An International Space Station launch scheduled for this Wednesday will include the the 1st astronaut from the United Arab Emirates to visit the site, joined by a fellow astronaut from NASA and a Russian cosmonaut, NBC News reports.
What's happening: Hazza Ali Almansoori, a pilot from the UAE's armed forces, will blast off in a Russian Soyuz rocket at 9:57 am ET on Wednesday, and arrive at 3:45 pm. The UAE initiated its space program in 2017, shooting to reach Mars by 2021 and establish a colony there by 2117.
Loki — a huge volcano on Jupiter's moon Io — is expected to erupt sometime this month.
Why it matters: Studying this volcano in deep space could help scientists learn more about how volcanoes on Earth formed in the planet's early history, according to planetary scientist Julie Rathbun.
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck near Puerto Rico Monday night, with several aftershocks following — including one of 5.1, the National Weather Service in San Juan said. The island’s Emergency Management Agency told AP there were no reports of damage.
Why it matters: Puerto Rico is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria 2 years ago, and it's preparing for the arrival of Tropical Depression Karen — which threatens to trigger heavy rain, flash flooding and mudslides.
Hurricane Dorian became the first major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic season when it made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane on Sept. 1 in the Bahamas. At least 43 people in the Bahamas were killed with many others left missing. This season has, so far, seen four named hurricanes.
The big picture: NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a "near normal" season this year. It's also predicting a range of 9 to 15 named storms — 4 to 8 of which could become hurricanes.
