Astronomy news

• 12 Aug 2026 (1 hour away): New Moon

  12-08-2026 17:38 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon disappears into the Sun's glare for a few days.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (17 hours away): Mercury at perihelion

  13-08-2026 17:42 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury passes its closest point to the Sun.
  
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• The Perseid meteor shower peak was spectacular: Here are our favorite photos

  13-08-2026 17:23 via space.com
  
  The Perseid meteor shower peaked last night in spectacular fashion, dazzling stargazers as countless shooting stars blazed overhead mere hours after a total solar eclipse saw the lunar disk hide the sun over Greenland, Iceland and Spain.Perseid shooting stars appear as Earth enters the debris trail cast off by the icy comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Each year, countless shards of this ancient comet collide with our wandering planet. What follows is truly spectacular. Most are no larger than a particle
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (17 hours away): The Moon at perihelion

  13-08-2026 17:16 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (18 hours away): The Moon at perihelion

  13-08-2026 16:41 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (18 hours away): Mercury at perihelion

  13-08-2026 16:41 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury passes its closest point to the Sun.
  
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• Total solar eclipse stuns skywatchers | Space photo of the day for Aug. 13, 2026

  13-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  The moment just before totality during the Aug. 12, 2026 total solar eclipse, captured from Scoresby Sund near Greenland.(Image credit: Daisy Dobrijevic/Future)The total solar eclipse of Aug. 12, 2026 was one for the books. And this photo, snapped just as the eclipse was about to enter totality, really captures the drama of the moment. What is it?On Aug. 12, 2026, millions of people around the world witnessed a total solar eclipse. This happens when the moon passes in front of the sun, completel
  
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• On this day in space! Aug. 13, 2014: Game-changing WorldView-3 Earth-observing satellite launches to orbit

  13-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  On Aug. 13, 2014, a company called DigitalGlobe launched what was then the sharpest-eyed satellite of all time. WorldView-3 is a high-resolution imaging satellite that can resolve features as small as 1 foot (31 centimeters) across. Its instruments allow it to peer through fog and smoke to see Earth's surface at a level of detail that was unprecedented for a non-governmental spacecraft. WorldView-3 lifted off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (19 hours away): Mercury at perihelion

  13-08-2026 15:58 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury passes its closest point to the Sun.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (19 hours away): The Moon at perihelion

  13-08-2026 15:21 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
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• 'Strange New Worlds' latest lookalike episode is part of a long line of 'Star Trek' doppelganger stories

  13-08-2026 15:15 via space.com
  
  MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD! ANYONE YET TO WATCH "A CASE OF CHIAROSCURO" SHOULD PROCEED WITH CAUTION TO AVOID VIOLATING TEMPORAL PRIME DIRECTIVES.You're on a top-secret mission to recover a lost Federation probe from enemy territory. A close encounter with a Klingon cruiser forces you into hiding on the surface of an alien world, which — thanks, in part, to the local star's radiation making everything appear stylishly monochrome — looks like it's been lifted from a classic 20th-century film
  
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• Number One's doppelganger in 'Strange New Worlds'' latest episode is part of a long line of 'Star Trek' lookalikes

  13-08-2026 15:15 via space.com
  
  MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD! ANYONE YET TO WATCH "A CASE OF CHIAROSCURO" SHOULD PROCEED WITH CAUTION TO AVOID VIOLATING TEMPORAL PRIME DIRECTIVES.You're on a top-secret mission to recover a lost Federation probe from enemy territory. A close encounter with a Klingon cruiser forces you into hiding on the surface of an alien world, which — thanks, in part, to the local star's radiation making everything appear stylishly monochrome — looks like it's been lifted from a classic 20th-century film
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (20 hours away): Mercury at perihelion

  13-08-2026 14:50 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury passes its closest point to the Sun.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (20 hours away): The Moon at perihelion

  13-08-2026 14:16 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
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• When is the next solar eclipse? Mark your calendar for an upcoming 'ring of fire' and the 'eclipse of the century'

  13-08-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  Yesterday (Aug.12), millions of people enjoyed a total solar eclipse as it swept across parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain, while a partial solar eclipse was visible across much of Europe and northwest Africa. If all that eclipse excitement has you eager for more, the good news is you won't have to wait long, because two remarkable solar eclipses are coming in 2027. First comes a dramatic "ring of fire" annular solar eclipse on Feb 6, followed six months later by the total solar eclipse on Au
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (21 hours away): Mercury at perihelion

  13-08-2026 13:46 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury passes its closest point to the Sun.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (21 hours away): The Moon at perihelion

  13-08-2026 13:05 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (22 hours away): The Moon at perihelion

  13-08-2026 12:35 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (22 hours away): Mercury at perihelion

  13-08-2026 12:35 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury passes its closest point to the Sun.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (23 hours away): Mercury at perihelion

  13-08-2026 11:59 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury passes its closest point to the Sun.
  
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• New private 'Perceptor' probes will keep an eye on satellites high above Earth

  13-08-2026 11:30 via space.com
  
  Satellites high above Earth may soon have fewer places to hide.San Francisco-based company Astranis announced today (Aug. 13) that it's developing a line of spacecraft called Perceptor, which will keep an eye on satellite activity in geostationary orbit (GEO).GEO lies 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth, an altitude at which orbital speed matches our planet's rotational velocity. It's therefore a popular destination for communications, weather and reconnaissance spacecraft — and,
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (23 hours away): The Moon at perihelion

  13-08-2026 11:25 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
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• 15 Aug 2026 (3 days away): Messier 2 is well placed

  13-08-2026 04:33 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The globular cluster M2 (NGC 7089; mag 6.6) in Aquarius culminates at around midnight local time.
  
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• 15 Aug 2026 (2 days away): Conjunction of Jupiter and Mercury

  13-08-2026 01:02 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Jupiter and Mercury share the same right ascension, at a separation of 33'.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (Tomorrow): Venus at greatest elongation east

  13-08-2026 01:02 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Venus is bright and well placed in the evening sky.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (Tomorrow): The Moon at perihelion

  13-08-2026 01:02 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (Tomorrow): Mercury at perihelion

  13-08-2026 01:02 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury passes its closest point to the Sun.
  
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• 14 Aug 2026 (2 days away): Messier 15 is well placed

  13-08-2026 01:02 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The globular cluster M15 (NGC 7078; mag 6.3) in Pegasus culminates at around midnight local time.
  
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• 13 Aug 2026 (Today): Perseid meteor shower 2026

  13-08-2026 01:02 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak.
  
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• This year's 'Masters of the Universe' movie wasn't Hollywood's first attempt at capturing the power of He-Man; they tried back in 1987, and failed then too

  12-08-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  For the generation that grew up in the 1980s, the release of the recent big-budget "Masters of the Universe" movie would undoubtedly have conjured up a sense of déjà-vu.Picture the scene. The year is 1987. You've got the action figures and the Castle Grayskull playset, you've watched every episode of the cartoon again and again, and you can recite He-Man's opening credits voiceover by heart. He has the power!Then someone tells you there's a live-action film adaptation coming out. Y
  
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