Astronomy news

• SpaceX Falcon 9 launches early morning Starlink mission from California (video)

  27-10-2026 12:04 via Latest from Space.com
  
  A new stack of Starlink satellites is now in orbit following an early morning SpaceX launch from California. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 3:25 a.m. EDT (0725 GMT) on Oct. 27, from from Pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The rocket delivered the 27 satellites of Starlink Group 15-16 to low Earth orbit (LEO), and successfully executed its first stage booster landing. The mission's booster, B1082, cut its engines and disengaged from Falcon 9's upper stage approximately 2.5 minutes into fligh
  
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• Astroscale proposes fleet of 'bodyguard' spacecraft to protect satellites from orbital attacks

  27-10-2026 11:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Technologies developed and tested in orbit to remove space junk and fix broken satellites can be speedily repurposed to build fleets of bodyguard spacecraft to protect important satellites from adversary attacks, space clean-up company Astroscale thinks.Astroscale made history with its 2024 up-close in-orbit inspection of a discarded Japanese rocket stage during the pioneering ADRAS-J mission in low Earth orbit (LEO), the region of space below altitudes of 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers). The fir
  
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• Analog astronauts: How living underwater can prepare humans for space missions

  26-10-2026 22:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  I have been dreaming of doing research in space as an astronaut my whole life, but for some reason, the thought of working underwater made menervous. I’ve known for a long time that astronauts train underwater to simulate different scenarios they’re likely to experience in space. Diving was never an issue for me, either — I even made it as far as becoming a certified rescue diver.So what was the problem?This summer, I led a simulated space mission in an underwater habitat called the Jules�
  
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• On this day in space! Oct. 26, 2004: Cassini spacecraft takes 1st-ever closeup photos of Saturn moon Titan

  26-10-2026 20:47 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Oct. 26, 2004, NASA's Cassini spacecraft took the first close-up images of Saturn's largest moon Titan. The Cassini spacecraft would later drop off a probe on Titan named Huygens, which was a European spacecraft that hitched a ride to the Saturn system with the Cassini mission. But before Cassini dropped off its robotic passenger, it flew by Titan a few times and took some amazing photos. Cassini completed its first flyby on July 3, 2004, but when it swung by a second time on Oct. 26, it got
  
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• Darth Vader wields the Infinity Gauntlet in the first-ever official 'Star Wars' & 'Marvel' crossover

  26-10-2026 20:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's non-canon, but come on; Darth Vader wielding the gleaming Infinity Gauntlet is just an excellent visual. This nerd-baiting image comes to us via the main cover of Marvel Comics' upcoming "Star Wars / Marvel: Hope Assembles #1.""Star Wars" celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, as does the first "Star Wars #1" comic, and to kick the intergalactic party off early, Marvel will publish the debut issue of this 6-issue miniseries from writer Kevin Smith ("Clerks," "Chasing A
  
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• NASA ends Swift space telescope mission after failed rescue attempt

  26-10-2026 19:43 via Latest from Space.com
  
  NASA has officially ended the mission of its Swift space telescope, after a private satellite failed in its bold bid to rescue the aging spacecraft.That rescue mission was led by the Arizona company Katalyst Space Technologies, whose LINK spacecraft tried to meet up with Swift this summer to boost its orbit. That didn't work out, however, so Swift continues its fall back toward Earth. The telescope is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere "in the next few weeks," NASA said in a statement on Fri
  
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• 'Donnie Darko' at 25: How a giant rabbit, time loops, and teen angst became a sci-fi cult classic

  26-10-2026 19:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  "Have you ever seen a portal?"The term "cult classic" has been loosely bandied about in cinematic circles until its definition has diluted into nothingness, but never has it been more appropriately applied than to director Richard Kelly’s strange psychological sci-fi thriller, "Donnie Darko", which celebrates its milestone 25th birthday today.Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Patrick Swayze, Jena Malone, and Noah Wyle, "Donnie Darko" was released on O
  
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• Stuck for a Halloween outfit? Set phasers to stunning with the best Star Trek costumes

  26-10-2026 18:35 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Are you a Star Trek fan about to beam down to a Halloween party? Maybe you want to give Trick or Treat a Trekkie twist? We've got you covered with costumes based on the iconic sci-fi franchise, from the original series through to Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Discovery and beyond. Adult costumes aside, we've also included outfits for younger Star Trek fans and props to round out your outfit. You needn't put them away when Halloween is over, either. Star Trek costumes are so universa
  
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• Record breaker! Astronomers spot powerful cosmic explosion that lasted 27 days

  26-10-2026 18:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Astronomers have spotted a remarkable gamma-ray burst (GRB) that's a real Incredible Hulk compared to other cosmic explosions of the same type. What makes this GRB so special is the fact that the central engine powering it remained active for around 27 days, flaring in X-rays following the initial blast. That's 20 days longer than the longest previous GRB on record.This record-breaking burst — which is designated GRB 220706A and was spotted on July 6, 2022 — is even more exciting because sci
  
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• SpaceX ignites giant Super Heavy booster engines ahead of daring Starship launch (video)

  26-10-2026 17:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  SpaceX is shooting for new heights with its upcoming Starship test flight, and the booster tapped for the mission is in its final stretch of preparations before the mission. The Super Heavy booster for Flight Test 15, Booster 22, underwent a static test fire on Sunday (Oct. 25), igniting all of its Raptor 3 engines for about 15 seconds. "Full duration 33-engine static fire for the Super Heavy booster preparing for Flight 15," SpaceX said in a post on X.The test is a beginning of final checks on
  
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• Glowing 'cauldron' of new stars | Space photo of the day for Oct. 26, 2026

  26-10-2026 15:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The James Webb Space Telescope's stunning view of the emission nebula N159 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. (Image credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, E. Sabbi, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb)Acknowledgement: M. H. Özsaraç)The NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope has captured a breathtaking view of a majestic star-forming region shining 161,000 light-years from Earth in a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way known as the Large Magellanic Cloud. What is it?The deep-space image reveals a 230-light-year-wide swathe
  
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• Rubin telescope should find more of Earth's mysterious 'mini-moons' — including some we can study up close

  26-10-2026 13:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Earth almost always has more than one moon. The others are just very small, and they never stay long — but they could provide accessible and unique insights into the solar system.Temporary satellites, or mini-moons, are small asteroids that wander into Earth’s neighborhood and get captured briefly by our planet’s gravity. A typical one stays about nine months and circles Earth roughly three times before escaping back into orbit around the sun, Grigori Fedorets of Finland's University of He
  
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• October full 'Hunter's Moon' dazzles in spectacular photos from around the world

  26-10-2026 12:42 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The full "Hunter's Moon" wowed stargazers with a breathtaking display of natural light when it rose to dominate the autumn sky overnight on Oct. 25-26. Here are our favorite photos captured from around the world.October's full moon is often known as the Hunter's Moon because it traditionally rose around the time that hunters would take to the newly harvested fields to catch animals to prepare as food for the coming winter.Well, in 2026 the Hunter's Moon certainly succeeded in captivating the ima
  
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• 'More missions, more often': NASA is overhauling how it selects science missions

  26-10-2026 11:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  NASA is overhauling how it selects and develops science missions, with changes intended to reduce costs, streamline competition and get missions into space faster.The new approach, called Competition Model 2.0 (CM 2.0), was announced on Oct. 21 in an open letter from Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), to the NASA science community. The changes, directed by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, could significantly reshape how scientists, universities, NAS
  
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• On this day in space! Oct. 25, 1671: Astronomer Giovanni Cassini discovers Iapetus, Saturn's 'yin-yang' moon

  25-10-2026 14:17 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Oct. 25, 1671, the Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini discovered a new moon at Saturn! Iapetus was the second moon anyone had ever found orbiting Saturn, and it was the first of four moons Cassini would discover at the ringed planet.The Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens had discovered Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons, about six years earlier. After Cassini found Iapetus, he also found the moons Rhea, Tethys and Dione.When Cassini first saw Iapetus, the moon looked like a tiny speck on
  
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• October's 'Hunter's Moon' stalks into the autumn sky tonight: Here's what you need to know

  25-10-2026 11:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The October full moon rises tonight! Here's everything you need to know about the "Hunter's Moon," including where to see it, how it got its name and other tricks of the light and mind that could conspire to create a truly spectacular lunar light show.October's moon reaches 100% illumination at 12:12 a.m. EDT (0412 GMT) on Oct. 26, as the lunar disk shines opposite the sun in Earth's sky. The shadowy terminator that separates the day and night side of the moon is conspicuously absent around this
  
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• This Week In Space podcast: Episode 233 — The Artemis Generation

  24-10-2026 17:53 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Episode 233 of This Week In Space, Tariq Malik and guest host Rick Jenet are joined by Dr. Amanda Smith-Hackler, the Director of Education for the Universities Space Research Association and Principal Investigator for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars and STEM Workforce Development Programs, about the new and exciting opportunities available to young people seeking to enter the space workforce. Newspace is hiring! With the major powers heading to the moon, low-Earth orbit beco
  
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• 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' was afraid to say anything in season of gimmicks

  24-10-2026 14:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  It didn’t take long for fans to figure out that the fourth season of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" was going to be unlike any season of "Star Trek" before it. The entire season was one giant gimmick, and that gimmick was shoving "Trek" into as many genres as possible and often directly adapting classic films from those genres. You could argue that an entire season of gimmick episodes is a bold risk: putting the characters in fun, wacky situations to see how they react. It could be interestin
  
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• Medusa's eye, Halloween fireballs and more: 5 skywatching targets to look out for this spooky season

  24-10-2026 12:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The spooky season is officially here! To celebrate, we've put together a list of five Halloween-themed skywatching targets that you can enjoy with nothing but the naked eye or binoculars and, of course, clear skies. Over millennia, the night sky has helped shape human beliefs. In return, we have imprinted our myths, stories and perceptions upon it, seeing monsters and mythology in the twinkling lights of the stars and assigning sinister aspects to innocent cosmic objects.Many of these ghostly im
  
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• SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from California as Falcon 9 cadence slows (video)

  24-10-2026 01:26 via Latest from Space.com
  
  SpaceX launched its newest batch of Starlink broadband internet satellites today (Oct. 23) from the California coast.The spacecraft, Starlink Group 15-15, were stacked 27 high inside the payload fairing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which lifted off from Pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 6:48 p.m. EDT (2248 GMT; 3:48 p.m. local time in California).The rocket's first stage booster, designated B1063, executed its main engine cutoff and stage separation about 2.5 minutes into flight, sending
  
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• SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from California as Falcon 9 cadence slows (photos)

  24-10-2026 01:26 via Latest from Space.com
  
  SpaceX launched its newest batch of Starlink broadband internet satellites today (Oct. 23) from the California coast.The spacecraft, Starlink Group 15-15, were stacked 27 high inside the payload fairing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which lifted off from Pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 6:48 p.m. EDT (2248 GMT; 3:48 p.m. local time in California).The rocket's first stage booster, designated B1063, executed its main engine cutoff and stage separation about 2.5 minutes into flight, sending
  
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• NASA lays out plan for Artemis 3 moon-lander test flight —but when will it launch?

  24-10-2026 00:55 via Latest from Space.com
  
  NASA just gave us our best look yet at its Artemis III moon-lander test flight.The agency laid out a detailed concept of operations for Artemis III today (Oct. 23) during a press conference at Kennedy Space Center, stressing how important the flight is to its moon plans and how challenging it will be to make everything go right."We're launching three of the most powerful rockets in the world, and undertaking what is likely the most complicated launch campaign ever undertaken," Jeremy Parsons, NA
  
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• On this day in space! Oct. 23, 2007: NASA launches Harmony module to ISS on STS-120 space shuttle mission

  23-10-2026 22:47 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On October 23, 2007, the space shuttle Discovery launched the Harmony module to the International Space Station. The Harmony module is a utility hub 14 feet wide and 24 feet long, or about the length of a minibus. It joins the European Space Agency's Columbus module and Japan's Kibo laboratory and serves as the crew quarters for the American astronauts. Once it was installed, the space station grew from about the size of a three-bedroom house to something more like a five-bedroom house. When ast
  
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• Halley's Comet dazzles from afar in spectacular astrophoto of Orionid meteor shower

  23-10-2026 20:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Tim McCollum captured a stunning view of Orionid meteors in the early hours of Oct. 21. (Image credit: Tim McCollum)Astrophotographer Tim McCollum captured a spectacular view of Orionid meteors sharing the night sky with a host of deep sky wonders on Oct. 21, as the annual shooting star display ramped up to peak activity. Comet 1P/Halley may be over 3 billion miles (4.8 kilometers) from Earth, but that didn't stop it from putting on a breathtaking display earlier this week, as particles cast off
  
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• Never finishing the fight: Where did Xbox go wrong with Halo?

  23-10-2026 18:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Halo: Campaign Evolved was Xbox’s second attempt at refreshing the 2001 sci-fi FPS classic, and it is perfectly fine. A cromulent remake, if ever there was one, but it’s hardly a franchise-saver, especially as Xbox looks to rethink its studio structure and approach to renowned IPs like Halo or Gears of War.Halo hasn’t been the same since original developer Bungie — now owned by Sony and working on Destiny and Marathon — departed, leaving 343 Industries (now Halo Studios) to guide the f
  
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• Private Griffin moon lander gets put to the test | Space photo of the day for Oct. 23, 2026

  23-10-2026 16:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The Griffin-1 lunar lander undergoes testing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab.(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)The robotic Griffin lunar lander has passed a host of critical tests ahead of its first-ever moon mission, which is scheduled to launch later this year. What is it? At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, Voyager Technologies' Griffin Mission One (or Griffin-1) lunar lander has gone through an absolute gauntlet of tests. The spacecraft was put through environmental
  
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• 'Stupendously large black holes' aren't a major component of dark matter, study finds

  23-10-2026 14:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Black holes more massive than entire galaxies are not a major component of the mysterious dark matter that's thought to make up most of the matter in the cosmos, a new study finds.For decades, to explain why galaxies do not spin apart at the speeds at which they whirl, scientists have suggested the existence of an unseen substance known as dark matter, whose gravitational pull helps keep galaxies together. Dark matter is thought to make up about five-sixths of all matter in the universe. Much re
  
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• Rocket Lab launches 3 'Hawk' satellites to orbit to gather signals intelligence (video)

  23-10-2026 12:57 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Rocket Lab launched a trio of private signals-intelligence satellites to orbit today (Oct. 23).The mission lifted off aboard an Electron rocket from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand launch site today at 3:11 a.m. EDT (0711 GMT; 8:11 p.m. local time in New Zealand).The Electron carried three "Hawk" satellites for the Virginia-based company HawkEye 360, which explains the name Rocket Lab gave to the mission: "We're Not Hawking Around." Rocket Lab launched a trio of private signals-intelligence satellite
  
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• Rocket Lab launches 3 'Hawk' satellites to orbit to gather signals intelligence

  23-10-2026 12:57 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Rocket Lab launched a trio of private signals-intelligence satellites to orbit today (Oct. 23).The mission lifted off aboard an Electron rocket from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand launch site today at 3:11 a.m. EDT (0711 GMT; 8:11 p.m. local time in New Zealand).The Electron carried three "Hawk" satellites for the Virginia-based company HawkEye 360, which explains the name Rocket Lab gave to the mission: "We're Not Hawking Around." If all goes according to plan, the three Hawks will be deployed into
  
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• Space debris: Are we on track for true sustainability? (op-ed)

  23-10-2026 12:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  David Zamora is the chairman of the Space Data Association. He contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.The commercialization of space is well underway, and as a result, Earth’s orbit is becoming ever more congested. The current number of active satellites in orbit stands at around 16,000, according to the European Space Agency( ESA), and this number is expected to jump close to 60,000 by 2035, Novaspace projects. While it’s not always given the recognition
  
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• Europe's Space Rider vehicle comes crashing down during drop test

  23-10-2026 00:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Europe has dropped the ball on the prototype for its first reusable spacecraft. Or, rather, the prototype itself was dropped — on purpose — but the outcome of its fall was not what engineers had hoped for. The incident occurred during an Oct. 6 drop test of the full-scale Space Rider model, from the European Space Agency (ESA). The robotic vehicle's initial drogue parachute deployed successfully, but its main parafoil detached during deployment, leaving the prototype unable to slow its desce
  
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• On this day in space! Oct. 22, 1992: Ashes of 'Star Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry launch into space on NASA shuttle

  22-10-2026 23:08 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Oct. 22, 1992, the space shuttle Columbia launched into space with the ashes of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of "Star Trek," aboard.During mission STS-52, NASA astronaut and shuttle commander James Wetherbee brought a small container with a portion of Roddenberry's ashes into space as part of his personal effects at the request of Roddenberry's widow, Majel Barrett. It was Roddenberry's lifelong dream to go to space, but he never got to go while he was alive. But thanks to his wife, a little
  
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• After Starshield interruption, Ukraine wants to build its own satellite communication network with ICEYE and Nokia

  22-10-2026 22:28 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Ukraine wants its own satellite-communication system, which shouldn't be surprising given the events of the past week or so.The Ukrainian military just signed a letter of intent with two Finnish companies — the telecom giant Nokia and satellite maker ICEYE — to look into developing a sovereign satellite-communications network for Ukraine."Ukraine needs secure, sovereign and high-performance satellite communications systems that it controls," ICEYE cofounder and CEO Rafal Modrzewski said in a
  
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• The 2027 total solar eclipse will plunge these 10 ancient Egyptian temples and monuments into darkness

  22-10-2026 22:08 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The total solar eclipse on Aug. 2, 2027, has an ancient feel. It will certainly be a celestial event for the ages — at 6 minutes 23 seconds, it will feature the longest totality on land of the 21st century and the longest anywhere until 2114. However, its point of greatest eclipse occurs just a few miles from Thebes, the magnificent religious and political capital of ancient Egypt's Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom.On the east bank of the mighty Nile is Luxor, the great city of the living, with
  
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• Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night' depicts the sky on July 22, 1889, researchers find

  22-10-2026 20:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Researchers thinkthey might have pinpointed the exact night sky that we see depicted in Vincent van Gogh's iconic painting "The Starry Night."Perhaps one of the most famous paintings in modern history, Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" carries a legacy that continues to inspire and mystify generation after generation. But while you might see in its swirls of color and bright spots of starlight a night sky derived purely from imagination, some scientists think it represents an actual view — one tha
  
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• 'Cabin leak suspected': Artemis II astronaut reveals how a warning nearly derailed NASA's epic moon mission

  22-10-2026 18:14 via Latest from Space.com
  
  TENERIFE, CANARY ISLANDS — NASA's Artemis II astronauts were just minutes away from a critical engine burn that would send them toward the moon when an unexpected cabin leak warning threatened to change the course of their historic mission. "If it had happened five minutes later, we may not have been able to have that burn," Artemis II pilot Victor Glover revealed during an Oct. 18 discussion with Canadian former astronaut Chris Hadfield at the Starmus VIII festival here in Tenerife.The incide
  
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• Australia's bizarre 'Spider Crater' seen from orbit | Space photo of the day for Oct. 22, 2026

  22-10-2026 16:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  A satellite image of "Spider Crater" in Western Australia.(Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey)From the dangerous Sydney funnel-web to the common huntsman, Australia is home to its fair share of spiders. It even has a crater shaped like one. What is it?One stretch of the vast Western Australia wilderness is imprinted with a curious crater, which likely formed after a meteor impact hundreds of millions of years ago. G
  
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• Next Mass Effect game cancelled as EA shuts down legendary sci-fi RPG studio BioWare

  22-10-2026 14:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  The writing was on the wall, but the news still hit us like a truck yesterday. BioWare, the iconic RPG studio behind the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series, is no more. Development on the next Mass Effect has stopped, but EA might not be entirely done with the IP. Variety reported, backed by EA’s own statement and BioWare’s goodbye on socials, that EA is laying off 3% of its global workforce and closing down BioWare. The shift comes shortly after the company went fully private this summer, wi
  
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• Watch NASA's update on accelerating Artemis moon plans today

  22-10-2026 12:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  NASA will provide an update about its Artemis moon plans today (Oct. 23), and you can watch it live.The news will come during a press conference at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which starts today at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT). You can watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA."The update will include details about NASA’s Artemis III mission that will send four astronauts to low Earth orbit next year to test critical systems needed for future lunar landings, and how plans to
  
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• NASA giving update about Artemis moon plans on Oct. 23: Watch it live

  22-10-2026 12:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  NASA will provide an update about its Artemis moon plans on Friday (Oct. 23), and you can watch it live.The news will come during a press conference at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which starts Friday at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT). You can watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA."The update will include details about NASA’s Artemis III mission that will send four astronauts to low Earth orbit next year to test critical systems needed for future lunar landings, and how pla
  
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• On this day in space! Oct. 21, 2008: India launches its 1st mission to the moon with Chandrayaan-1

  21-10-2026 23:41 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Oct. 21, 2008, the Indian Space Research Organization launched its first mission to the moon. The mission was named Chandrayaan-1, and it consisted of both an orbiter and an impactor.Chandrayaan-1 launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on an Indian rocket called the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, or PSLV-XL. (Launch occurred at 8:52 p.m. EDT, though it was about 6:22 a.m. local time at the launch site on Oct. 22.)It arrived in lunar orbit about three weeks later and dropped off the Moo
  
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• Sci-fi legend Alan Dean Foster on his new futuristic adventure 'Lost On Paradise': 'It's paradise until you get there, and then maybe you mess it up' (interview)

  21-10-2026 20:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Few names in the science fiction literary world carry as much weight and respect as author Alan Dean Foster. His award-winning 55-year career as a grandmaster of the genre continues with his latest novel from Blackstone Publishing, "Lost on Paradise", and we have an exclusive excerpt to share with our readers ahead of its release this week.Foster famously ghost-wrote the first "Star Wars" novelization for George Lucas in 1976 and "Splinter of the Mind’s Eye" in 1978, which was intended to
  
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• "A great budget lens for astrophotography, the sharpness produced at f/1.8 and f/2.8 is exactly what you want." Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 FE lens review

  21-10-2026 16:30 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Key specsType: Full-frame prime lensFocal length: 16mmMaximum aperture: f/1.8Lens mount: Sony FE, Nikon ZWeight: 19.4 oz (550 g)Dimensions: 3.35 x 4.06-in (85.2 x 103 mm)Filter thread: 77 mmRelease date: May 2023As you know, prime lenses come in a wide range of sizes and focal lengths, and every once in a while, one comes along and seems to grab you by the scruff of your neck. One such lens is the Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 FE, which is an impressive and useful lens for astrophotography thanks to its
  
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• Space botanist conducts plant experiments in orbit | Space photo of the day for Oct. 21, 2026

  21-10-2026 16:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  NASA astronaut Luke Delaney conducts botany experiments on the ISS. (Image credit: NASA/Jessica Watkins)Growing plants in space? Yes indeed! NASA astronauts are conducting botany experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS).What is it?In this snapshot — captured by NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, commander of SpaceX's Crew-13 mission to the ISS — we can see fellow NASA spaceflyer Luke Delaney hard at work aboard the ISS. And while he's orbiting around our planet aboard a
  
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• When will SpaceX and Blue Origin fly to the moon? NASA reveals lunar lander timelines (and an Artemis III update)

  21-10-2026 15:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  NASA has revealed new details about its plans to return astronauts to the surface of the moon, outlining a series of upcoming milestones for SpaceX and Blue Origin as both companies race to ready their lunar landers for the agency's Artemis program. During an Oct. 5 presentation at the Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, Türkiye, Steve Creech, acting manager of NASA's Human Landing System (HLS) Program, laid out development timelines for both spacecraft, with key demonstrations planned
  
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• Orionid meteor shower peaks tonight: Here's the best time to spot shooting stars

  21-10-2026 14:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Don't miss the Orionid meteor shower peak tonight (Oct. 21-22) as tiny shards of Halley's Comet collide with Earth's atmosphere to carve fiery streaks through the Autumn sky! But will the light cast by the waxing gibbous moon spoil the show?The Orionid meteor shower activity peaks when Earth travels through the densest section of the debris trail left by Comet 1P/Halley. The comet is currently racing back towards the sun ahead of its next visit to the inner solar system in 2061. Under perfect da
  
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• Russian satellite plays 'cat-and-mouse' with a commercial US spacecraft likely used by Ukraine. But why the risky close encounter?

  21-10-2026 12:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  A Russian satellite just took a very close look at an American spacecraft in low Earth orbit.A few days ago, the snooping satellite Kosmos 2612 rendezvoused with ICEYE-X36, a commercial craft that observes our planet using synthetic aperture radar (SAR).The close encounter, which occurred between Oct. 15 and Oct. 19, was reported by Marco Langbroek and other satellite trackers, with Langbroek calling it "a worrisome cat-and-mouse game" in orbit. The rendezvous has garnered a lot of attention in
  
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• SpaceX will attempt 1st-ever double Starship rocket catch on next test launch, a 'profound technology milestone,' Elon Musk says

  21-10-2026 00:29 via Latest from Space.com
  
  SpaceX will soon notch a huge spaceflight milestone, if all goes according to plan.The company will try to catch both stages of its Starship megarocket during the vehicle's next test flight, which is targeted for next month, founder and CEO Elon Musk announced during SpaceX's quarter 3 (Q3) earnings call today (Oct. 20).If SpaceX succeeds, this "will be the first time that an orbital launch vehicle has been fully recovered," Musk said. "The only way that we can extend consciousness beyond Earth
  
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• On this day in space! Oct. 20, 1970: The Soviet Union launches last-ever Zond moon mission

  20-10-2026 22:59 via Latest from Space.com
  
  On Oct. 20, 1970, the Soviet Union launched the Zond 8 spacecraft on a mission to the moon. This was the last mission in the Zond program.After the first three Zond missions explored Venus and Mars, the next ones were circumlunar missions that flew around the moon before returning to Earth. Although there was no crew on board, the Zond spacecraft was designed with cosmonauts in mind.The Zond missions served as test flights for the Soviet Union's plans to send cosmonauts to the moon. But those pl
  
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• Can’t make it to the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art for the 'Star Wars' display? This is the companion book set you’re looking for!

  20-10-2026 22:00 via Latest from Space.com
  
  Taschen, purveyors of fine art and design special-edition books, have teamed up with George Lucas and his newly opened Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles to present a masterful two-volume catalog of the museum’s illuminating offerings. Housed in a sturdy slipcase, readers will discover a pair of lavishly illustrated volumes spanning 832 pages and tipping the scales at nearly 14 pounds. At $200 for the pair, it's not cheap, but look on the bright side; hoisting these illustrated tomes
  
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