Astronomy news

• Celestron Moon Mission 100mm tabletop Dobsonian review

  02-08-2026 11:00 via space.com
  
  The excitement of the new moon mission has potentially helped create a new generation of stargazers, just like the Apollo program did 60 years ago. These new observers will be looking for a beginner’s telescope that is easy to use and which can show them the craters on the moon in particular. The Celestron Moon Mission 100mm Tabletop Dobsonian could be the perfect entry point for them. It has a superb price-point for its aperture, and is capable of bringing not only the moon, but double st
  
  Read more

• Gears of War: E-Day: Release date, platforms & everything else we know about Marcus Fenix's return

  02-08-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  Microsoft and Xbox are currently facing all sorts of troubles (many of their own doing) in the shape of sweeping layoffs, studio cuts, and calls to boycott their products, to name a few. Extremely talented developers (who deserve much better) still put out exciting video games regardless, and with the remake of Halo: Combat Evolved out now, we look to Gears of War: E-Day, the series' first mainline entry since 2019.While there are plenty of upcoming space games worth keeping tabs on, Gears of Wa
  
  Read more

• 06 Aug 2026 (4 days away): Moon at Last Quarter

  02-08-2026 16:03 via in-the-sky.org
  
  The Moon reaches last quarter phase – rising in the east at around midnight and appearing high in the sky by sunrise.
  
  Read more

• On this day in space! Aug. 2, 1971: Apollo 15 makes 1st-ever televised liftoff from the moon

  02-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  On Aug. 2, 1971, a lunar liftoff was televised for the first time. Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin spent three days on the moon before departing in the lunar module, named "Falcon." An RCA TV camera was mounted onto their lunar rover, which Scott parked about 300 feet away with the camera pointed at Falcon. Flight controllers in Mission Control Houston had the option to move the camera, but because of some technical difficulties, they opted to leave the camera pointed in the sam
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Double digits! Air-launched 'Talon A' hypersonic vehicle notches big flight milestone

  02-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  A cutting-edge hypersonic vehicle just hit a big flight milestone.Stratolaunch's reusable, autonomous Talon-A craft now has more than 10 successful flights under its belt, the California-based company announced late last month."Reaching more than 10 successful hypersonic flights with Talon-A is a testament to our team's dedication and the robustness of our technology," Stratolaunch President and CEO Zachary Krevor said in a July 22 statement. "We are transforming hypersonic testing from a rare e
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (8 minutes ago): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 15:54 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (5 hours ago): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 15:54 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (4 hours ago): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 15:54 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• 02 Aug 2026 (39 minutes ago): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 15:54 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (3 hours ago): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 15:54 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (2 hours ago): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 15:54 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (1 hour ago): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 15:54 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (22 minutes away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 15:32 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (54 minutes away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 15:00 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 05 Aug 2026 (3 days away): Mercury at dichotomy

  02-08-2026 14:01 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury reaches half phase in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (1 hour away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 14:01 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• From Hardspace to Clearspace: How space salvage games compare to real debris removal

  02-08-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  While Hardspace: Shipbreaker does an excellent job of capturing the dystopian perils of unchecked hypercapitalism, the real fun in this space game comes from carving up massive capital ships with space lasers and explosives. Floating in zero gravity, players slice derelict spacecraft into salvageable chunks, while also contending with unruly physics, pressure, and profit margins. It's a compelling fantasy: orbital blue-collar labor, where yesterday's spacecraft become tomorrow's raw materials.As
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (2 hours away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 12:58 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (3 hours away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 12:01 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• Rocket issue delays 1st orbital rocket launch from the UK

  02-08-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  German startup Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) just put the brakes on its first launch.While testing its RFA One rocket on the launch pad at the U.K.'s SaxaVord Spaceport on the Shetland Islands in Scotland, the company found "an issue with the vehicle that requires further investigation," RFA wrote on X on Wednesday (July 28). Previously, the launch had been expected to happen in August or September, but RFA did not disclose a new launch date.RFA did not disclose the nature of the issue, but said
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (4 hours away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 10:57 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (5 hours away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 10:20 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (6 hours away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 09:18 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (7 hours away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 08:16 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (8 hours away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 07:12 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (9 hours away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 06:07 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (10 hours away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 05:03 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (11 hours away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 04:09 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (12 hours away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 03:11 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

• 02 Aug 2026 (13 hours away): Mercury at greatest elongation west

  02-08-2026 02:07 via in-the-sky.org
  
  Mercury is bright and well placed in the dawn sky.
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Astronomy on Twitter!