Astronomy & Space News

Space Race pioneer Andriyan Grigoryevich Nikolayev died July 3, 2004, in Cheboksary, Russia. Even among the first group of Soviet cosmonauts selected, he was considered elite, a member of the “Vanguard Six” chosen for the Vostok missions. His career included piloting Vostok 3 in August 1962, which became the first instance of two crewed spacecraftContinue reading "July 3, 2004:  The death of Andriyan Nikolayev"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  July 2: The King’s wizard Have you ever wondered where the center of the Milky Way is located in the sky? You can spot it late tonight, when it stands above the southern horizon.  Shortly before midnight, face south and look forContinue reading "The Sky Today on Friday, July 3: Glimpse the Milky Way’s center"

The post The Sky Today on Friday, July 3: Glimpse the Milky Way’s center appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Friday, July 3Although the Moon is still bright, there’s a short window after darkness falls and before moonrise to sneak in some deep-sky viewing. Let’s get a jump on tomorrow’s celebration of U.S. Independence Day with a look at the Fireworks Galaxy (NGC 6946) in Cygnus, which has reached  an altitude of more than 40°Continue reading "The Sky This Week from July 3 to 10: Mars and Uranus meet"

The post The Sky This Week from July 3 to 10: Mars and Uranus meet appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

At the end of the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, after defeating the Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy Gale squeezes her eyes tightly shut, clicks the heels of her ruby slippers together, and whispers, “There’s no place like home.” And she was right. Eighty-seven years after cinema audiences were thrilled by thatContinue reading "No place like home"

The post No place like home appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

A supplement to Astronomy magazine presented by Celestron Contents Telescopes 101 What kind of telescope is right for you? All about refractors All about reflectors All about compound telescopes All about smart telescopes All about mounts and drives Which accessories are right for you? Understanding eyepieces Understanding binoculars Become an observer in 10 simple stepsContinue reading "How to buy your first telescope"

The post How to buy your first telescope 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 "2026 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases"

The post 2026 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

On July 2, 1967, the U.S.’s Vela 3 and 4 satellites, originally launched to monitor compliance with the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty by detecting weapons tests, accidentally detected fast and powerful flashes of high-energy photons, or gamma rays, from space. These events were later identified as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in a 1973 paper by LosContinue reading "July 2, 1967: The discovery of GRBs"

The post July 2, 1967: The discovery of GRBs appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  July 1: Venus in Leo High in the north late tonight, standing to the right of the North Star Polaris, is the realm of Cepheus the King. This house-shaped constellation holds several deep-sky objects, including NGC 7380, also called the Wizard Nebula.Continue reading "The Sky Today on Thursday, July 2: The King’s wizard"

The post The Sky Today on Thursday, July 2: The King’s wizard appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Ron Brecher from Guelph, Ontario, Canada Sharpless 2–112 is a glowing cloud of ionized hydrogen roughly 30 light-years across, threaded by dark rifts of dust. It lies about 6,500 light-years away in Cygnus and is energized by the hot, massive O-type star BD+45 3216. The imager took nearly 24½ hours of exposure in the HubbleContinue reading "A stellar nursery in Cygnus"

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Venus and Jupiter remain visible in the evening sky soon after sunset early in July, although Jupiter fairly quickly drops out of sight. In the morning sky there’s lots of planetary action: Saturn rises earlier now, placing it in a dark sky for a couple of hours. Neptune joins it in Pisces. There’s a wonderfulContinue reading "July 2026: What’s in the sky this month? Venus and Jupiter are visible in the evening, plus a conjunction of Mars and Uranus before dawn"

The post July 2026: What’s in the sky this month? Venus and Jupiter are visible in the evening, plus a conjunction of Mars and Uranus before dawn appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Regulus creeps up to Venus in twilight this week. Vega and Arcturus balance across the zenith. And this being July, Scorpius decorates the south.

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

A daring mission will attempt to reach and save a key astrophysics observatory in low Earth orbit.

The post Mission Launches to Rescue Swift Observatory appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has found two “super-puff” planets in the same system, each one as light as cotton candy.

The post Cotton-Candy Exoplanets: Two for the Price of One! appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

NASA has awarded contracts to three aerospace companies for four lunar landers to launch in 2028.

The post NASA Announces Four New Lunar Lander Missions for 2028 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

This month’s episode highlights the bright star Spica, now prominent high in the southwest after evening twilight. It’s leading the parade of constellations, along with the brilliant planet Venus, that will grace the Northern Hemisphere’s summer skies. You'll also get to know other brights stars in Spica’s vicinity, along with excellent tips on how to be a better stargazer. So grab curiosity and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.

The post July Podcast: Spotlight on Spica appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The telescope should spot billions of astronomical objects in the next 10 years.

The post Vera C. Rubin Observatory Begins Its Long-Awaited All-Sky Survey appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Astronomers have underestimated just how bright the low-frequency radio sky is, new measurements show.

The post Radio Astronomers Measure a Brighter Sky Than They Expected appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The almost-full Moon steps past orange Antares between Friday and Saturday evenings, June 26th and 27th.

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

The core of the brightest galaxy in the cluster Abell 402 contains a curious void. New observations suggest that an ultra-massive black hole could have excavated this feature.

The post Into the Void: Investigating the Heart of a Giant Elliptical Galaxy appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Exploding stars have left their radioactive mark on our planet. Now scientists have found more evidence of a particularly violent event in Earth’s more ancient past.

The post Exploding Stars Sprinkled Ancient Earth With Radioactive Iron and Plutonium appeared first on Sky & Telescope.