Astronomy & Space News

During its close flyby of Jupiter’s moon Io on December 30, 2023, NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured some of the most detailed imagery ever of Io’s volcanic surface. This image is the NASA Science Image of the Month for October 2025.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the nebula LMC N44C.

This stunning Earth image taken from the International Space Station looks at a large lake in eastern Kazakhstan with golden sunglint: Lake Balkhash. It is one of the largest lakes in Asia and is the 15th largest lake in the world.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), the agency’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On–Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. The missions will each focus on different effects of the solar wind — the continuous stream of particles emitted by the Sun — and space weather — the changing conditions in space driven by the Sun — from their origins at the Sun to their farthest reaches billions of miles away at the edge of our solar system.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague watches as Robert Schmidle Pitts Aerobatics perform, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, during the Joint Base Andrews Air Show at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George's County, Maryland. Hague spent 171 days aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 72.

NASA’s 10 new astronaut candidates were introduced Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, following a competitive selection process of more than 8,000 applicants from across the United States.

IC 348 is a star-forming region in our Milky Way galaxy.

In this infrared photograph, the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory at JPL’s Table Mountain Facility near Wrightwood, California, beams its eight-laser beacon to the Deep Space Optical Communications flight laser transceiver aboard NASA’s Psyche spacecraft.

The Milky Way appears above Earth's bright atmospheric glow in this photograph from the International Space Station as it soared 261 miles above southern Iran at approximately 12:54 a.m. local time on Aug. 23, 2025.

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman processes bone cell samples inside the Kibo laboratory module's Life Science Glovebox on Aug. 28, 2025.

Westerlund 1 is the biggest and closest “super” star cluster to Earth. Data from Chandra and other telescopes are helping astronomers delve deeper into this galactic factory where stars are vigorously being produced. Observations from Chandra have uncovered thousands of individual stars pumping out X-ray emission into the cluster.

NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick (left) and Mark Vande Hei (right) prepare to fly out to a landing zone in the Rocky Mountains as part of the certification run for the NASA Artemis course at the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Gypsum, Colorado, Aug. 26.

The Sun blew out a coronal mass ejection along with part of a solar filament over a three-hour period on Feb. 24, 2015. While some of the strands fell back into the Sun, a substantial part raced into space in a bright cloud of particles (as observed by the NASA-ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft). Because this occurred way over near the edge of the Sun, it was unlikely to have any effect on Earth.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured newborn stars forming in clouds of dust and gas (colored golden and orange in this image) in a star-forming region called Pismis 24.

Dinner is served aboard the International Space Station! One tray features shrimp cocktail on whole grain wheat crackers, while the other holds sushi made with seaweed, Spam, tuna, and rice.

What does the next generation of martian exploration look like? The answer, quite literally, is blowing in the wind. The Tumbleweed Mars rover, a spherical robot designed to roll across the martian surface, driven by the martian wind, has passed crucial technical tests, validating its potential for low-cost, large-scale exploration. The concept, developed by TeamContinue reading "The wind-driven future of Mars exploration"

The post The wind-driven future of Mars exploration appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Originally scheduled for October 11, a big observational event in southwestern New Mexico has been changed to Saturday, November 15. The original October date now faces a high chance of rainstorms in the area. This event will take place near Animas, New Mexico, under an incredibly dark sky. Not only will the new 30-inch scopeContinue reading "New Mexico Stargaze rescheduled due to weather"

The post New Mexico Stargaze rescheduled due to weather appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

When we target objects in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, one of the first that observers go to is the North America Nebula (NGC 6000), and then they head right next door to the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070). But there’s another, equally fascinating nebulous region that covers even more area in the Swan: the VeilContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Veil Nebula"

The post Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Veil Nebula appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

In 1848, James Marshall was building a lumber mill in northern California for his employer, John Sutter. One January morning, Marshall spotted sparkling pebbles within the mill’s outflow; Sutter and Marshall soon realized they had found gold in “them thar hills.” The chance discovery sparked the California Gold Rush, with treasure-seeking scouts streaming to theContinue reading "Why NASA is targeting the Moon’s south pole for Artemis"

The post Why NASA is targeting the Moon’s south pole for Artemis 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 "2025 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases"

The post 2025 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

A 12-ton rocket loaded with a 1-ton warhead, the V-2’s successful launch would prove to be exceptionally significant to both the military and to space exploration. On Oct. 3, 1942, the V-2 was fired from Peenemunde, Germany – its fourth test, and the first to succeed. The rocket rose to an altitude of 60 milesContinue reading "Oct. 3, 1942: The V-2 successfully launches"

The post Oct. 3, 1942: The V-2 successfully launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. Friday, October 3There’s a new potential supernova candidate in a spiral galaxy located in Ursa Major, visible overnight for U.S. observers. If you’ve got an imaging scope or an astrophotography setup on a larger optical instrument, you may want to give it a try.Continue reading "The Sky This Week from October 3 to 10: Titan’s last shadow transit"

The post The Sky This Week from October 3 to 10: Titan’s last shadow transit appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Let’s peer into Cetus the Whale to spot 1 Ceres this evening, one day past opposition and glowing at magnitude 7.6, within the reach of binoculars or any small scope.  Ceres is carving a slow path north of Diphda, Cetus’ magnitude 2.0 beta star. Around 10 P.M. local daylight time, Diphda is roughly 20° highContinue reading "The Sky Today on Friday, October 3: Ceres shines in Cetus"

The post The Sky Today on Friday, October 3: Ceres shines in Cetus appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Ryan Génier from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Emission nebula Sharpless 2–119 in Cygnus is also known as the Clamshell Nebula. Its ring-like appearance is thanks to the shell of ionized gas — called a Strömgren sphere — surrounding an association of hot, massive stars. (The Rosette Nebula consists of a similar set of features.) This imagerContinue reading "A clam in Cygnus"

The post A clam in Cygnus appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Before you set your telescope up next time, read through the four following items. I hope one or more of them will help you get more from your session. Finding the Sun You’ve placed your solar filter on the front of your telescope and want to point it at the Sun, but you’re not certainContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: More observing tips"

The post Michael’s Miscellany: More observing tips appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

It's Harvest Moon week, when the Moon shines low and bright at nightfall for many days running. Along the way it passes edge-on Saturn.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 3 – 12 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet will aim a suite of instruments at Comet 3I/ATLAS to capture details about this enigmatic object.

The post Mars Orbiters Will Have Front-row Seats to Interstellar Comet appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

After a dearth of bright comets earlier this year, we look forward to an exciting month ahead.

The post Two Bright Comets Converge on Northern Hemisphere Skies appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Pegasus is a large, distinctive constellation that’s easy to spot. During October, you can use it — along with Saturn — to find some amazing celestial sights in their vicinity. Get all the details and lots more stargazing info by downloading this month’s Sky Tour podcast!

The post October Podcast: Pegasus Leads the Way appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Primordial chemistry might destroy most of the water on sub-Neptunes; if so, there could be far fewer “water worlds” than previously thought.

The post Water Worlds Might Be Few and Far Between appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The waxing crescent Moon crosses Scorpius on its way to a meetup with Saturn, while the Moon's own sunrise line unveils more and more lunar lands for telescopes.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 26 – October 5 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

VIPER, a water-seeking rover, has gotten a new lease on life, with a new launch vehicle and lander announced by NASA.

The post NASA's VIPER Mission Has Found Another Ride to the Moon appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A new heliophysics mission seeks to unlock the secrets of the region where the solar wind collides with cosmic radiation.

The post NASA Launches Three Missions to Observe the Sun appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

John Seach hit the jackpot, discovering novae in both Centaurus and Sagittarius within a day of each other.

The post Australian Amateur Discovers Back-to-back Novae! appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The discovery of a rare Einstein Cross — five images of the same galaxy — reveals a trillion-solar-mass dark matter clump.

The post Astronomers Spot Rare Einstein Cross — and a Massive Clump of Dark Matter appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

New lunar samples from the far side reveal it formed from cooler magma than the near side, confirming the Moon’s interior is not uniform. Researchers suggest fewer heat-producing elements on the far side explain the difference. Theories range from ancient cosmic collisions to Earth’s gravitational pull. These discoveries bring us closer to solving the Moon’s long-standing “two-faced” mystery.

Fresh analysis of Cassini data has revealed new complex organic molecules inside ice grains spewing from Enceladus. These discoveries strengthen the case that the moon’s underground ocean hosts chemistry similar to life’s building blocks on Earth. Scientists now believe Enceladus could be habitable, and plans are underway for a European mission to sample its surface and jets.

The LUX-ZEPLIN detector is breaking new ground in the hunt for dark matter, setting unprecedented limits on WIMP particles. Its results not only narrow the possibilities for dark matter but also open exciting paths toward other rare physics discoveries.

Perseverance rover data shows Jezero Crater once held a calm lake, leaving behind mudstones rich in organic-linked minerals. The presence of iron-phosphate and iron-sulfide nodules suggests processes resembling microbial activity on Earth. Scientists caution that only Earth-based labs can confirm their true origin, but the samples collected may hold the strongest evidence yet of ancient Martian life.

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope are unraveling the mysteries of TRAPPIST-1e, an Earth-sized exoplanet 40 light years away that could harbor liquid water. Early data suggests hints of an atmosphere, but much remains uncertain. Researchers have already ruled out a hydrogen-rich primordial atmosphere, pointing instead to the possibility of a secondary atmosphere that could sustain oceans or ice.

For decades, Uranus baffled scientists because it seemed to have no internal heat. Now, new computer modeling shows the planet actually emits more energy than it receives from the Sun. This subtle warmth suggests Uranus’ story is more complex than previously thought, offering fresh clues about its violent past and about exoplanets similar in size.

The James Webb Telescope has revealed fierce auroras, storms, and unchanging sand-like clouds on the rogue planet SIMP-0136. These insights are pushing the boundaries of our understanding of alien atmospheres and exoplanet weather.

Hubble has captured a striking new image of NGC 2775, a galaxy that defies easy classification. Blending features of spirals, ellipticals, and lenticulars, its puzzling structure may be the result of past galactic mergers.

Scientists have shown that Earth’s basic chemistry solidified within just three million years of the Solar System’s formation. Initially, the planet was barren and inhospitable, missing water and carbon compounds. A colossal collision with Theia likely changed everything, bringing the essential ingredients for life. The study highlights that habitability may hinge on rare chance events.

A fresh black hole merger detection has offered the clearest evidence yet for Einstein’s relativity and Hawking’s predictions. Scientists tracked the complete cosmic collision, confirming that black holes are defined by mass and spin. They also gained stronger proof that a black hole’s event horizon only grows, echoing thermodynamic laws. The results hint at deeper connections between gravity, entropy, and quantum theory.

Although this spiral galaxy appears unremarkable from afar, NGC 7456 is bursting with newborn stars and glowing gas, providing researchers with insight into galactic evolution.

Physicists are eyeing charged gravitinos—ultra-heavy, stable particles from supergravity theory—as possible Dark Matter candidates. Unlike axions or WIMPs, these particles carry electric charge but remain undetectable due to their scarcity. With detectors like JUNO and DUNE, researchers now have a chance to spot their unique signal, a breakthrough that could link particle physics with gravity.

Astronomers detected a black hole displaced nearly a kiloparsec from the center of a dwarf galaxy 230 million light-years away. Unlike most, it is actively feeding and producing radio jets, making it one of the most convincing off-nuclear cases ever confirmed. The discovery reveals that black holes can grow and shape galaxies even when not in the core, reshaping theories of cosmic evolution.

NASA has chosen 10 new astronaut candidates who will train for missions to the Moon and Mars. Their selection represents a powerful blend of talent and ambition, fueling humanity’s next great leaps into space.

Primordial magnetic fields, billions of times weaker than a fridge magnet, may have left lasting imprints on the Universe. Researchers ran over 250,000 simulations to show how these fields shaped the cosmic web, then validated the results with observations. Their study sets a stricter upper limit on the fields’ strength, aligning with other data and suggesting important consequences for early star and galaxy formation.