Astronomy news

• 22 Oct 2023 (3 minutes away): Venus at dichotomy

  22-10-2023 23:32 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Venus reaches half phase in the dawn sky.
  
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• 21 Aug 2026 (6 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  21-08-2026 00:04 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
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• 21 Aug 2026 (7 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 23:03 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
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• China's Chang'e 7 moon probe will launch this weekend on the most ambitious lunar mission in history

  20-08-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  China's moon exploration program is readying an ambitious robotic mission, one composed of an orbiter, a lander, a rover, a hopper, and a wide range of international experiments including a U.S.-supported payload. In April of this year, Chang'e-7 hardware was transported to the Wenchang launch site, targeting an Aug. 24 (Beijing time) launch atop a Long March 5 Y14 rocket. The lander's destination is the edge of Shackleton Crater in the lunar south pole region. After launch, the Chang'e-7 orbite
  
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• SpaceX will try for 1st Starship tower catch 'in a few months,' Elon Musk says

  20-08-2026 22:30 via space.com
  
  We'll have to wait a bit longer for a highly anticipated Starship milestone, it appears.On Aug. 4, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said the company aimed to attempt the first-ever catch of Starship's upper stage on the vehicle's next test flight, which is tentatively targeted for late August.But that doesn't seem to be in the cards anymore. "Looks like we will probably catch the ship with the tower in a few months," Musk said early this morning (Aug. 20) via X, the social media platform he boug
  
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• 21 Aug 2026 (8 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 22:01 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
  Read more

• Microbes from Earth may survive on the moon, scientists find

  20-08-2026 22:00 via space.com
  
  Microbes from Earth might survive the harsh surface of the moon, albeit in a state of suspended animation, a new study finds.Previous research suggested the surface of the moon was too harsh for microbes to survive. Specifically, a 2019 study found ultraviolet rays and heat from the sun are the greatest barriers for microbial life on the lunar surface. However, this prior work did not account for the shelter that hills and valleys might supply on the moon. These could prove especially significan
  
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• 21 Aug 2026 (9 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 21:01 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
  Read more

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• 'Wet Hot American Summer': The raunchy 2000s teen movie that was actually about a space station falling to Earth

  20-08-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  LOS ANGELES – On a Saturday evening in Los Angeles, I found myself watching acclaimed actor Elizabeth Banks sing Tom Petty songs along with her fellow actors while writer/director David Wain played the drums. This incredible, bizarre performance celebrated the 25th anniversary of the raunchy, summer camp cult classic "Wet Hot American Summer." But do you remember that it's actually a space movie? This movie — the debut feature film from co-creators David Wain and Michael Showalter &m
  
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• 'Wet Hot American Summer': The raunchy 2000s comedy that was actually about a space station falling to Earth

  20-08-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  LOS ANGELES – On a Saturday evening in Los Angeles, I found myself watching acclaimed actor Elizabeth Banks sing Tom Petty songs along with her fellow actors while writer/director David Wain played the drums. This incredible, bizarre performance celebrated the 25th anniversary of the raunchy, summer camp cult classic "Wet Hot American Summer." But do you remember that it's actually a space movie? This movie — the debut feature film from co-creators David Wain and Michael Showalter &m
  
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• A weather satellite 22,000 miles above Earth saved my 2026 total solar eclipse cruise on the Mediterranean Sea

  20-08-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  When the 11,000-ton cruise ship Le Boréal set sail from Nice, France, on Thursday, Aug. 6, its 205 passengers and 136 crew members began a voyage whose success would depend not only on careful planning, but also on the ship's ability to outmaneuver clouds at the last critical hour. The ship is owned and operated by the French cruise line Compagnie du Ponant. This eclipse cruise was the result of more than a year's planning by Ponant, and most of those who signed on were there specifically
  
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• 21 Aug 2026 (10 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 19:57 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
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• Ludicrous, nonsensical, an affront to canon — 'Strange New Worlds'' puppet episode is an instant classic

  20-08-2026 19:00 via space.com
  
  SPOILERS AHEAD! ANYONE YET TO WATCH "LEVEL-FIVE TRANSPORTER ACCIDENT" SHOULD PROCEED WITH CAUTION TO AVOID VIOLATING TEMPORAL PRIME DIRECTIVES.Back in the late '70s and early '80s, A-list stars were queuing up to guest on "The Muppet Show". Over five glorious seasons, the likes of Steve Martin, Diana Ross and Roger Moore were happy to have themselves upstaged by Kermit the Frog and his legendary felt ensemble. Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, C-3PO and Chewbacca even went on a crossover adventure with the
  
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• Mars Express orbiter captures detailed new video of the crater where Mark Watney was stranded in 'The Martian'

  20-08-2026 18:58 via space.com
  
  Europe's Mars Express orbiter has captured new, stunning imagery flying low over a geological region of the Red Planet shaped by ancient waterflow billions of years ago. Mars Express launched in 2003 and is operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). It's equipped with the High Resolution Stereo Camera, which scans multiple points of perspective across regions of Mars' surface to create 3D color renderings. During a low pass on the spacecraft's highly elliptical orbit, Mars Express flew over th
  
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• 21 Aug 2026 (12 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 18:10 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
  Read more

• 21 Aug 2026 (13 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 17:08 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
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• Try not to be hypnotized by the 'Eye of Africa' | Space photo of the day for Aug. 20, 2026

  20-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  The Richat Structure (also known as the "Eye of Africa" in Mauritania in Africa as photographed by NASA astronaut Jessica Meir from aboard the International Space Station.(Image credit: Jessica Meir/NASA)The "Eye of Africa" swirls across Mauritania in a hypnotizing snapshot captured from space.What is it? A 25-mile-wide (40 kilometer-wide) circular structure made up of concentric ridged rings sticks up from the Earth in Mauritania, a country on the coast of northwestern Africa. While it might lo
  
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• 21 Aug 2026 (14 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 15:53 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
  Read more

• 21 Aug 2026 (15 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 15:15 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
  Read more

• 21 Aug 2026 (16 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 14:08 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
  Read more

• James Webb Space Telescope finds 'hidden stars' making the universe's 1st galaxies much bigger than we knew

  20-08-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  Imagine looking at a vast city on Earth from a great distance, knowing nothing about that city; you may assume that its only buildings are the largest, most visible skyscrapers. But, get closer or look with a far more powerful tool, and you would begin to discover smaller buildings between mountainous skyscrapers. Now, the James Webb Space Telescope has discovered that this looks like that is a fitting analogy for early galaxies.Astronomers are finding that in between the brightest stars, the 't
  
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• 21 Aug 2026 (17 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 12:57 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
  Read more

• Partial lunar eclipse live: Latest news, viewing tips and live updates from Aug. 27-28 eclipse

  20-08-2026 12:04 via space.com
  
  The countdown is on for the deep partial lunar eclipse of Aug. 27-28. Over the next week, we'll be bringing you the latest eclipse news, viewing tips as well as live updates throughout eclipse night. Although this isn't quite a total lunar eclipse, it's pretty close! At maximum eclipse, 96.2% of the moon will slip into Earth's dark central shadow known as the umbra, according to Time and Date. Much of the moon may take on a rusty red hue, while a thin sliver remains brightly illuminated.It's the
  
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• A 96% partial lunar eclipse is just 1 week away: Here's what you need to know

  20-08-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  We're just one week away from a stunning partial lunar eclipse on Aug. 27-28, when billions across North America, South America, Africa and Europe will see Earth's shadow dye the moon a subtle crimson hue, while leaving a thin crescent exposed to direct sunlight. August's partial lunar eclipse will occur as Earth passes directly between the sun and moon during the full moon phase — an imperfect alignment that will see our planet's intense inner shadow cover 96% of the visible face of our n
  
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• 21 Aug 2026 (18 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 11:59 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
  Read more

• 21 Aug 2026 (19 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 10:54 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
  Read more

• 21 Aug 2026 (20 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 10:17 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
  Read more

• 21 Aug 2026 (21 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 09:11 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
  Read more

• 21 Aug 2026 (22 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 08:02 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
  Read more

• 21 Aug 2026 (23 hours away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  20-08-2026 07:01 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Falkland Islands.
  
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