Space

The latest discoveries from space agencies and astronomers as they explore galaxies, black holes, exoplanets, and more. Also learn about night sky watching events right here on the home planet.

Latest in Space

Odysseus passes over the near side of the moon. The photo was taken while the spacecraft was orbiting the moon.
Moons

‘Odie’ makes space history with successful moon landing

By Laura Baisas

A total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, from onboard a NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s Gulfstream III 25,000 feet above the Oregon coast. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the contiguous United States from Lincoln Beach, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina.
Aviation

Delta’s solar eclipse flight sold out, but your best bet to see it is still down here

By Andrew Paul

The planet Earth as seen from space, aboard the Odysseus spacecraft.
Moons

‘Odie’ snaps its first images of Earth on its way to the moon

By Laura Baisas

Satellite image of ERS-2 deorbiting in Earth's atmosphere
Internet

Dead satellite hurtles towards Earth in new grainy images

By Andrew Paul

An artist’s impression of quasar J059-4351, the bright core of a distant galaxy that is powered by a supermassive black hole. This quasar has been found to be the most luminous object known in the universe to date.
Black Holes

Fastest-growing black hole eats the equivalent of one sun a day

By Laura Baisas

Concept art of NASA Mars habitat
Engineering

How to apply for NASA’s next Mars habitat simulation

By Andrew Paul

A graphic rendering of an asteroid in space, with a close up on where water molecules are on the surface.
NASA

Water molecules detected on the surface of an asteroid in space for the first time

By Laura Baisas

Surgeon using spaceMIRA remote surgery tool on ISS
Health

First remote, zero-gravity surgery performed on the ISS from Earth (on rubber)

By Andrew Paul

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida a
Moons

‘Odie’ is en route for its potentially historic moon landing

By Laura Baisas

Phobos creating partial solar eclipse on Mars, image taken by Perseverance rover
Internet

A Martian solar eclipse turns the sun into a giant googly eye

By Andrew Paul

Galaxy AM 1054-325 has been distorted into an S-shape from a normal pancake-like spiral shape by the gravitational pull of a neighboring galaxy, seen in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image. A consequence of this is that newborn clusters of stars form along a stretched-out tidal tail for thousands of light-years, resembling a string of pearls. They form when knots of gas gravitationally collapse to create about one million newborn stars per cluster.
Deep Space

NASA’s Hubble space telescope reveals a galactic ‘string of pearls’

By Laura Baisas

NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Climate, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite launches aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Fire and smoke are below the spacecraft as it lifts off from the launch pad.
Climate Change

NASA’s PACE satellite takes off to monitor phytoplankton—from space

By Laura Baisas

The Ingenuity helicopter sits on the surface of Mars on February 4, 2024.
Mars

NASA’s Perseverance Rover spots damaged, lonely Ingenuity helicopter in the ‘bland’ part of Mars

By Laura Baisas

ESA will send a triangle of satellites into space to study gravitational waves
Science

ESA will send a triangle of satellites into space to study gravitational waves

By Briley Lewis

Two different versions of the eROSITA map. Extended X-ray emissions (left) and point-like X-ray sources (right).
Deep Space

New map of half the known universe shines with cosmic energy

By Laura Baisas

SLIM lunar lander final moon photo
Moons

This may be SLIM’s farewell transmission from the moon

By Andrew Paul

The first interstellar interloper detected passing through the Solar System, 1l/‘Oumuamua, came within 24 million miles of the Sun in 2017. It’s difficult to know exactly what ‘Oumuamua looked like, but it was probably oddly shaped and elongated, as depicted in this illustration.
Science

Why interstellar objects like ‘Oumuamua and Borisov may hold clues to exoplanets

By Theo Nicitopoulos / Knowable Magazine

The constellation Orion, the Hunter as seen in the northern winter Milky Way in February 2020. The Orion Nebula is the bright, overexposed pink glow below the Belt of Orion, while the curving arc of red is Barnard’s Loop, now thought to be a supernova remnant. The bright red glow at upper left is the Rosette Nebula. Red Betelgeuse was at its minimum the night this image was taken, at about the same brightness as Bellatrix to the right—Betelgeuse is usually about as bright as blue-white Rigel at the lower right.
Science

February’s skies shine with Orion, a harmless comet, and an extra day of stargazing

By Laura Baisas

Face-on spiral galaxy, NGC 628, is split diagonally in this image: The James Webb Space Telescope’s observations appear at top left, and the Hubble Space Telescope’s on bottom right. JWST’s observations combine near- and mid-infrared light and Hubble’s showcase visible light. Dust absorbs ultraviolet and visible light, and then re-emits it in the infrared. In JWST’s images, we see dust glowing in infrared light. In Hubble’s images, dark regions are where starlight is absorbed by dust.
Deep Space

JWST images show off the swirling arms of 19 spiral galaxies

By Laura Baisas

The full moon rises, with clouds below and behind it.
Moons

The moon is shrinking (very slowly)

By Laura Baisas

Ingenuity rotocopter on Mars
Engineering

RIP Mars Ingenuity, the ‘little helicopter that could’

By Andrew Paul

Image taken of JAXA SLIM lunar lander on moon upside down
Moons

Japan’s SLIM lunar lander stuck the landing—upside down

By Andrew Paul

A bright young star within a colorful nebula. The star is identifiable as the brightest spot in the image, surrounded by six large spokes of light that cross the image. A number of other bright spots can also be seen in the clouds, which are shown in great detail as layers of colorful wisps.
Deep Space

Check out JWST’s new image of a star factory

By Laura Baisas

GIF of Sierra Space LIFE module exploding during pressure test
Engineering

Watch a giant, inflatable space station prototype explode during its intentional ‘ultimate burst’

By Andrew Paul

A top-down view of the OSIRIS-REx Touch-and-Go-Sample-Acquisition-Mechanism (TAGSAM) head with the lid removed, revealing the remainder of the asteroid sample inside. The picture was taken using manual high-resolution precision photography and a semi-automated focus stacking procedure. The result is an image that can be zoomed in on to show extreme detail of the sample. The remaining sample material includes dust and rocks up to about 0.4 inch in size.
NASA

This is what’s inside NASA’s previously stuck asteroid sampler

By Laura Baisas

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter concept art above moon
Moons

NASA bounced a laser off a cookie-sized device on the moon

By Andrew Paul

JAXA lunar lander robots, LEV-1 and LEV-2
Moons

Japan makes history with its first uncrewed moon landing

By Andrew Paul

A team of astronomers identified a new radio source (white square) in the center of globular cluster 47 Tucanae (red circle).
Science

Astronomers produce most sensitive radio image of a globular cluster ever taken

By Laura Baisas

A colorized view of the DOLCE structure finalizing its uncoiling process, as seen from the boom camera, over Antarctica, on August 22, 2023.
Energy

The first-ever space solar power tests are finished after a year in orbit

By Andrew Paul

John Deere 8R Autonomous Tractor in field
Agriculture

John Deere and Starlink partner to provide satellite internet for rural farmers

By Andrew Paul

Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot and the surrounding turbulent zones, shown in shades of white and brown.
Deep Space

Earth isn’t the only planet with seasons, but they can look wildly different on other worlds

By Gongjie Li / The Conversation

GIF of Ouroboros-3 test rocket igniting
Engineering

Watch this rocket ‘eat’ its own body for fuel

By Andrew Paul

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx curation engineer, Neftali Hernandez, attaches one of the tools developed to help remove two final fasteners that prohibited complete disassembly of the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism head that holds the remainder of material collected from asteroid Bennu. Engineers on the team, based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, developed new tools that freed the fasteners on January 10.
NASA

NASA finally pries open stuck Bennu asteroid sampler

By Laura Baisas

An image taken by a camera aboard the Peregrine spacecraft, with Earth in the top right.
Private Space Flight

Peregrine sent back this image from its now abandoned lunar mission

By Laura Baisas

Four of the best telescopes for deep space side by side on a plain background.
Deep Space

The best telescopes for deep space in 2024

By Abby Ferguson

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop launches the agency’s Artemis I flight test on November 16, 2022. The Artemis I mission was the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems.
NASA

NASA delays two crewed Artemis moon missions

By Laura Baisas

NASA plans to unveil experimental X-59 supersonic jet on January 12
Aviation

NASA plans to unveil experimental X-59 supersonic jet on January 12

By Andrew Paul

Smoke billows out of two engines as United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41d at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 8, 2024. The new rocket is carrying Astrobotic's Peregrine Lunar Lander.
Moons

Peregrine lunar lander experiences ‘critical loss of propellant’ following successful launch

By Laura Baisas

Illustration of what the Europa Clipper spacecraft will look like flying by Europa, a moon of Jupiter.
Science

These are the exciting space missions slated for launch in 2024

By Ali M. Bramson / The Conversation

Voyager 2/ISS images of Uranus and Neptune released shortly after the Voyager 2 flybys in 1986 and 1989, respectively, compared with a reprocessing of the individual filter images in this study to determine the best estimate of the true colors of these planets.
Science

This is what Uranus and Neptune may really look like

By Laura Baisas

Robert Lodder sends Lexington tourism data ad into space at evening launch event with horses in background
Deep Space

Lexington, Kentucky sent a tourism ad to ‘extraterrestrials’ with a DIY laser rig

By Andrew Paul

The best binoculars for astronomy
DIY

The best binoculars for astronomy in 2024

By Abby Ferguson

Rendering of Astrobotic Peregrin lunar lander on moon's surface
Cryptocurrency

NASA is headed for the moon next week, and it’s bringing lots of weird stuff

By Andrew Paul

Halley’s comet is on its way back towards Earth
Science

Halley’s comet is on its way back towards Earth

By Briley Lewis

A reddish moon on a black background, dotted with several gray marks that are volcanoes. Jupiter's moon Io is one of Jupiter’s several moons. This image was taken on December 30, 2023 during the Juno spacecraft’s flyby of this volcanic Jupiterian moon.
Moons

See the most volcanic world in our solar system in new NASA images

By Laura Baisas

A full moon rises n a purple sky over snowy mountain peaks.
Science

The Full Wolf Moon and Quadrantids meteor shower ring in 2024

By Laura Baisas

Black and white aerial shot of Mars Ingenuity helicopter in flight
Aviation

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter set a new flight distance record on Mars

By Andrew Paul

The best budget telescopes arranged in a row on a white background
Gear

The best budget telescopes for 2024

By Abby Ferguson

The Running Chicken Nebula comprises several clouds, all of which we can see in this vast image from the VLT Survey Telescope. The clouds shown in wispy pink plumes are full of gas and dust, illuminated by the young and hot stars within them.
Science

The Running Chicken Nebula shimmers in new ESO image

By Laura Baisas

Screenshot of cat video sent from Psyche spacecraft to NASA
Deep Space

Taters the cat stars in first ‘ultra-HD’ video sent from deep space

By Andrew Paul

The vast lava flows on Elysium Planitia as seen by the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter.
Mars

Lava may have flowed over parts of Mars

By Laura Baisas

How do you make cosmic sausage?
Science

How do you make cosmic sausage?

By Briley Lewis

Amazon’s Project Kuiper successfully tests satellite space lasers
Internet

Amazon’s Project Kuiper successfully tests satellite space lasers

By Mack DeGeurin

A 2010 image captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft shows water from the subsurface ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus spraying from huge fissures out into space. The spacecraft sampled icy particles and scientists are continuing to make new discoveries from the data.
Moons

More evidence for key ingredients to life detected on Saturn’s moon Enceladus

By Laura Baisas

Tomato plant grown on ISS
International Space Station

The ISS missing tomato scandal has come to a close

By Andrew Paul

This image from the Near-Infrared Camera instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope shows the central portion of the star cluster IC 348. The wispy curtains filling the image are interstellar material reflecting the light from the cluster’s stars. The bright star closest to the center of the frame is actually a pair of type B stars in a binary system, which are the most massive stars in the cluster. Winds from these stars may help sculpt the large loop seen on the right side of the field of view.
Deep Space

Record-breaking ‘failed star’ spotted by JWST

By Laura Baisas

Artist art of Voyager space probe against purple cosmic background
Deep Space

Voyager 1 is sending back bad data, but NASA is on it

By Andrew Paul

A new high-definition image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam unveils intricate details of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A and shows the expanding shell of material slamming into the gas shed by the star before it exploded.
Deep Space

JWST releases new image of famous supernova remnant—with a twist

By Laura Baisas

International Liquid Mirror Telescope
Deep Space

Looking at the stars through a puddle of mercury

By Briley Lewis

Apollo 16 lunar landing mission commander John W. Young leaps from the lunar surface as he salutes the United States flag. The flag is located at the Descartes landing site during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity.
Moons

Why scientists think it’s time to declare a new lunar epoch

By Laura Baisas

LHS 3154b, a newly discovered massive planet that should be too big to exist.
Deep Space

The planet that should not exist

By Suvrath Mahadevan et al./The Conversation

A lineup of the best telescopes for astrophotography on a plain background
Cameras

The best telescopes for astrophotography in 2024

By Stacey L. Nash

The last full moon of 2022 rises through a clear sky, past a string of festive lights. The moon is positioned at the center of a star made up of white Christmas lights.
Science

Two meteor showers and a bright Mercury to light up December’s sky

By Laura Baisas

An artist’s impression showing the HH 1177 system. The young and massive stellar object glowing in the center is collecting matter from a dusty disc while also expelling matter in powerful jets. This is the first time a disc around a young star has been discovered in another galaxy.
Science

Astronomers spot an extragalactic star with a disc around it for the first time

By Laura Baisas

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