Astronomy news

• Massive supernova explosion may have created a binary black hole

  14-01-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  "Our study provides a new direction to understand the whole evolutionary history of massive stars toward the formation of black hole binaries."
  
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• 17 Jan 2026 (23 hours away): The Moon at perihelion

  17-01-2026 00:51 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
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• NASA says its Crew-11 astronauts have arrived in Houston after 1st-ever medical evacuation from space station

  17-01-2026 00:13 via space.com
  
  The four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-11 mission made it to Houston today (Jan. 16), just a day after their unprecedented medical evacuation from the International Space Station.
  
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• Watch NASA roll huge Artemis 2 moon rocket out to the launch pad on Jan. 17

  17-01-2026 00:00 via space.com
  
  NASA will roll its Artemis 2 moon rocket out to the launch pad on Saturday (Jan. 17), and you can watch the slow-moving action live.
  
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• Congress passes $24.4 billion NASA budget, rejecting Trump's deep cuts

  16-01-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  Congress just approved a $24.4 billion budget for NASA for this year, rejecting the deep cuts that President Trump had proposed last spring.
  
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• Astronomers searching for alien life are sharpening our cosmic clocks. Here's why

  16-01-2026 22:00 via space.com
  
  Tiny delays in pulsar signals measured by SETI scientists could aid the search for gravitational waves and extraterrestrial life.
  
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• NASA hopes to launch Artemis 2 astronauts to the moon next month, but it's going to be tight: 'This is not a rush'

  16-01-2026 21:30 via space.com
  
  NASA hopes to launch its crewed Artemis 2 moon mission in early February, but everything will have to go right to hit that ambitious target.
  
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• Meet the trio of intrepid cadets boldly joining Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (interview)

  16-01-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  'I think walking onto the bridge and sitting on the captain's chair blew my mind.'
  
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• Meet a trio of intrepid cadets boldly joining 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' (interview)

  16-01-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  'I think walking onto the bridge and sitting on the captain's chair blew my mind.'
  
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• Watch SpaceX launch new batch of US spy satellites tonight

  16-01-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  SpaceX will launch its first national security mission of the year tonight (Jan. 16), and you can watch the action live.
  
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• Watch SpaceX Crew-11 spacecraft blaze a fiery trail through the sky during medical evacuation from ISS (video)

  16-01-2026 19:00 via space.com
  
  Four ISS crewmembers were brought home a month early due to an undisclosed but non-emergency "medical concern".
  
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• Artemis 2 rocket rollout latest news: NASA ready to move giant moon rocket

  16-01-2026 17:36 via space.com
  
  Friday, Jan. 16, 2026: See our latest news and updates on NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket rollout to the launch pad.
  
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• Bundle up and look up: 5 winter sky wonders every stargazer should look out for

  16-01-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  From Orion's glowing nebula to the sparkling Pleiades, these winter targets reward anyone willing to brave the cold.
  
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• Jupiter has more oxygen than the sun, new simulations reveal

  16-01-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  Jupiter harbors more oxygen than the sun, a new study finds, giving astronomers a crucial clue about how our solar system's planets formed.
  
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• Hubble Telescope sees baby stars hard at work | Space photo of the day for Jan. 16, 2025

  16-01-2026 15:00 via space.com
  
  Ba-by stars, doo doo doo doo doo doo.
  
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• After a month of no answer, NASA will try hailing its silent MAVEN Mars orbiter today

  16-01-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  MAVEN was built to last in orbit until 2030 — that's not looking likely anymore.
  
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• Say goodbye to Comet 3I/ATLAS! Watch it head for interstellar space in real-time with this free livestream today

  16-01-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  3I/ATLAS is heading away from the sun on an escape trajectory from our solar system.
  
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• This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 16 – 25

  16-01-2026 11:05 via skyandtelescope.org
  This winter the biggest planet is the brightest. The brightest star pins the Winter Triangle. And did you know Capella and Rigel march in step?
  The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 16 – 25 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
  
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• 20 Jan 2026 (4 days away): The cluster NGC 2516 is well placed

  16-01-2026 01:22 via in-the-sky.org
  The open star cluster NGC 2516 (mag 3.8) in Volans culminates at around midnight local time.
  
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• 20 Jan 2026 (4 days away): Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) passes perihelion

  16-01-2026 01:22 via in-the-sky.org
  Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) makes its closest approach to the Sun.
  
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• 19 Jan 2026 (3 days away): γ-Ursae Minorid meteor shower 2026

  16-01-2026 01:22 via in-the-sky.org
  The γ-Ursae Minorid meteor shower reaches its peak.
  
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• 18 Jan 2026 (2 days away): New Moon

  16-01-2026 01:22 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon disappears into the Sun's glare for a few days.
  
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• 17 Jan 2026 (Tomorrow): The Moon at perihelion

  16-01-2026 01:22 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon passes its closest point to the Sun, a monthly occurrence around the time of new moon.
  
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• 17 Jan 2026 (Tomorrow): The cluster NGC 2451 is well placed

  16-01-2026 01:22 via in-the-sky.org
  The open star cluster NGC 2451 (mag 2.8) in Puppis culminates at around midnight local time.
  
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• Beneath the ice: Satellites help map Antarctica's subglacial surface like never before

  16-01-2026 00:00 via space.com
  
  Antarctica's subglacial bedrock was previously one of the least-mapped planetary surfaces in our solar system.
  
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• This SETI program is chasing down its final 100 signals. Could one of them be from aliens?

  15-01-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  SETI@home has been one of the largest citizen science projects ever, with millions of users around the world.
  
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• Every 'Avengers: Doomsday' teaser trailer revealed so far

  15-01-2026 22:00 via space.com
  
  It's apparently never too early to start the MCU hype machine rolling!
  
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• Cyberthieves hit European Space Agency, stealing hundreds of gigabytes of data

  15-01-2026 21:03 via space.com
  
  A recent string of cyberattacks against the European Space Agency is just the tip of the iceberg, a researcher said, claiming that email credentials of ESA employees are regularly leaked online.
  
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• Giraffe in space? Eerie dark nebula takes on an uncanny shape (photo)

  15-01-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  The shadow nebula LDN 1245 is located in the constellation Cassiopeia.
  
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• How Mars 'punches above its weight' to influence Earth's climate

  15-01-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  "Without Mars, Earth's orbit would be missing major climate cycles. What would humans and other animals even look like if Mars weren't there?"
  
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