Astronomy news

• Returning the first samples from a Martian moon: Inside the science of Japan's bold MMX mission to Mars

  18-10-2026 21:20 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Japan's mission to Mars is one of the most ambitious in spaceflight history. It aims to become the first spacecraft to return to Earth from Mars orbit, carrying with it the first-ever samples from the Red Planet system.The mission, known as Martian Moons eXploration (MMX), is a first-of-its-kind endeavor to study the origin of Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos. The robust undertaking includes a landing on Phobos to collect the samples — which will likely be the first from the Mars system to re
  
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• Returning samples from a Martian moon: Inside the science of Japan's bold MMX mission to Mars

  18-10-2026 21:20 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Japan's mission to Mars is one of the most ambitious in spaceflight history. It aims to become the first spacecraft to return to Earth from Mars orbit, carrying with it the first-ever samples from the Red Planet system.The mission, known as Martian Moons eXploration (MMX), is a first-of-its-kind endeavor to study the origin of Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos. The robust undertaking includes a landing on Phobos to collect the samples — which will likely be the first from the Mars system to re
  
  Read more

• Returning samples from a Mars moon: Inside the science of Japan's bold MMX mission

  18-10-2026 21:20 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Japan's mission to Mars is one of the most ambitious in spaceflight history. It aims to become the first spacecraft to return to Earth from Mars orbit, carrying with it the first-ever samples from the Red Planet system.The mission, known as Martian Moons eXploration (MMX), is a first-of-its-kind endeavor to study the origin of Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos. The robust undertaking includes a landing on Phobos to collect the samples — which will likely be the first from the Mars system to re
  
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• Computer scientist Margaret Hamilton was a problem-solver for the ages (op-ed)

  18-10-2026 18:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Dean Robbins is a journalist and children's author. He contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.The pioneering computer scientist Margaret Hamilton, who died on Sept. 30 at age 90, played a key role in putting astronauts on the moon. She was a problem-solver extraordinaire, and it all started in early childhood.Considering the name "daddy longlegs" unfair to female arachnids, young Margaret decided to call half of them "mommy longlegs." Wondering why the neighb
  
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• On this day in space! Oct. 18, 1963: France's Félicette Becomes the 1st Cat in Space! >^..^<

  18-10-2026 15:52 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Oct. 18, 1963, a cat went to space! Félicette was a French "catstronaut" who became the first and only feline to fly to space. While the U.S. and Soviet Union were busy launching primates, dogs and humans, the French decided to join the space race by launching a cat. Félicette, a stray tuxedo cat from the streets of Paris, was a substitute for another cat named Felix, who somehow escaped on launch day. So Félicette went where no cat had ever gone before. She boarded a French Véronique AG1
  
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• On this day in space! Oct. 18, 1963: France's Félicette Becomes the 1st Cat in Space! >^..^<

  18-10-2026 15:52 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Oct. 18, 1963, a cat went to space! Félicette was a French "catstronaut" who became the first and only feline to fly to space. While the U.S. and Soviet Union were busy launching primates, dogs and humans, the French decided to join the space race by launching a cat. Félicette, a stray tuxedo cat from the streets of Paris, was a substitute for another cat named Felix, who somehow escaped on launch day. So Félicette went where no cat had ever gone before. She boarded a Fre
  
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• Astronomers want your help finding 'missing' black holes in the Milky Way

  18-10-2026 14:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Astronomers estimate that our home galaxy, the Milky Way, has churned out more than 10 million black holes over its 13-billion-year history. Yet so far, they have found only 70.Now, a group of astronomers in the U.K. is trying to close that vast gap by enlisting the public. Their project, called Black Hole Hunters, is looking for volunteers with a computer and a few spare minutes to sift through troves of data gathered by a NASA space telescope. By flagging recognizable patterns that could point
  
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• 10 best places to see the 2027 total solar eclipse in Spain

  18-10-2026 12:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Spain is one of the easiest places in the world to experience the total solar eclipse on Aug. 2, 2027. The so-called "eclipse of the century" first makes landfall in Andalucía, where totality will last up to 4 minutes and 40 seconds during mid-morning, with the sun comfortably high at around 38-42 degrees above the horizon in the eastern sky. Excellent roads, plentiful accommodation and Málaga's international airport make this an obvious alternative to North Africa and the Middle E
  
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• 'Let's all choose to make tomorrow better', Artemis II astronauts honored with Stephen Hawking Medal at Starmus

  18-10-2026 11:12 via Latest from Space.com
  
  TENERIFE, CANARY ISLANDS — The Artemis II astronauts may have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles away from Earth to the moon, but they made sure the rest of us didn't miss out on the adventure. Now, their efforts to bring the wonders of space exploration back down to Earth have earned them one of science communication's most prestigious honors: the Stephen Hawking Medal. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, accepted t
  
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