Astronomy news

• 04 Jun 2023 (13 hours away): Full Moon

  03-06-2023 16:10 via Astronomy News visible from latitude 51.51°N
  
  The Moon reaches full phase and is visible for much of the night.
  
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• On this day in space! Nov. 9, 1967: NASA launches the Saturn V moon rocket for the first time on Apollo 4, but no astronauts were aboard

  09-11-2026 23:11 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Nov. 9, 1967, NASA launched the powerful new Saturn V rocket on its maiden voyage. The Saturn V moon rocket was 363 feet tall. That's taller than the Statue of Liberty! It was the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built at the time (though SpaceX's Starship megarocket has since surpassed it). NASA needed such a powerful rocket to launch astronauts to the moon. However, the first Saturn V launch didn't carry astronauts, because it was only a test flight. During the launch, the rocket creat
  
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• Jupiter and Mars are set for a breathtaking close approach later this week: Here's how to see it

  09-11-2026 23:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Jupiter and Mars will shine side by side in a spectacular close approach in the heart of the constellation Leo on Nov. 15. Here's what you need to know.Mars and Jupiter reach their closestapparent separation in Earth's sky at 9:04 p.m. EST on Nov. 15 (0204 GMT on Nov. 16), according to astronomy website In-The-Sky. The planets will be below the horizon for U.S. stargazers at the moment of their closest approach, but observers can catch the pair rising above the eastern horizon around midnight lo
  
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• Are the James Webb Space Telescope's mysterious Little Red Dots actually tiny black holes left over from the Big Bang era?

  09-11-2026 22:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Ever since NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) started observing the early universe, it has been providing almost as many surprises as it has answers. One such surprise are the so-called Little Red Dots, cosmic objects that seemingly disappear completely before the universe is two billion years old.New research suggests that Little Red Dots may actually be connected primordial black holes, tiny black holes born not from dying stars but rather from fluctuations in the density of matter just
  
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• NYT bestseller ‘Robopocalypse’ is getting a TV series with Oscar winners Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman at the helm

  09-11-2026 20:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  They say all good things come to those who wait… and WAIT. Well, the wait for "Robopocalypse" fans might finally be over, as Oscar winners Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman have announced they're working on a TV adaptation.It does seem like an eternity since news first broke that Portland-based New York Times bestselling author Daniel H. Wilson’s "Robopocalypse" (Doubleday, 2011) was bought by Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks SKG for a sci-fi spectacle, with Drew Goddard ("The Martian") brought i
  
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• Starfish Space loses contact with 1st 'Otter' servicing spacecraft, ending NASA tech-demo mission

  09-11-2026 19:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Starfish Space's first Otter has died, just a month after it reached the final frontier.The Seattle startup announced on Tuesday (Nov. 3) that its Otter 24C satellite suffered a glitch in low Earth orbit (LEO) and is not recoverable.The anomaly killed an ambitious mission in the cradle, as Otter 24C was still in the commissioning phase.Otter 24C launched Oct. 1 on SpaceX's Transporter-18 mission, a rideshare flight that carried a total of 130 payloads to LEO (including a prototype satellite for
  
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• NASA just launched a $1 million Moon Base Student Challenge to award cash prizes to students that solve lunar base problems

  09-11-2026 18:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA has officially launched the Moon Base Student Challenge, asking students to help build humanity's future on the moon. And there's $1 million in prizes up for grabs for the winners. To build and sustain a base on the moon, NASA will have to solve a myriad of problems. And they're looking to the next generation for help, the space agency's chiefJared Isaacman said Sunday (Nov. 8). "We are inviting students from across the country to help solve some of the problems tha
  
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• Netflix announces 'Stranger Things' spin-off 'Other Worlds', and it's already teasing a trip to Area 51 (video)

  09-11-2026 17:53 via Latest from Space.com
  
  So, you thought "Stranger Things" was done and dusted after all that Conformity Gate nonsense? No way! Netflix's sci-fi sensation returns in the live-action prequel series "Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure."Created by the Duffer Brothers and Kate Trefry, with the episodes set to be directed by Joe Wright ("Darkest Hour", "Black Mirror"), this new show isn't set in Hawkins or the electric '80s. No, this time around, the action takes place in Marion, Nevada, in 1955, and you know what els
  
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• NASA needs more astronauts for moon missions and beyond. You can apply now, but only until Dec. 3

  09-11-2026 17:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  If NASA ever hopes to build a permanent moon base for astronauts, let alone aim for Mars, the U.S. space agency is going to need a whole lot of space travelers. And now, you have a chance to be one of them. NASA on Saturday (Nov. 7) put out the call for a new class of astronaut candidates who think they have the "right stuff" to fly, live and work in space. Those astronaut hopefuls have until Dec. 3 to apply (the application website is here), with NASA planning to make its final selections in la
  
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• Futuristic aircraft takes flight at NASA | Space photo of the day for Nov. 9, 2026

  09-11-2026 16:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The future of flight meets space exploration as a futuristic electric aircraft hovers beside Blue Origin's massive New Glenn rocket stage. (Image credit: Chelsea Gohd/Future)A futuristic single-person aircraft takes to the skies at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the upper stage of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket providing a dramatic backdrop. The unusual scene was captured during the MAX POWER event, which brought together innovators and emerging technologies at the iconic spaceflig
  
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• SpaceX will launch epic double-catch Starship Flight 15 test mission on Nov. 13

  09-11-2026 15:30 via Latest from Space.com
  
  SpaceX will make spaceflight history this week, if all goes according to plan.The company announced over the weekend that it's targeting Friday (Nov. 13) for the 15th test flight of its Starship megarocket, which will attempt something that's never been done before."The upcoming flight is planned to be the first to return both Starship and Super Heavy to the launch site for catch," SpaceX wrote in a description of Flight 15. "If successful, this will mark the first full recovery of an orbital la
  
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• Meteorite that landed in Cape Cod was a 'lone wolf' from the outer solar system, scientists find

  09-11-2026 15:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Thanks to a combination of radar, infrasound, dash-cam and security camera footage, astronomers have tracked the bright daytime meteor that fell over Cape Cod Bay in May 2026 back to its origin as a small asteroid perturbed by Jupiter and sent on a comet-like orbit towards Earth.Meteor fireballs visible in the daytime are referred to as 'bolides'. At 1:06 p.m. local time (18:06 UTC) on May 30, 2026 one such bolide was widely witnessed falling out of the sky over coastal Massachusetts, with membe
  
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• NASA unveils $10 billion in moon base contracts, new lunar missions and the 'PROMISE' of a nuclear-powered rover

  09-11-2026 14:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is pushing ahead with its plan to build a moon base for astronauts by 2032, with the agency unveiling up to $10 billion in contracts to launch and deliver cargo to the moon and other efforts on Saturday (Nov. 7). The NASA announcement, revealed here during the space agency's "Max Power" air show event at Kennedy Space Center, included plans for a new $10 billion Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) framework, dubbed CLPS 2, about$1.3 billion in funding for the a
  
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• NASA chief Jared Isaacman skydives into space agency's MAX POWER air show — 'Going into this job, I knew we had to do something like this.'

  09-11-2026 14:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman knows how to make an entrance. Under the bright afternoon sun on Saturday (Nov. 7), Isaacman plummeted through the air above 10,000 onlookers, skydiving into the agency's air show MAX POWER. MAX POWER overtook NASA's Kennedy Space Center here over the weekend, combining aeronautics and aerospace in a massive public air show, the first of its kind for the space agency. A mix of astronauts, fighter jet displays and new technology on displa
  
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• NASA chief Jared Isaacman skydives into space agency's MAX POWER air show — 'Going into this job, I I knew we had to do something like this.'

  09-11-2026 14:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman knows how to make an entrance. Under the bright afternoon sun on Saturday (Nov. 7), Isaacman plummeted through the air above 10,000 onlookers, skydiving into the agency's air show MAX POWER. MAX POWER overtook NASA's Kennedy Space Center here over the weekend, combining aeronautics and aerospace in a massive public air show, the first of its kind for the space agency. A mix of astronauts, fighter jet displays and new technology on displa
  
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• Yes, it runs 'Doom': Satellite plays iconic game in world's 1st demonstration of orbital voice control

  09-11-2026 12:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  A satellite went knee-deep in the dead, after a voice command from the ground activated the Doom video game in space.Playing a first-person shooter from 1993 was obviously not in the design plan for the PRETTY cubesat, which is run by a consortium including the European Space Agency (ESA). But the pioneering voice command opens up new worlds for satellite work, the team says."Someone in distress at sea or in a remote area could transmit 'mayday' or "help" on a radio," stated Estonia's Tanagra Sp
  
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• Legendary sci-fi magazine 'Starlog' returns as a yearly release, just in time for its 50th anniversary

  08-11-2026 17:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  "Starlog" was one of the greatest sci-fi and fantasy magazines ever, and after a 17-year absence, it's being resurrected.The legendary sci-fi mag went dark back in 2009 as part of the wave of popular publications folding due to years of declining readership and subscriptions. But as of Nov. 13, this geek favorite periodical returns as an annual print edition, and it's available for pre-order now.It’s another indication of digital fatigue in the world, and fans of a certain age will recall the
  
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• On this day in space! Nov. 8, 2005: Europe launches Venus Express, its first mission to Venus

  08-11-2026 16:25 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Nov. 8, 2005, Europe launched its first mission to Venus. The spacecraft was called Venus Express. Venus is a hothouse planet, one where the atmospheric pressure can easily crush an unprotected spacecraft. Even from orbit, Venus Express had to survive harsh radiation. But the spacecraft lasted for more than nine years. During that time, Venus Express saw a weird vortex swirling around Venus's south pole. It also saw possible signs of active volcanoes. Venus Express also discovered that the pl
  
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• Who is King Ghidorah? The cosmic connections of Godzilla Minus Zero's foe

  08-11-2026 14:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Godzilla goes toe-to-toe with long-time foe King Ghidorah in Godzilla Minus Zero, which opened in theaters on Friday (Nov. 6). Though the three-headed golden Kaiju might seem like a natural native of Monster Island, King Ghidorah actually emerged from the depths of space.However, it isn't just the origins of King Ghidorah — also known as Monster Zero in the Godzilla movie Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) — that are this beast's only cosmic connection. One of the largest structures in the uni
  
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• Scientists simulate an Earth without life to help hunt for aliens and inhabited worlds

  08-11-2026 12:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  A new computer simulation that depicts Earth, or a rocky planet in general, without life is the latest tool in the quest to discover whether or not we are alone in the universe.Life leaves its mark on a planet, particularly its atmosphere, in the form of a mixture of biochemically created gases. Some are obvious, while others can be produced by both biology and geology, meaning that distinguishing a planet that has life from one that does not, solely based on what gases we can detect in its atmo
  
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• This Week In Space podcast: Episode 235 — Robots in Dark and Scary Places

  07-11-2026 18:10 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Episode 235 of This Week In Space, Tariq Malik and Rod Pyle are joined by Dr. Jim Green to talk about the past, present, and future of planetary exploration.Robots have, and always will, be the first to go to the dark and scary places in space. For many years, Jim oversaw these missions for NASA as their Chief Scientist. He has always been passionate about NASA's science programs and believes we're quite likely to find life off-Earth in the near future. Join us!Download or subscribe to this s
  
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• On this day in space! Nov. 7, 1992: NASA launches Mars Global Surveyor, its 1st Mars mission in 20 years at the time, to map the Red Planet like never before

  07-11-2026 17:31 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Nov. 7, 1996, NASA launched its Mars Global Surveyor mission. This was the first mission NASA sent to Mars in almost 20 years! The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft was an orbiter. It transmitted data from NASA's Mars rovers Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity back to Earth. The spacecraft also did a lot of its own science. It found surface channels on Mars that appeared to have been created by running water. Mars Global Surveyor looked at the south pole of Mars and saw signs of possible climate
  
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• Send your name to Saturn's moon Titan with NASA's upcoming Dragonfly mission

  07-11-2026 16:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  We still may be some time away from sending humans to distant reaches of the solar system, but you can send your name to Saturn's moon Titan, which has the ingredients of life on its surface thanks to NASA's Dragonfly mission.Dragonfly is an SUV-sized nuclear-powered rotorcraft that NASA aims to launch towards Titan in 2028. The agency opened a special events page in late October to allow members of the public to put their name on the spacecraft. The names will be put upon a chip on Dragonfly du
  
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• Star Wars is experiencing a golden age of video games

  07-11-2026 14:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  After a tumultuous start to EA's rebooted Star Wars Battlefront series, in 2021 Lucasfilm and Disney decided to open up the development of new Star Wars games by bringing in different publishers and studios under the Lucasfilm Games banner. Now, over five years on, we can confidently say we're entering a new golden era of amazing Star Wars games.With LucasArts' successor calling the shots and coordinating a multitude of projects set in a galaxy far, far away, even EA's latest efforts like Squadr
  
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• 'I think we will prevail': NASA chief Jared Isaacman on Artemis, China and the new moon race (exclusive)

  07-11-2026 12:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is serious about launching "big rockets" to the moon every single year for the agency's Artemis program. And the new space race with China is fueling that ambition. "I feel good. I feel like we are certainly on a more achievable path to the lunar surface today than where we were before," Isaacman told Space.com.We recently sat down with the NASA chief to discuss the state of the Artemis program, and, off the bat, he made it clear that he's confident in the U.S.
  
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• SpaceX launches mystery mission for US Space Force in gorgeous sunset liftoff from California (video, photos)

  07-11-2026 02:41 via Latest from Space.com
  
  SpaceX just launched a classified mission for the U.S. military.A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base this evening (Nov. 6) at 7:48 p.m. EST (4:48 p.m. local California time; 0048 GMT on Nov. 7), rising into the sky as the sun sank toward the Pacific.The launch kicked off the USSF-432 mission for the U.S. Space Force, which we know little about. Neither SpaceX nor the Space Force told us much about USSF-432 beforehand, and we learned tonight; SpaceX cut its w
  
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• SpaceX launches mystery mission for US Space Force in gorgeous sunset liftoff from California (photos)

  07-11-2026 02:41 via Latest from Space.com
  
  SpaceX just launched a classified mission for the U.S. military.A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base this evening (Nov. 6) at 7:48 p.m. EST (4:48 p.m. local California time; 0048 GMT on Nov. 7), rising into the sky as the sun sank toward the Pacific.The launch kicked off the USSF-432 mission for the U.S. Space Force, which we know little about. Neither SpaceX nor the Space Force told us much about USSF-432 beforehand, and we learned tonight; SpaceX cut its w
  
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• On this day in space! Nov. 6, 1572: A German astronomer discovers the Tycho supernova with the naked eye, but everyone thought the cosmic explosion was a 'new star'

  06-11-2026 23:05 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Nov. 6, 1572, the German astronomer Wolfgang Schulër observed a supernova with his bare eyes. He spotted the exploding star in the constellation Cassiopeia. It was as bright as Venus and could even be seen during the day. Astronomers were really confused, because it looked like a star just appeared out of nowhere. Schulër may have been the first to see it, but the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe is widely credited for the discovery. Brahe studied it in detail and wrote a whole book about this
  
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• AST SpaceMobile announces new 'Blacklift' rocket, targets 2028 launch debut

  06-11-2026 23:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Another new private rocket is in the works.AST SpaceMobile announced today (Nov. 6) that it's building a reusable rocket called Blacklift to launch its broadband satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO), with first flight targeted in 2028.The news comes just 10 days after Cowboy Space unveiled Big Iron, a rocket designed to launch its constellation of 20,000 AI data centers. Cowboy Space is also targeting 2028 for its first liftoff."The Blacklift rocket is the springboard to significantly expand our
  
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• What's that bright 'star' in the early morning sky? It's not a star at all!

  06-11-2026 22:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Early morning risers heading to work or school before sunrise are likely to notice a very bright, star-like object appearing low in the east-southeast sky just before sunrise.What is somewhat amazing is that just a couple of weeks ago this object wasn't there at all, but now it literally stands out with such brilliance as to almost command the attention of commuters who might be traveling in an easterly direction to "Look at me!"The object in question is, of course, the planet Venus, which is cu
  
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