Astronomy & Space News

Tiny satellites, also known as CubeSats, are pictured after being deployed into Earth orbit from a small satellite orbital deployer on the outside of the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory module.

Construction of the world’s largest wind tunnel and its original 40- by 80-foot test section. A later expansion created an additional 80- by 120-foot test section. A Navy blimp, which would have been based at Hangars 2 and 3 at Moffett Field, patrols in the background.

In this image, PPE engineers successfully tested the integration of Aerojet Rocketdyne’s thruster with Maxar’s power procession unit and Xenon Flow Controller.

A vivid aurora streams over the Earth as the International Space Station orbited 273 miles above the southern Indian Ocean in between Australia and Antarctica.

NASA T-38s fly in formation above the Space Launch System rocket on Launch Pad 39B.

Dense bands of dust streamed offshore from southern Morocco in summer 2024. The VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite acquired this image of a plume of Saharan dust as winds lofted it over the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 24, 2024.

Backdropped against the blue and white Earth 130 nautical miles below, astronaut Mark C. Lee tests the new Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) system on Sept. 16, 1994.

The Pegasus Dwarf spheroidal galaxy, also known as Andromeda VI, is one of at least 13 dwarf galaxies that orbit the Andromeda galaxy.

When this picture was taken in July 1994, Dr. Irene Duhart Long was director of the Biomedical Operations and Research Office at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. She was responsible for the program management of the center's aerospace and occupational medicine, life sciences research, environmental health programs, and the operations management of the life sciences support facilities. Dr. Long also was responsible for providing the coordinating medical, environmental monitoring and environmental health support to launch and landing activities and day-to-day institutional functions.

The Dash 7 that will be modified into a hybrid electric research vehicle under NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project on display with its new livery for the first time. In front of the plane is an electric powertrain that magniX will integrate into the current aircraft to build a hybrid electric propulsion system.

The International Space Station was orbiting on a northeast track 261 miles above the Pacific Ocean when this photograph captured the first rays of an orbital sunrise illuminating Earth's atmosphere.

A supermoon rises over Huntsville, Alabama, home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Aug. 19. Visible through Wednesday, Aug. 21, the full Moon is both a supermoon and a Blue Moon. Supermoons are the biggest and brightest full Moons of the year because the Moon is within 90% of its closest point to Earth. While not blue in color, the third full Moon in a season with four full Moons is called a “Blue Moon.” Huntsville is known as the “Rocket City” because of its proximity to NASA Marshall, which manages vital propulsion systems and hardware, launch vehicles, engineering technologies, and cutting-edge science for the agency.

Slow and steady wins the race for this gopher tortoise, ambling along the Launch Pad 39B beach road on NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Gopher tortoises are dry-land turtles that live in scrub, dry hammock, pine flatwood, coastal grassland and dune habitats.

A training model of the sample return capsule is seen is seen during a drop test in preparation for the retrieval of the sample return capsule from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range.

The subject of this week’s circular Hubble Picture of the Week is situated in the Perseus Cluster, also known as Abell 426, 320 million light-years from Earth. It’s a barred spiral galaxy known as MCG+07-07-072, seen here among a number of photobombing stars that are much closer to Earth than it is. MCG+07-07-072 has quite an unusual shape, for a spiral galaxy, with thin arms emerging from the ends of its barred core to draw a near-circle around its disc.

I’ve been a rabid astronomy enthusiast for 48 years, and rarely have I been as juiced up for an observational event as I am for the eclipse coming in three years. On August 2, 2027, a total solar eclipse will make its mark from the eastern Atlantic Ocean across the Strait of Gibraltar, between SpainContinue reading "The greatest eclipse for the rest of our lives"

The post The greatest eclipse for the rest of our lives appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

NASA has announced its mission timeline for the uncrewed Boeing Starliner spacecraft to depart from the International Space Station and return autonomously to Earth on Friday.

The post Boeing’s Starliner touches down, capping a successful return flight to Earth appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Anthony Grillo from Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania The familiar figure of the Triangulum Galaxy (M33) looks a bit different but is still recognizable in this portrait taken entirely with an Hα filter and ten hours of exposure on a 14-inch scope. Isolating the Hα data reveals the pockets of heated hydrogen gas dotting its spiral arms,Continue reading "A different light"

The post A different light appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

The phenomenon of a Full Moon arises when our planet, Earth, is precisely sandwiched between the Sun and the Moon. This alignment ensures the entire side of the Moon that faces us gleams under sunlight. Thanks to the Moon’s orbit around Earth, the angle of sunlight hitting the lunar surface and being reflected back toContinue reading "2024 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases"

The post 2024 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Friday, September 6The Moon passes 0.5° north of Spica at 1 P.M. EDT, occulting (passing in front of the planet) for some observers in parts of Africa, Canada, and the U.S. To check whether you’re in the path and the timing of the event from various cities, visit the International Occultation Timing Association’s webpage. TheContinue reading "The Sky This Week from September 6 to 13: Saturn at opposition"

The post The Sky This Week from September 6 to 13: Saturn at opposition appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Excessive artificial light at night (ALAN) doesn’t just pollute the sky. It may also pollute the brain. That’s according to a surprising new study focused on light pollution and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilitiesContinue reading "Light pollution linked to higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease"

The post Light pollution linked to higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Chinese researchers have reported evidence that the Moon was volcanically active just 125 million years ago — a geologic blink of an eye — a finding that has the potential to rewrite lunar history. The results come from an analysis of lunar samples returned over three years ago by the Chang’e 5 mission, and upendContinue reading "Volcanoes were erupting on the Moon while dinosaurs roamed Earth, Chang’e 5 samples suggest"

The post Volcanoes were erupting on the Moon while dinosaurs roamed Earth, Chang’e 5 samples suggest appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

As black as space may seem, even the darkest corner of the universe gets light. Measuring that tiny glimmer — called the cosmic optical background (COB) — sheds light on the energy balance of the entire universe, one of cosmology’s holy grails. With recent data gathered by the New Horizons spacecraft, now 57 times fartherContinue reading "New Horizons measures how dark the universe can get"

The post New Horizons measures how dark the universe can get appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Our universe is shrouded in mystery, with about 70 percent of it consisting of dark energy. The exact nature of dark energy remains a puzzle that, once solved, could unlock profound insights into the formation of our solar system, the evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy, the origins of life, and even the fate ofContinue reading "What we do — and don’t — know about dark energy"

The post What we do — and don’t — know about dark energy appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Take some time to point binoculars or a telescope at open cluster NGC 457, which lies in the constellation Cassiopeia. You’ll first notice a pair of bright stars that give this deep-sky object the appearance of a common bird. Indeed, Astronomy magazine Editor Dave Eicher christened it the Owl Cluster more than 40 years ago.Continue reading "Observe a great star cluster: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher"

The post Observe a great star cluster: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

For decades, scientists have wondered what accelerates solar wind particles as they move away from the Sun. New evidence points to magnetic switchbacks.

The post Solar Probe Duo Unravel Solar Wind Mystery appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Webb Telescope data are still turning up more massive galaxies in the early universe than astronomers expect.

The post Webb Telescope Images Massive Early Galaxies, Still Finding More Than Expected appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The Moon starts the week low in twilight with Venus and Spica, then steps eastward past Antares and the Sagittarius Teapot. Meanwhile, the recurrent nova in Corona Borealis is still keeping us waiting.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 6 – 15 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The BepiColombo mission has completed its fourth and closest pass yet of Mercury, giving us brand-new views of the planet's south pole region.

The post BepiColombo Mission Returns to Mercury for Best Flyby Views Yet appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Astronomers may have finally solved the mystery of how dark space really is.

The post Solved: The Case of the Universe’s “Extra” Light appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Billions of years ago, the close pass of another star might have sculpted the outer regions of our solar system.

The post A Visiting Star Might Have Reshaped the Outer Solar System appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A supermassive black hole has twice now grabbed gas from a passing star — and astronomers predict a third chance will come in early 2025.

The post Partially Shredded Star Returns for a Second Go-round with Black Hole appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Use this month’s Sky Tour podcast to check out a very special Harvest Moon, track down all five bright planets, explore some lesser-known constellations, and bounce around the Summer Triangle. It’s a great introduction to the late-summer sky, all in a friendly, informative narration that’s suitable for the whole family.

The post September Podcast: Exploring Vega’s Neighborhood appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Low in twilight, climbing Venus and descending Spica prepare to pass each other. After dark Vega crosses the zenith, and Scorpius beds down. Mercury shines at dawn.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 30 – September 8 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Last month, astronomers discovered a giant black hole in Omega Centauri. But it might contain a swarm of stellar-mass black holes instead.

The post No Intermediate-Mass Black Hole for Omega Centauri? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A team models the atmospheres of distant planets using neural networks.

Researchers have discovered compelling evidence suggesting that the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, known as Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), is likely the result of a past cosmic merger. The study builds on recent observations from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which captured the first direct image of Sgr A* in 2022.

A research team has discovered a small planet that displays peculiar orbital motion. The shimmying planet, located 455 light-years from Earth, shows that planetary systems can be considerably more complex than researchers have previously thought.

It's 7 billion years ago, and the universe's heyday of star formation is beginning to slow. What might our Milky Way galaxy have looked like at that time? Astronomers have found clues in the form of a cosmic question mark, the result of a rare alignment across light-years of space.

Around 4 billion years ago, an asteroid hit the Jupiter moon Ganymede. Now, a researcher realized that the Solar System's biggest moon's axis has shifted as a result of the impact, which confirmed that the asteroid was around 20 times larger than the one that ended the age of the dinosaurs on Earth, and caused one of the biggest impacts with clear traces in the Solar System.

Over billions of years, the universe's stars and galaxies shined their light into space, leaving behind an imperceptibly faint night light known as the cosmic optical background. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has traveled to the edge of Earth's solar system and captured the most accurate measurement of this glow to date.

Astronomers have spotted a pair of galaxies in the act of merging 12.8 billion years ago. The characteristics of these galaxies indicate that the merger will form a monster galaxy, one of the brightest types of objects in the Universe.

Supermassive black holes typically take billions of years to form. But the James Webb Space Telescope is finding them not that long after the Big Bang -- before they should have had time to form. Astrophysicists have discovered that if dark matter decays, the photons it emits keep the hydrogen gas hot enough for gravity to gather it into giant clouds and eventually condense it into a supermassive black hole. In addition to explaining the existence of very early supermassive black holes, the finding lends support for the existence of a kind of dark matter capable of decaying into particles such as photons.

Astronomers have achieved the highest resolution ever obtained from the surface of Earth. They managed this feat by detecting light from distant galaxies at a frequency of around 345 GHz, equivalent to a wavelength of 0.87 mm. They estimate that in future they will be able to make black hole images that are 50% more detailed than was possible before, bringing the region immediately outside the boundary of nearby supermassive black holes into sharper focus. They will also be able to image more black holes than they have done so far. The new detections are part of a pilot experiment.

The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted six likely rogue worlds -- objects with planet-like masses but untethered from any star's gravity -- including the lightest ever identified with a dusty disk around it. The elusive objects offer new evidence that the same cosmic processes that give birth to stars may also play a common role in making objects only slightly bigger than Jupiter.

The new estimates of the parameters that form the basis of the standard model of cosmology are far more precise than previous approaches using the same galaxy distribution data.

According to a new study, some of the earliest galaxies observed with the James Webb Space Telescope are in fact much less massive than they first appeared. Black holes in some of these galaxies make them appear much brighter and bigger than they really are. This helps resolve the debate over whether the size of early galaxies requires a revision of the standard model of cosmology.

A new study provides insights on the geophysics behind asteroid formation and evolution.

Researchers studying meteor showers have found that not all comets crumble the same way when they approach the Sun. In a new study, they ascribe the differences to the conditions in the protoplanetary disk where comets formed 4.5 billion years ago.

Who are we? Why are we here? We are stardust, the result of chemistry occurring throughout vast clouds of interstellar gas and dust. To better understand how that chemistry could create prebiotic molecules, researchers investigated the role of low-energy electrons created as cosmic radiation traverses through ice particles. Their findings may also inform medical and environmental applications on our home planet.