Astronomy news

• 29 May 2022 (Tomorrow): Conjunction of Jupiter and Mars

  28-05-2022 01:12 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Jupiter and Mars share the same right ascension, at a separation of 0°38'.
  
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• These anti-Prime deals are giving Amazon a good run for their money

  23-06-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  Amazon Prime Day 2026 has just kicked off and we are seeing plenty of discounts across telescopes, binoculars and cameras. But what if you don't want to line the pockets of Jeff Bezos but still want a great deal? Fear not, for there are plenty of anti-Prime Day deals that either match Amazon's price or even better, blow it out of the water! Like this Walmart deal that gives you $74 off the Amazon price of the Fujinon Techno-Stabi 1640 image-stabilized binoculars!Amazon has tried to commandeer th
  
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• Rocket Lab launches US Space Force mission with less than 17 hours' notice — a new record

  23-06-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  Rocket Lab has successfully launched the second spacecraft for the U.S. Space Force's Victus Haze Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission, setting a new readiness record in the process. Only 16 hours and 42 minutes passed between Rocket Lab receiving the Notice To Launch from the Space Force's Space Safari Program Office and liftoff of the company's Electron launch vehicle, beating the previous TacRS record set by Firefly Aerospace on the September 2023 Victus Nox mission by more than 10 hou
  
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• This might be your last chance to pick up a retired Lego Star Wars set before it flies off forever, and it's under $100 on Amazon for Prime Day

  23-06-2026 19:30 via space.com
  
  Star Wars' Clone Wars-era Republic Gunship may not be a miracle of practicaliy but I think it's cool as heck and that aloneis reason enough to pick up this Lego Star Wars Coruscant Guard Gunship, $42 off for Amazon Prime Day. Save $42 on this Lego Star Wars Coruscant Gunship setThe other reason? This set has already been retired by Lego meaning that not only are you saving big, this could be your last chance to buy the Lego Star Wars Coruscant Guard Gunship, before scalpers start selling it for
  
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• A 'new' star could finally appear in the night sky this week, thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime explosion

  23-06-2026 19:00 via space.com
  
  A once-in-a-lifetime stellar eruption could occur at any time, potentially causing a 'new star' to appear in the night sky. If it does, the star system T Coronae Borealis could suddenly brighten to rival Polaris, the North Star. Here's what you need to know about the "Blaze Star" T. Coronae Borealis (T CrB).T CrB is a prime example of a recurring nova. This thermonuclear explosion erupts from the atmosphere of a white dwarf star roughly once every 80 years, when it reaches a point of critical ma
  
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• China's space plane appears to have released a mystery object in orbit

  23-06-2026 18:52 via space.com
  
  China's Shenlong space plane appears to have released a mystery object while in orbit, according to a private space surveillance firm.Shenlong launched on its fourth mission on Feb. 6, 2026 atop a Long March 2F rocket that lifted off from China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. As with previous flights, the objectives of this mission were not disclosed to the public. But according to recent observations by the commercial orbital intelligence company LeoLabs, one part of Shenl
  
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• What telescope could cause our astrophotography expert to break their hard-and-fast rule about not traveling with a telescope? This one! Now even cheaper in this Prime Day telescope deal

  23-06-2026 18:30 via space.com
  
  Our astrophotography expert, Jamie Carter, has reviewed countless telescopes and optics equipment for us but always maintained a no travel rule when it comes to telescopes. All that changed when they reviewed the ZWO SeeStar S30 Pro, and this Prime Day, it's $35 cheaper.Get the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro telescope on sale right now at Amazon for $664.That's not to say the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro is just for deep space; it's a superb all-round smart telescope and we think the previous model, the ZWO Seestar
  
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• NASA wants to dump the ISS in the sea. Experts say the plan 'raises serious concerns for ocean health'

  23-06-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  NASA's plan to deorbit the International Space Station in coming years has fallen under the scrutiny of a government watchdog group and stirred up a wave of reaction by a leading ocean conservation organization.As presently blueprinted by NASA, the International Space Station will be de-orbited via a series of actions. Firstly, in early to mid-2028, the ISS will start to be lowered through a combination of Earth's natural atmospheric drag and the execution of re-entry maneuvers by the ISS's Russ
  
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• The Unistellar Odyssey Pro helped me feel in touch with the universe and it's now 15% off

  23-06-2026 17:30 via space.com
  
  Astrophotography can be confusing and when combining mirrorless cameras, astrocams and telescopes, there is a huge learning curve that can throw people a bit sideways if they are looking to get into it. The Unistellar Odyssey Pro was the first smart telescope that I used and it helped me on my astrophotography journey, allowing me to quickly and easily take awe-inspiring images of deep space objects like the Great Pegasus star cluster and a range of galaxies. You can get the Unistellar Odyssey P
  
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• 'Rick and Morty' cast talk vocal health, hot viscous liquids, and their favorite season 9 moments (interview)

  23-06-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  Adult Swim's smash animated series "Rick and Morty" recently unleashed its ninth season, and it's already shaping up to be one of the best seasons so far, with plenty of interdimensional shenanigans, existential excursions, evolutionary entanglements, hostile living room furniture, a potential trip to Boob World, and Pool Time!We chatted to the creators Dan Harmon and Scott Marder earlier this month, but now we're catching up with the main cast to hear from Ian Cardoni (Rick), Sarah Chalke (Beth
  
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• Ignite a child's imagination with the stars: Our expert-picked Astronaut Galaxy Star Projector is a Prime Day steal at just $25

  23-06-2026 16:07 via space.com
  
  Are you scratching your head, wondering what to buy for a child? Our expert Tantse recommends this Astronaut Galaxy Projector and right now, during Prime Day, it's just $25.Enjoy stunning, starry displays with this Astronaut Galaxy Projector, now $25 at AmazonFaced with buying a present for her nephews, and having been suitably impressed when she reviewed this Astronaut Galaxy Projector, Tantse (our long-time star projector reviewer), settled on this gift and she's had no complaints!We rank it o
  
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• SpaceX Dragon says goodbye to the ISS | Space photo of the day for June 23, 2026

  23-06-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  SpaceX's Dragon capsule leaves after dropping off some supplies and science at the ISS.(Image credit: NASA/Jessica Meir)SpaceX's Cargo Dragon capsule shines in the sunlight over Earth as it departs from the International Space Station in a new image snapped from onboard the station. What is it? Peering through the window of the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronaut Jessica Meir snapped a striking photo as she watched a SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule depart from the station. With sunbeam
  
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• Searching for alien life: New model could help scientists home in on habitable exoplanets

  23-06-2026 15:00 via space.com
  
  A new planetary habitability model could make the search for aliens more efficient by quickly identifying rocky worlds unlikely to sustain the atmospheres needed for life as we know it.The software, called the Smaller Than Earth Habitability Model (STEHM), allows astronomers to screen exoplanets before committing valuable telescope time to detailed observations. Developed by researchers at Stanford University, the model assesses whether a rocky planet can build and retain an atmosphere over bill
  
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• This 'improbable' exoplanet system is so wonky because of a weird object within

  23-06-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  Using NASA's exoplanet-hunting spacecraft TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), scientists have discovered a planetary system that scientists are calling "improbable." It could change how we think about the mechanisms behind planet formation.The reason for the unusual arrangement of this planetary system is a failed star or brown dwarf designated TOI-201 c. Objects like this get the slightly unfair nickname of "failed stars" because, despite forming from a collapsing cloud of gas and dus
  
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• This beginner-friendly travel telescope is the reason I turned into a skywatcher

  23-06-2026 11:51 via space.com
  
  When I was looking at taking my first steps into stargazing I wanted a telescope that was affordable and compact so I could pack it away when it was cloudy. I ended up starting my stargazing journey by buying the Celestron Travel Scope 70 and today, thanks to Amazon Prime Day, it's $40 off, making it just $81. This portable, beginner-friendly Celestron Travel Scope 70 is $81 right now at Amazon. Not only is this telescope the reason I got into stargazing but it has the pedigree of being from rep
  
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• 28 Jun 2026 (5 days away): The Moon at apogee

  23-06-2026 01:50 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon recedes to its orbit's furthest point from the Earth, making it appear fractionally smaller than at other times of the month.
  
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• 27 Jun 2026 (4 days away): Lunar occultation of Antares

  23-06-2026 01:50 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from countries and territories including Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania amongst others.
  
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• 27 Jun 2026 (4 days away): June Bootid meteor shower 2026

  23-06-2026 01:50 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The June Bootid meteor shower reaches its peak.
  
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• 25 Jun 2026 (2 days away): Comet 78P/Gehrels passes perihelion

  23-06-2026 01:50 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Comet 78P/Gehrels makes its closest approach to the Sun.
  
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• 24 Jun 2026 (2 days away): NGC 6541 is well placed

  23-06-2026 01:50 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The globular cluster NGC 6541 (mag 6.6) in Corona Australis culminates at around midnight local time.
  
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• 23 Jun 2026 (Tomorrow): The Lagoon Nebula is well placed

  23-06-2026 01:50 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Lagoon Nebula (M8; mag 5.8) in Sagittarius culminates at around midnight local time.
  
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• SpaceX launching its 1st 'Starfall' reentry capsule early on June 23: Watch it live

  23-06-2026 00:00 via space.com
  
  SpaceX's newest spaceflight tech is about to launch to the final frontier for the first time. The company's Starfall capsule is set for its debut mission, following SpaceX's application with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for two reentry vehicle landings. The mission is scheduled to lift off from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday (June 23), during a one-hour launch window that opens at 6:43 a.m. EDT (1043 GMT). You can watch the a
  
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• SpaceX launches its 1st 'Starfall' reentry capsule in early morning Falcon 9 liftoff

  23-06-2026 00:00 via space.com
  
  SpaceX's newest spaceflight tech has to launched to the final frontier for the first time. The company's Starfall capsule took to the skies on its debut mission today (June 23), following SpaceX's application with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for two reentry vehicle landings. The mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 6:52 a.m. EDT (1052 GMT). Starfall is a cargo transportation vehicle designed to carry payloads to lo
  
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• This ball of stars named Terzan 5 may be one of the Milky Way's original building blocks

  22-06-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  A huge, shining bauble of stars called Terzan 5 could be a clump of our galaxy's central bulge that hasn't been smoothed out into the mix, and has instead survived as a fossil relic leftover from the birth of the Milky Way galaxy."Terzan 5 may provide direct evidence that can help explain how bulges formed in galaxies throughout the universe," said Barbara Lanzoni of the University of Bologna in a statement. Lanzoni is a member of a team of astronomers, led by Bologna colleagues Giorgia Zullo an
  
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• NASA's Roman Space Telescope arrives in Florida ahead of SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch this summer

  22-06-2026 22:00 via space.com
  
  The heavy hitters in space telescopes are about to be joined by a new contender.NASA's Nancy Roman Grace Space Telescope arrived at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, on Sunday (June 21), for final tests ahead of launching later this summer. Roman was shipped to KSC from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, riding the agency's Pegasus barge from Baltimore to the Space Coast.KSC is Roman's final stop before launching to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket wher
  
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• 'Project Hail Mary' is streaming now on MGM+, and you can watch for just $0.99 for a limited time

  22-06-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  'Project Hail Mary' has finally landed on a streaming service, though maybe not the one you were expecting.Amazon MGM Studios' "Project Hail Mary" recently launched (June 18) first on the MGM+ streaming platform, which is a sister site to Prime Video, after its 90-day theatrical window was up. As a bonus, there is a summer deal that lets you snag the Amazon Prime Video MGM+ channel for $0.99/month for 2 months. Be quick, though; this offer ends June 26.Watch Project Hail Mary on MGM+ (via Amazon
  
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• Dark energy is still accelerating the expansion of the universe, and astronomers are relieved. 'Thankfully, we have averted this crisis'

  22-06-2026 20:02 via space.com
  
  The expansion of the universe is still accelerating under the influence of dark energy, despite recent claims to the contrary, according to new research. This means that dark energy, the mysterious force that dominates the universe, is not weakening but continues to get stronger, considered something of a "cosmological crisis" as it was so against expectations.In 1998, via the study of cosmic explosions called Type Ia supernovas, astronomers discovered that not only is the universe expanding, bu
  
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• 'Control Resonant' takes inspiration from 'Devil May Cry', 'Neon Genesis Evangelion', and 'Inception' to craft a trippy sci-fi action game

  22-06-2026 19:00 via space.com
  
  You certainly can't accuse Remedy Entertainment of playing it safe and sticking to what they know.2019's Control was a third-person shooter, last year's multiplayer spin-off, FBC: Firebreak, was a first-person shooter, and now this year's direct follow-up, Control Resonant, is a melee-focused action game. Despite the genre flip, though, it's undeniably Control — a freaky sci-fi horror mash-up that's dripping with atmosphere.We played 40 minutes of Control Resonant at Summer Games Fest, and
  
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• 'Let's not fool the public': Why moon art should be more realistic in the Artemis age

  22-06-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  GOLDEN, Colorado — The moon is in need of good and accurate artists! As NASA's Artemis program hits its stride, and in a few years "reboots" our moon with a human presence, there's an urgent need to guard against artistic misrepresentations of the lunar landscape, experts say. We've all seen those alluring lunar renderings of vehicles and astronauts bounding about while setting up equipment and putting in place a moon base.What's wrong with this picture? Missing in this artwork are small c
  
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• Our expert thinks this pocket-friendly drone is brilliant for beginners, and it's $30 off ahead of Amazon Prime Day

  22-06-2026 16:19 via space.com
  
  Prime Day kicks off tomorrow, but there are some excellent deals already out there on some of our favorite gear, such as this DJI Neo drone, which is $30 off. It's easy to transport and, thanks to its sub-250g, you don't have to worry about registering it under the current drone regulations. At well under $200, you really can't go wrong. Get the DJI Neo drone on sale right now at Amazon for $169.In our DJI Neo review, our expert James Abbott awarded it four stars, calling it "incredibly easy to
  
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