Astronomy news

• 14 Aug 2026 (8 minutes away): Mercury at perihelion

  14-08-2026 11:22 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury passes its closest point to the Sun.
  
  Read more

• Is the Perseid meteor shower going to get even more spectacular? Jupiter could send more 'shooting stars' towards Earth in 2028

  24-08-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  The Perseid meteor shower dazzled stagazers with a spectacular natural light show around its peak on Aug. 12-13. But could we be in for even more impressive displays of shooting stars in the years to come? Canon EOS R7 camera(Image credit: Future/Kimberley Lane)The Canon EOS R7 is the best camera for beginners. Despite its crop sensor, the EOS R7 can rival most full-frame cameras. Read our full Canon EOS R7 review to find out more!Perseid shooting stars can be seen each year as Earth crashes thr
  
  Read more

• At 25% off, this beginner-friendly Celestron telescope will bring the lunar eclipse closer

  24-08-2026 16:50 via space.com
  
  A partial lunar eclipse takes place this Aug. 27-28 and this beginner-friendly Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ telescope, nearly $50 off at Walmart, will let you zoom in on what promises to be a stunning sight. Save $49 on this Celestron PowerSeeker 80Q telescope at Walmart. Ideal for exploring our own solar system, the Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ comes with 20mm and 4mm eyepieces, a 3x Barlow lens, a German equatorial mount, finderscope and Starry Night astronomy software. In short, it has everything
  
  Read more

• Satellite sees Greenland's most significant floating ice loss in over a decade | Space photo of the day for Aug. 24, 2026

  24-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  ESA's Sentinel-1 mission captured remarkable imagery showing significant ice loss and calving at the Petermann Glacier.(Image credit: ESA)The massive glaciers of Greenland are disappearing right before our very eyes in new satellite imagery. What is it? Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland connects the Greenland ice sheet to the Arctic ocean. Petermann's "ice tongue" has previously measured 43 miles (70 kilometers) long and 9 miles (15 km) wide. But new satellite imagery has revealed the gla
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• On this day in space! Aug. 24, 2006: Pluto loses its planet status

  24-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  On Aug. 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided that Pluto wasn't a planet anymore. Since that date, Pluto has been officially classified as a dwarf planet along with four other confirmed dwarf planets in the outskirts of the solar system. This decision sparked outrage around the world, and the controversy is still very much alive today. Astronomers in favor of Pluto's demotion argued that a planet by definition should have cleared its orbit around the sun. Pluto and the mor
  
  Read more

• The earliest galaxy 'swallowed' by the cannibal Milky Way left a scar at its heart

  24-08-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  The Milky Way has something of a torrid and violent history, given that our galaxy has fueled its own growth by cannibalistically devouring smaller galaxies. Now, astronomers have discovered evidence of our galaxy's earliest bout of cannibalism in the form of "scarring" at the heart of the Milky Way left behind by a galactic morsel it devoured around 12 billion years ago.Working as part of the ARMA (Cluster Ages to Reconstruct the Milky Way Assembly) project, the team behind this discovery used
  
  Read more

• Nancy Grace Roman Telescope live updates: NASA readies Roman for launch

  24-08-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA's next great observatory poised to lead humanity's next generation of astronomical discoveries. The Roman Space Telescope will research the mysteries of dark energy, search for exoplanets andinvestigate the physics of distant stars.SpaceX will launch Roman on a Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for no earlier than 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT) on Sunday, Aug. 30. from Launch Complex-39A (LC-39A). F
  
  Read more

• What to expect from each stage of the partial lunar eclipse on Aug. 27-28

  24-08-2026 13:00 via space.com
  
  Here's what to expect during each stage of the Aug. 27-28 partial lunar eclipse, as our planet's colossal shadow swallows 96% of the moon's surface for billions on the night side of Earth.August's lunar eclipse is the closing act of a dramatic two-part show, the opening act of which began on Aug. 12 as the moon covered the face of the sun to trigger a spectacular total solar eclipse over parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain. Eclipses always come in pairs, but the stages to be expected during a
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• It's been 20 years since Pluto lost planet status. Will it ever get its title back?

  24-08-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  In August of 2006, astronomers at the International Astronomical Union (IAU) democratically voted to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet — but 20 years later, with our greater knowledge and understanding of planetary systems, is it time to revisit the controversial decision? Should Pluto be called a planet again?For several years before the IAU vote, there had been agitators among the astronomical community lobbying for our solar system's nine worlds to become eight, and for Pluto's planeta
  
  Read more

• 31 Aug 2026 (7 days away): Close approach of the Moon and Saturn

  24-08-2026 01:18 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Saturn pass close to each other.
  
  Read more

• 28 Aug 2026 (4 days away): Partial lunar eclipse

  24-08-2026 01:18 via in-the-sky.org
  
  There will be an eclipse of the Moon, visible from the Americas, Antarctica, Africa and Europe.
  
  Read more

• 28 Aug 2026 (4 days away): Full Moon

  24-08-2026 01:18 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon reaches full phase and is visible for much of the night.
  
  Read more

• 28 Aug 2026 (4 days away): Asteroid 9 Metis at opposition

  24-08-2026 01:18 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Asteroid 9 Metis makes closest approach to the Earth.
  
  Read more

• 27 Aug 2026 (3 days away): Mercury at superior solar conjunction

  24-08-2026 01:18 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury passes around the far side of the Sun.
  
  Read more

• 25 Aug 2026 (Tomorrow): The Moon at aphelion

  24-08-2026 01:18 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon passes its furthest point from the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of full moon.
  
  Read more

• 31 Aug 2026 (8 days away): Close approach of the Moon and Saturn

  24-08-2026 00:46 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon and Saturn pass close to each other.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (9 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (8 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (7 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (6 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (5 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (4 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (34 minutes ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (3 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (2 minutes ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (2 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (15 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (14 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (13 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

• 23 Aug 2026 (12 hours ago): Lunar occultation of Sigma Sagittarii

  24-08-2026 00:44 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki), creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica and Bouvet Island.
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Astronomy on Twitter!