Astronomy news

• Venus' crust is surprisingly thin. Could this explain why it's so geologically active?

  14-05-2025 23:00 via space.com
  
  A fresh look at Venus' geology suggests that the Venus' crust may be far thinner than once believed.
  
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• 18 Dec 2025 (14 hours away): Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury

  17-12-2025 22:58 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon and Mercury share the same right ascension, at a separation of 6°09'.
  
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• 18 Dec 2025 (15 hours away): Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury

  17-12-2025 22:03 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon and Mercury share the same right ascension, at a separation of 6°09'.
  
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• 10 years into the Disney 'Star Wars' era: Grading the ups and downs of a galaxy far, far away

  17-12-2025 22:00 via space.com
  
  Ten years on from 'The Force Awakens', we look back at what's gone right and what's gone wrong.
  
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• US Senate confirms Jared Isaacman as new NASA administrator

  17-12-2025 21:30 via space.com
  
  More than a year after his initial nomination, the U.S. Senate has voted to confirm billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator.
  
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• Watch Blue Origin launch 1st wheelchair user to space on Dec. 18

  17-12-2025 21:00 via space.com
  
  Aerospace engineer Michi Benthaus will become the first wheelchair user ever to reach space on Thursday (Dec. 18), and you can watch her historic launch atop a Blue Origin rocket live.
  
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• 18 Dec 2025 (16 hours away): Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury

  17-12-2025 20:52 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon and Mercury share the same right ascension, at a separation of 6°09'.
  
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• Watch Rocket Lab launch 4 experimental 'DiskSats' for the US military tonight

  17-12-2025 20:00 via space.com
  
  Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch four "DiskSats" for the U.S. Space Force at midnight on Thursday (Dec. 18), and you can watch the action live.
  
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• 18 Dec 2025 (17 hours away): Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury

  17-12-2025 19:50 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon and Mercury share the same right ascension, at a separation of 6°09'.
  
  Read more

• New Radar Data Chills Prospects of a Subglacial Lake on Mars

  17-12-2025 19:01 via skyandtelescope.org
  There could be liquid water trapped under the southern polar cap of Mars. But new observations suggest otherwise.The post New Radar Data Chills Prospects of a Subglacial Lake on Mars appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
  
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• Camera on NASA Mars probe snaps its 100,000th photo of the Red Planet

  17-12-2025 19:00 via space.com
  
  The HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter just notched a big milestone, snapping its 100,000th photo of the Red Planet.
  
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• 18 Dec 2025 (18 hours away): Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury

  17-12-2025 18:24 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon and Mercury share the same right ascension, at a separation of 6°09'.
  
  Read more

• 10 years later, 'The Force Awakens' stands as the blueprint for a 'Star Wars' that never was

  17-12-2025 18:00 via space.com
  
  Back in December 2015, the Force awakened in Star Wars, but it quickly went back to sleep.
  
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• SpaceX launches Starlink missions in dual-coast spaceflight doubleheader (videos)

  17-12-2025 17:46 via space.com
  
  SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets, each carrying Starlink satellites, from Kennedy Space Cener in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 17, 2025.
  
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• SpaceX launches Starlink missions in dual-coast spaceflight doubleheader

  17-12-2025 17:46 via space.com
  
  SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets, each carrying Starlink satellites, from Kennedy Space Cener in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 17, 2025.
  
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• 18 Dec 2025 (19 hours away): Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury

  17-12-2025 17:45 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon and Mercury share the same right ascension, at a separation of 6°09'.
  
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• Surprise! Saturn's huge moon Titan may not have a buried ocean after all

  17-12-2025 17:01 via space.com
  
  "We're not certain if having widespread liquid pockets instead of a global ocean makes Titan more or less habitable."
  
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• 18 Dec 2025 (20 hours away): Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury

  17-12-2025 16:56 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon and Mercury share the same right ascension, at a separation of 6°09'.
  
  Read more

• Watch interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS make its closest approach to Earth in free livestream on Dec. 18

  17-12-2025 16:00 via space.com
  
  The livestream will begin at 11 p.m. EST Dec. 18 (0400 GMT on Dec. 19), weather permitting.
  
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• Best Fallout gifts to spend your caps on

  17-12-2025 16:00 via space.com
  
  We've rounded up the best Fallout gifts across the wasteland ahead of season two of the hit TV show, available to stream this month.
  
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• 18 Dec 2025 (21 hours away): Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury

  17-12-2025 15:14 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon and Mercury share the same right ascension, at a separation of 6°09'.
  
  Read more

• Crewed Russian spacecraft meets up with ISS | Space photo of the day for Dec. 17, 2025

  17-12-2025 15:00 via space.com
  
  The Soyuz launched on Nov. 27, 2025 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
  
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• 18 Dec 2025 (22 hours away): Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury

  17-12-2025 14:30 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon and Mercury share the same right ascension, at a separation of 6°09'.
  
  Read more

• Experiments on a private space station: Vast asks scientists for research proposals

  17-12-2025 14:00 via space.com
  
  The California startup Vast has opened a call for scientific research aboard its Haven-1 private space station, which is set to launch atop a SpaceX rocket next year.
  
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• 18 Dec 2025 (23 hours away): Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury

  17-12-2025 13:42 via in-the-sky.org
  The Moon and Mercury share the same right ascension, at a separation of 6°09'.
  
  Read more

• Latest Comet 3I/ATLAS news: Closest approach to Earth this week

  17-12-2025 12:58 via space.com
  
  Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025: Your daily feed for the holiday flyby of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS by Earth.
  
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• Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS wasn't supposed to be there — meet the astronomer who discovered it

  17-12-2025 12:00 via space.com
  
  Dr. Larry Denneau of the University of Hawaii is nothing like your typical astronomer.
  
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• 22 Dec 2025 (5 days away): Ursid meteor shower 2025

  17-12-2025 07:18 via in-the-sky.org
  The Ursid meteor shower reaches its peak.
  
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• 17 Dec 2025 (9 minutes ago): The Moon at apogee

  17-12-2025 07:08 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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• 17 Dec 2025 (9 hours ago): The Moon at apogee

  17-12-2025 07:08 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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