Astronomy news

• 'The End of Oak Street: Could JJ Abrams' new 'Twilight Zone meets Jurassic Park' movie be the sleeper hit of the summer?

  31-07-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  The summer is slowly waning as we soon turn the calendar page to August and back to school supplies are already cluttering store shelves, but Hollywood still has a pocketful of of possible surprises hitting the silver screen. My prediction for "Masters of the Universe" as a summertime sleeper hit did not come to pass, though it was a totally enjoyable nostalgic romp, if not about 20 minutes or so too long.Recent teasers and trailers starring Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway and their suburban fam
  
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• The Milky Way has a hidden feature you've probably never noticed. Here's how to find it

  31-07-2026 22:00 via space.com
  
  If you've not seen the Milky Way this year from the Northern Hemisphere, it's time to make a plan. August's dark sky window opens around Aug. 6, when the moon begins to rise late at night as a waning crescent, meaning dark moonless skies for about 10 nights. That's when to see the Milky Way (and if you can time it for Aug. 12/13's Perseid meteor shower peak, all the better).Five things are required to successfully see the Milky Way:the correct time of year (The brightest part is visible March-Oc
  
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• Our 1st look at 'Blade Runner 2099' shows replicants ruling future Los Angeles: 'It's our time now'

  31-07-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  We've seen things you people wouldn't believe!The script is flipped in Prime Video's upcoming "Blade Runner 2099" series where replicants have rebelled and seized power from human beings in a massive uprising. An arresting new trailer was unleashed during the annual San Diego Comic-Con pop culture pageant and it's an atmospheric return to the futuristic realm of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" universe 80 years later."The old world forever fights to come back," Olwen tells Cora in this interesting
  
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• NASA is sending 2 probes to the moon to test complex 'three-body orbits'

  31-07-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  NASA is planning to send two maneuverable probes to lunar orbit in order to learn how spacecraft are affected by the complex gravitational environment near the moon.The mission, known as CAPSTONE 02, is currently aiming to launch in 2027. It will see the two probes maneuver in close proximity to one another and fly in "formation" so mission operators can better understand the gravitational effects spacecraft experience in cislunar space. This area of space is under the influence of both Earth's
  
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• Watch SpaceX's Starship land at sea in these stunning new videos

  31-07-2026 16:30 via space.com
  
  It was Lucky 13 for SpaceX, as new videos show just how much work came into getting the latest flight of Starship’s upper stage softly down into the ocean.After Starship made its 13th launch on Friday (July 24) from SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas, the upper stage achieved all major milestones: putting 20 next-gen Starlink satellites aloft to watch it go, reigniting a Raptor engine in space, and then the soft splashdown off the coast of Western Australia. While the lower stage of Sta
  
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• On this day in space! July 31, 1971: Apollo 15 astronauts drive on the moon for 1st time

  31-07-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  On July 31, 1971, Apollo 15 astronauts drove on the moon for the first time. David Scott, the commander of Apollo 15, and James Irwin, the lunar module pilot explored the moon for three days by driving around in the Lunar Roving Vehicle. Apollo 15 command module pilot Al Worden remained in orbit around the moon. This moon buggy was folded up and stowed inside the lunar module and deployed after landing. Unpacked, it measured about 10 feet long, 7 feet wide and 45 inches high. The lunar rover cou
  
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• Artemis moonsuits take a dive | Space photo of the day for July 31, 2026

  31-07-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  Exploration geologists and Artemis science officers Trevor Graff, left, and Angela Garcia carry out a lunar training development run at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) in Houston.(Image credit: NASA)Sometimes to go to the moon, you first have to go underwater.NASA is currently developing the training program for NASA's Artemis astronauts, some of whom could set foot on the moon during the agency's planned Artemis IV mission. As part of that development, two agency scientists recently do
  
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• Watching August's 2026 solar eclipse from the UK? Stay safe with the best solar eclipse glasses

  31-07-2026 15:42 via space.com
  
  Looking forward to the 2026 solar eclipse, happening on Aug. 12? I know I am and even though it's not a total solar eclipse here in the UK (the path of totality crosses Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain), we'll still get to watch the moon obscure around 90% of the Sun, a sight that terrified our ancient ancestors.However, you'll need proper eye protection, such as solar eclipse glasses, to watch the eclipse safely. Sunglasses are not sufficient for a solar eclipse; instead, you need eclipse
  
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• The night sky is changing this August — here's which planets to watch

  31-07-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  Venus dominates the evening sky throughout August, but early risers have a special treat too, as Mercury and Jupiter draw together in a beautiful dawn conjunction around mid-month.From our vantage point on Earth, Venus reaches the end of its tether to the sun on the evening of Aug. 15, when it is at greatest elongation 46 degrees to the east of the sun. And yet, paradoxically, instead of appearing high up in the west, Venus is getting noticeably lower to the west-southwest horizon as the month p
  
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• Our favorite space and sci-fi Playmobil sets: From Star Trek playsets to ESA-collaborated models

  31-07-2026 11:00 via space.com
  
  Playmobil is known for crafting imaginative playsets, taking kids (and adults) on big adventures from the comfort of their homes. When it comes to the exploration of space, they've got a lot to offer. Not only has Playmobil created two mega Star Trek sets, releasing the Playmobil USS Enterprise long before LEGO released its own version and the Playmobil Klingon Bird of Prey back in 2023 (both of which we've reviewed and loved), but they've even collaborated with the real-life European Space Agen
  
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