf of Mexico.
When storms pass over the Loop Current or its warm eddies, they can rapidly intensify because they are drawing energy from not just the warm surface water but from warm water that’s tens of meters deep. The Loop Current has helped power several historic Gulf storms, including Hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Ida in 2021.
The Loop Current stretched well into the Gulf in May 2022. The scale, in meters, shows the maximum depth at which temperatures were 78 F (26 C) or greater.Nick Shay/University of Miami, CC BY-ND
But the Loop Current is always shifting. Its strength and location in early summer may look very different by late August or September.
Combined, these subseasonal signals help forecasters fine-tune their outlooks as the season unfolds.
Where hurricanes form shifts over the months
Where storms are most likely to form and make landfall also changes as the pages of the calendar turn.
In early summer, the Gulf of Mexico warms up faster than the open Atlantic, making it a notable hotspot for early-season tropical storm development, especially in June and July. The Texas coast, Louisiana, and the Florida Panhandle often face a higher early-season risk than locations along the Eastern seaboard.
These are generally the busiest areas during each month of hurricane season, but that doesn’t mean hurricanes won’t make landfall elsewhere.NOAA
By August and September, the season reaches its peak. This is when those waves moving off the coast of Africa become a primary source of storm activity. These long-track storms are sometimes called “Cape Verde hurricanes” because they originate near the Cape Verde Islands off the African coast. While many stay over open water, others can gather steam and track toward the Caribbean, Florida or the Carolinas.
Later in the hurricane season, storms are more likely to form in the western Atlantic or Caribbean, where waters are still warm and upper-level winds remain favorable. These late-season systems have a higher probability of following atypical paths, as Sandy did in 2012 when it struck the New York City region and Milton did in 2024 before making landfall in Florida.
At the end of the day, the safest way to think about hurricane season is this: If you live along the coast, don’t let your guard down. Areas susceptible to hurricanes are never totally immune from hurricanes, and it only takes one to make it a dangerous – and unforgettable – season.
Colin Zarzycki, Associate Professor of Meteorology and Climate Dynamics, Penn State
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
In an exciting development for astronomers and space enthusiasts alike, scientists have confirmed the discovery of a new interstellar object—officially named 3I/ATLAS—currently passing through our solar system. This marks only the third known object from another star system to visit us, following the mysterious ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and the icy 2I/Borisov in 2019.
The object was first detected on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope in Chile. Initially cataloged as A11pl3Z, further analysis confirmed that its speed and orbital trajectory are hyperbolic—meaning it’s not bound by the Sun’s gravity and is merely passing through, just like its rare predecessors.
What Do We Know About 3I/ATLAS?
Origin: The object’s interstellar origin is confirmed by its high velocity—traveling at around 60 km/s (37 miles per second)—and its hyperbolic orbit. Composition: Unlike ‘Oumuamua, which sparked debate due to its lack of a visible tail, 3I/ATLAS appears to be a comet, exhibiting a faint coma and short dust tail. Size: The comet’s nucleus could be as large as 10 kilometers (6 miles) across, though dust and debris around it may be inflating those estimates. Distance from Earth: It will come no closer than 150 to 240 million miles, posing no threat to our planet. Visibility: It’s currently about 420 million miles from the Sun and will reach its closest approach (perihelion) around October 29–30, 2025. After briefly disappearing behind the Sun, it may reappear for additional observation in December.
🚨 A comet from another star system is flying through our solar system right now! 🌠 Meet 3I/ATLAS — only the 3rd interstellar object ever seen! 👽✨ SpaceTok 3IATLAS Oumuamua Interstellar ScienceTok AstronomyFacts DidYouKnow CosmicVisitor #STMDailyNews https://stmdailynews.com/a-new-interstell…our-solar-system/ ♬ original sound – STMDailyNews – STMDailyNews
Why Interstellar Objects Matter
Interstellar objects are not just celestial curiosities—they are time capsules carrying information about the environments where they formed, likely in entirely different star systems. Their compositions, movements, and structures give scientists rare glimpses into the diversity of planetary building blocks in our galaxy.
‘Oumuamua puzzled scientists with its unusual shape and lack of comet-like activity, while 2I/Borisov looked more like a traditional comet. Now, 3I/ATLAS gives us another chance to compare and contrast these space travelers and deepen our understanding of how solar systems form and evolve.
Eyes on the Sky
Though faint and fast-moving, 3I/ATLAS is already being tracked by observatories around the world. With modern telescopes and tools that weren’t available even a decade ago, astronomers are optimistic about gathering unprecedented data on this rare visitor.
Whether you’re a seasoned stargazer or a casual cosmic tourist, it’s thrilling to know that something from another solar system is soaring through our cosmic backyard—reminding us of the vastness and wonder of the universe.
Dive into “The Knowledge,” where curiosity meets clarity. This playlist, in collaboration with STMDailyNews.com, is designed for viewers who value historical accuracy and insightful learning. Our short videos, ranging from 30 seconds to a minute and a half, make complex subjects easy to grasp in no time. Covering everything from historical events to contemporary processes and entertainment, “The Knowledge” bridges the past with the present. In a world where information is abundant yet often misused, our series aims to guide you through the noise, preserving vital knowledge and truths that shape our lives today. Perfect for curious minds eager to discover the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of everything around us. Subscribe and join in as we explore the facts that matter. https://stmdailynews.com/the-knowledge/
🧠 Forgotten Genius Fridays
A Short-Form Series from The Knowledge by STM Daily News
Every Friday, STM Daily News shines a light on brilliant minds history overlooked.
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Forgotten Genius Fridays is a weekly collection of short videos and articles dedicated to inventors, innovators, scientists, and creators whose impact changed the world—but whose names were often left out of the textbooks.
From life-saving inventions and cultural breakthroughs to game-changing ideas buried by bias, our series digs up the truth behind the minds that mattered.
Each episode of The Knowledge runs 30–90 seconds, designed for curious minds on the go—perfect for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Reels, and quick reads.
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Because remembering these stories isn’t just about the past—it’s about restoring credit where it’s long overdue.
Every year, on July 2nd, enthusiasts, skeptics, and the curious alike come together to observe World UFO Day. This unique celebration is an invitation to lift our eyes to the skies and ponder the vastness of the universe and the mysteries it holds. While Hollywood has given us thrilling depictions of UFO encounters, World UFO Day encourages us to delve into the real questions: Are we alone in the cosmos? What secrets lie beyond our planetary boundaries?
The Origins of World UFO Day
July 2nd was chosen to commemorate the infamous 1947 Roswell incident, where an unidentified flying object reportedly crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. Though officially explained as a weather balloon, the event sparked countless theories and remains a cornerstone of UFO lore. This day aims to raise public awareness about UFOs and advocate for the disclosure of government files to better understand these phenomena.
Why Celebrate UFO Day?
Awareness and Education: UFO Day encourages public interest in a topic that spans history and science. It’s a chance to learn about the different types of UFO sightings and their historical significance.
Promoting Scientific Inquiry: Encouraging scientific exploration is crucial. Discussions around UFOs can inspire interest in astronomy, astrophysics, and other scientific fields.
Fostering Community: People from diverse backgrounds join discussions, share experiences, and even hold sky-watching events. It’s a day to connect with others who are intrigued by the mysteries of the universe.
How to Get Involved
Host a Sky-Watching Event: Gather friends and family and spend the night sky-watching. You might be surprised at what you can see!
Educate Yourself: Dive into documentaries, books, and articles about UFOs. Understanding the science and history can offer new perspectives.
Join Online Communities: Participate in forums or online groups dedicated to UFO discussions. Sharing experiences and theories can lead to fascinating conversations.
World UFO Day, observed on July 2nd, invites us to explore UFO sightings, encouraging curiosity and scientific inquiry into the universe’s mysteries. https://stmdailynews.com worldufoday UFOsightings #CosmicCuriosity♬ original sound – STMDailyNews – STMDailyNews
A Day of Curiosity and Exploration
World UFO Day is more than just pondering the existence of extraterrestrial life; it’s a celebration of curiosity and the never-ending quest for knowledge. So, whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, take a moment on July 2nd to look up and consider the endless possibilities of our universe. Who knows what you might discover?
The science section of our news blog STM Daily News provides readers with captivating and up-to-date information on the latest scientific discoveries, breakthroughs, and innovations across various fields. We offer engaging and accessible content, ensuring that readers with different levels of scientific knowledge can stay informed. Whether it’s exploring advancements in medicine, astronomy, technology, or environmental sciences, our science section strives to shed light on the intriguing world of scientific exploration and its profound impact on our daily lives. From thought-provoking articles to informative interviews with experts in the field, STM Daily News Science offers a harmonious blend of factual reporting, analysis, and exploration, making it a go-to source for science enthusiasts and curious minds alike. https://stmdailynews.com/category/science/
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