Astronomy news

• 13 Jul 2026 (1 hour away): The Moon at perigee

  13-07-2026 08:31 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon makes its monthly closest approach to the Earth, appearing larger than at other times of the month – though only very fractionally.
  
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• Raspberry sugar spotted in interstellar space, a sweet discovery that could reveal clues about life's origins

  15-07-2026 19:09 via space.com
  
  Is space … sweet? As it turns out, interstellar space has sugar — and it's the same type of sugar that's found in raspberries (and self-tanners, surprisingly). A sugar compound called erythrulose has been found near the center of our galaxy, swirling amongst the gas and dust like grains of sugar in a cotton candy machine. More specifically, this sugar was detected in a molecular cloud in the interstellar medium, or the space between star systems in a galaxy. And while we may not be
  
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• The 10 best places in the UK to see the partial solar eclipse on Aug. 12

  15-07-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  On Aug. 12, 2026, skywatchers across the U.K. will experience a rare astronomical double-header: a deep partial solar eclipse before sunset followed, hours later, by the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Although the path of totality will sweep from Greenland and Iceland to Spain, it will miss Britain entirely. However, the solar eclipse will still be dramatic, with up to 96% of the sun obscured for viewers in the far southwest.This will be the U.K.'s deepest partial solar eclipse since
  
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• Glaciers spotted flowing across the Himalayas from space | Space photo of the day for July 15, 2026

  15-07-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  Glaciers flow across the Himalaya, as seen from the International Space Station.(Image credit: NASA/Jessica Meir)Towering glaciers flow down the Himalayas' northern slopes like icy giants cascading onto China's Tibetan Plateau. What is it?Back in May, from aboard the International Space Station 259 miles (417 kilometers) above Earth, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir peered out the station's windows with her camera and captured a breathtaking sight. In that fleeting moment from space, she captured the
  
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• 'Found you!' Astronomers spot faintest exoplanet ever seen from Earth after a decade of hide-and-seek

  15-07-2026 15:00 via space.com
  
  It has taken over ten years, but astronomers have finally won a prolonged game of cosmic hide-and-seek with a planet hiding around the star Beta Pictoris. The extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, is known as Beta Pictoris d. It is found 63 light-years away and has two planetary siblings, which were caught some time ago. This new exoplanet is 100 times fainter than its sibling Beta Pictoris b, which was the first planet discovered in the system. That makes Beta Pictoris d the faintest exoplanet ever
  
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• Every SpaceX Starlink satellite has to dodge a collision almost weekly, and experts fear the worst

  15-07-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  SpaceX's Starlink satellites made over 355,000 collision avoidance maneuvers throughout the past year, with each satellite now dodging debris and other spacecraft on an almost weekly basis. The numbers are based on disclosures made by SpaceX in its latest semiannual report to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). According to the latest report, Starlink satellites performed an overall 207,152 avoidance maneuvers between December 2025 and May 2026, up nearly 60,000 from the 148,696 reporte
  
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• What time is SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 launch on July 16? (Full mission timeline)

  15-07-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  SpaceX is just a day away from its first Starship test flight of the summer, and if you're hoping to watch the world's largest rocket lift off, you'll need to know where and when to tune in. But don't worry — we've got you covered. The next Starship test flight, called Flight 13 (SpaceX doesn't appear to be superstitious), is scheduled to launch from the company's test site in Starbase, Texas near Boca Chica Beach on Thursday, July 16. Liftoff is set for 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT). As its na
  
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• 24 Jul 2026 (9 days away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  15-07-2026 01:26 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from countries and territories including Antarctica, French Southern Territories, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and Falkland Islands amongst others.
  
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• 21 Jul 2026 (6 days away): Moon at First Quarter

  15-07-2026 01:26 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon reaches first quarter phase – appearing high in the sky at sunset and remaining visible until around midnight.
  
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• 17 Jul 2026 (3 days away): Messier 55 is well placed

  15-07-2026 01:26 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The globular cluster M55 (NGC 6809l; mag 6.3) in Sagittarius culminates at around midnight local time.
  
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• 17 Jul 2026 (2 days away): Lunar occultation of Regulus

  15-07-2026 01:26 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Regulus (Alpha Leonis) creating a lunar occultation, though it will open be visible only at sea.
  
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• 17 Jul 2026 (2 days away): Conjunction of the Moon and Venus

  15-07-2026 01:26 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus share the same right ascension, at a separation of 2°01'.
  
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• 17 Jul 2026 (2 days away): Close approach of the Moon and Venus

  15-07-2026 01:26 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Venus pass close to each other.
  
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• SpaceX launches flight-proven rocket for 600th time, sending Starlink satellites to orbit (video)

  15-07-2026 00:00 via space.com
  
  SpaceX reached a milestone with its latest Starlink launch, sending the satellites into orbit on its 600th flight of a flight-proven booster.The sexacentennial launch came on the second of two Falcon 9 missions that lifted off less than eight hours apart overnight from Monday to Tuesday (July 13 to July 14). The first flight, with Starlink batch 15-14, launched at 9:28 p.m. EDT (0128 GMT or 6:28 p.m. PDT local time) from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.Th
  
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• SpaceX launches flight-proven rocket for 600th time, sending Starlink satellites to orbit

  15-07-2026 00:00 via space.com
  
  SpaceX reached a milestone with its latest Starlink launch, sending the satellites into orbit on its 600th flight of a flight-proven booster.The sexacentennial launch came on the second of two Falcon 9 missions that lifted off less than eight hours apart overnight from Monday to Tuesday (July 13 to July 14). The first flight, with Starlink batch 15-14, launched at 9:28 p.m. EDT (0128 GMT or 6:28 p.m. PDT local time) from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.Th
  
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• 24 Jul 2026 (10 days away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  14-07-2026 23:04 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from countries and territories including Antarctica, French Southern Territories, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and Falkland Islands amongst others.
  
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• Scientists spot 4 superdense stellar corpses hiding behind their red dwarf companions

  14-07-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  Astronomers have spotted four dead star white dwarf stars playing a game of cosmic hide-and-seek, all four of which were hiding in the glares of red dwarf companion stars. This marks the first detection of white dwarfs existing in double star systems in our cosmic backyard. The white dwarfs are all located within around 65 light-years of Earth, and one of them is number nine in the top 10 closest white dwarfs to the solar system.
  White dwarfs are the type of stellar remnants left behind when sta
  
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• 14 Jul 2026 (8 hours ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 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 Jul 2026 (7 hours ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 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 Jul 2026 (6 hours ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 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 Jul 2026 (55 minutes ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 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 Jul 2026 (5 hours ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 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 Jul 2026 (4 hours ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 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 Jul 2026 (3 hours ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 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 Jul 2026 (21 hours ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 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 Jul 2026 (20 hours ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 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 Jul 2026 (2 hours ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 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 Jul 2026 (19 hours ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
  Read more

• 14 Jul 2026 (18 minutes ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
  Read more

• 14 Jul 2026 (18 hours ago): The Moon at perihelion

  14-07-2026 22:45 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
  Read more

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