Astronomy news

• 10 times 'Red Dwarf' beat other TV shows and movies to brilliant sci-fi ideas

  10-10-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  For a show with no aliens or faster-than-light travel, "Red Dwarf" has crammed an awful lot of sci-fi concepts into its 13 seasons. Frequently as smart as "Star Trek" — albeit on a much smaller budget — Rob Grant and Doug Naylor's BBC sitcom always punched above its weight when it came to big genre ideas. In fact, many of its stories were truly ahead of their time, built around concepts that have since turned up in hit American shows (including the recent "Strange New Worlds" season
  
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• This Week In Space podcast: Episode 231 — Sailing the Stellar Seas

  10-10-2026 14:32 via space.com
  
  On Episode 231 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik take a dive deep into their favorite space si-fi across the ages. From the earliest works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells to the best of contemporary space science fiction, Rod and Tariq also challenge you with some of the most obscure titles they know. Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Space news of the weekThe Integral TreesT
  
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• On this day in space! Oct. 10, 1967: The Outer Space Treaty is ratified to lay out how countries can use outer space

  10-10-2026 13:43 via space.com
  
  On Oct. 10, 1967, the international Outer Space Treaty was ratified. This treaty established a set of rules regulating how different countries can explore and use outer space. Specifically, it says "the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind." The treaty dictates that no one can claim territory in outer space and that other celestial bodies must be used "exclusively for peaceful purpos
  
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• 10 incredible places to see the 2027 'eclipse of the century' — beyond Luxor

  10-10-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  Ancient Egyptian temples will inevitably dominate the story of the total solar eclipse on Aug. 2, 2027. Luxor, home to Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and some of the most famous monuments of the ancient world, will experience more than six minutes of totality and will attract eclipse chasers from around the world. Southern Spain, particularly the coast around Tarifa and Málaga, is also expected to be busy.But the path of totality is vast. It will stretch 9,462 miles (15,227 km) across Ea
  
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• SpaceX launches 21 satellites to orbit for the US military after 5-day delay (video)

  10-10-2026 10:03 via space.com
  
  SpaceX just sent another batch of satellites to orbit for the U.S. military.A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base today (Oct. 10) at 3:39 a.m. EDT (0739 GMT; 12:39 a.m. local time), hauling 21 "data transport" satellites to orbit for the U.S. Space Force's Space Development Agency (SDA). That was five days later than originally planned. SpaceX tried to launch the mission on Monday (Oct. 5), but the Falcon 9 aborted that attempt in the countdown's final minute
  
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• Mysterious 10-minute X-ray burst from a distant galaxy may have come from 2 dead stars colliding

  10-10-2026 00:00 via space.com
  
  Astronomers investigating mysterious flashes of X-rays believe that these blasts could stem from collisions between neutron stars, the events that forge elements like gold, silver, and platinum.The event designated EP250704a, was first seen on July 4, 2025, as a blast of gamma rays lasting half a second followed by a bright X-ray emission lasting 10 minutes. Afterreceiving an alert from the joint European-Chinese Einstein probe that witnessed the blast, a team of astronomers started to hunt for
  
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