Astronomy news

• On this day in space! Nov. 6, 1572: A German astronomer discovers the Tycho supernova with the naked eye, but everyone thought the cosmic explosion was a 'new star'

  06-11-2026 23:05 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Nov. 6, 1572, the German astronomer Wolfgang Schulër observed a supernova with his bare eyes. He spotted the exploding star in the constellation Cassiopeia. It was as bright as Venus and could even be seen during the day. Astronomers were really confused, because it looked like a star just appeared out of nowhere. Schulër may have been the first to see it, but the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe is widely credited for the discovery. Brahe studied it in detail and wrote a whole book about this
  
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• AST SpaceMobile announces new 'Blacklift' rocket, targets 2028 launch debut

  06-11-2026 23:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Another new private rocket is in the works.AST SpaceMobile announced today (Nov. 6) that it's building a reusable rocket called Blacklift to launch its broadband satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO), with first flight targeted in 2028.The news comes just 10 days after Cowboy Space unveiled Big Iron, a rocket designed to launch its constellation of 20,000 AI data centers. Cowboy Space is also targeting 2028 for its first liftoff."The Blacklift rocket is the springboard to significantly expand our
  
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• What's that bright 'star' in the early morning sky? It's not a star at all!

  06-11-2026 22:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Early morning risers heading to work or school before sunrise are likely to notice a very bright, star-like object appearing low in the east-southeast sky just before sunrise.What is somewhat amazing is that just a couple of weeks ago this object wasn't there at all, but now it literally stands out with such brilliance as to almost command the attention of commuters who might be traveling in an easterly direction to "Look at me!"The object in question is, of course, the planet Venus, which is cu
  
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• I finally got my hands on the Unistellar Envision smart binoculars with augmented reality and I can’t wait to stargaze with them

  06-11-2026 21:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  I have been waiting to get my hands on a pair of Unistellar Envision smart binoculars since they were announced in 2024. Our editor-in-chief tried an early demo of them last year and said that they felt like something out of Star Trek. He was, of course, referencing the red augmented reality (AR) overlay in the Envisions that can identify night sky targets and landmarks, as well as displaying navigational tools. These are the first pair of smart binoculars that can identify targets in the night
  
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• See the space race like you’ve never seen it before in PBS’s new living documentary, ‘We Chose to Go to the Moon’

  06-11-2026 20:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Straight from its inspiring live performance at New York City's Carnegie Hall this past April, RadicalMedia's filmed presentation of the immersive living space documentary, "We Chose to Go to the Moon," is finally available for the rest of us to watch."We Chose to Go to the Moon" premieres Nov. 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS app, and we’ve got an exclusive clip to share featuring Mark and Kali Armstrong singing "Flight of Fancy."With a poignant introduction by Oscar winning di
  
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• You can see another galaxy with the naked eye — here's how to find it

  06-11-2026 19:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The first time I showed someone the Andromeda galaxy (M31), our conversation did not go quite as planned. I'd carefully worked my way across the sky, starting from the Great Square of Pegasus and hopping from star to star until I was confident I had the right patch. I pointed the telescope, got M31 in its crosshairs and proudly announced to my wife that I had found the closest giant galaxy to the Milky Way. Would she like to see it?She then stayed quiet for a little too long as she looked throug
  
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• Giant exoplanet emerges from the dark when the James Webb Space Telescope turns out the starlight

  06-11-2026 18:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Sometimes science can seem really counter-intuitive. For example, occasionally in astronomy, you can see more with less light. Case in point: the emergence of a giant planet in observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), when astronomers found a way to block out light from the planet's parent star.The extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, in question is 51 Eridani b (51 ERI b), a gas giant with the same mass as around 11 Jupiters that orbits a star located around 97 light-years away.
  
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• Hera probe gets 1st good luck at asteroid system clobbered by NASA's DART mission | Space photo of the day for Nov. 6, 2026

  06-11-2026 16:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The Didymos binary asteroid system, as seen by Europe's Hera probe. The main asteroid, Didymos, dominates the frame while just a sliver of its "moonlet," Dimorphos, is visible beneath it. ESA released this image on Nov. 5, 2026. (Image credit: ESA)The European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera spacecraft has gotten its first close-up look at the Didymos binary asteroid system. If that system sounds familiar, it's because it made headlines in September 2022 when NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection T
  
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• Hera probe gets 1st good look at asteroid system clobbered by NASA's DART mission | Space photo of the day for Nov. 6, 2026

  06-11-2026 16:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The Didymos binary asteroid system, as seen by Europe's Hera probe. The main asteroid, Didymos, dominates the frame while just a sliver of its "moonlet," Dimorphos, is visible beneath it. ESA released this image on Nov. 5, 2026. (Image credit: ESA)The European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera spacecraft has gotten its first close-up look at the Didymos binary asteroid system. If that system sounds familiar, it's because it made headlines in September 2022 when NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection T
  
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• How to watch 'Musk' online — stream the SpaceX billionaire biography from anywhere

  06-11-2026 15:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  As of 2026, Elon Musk is the world's richest man and CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI. Not only that, but he is also one of the most polarizing figures in popular culture. Some laud him as a new Magellan; the eccentric billionaire set on colonizing Mars. Others believe he should keep his eyes on the stars and stop meddling in politics. Whatever you think about Elon Musk, it has to be said that you do think about him. Perhaps that's precisely the reason that he is the subject of Alex Gibney's 4-hour
  
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• Northern lights could reach New York and Idaho this weekend as speedy solar wind races toward Earth

  06-11-2026 14:26 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The northern lights could put on an impressive display this weekend as a colossal coronal hole on the sun fires a stream of high-speed solar wind toward Earth.
  Minor (G1) geomagnetic storm conditions between Nov. 6 and Nov. 8, with a chance of moderate (G2) conditions on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). If G2 conditions materialize, the northern lights could be visible as far south as New York and Idaho.What is happening? The culprit behind the poten
  
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• Max Power: NASA hosting its 1st air show this weekend on Florida's Space Coast

  06-11-2026 14:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  NASA will host a first-of-its-kind air show and aerospace expo on Florida's Space Coast this weekend.The show, called Max Power, will take place Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 7 and Nov. 8) at and around NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC). That name should be familiar to "Simpsons" fans, by the way: Max Power is an alias that Homer uses in the 13th episode of the show's 10th season. (He got it off a hair dryer.)There will be a lot to see at NASA's event, so you should consider dropping by if you're on
  
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• Realistic star projections at home — this early Black Friday deal takes our favorite star projector to one of its cheapest-ever prices

  06-11-2026 13:10 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The Pococo Galaxy Star Projector has firmly established itself as a fan-favorite home planetarium, backed by almost 3,000 Amazon reviews and a stellar 62% five-star rating.Its standout performance easily earned it a permanent spot on our buyer's guide to the best star projectors as the best value choice on the market. This early Black Friday deal is offering 24% saving off the retail price, with a $25 discount. You can get the Pococo Galaxy Star Projector, on sale for just $79.99 on Amazon.If yo
  
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• 4-billion-year-old 'Rosetta Stone' found in Sahara Desert could unlock the secret history of water on Mars

  06-11-2026 12:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  A rose-colored rock discovered in the Sahara Desert may hold some clues to Mars' ancient geological history.The meteorite, named Teghaza 001 after the salt plain in Mali where it was discovered in 2022, weighs roughly 1.8 pounds (800 grams) and formed more than 4.1 billion years ago. Blasted off Mars by an impact before eventually landing on Earth, it is one of the three oldest Martian meteorites ever found.
  The extraordinary age and unusual mineral composition of Teghaza 001 offer a rare glimps
  
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