Astronomy news

• Scientists create largest 2D map of the universe with 5.6 trillion pixels and nearly 4 billion cosmic objects

  11-08-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  Astronomers have released the largest two-dimensional map of the universe ever created, offering a sweeping new view of nearly 4 billion celestial objects across roughly three-quarters of the sky.The new map, created by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Legacy Imaging Surveys team, contains a staggering 5.6 trillion pixels and combines more than 263,000 telescope exposures collected over more than a decade. The observations span visible and near-infrared wavelengths, providing an e
  
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• Scientists find 2 million active black holes, exploding stars and more, nearly doubling our view of the high-energy universe

  11-08-2026 22:00 via space.com
  
  Astronomers have nearly doubled the number of known cosmic X-ray sources, offering the most comprehensive public view yet of the universe's hottest and most energetic objects.The second major public data release from the German-led eROSITA X-ray telescope contains a catalog of nearly 2 million X-ray-emitting objects, including supermassive black holes, galaxy clusters, stars and other extreme cosmic phenomena. The unprecedented dataset — called DR2 — will help astronomers investigate
  
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• 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' cast on taking 'bigger leaps' for season 4's 'outside the box' episodes (interview)

  11-08-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  Season 4 of Paramount+'s "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is off to a roaring start with episodes already airing centered around primeval dinosaurs, a haunted starship, and a hedonistic pleasure planet. This week's chapter, titled "A Case of Chiaroscuro", airs on Aug. 13 and takes another bold swing, featuring a wartime film noir-style tale with tense galactic politics at its core.We connected with three of "Strange New Worlds'" brightest stars — Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Rebe
  
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• 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds': Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, & Carol Kane on season 4's big leaps and 'outside the box' episodes

  11-08-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  Season 4 of Paramount+'s "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is off to a roaring start with episodes already airing centered around primeval dinosaurs, a haunted starship, and a hedonistic pleasure planet. This week's chapter, titled "A Case of Chiaroscuro", airs on Aug. 13 and takes another bold swing, featuring a wartime film noir-style tale with tense galactic politics at its core.We connected with three of "Strange New Worlds'" brightest stars — Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Rebe
  
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• 1-billion-year-old Mars meteorite found in Algeria is like nothing we've seen from the Red Planet

  11-08-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  A newly found Mars meteorite is revealing the secrets of a previously hidden time period of Red Planet geological history.The 1.27-billion-year-old space rock, called Northwest Africa (NWA) 13441, was discovered in Algeria in 2019 — but its age was not confirmed until recently. Now scientists say the meteorite helps answer questions about a huge gap in the Martian geologic record: a span of time between 600 million years ago and 2.4 billion years ago. This vast timespan has no known exampl
  
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• SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida (video, photos)

  11-08-2026 18:21 via space.com
  
  SpaceX sent yet another batch of its Starlink internet satellites skyward today (Aug. 11).A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today at 11:58 a.m. EDT (1558 GMT), carrying 29 of the broadband spacecraft toward low Earth orbit (LEO).About 8.5 minutes later, the rocket's first stage made a pinpoint landing in the Atlantic Ocean atop the SpaceX droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas." It was the 18th flight for this particular booster, which is designated B1085
  
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• SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida (photos)

  11-08-2026 18:21 via space.com
  
  SpaceX sent yet another batch of its Starlink internet satellites skyward today (Aug. 11).A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today at 11:58 a.m. EDT (1558 GMT), carrying 29 of the broadband spacecraft toward low Earth orbit (LEO).About 8.5 minutes later, the rocket's first stage made a pinpoint landing in the Atlantic Ocean atop the SpaceX droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas." It was the 18th flight for this particular booster, which is designated B1085
  
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• NASA will chase the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse with balloons and a high-altitude jet

  11-08-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  A total solar eclipse isn't just a spectacular sight to witness for those lucky enough to lie in the path of totality (or travel to it, as many dedicated skywatchers do). It also gives scientists a rare chance to study the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, during the day. As such, NASA plans to take full advantage of the opportunity for the upcoming total solar eclipse happening on Aug 12. The space agency's WB-57 high-altitude research jet will chase the moon's shadow across the globe, which w
  
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• What history can teach us about the future of property rights in space (op-ed)

  11-08-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  Rainer Zitelmann has doctorates in history and sociology. He has authored and edited 32 books that have been translated into 35 languages. He contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.Without property rights in space, one of the most important economic incentives for the commercial development — and ultimately the settlement — of celestial bodies is missing. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits states from claiming sovereignty over celestial bodies
  
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• On this day in space! Aug. 11, 1960: 1st object successfully recovered from orbit

  11-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  On Aug. 11, 1960, part of the Discoverer 13 satellite became the first human-made object to be recovered from Earth's orbit. The United States Department of Defense launched the mission as part of the C.I.A.'s Corona spy satellite program. They wanted to see if they could return a satellite's instrument package to Earth safely and gently enough to retrieve the object intact. The reentry capsule was a big, bowl-shaped hunk of metal that weighed about 120 pounds and contained only an American flag
  
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• Behold the majestic mane of the Lion Nebula | Space photo of the day for August 11, 2026

  11-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  The Lion Nebula glows gloriously in this new snapshot from the James Webb Space Telescope, made using data from the NIRCam and MIRI instruments. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)The Lion Nebula glows gloriously in this new snapshot by the James Webb Space Telescope using data from JWST's MIRI instrument. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)With a glorious mane of glowing purple gas and dust, the Lion Nebula sparkles on the cosmic
  
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• Behold the majestic mane of the Lion Nebula | Space photo of the day for Aug. 11, 2026

  11-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  The Lion Nebula glows gloriously in this new snapshot from the James Webb Space Telescope, made using data from the NIRCam and MIRI instruments. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)The Lion Nebula glows gloriously in this new snapshot by the James Webb Space Telescope using data from JWST's MIRI instrument. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)With a glorious mane of glowing purple gas and dust, the Lion Nebula sparkles on the cosmic
  
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• Aug. 11, 1960: 1st Object Successfully Recovered from Orbit

  11-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  On Aug. 11, 1960, part of the Discoverer 13 satellite became the first human-made object to be recovered from Earth's orbit. The United States Department of Defense launched the mission as part of the C.I.A.'s Corona spy satellite program. They wanted to see if they could return a satellite's instrument package to Earth safely and gently enough to retrieve the object intact. The reentry capsule was a big, bowl-shaped hunk of metal that weighed about 120 pounds and contained only an American flag
  
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• SpaceX wants to put 1 million AI satellites in orbit. What would that do to Earth's climate?

  11-08-2026 15:00 via space.com
  
  Concentrations of dangerous pollutants from rocket launches and satellite reentries in Earth's upper atmosphere might reach treacherous tipping points if constellations of hundreds of thousands of orbiting data centers get deployed in the next decade, experts say.There's no question that Earth has an AI data center problem. By 2030, AI data centers may be responsible for up to 17% of electricity consumption in the U.S., according to a forecast by the Electric Power Research Institute. New fossil
  
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• Will Perseid shooting stars be visible during the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse?

  11-08-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  A spectacular total solar eclipse will coincide with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 12-13. But will you be able to spot shooting stars in the false twilight of totality?Perseids appear as Earth plows through the stream of debris shed by comet Swift-Tuttle. Up to 100 shooting stars may be seen each hour around its peak under ideal dark skies, as particles from the ancient comet collide with our atmosphere at speeds of 133,200 mph (214,365 km/h) to etch a fiery path through the summ
  
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• Watch the total solar eclipse online Aug. 12 with these free livestreams

  11-08-2026 08:00 via space.com
  
  The Aug. 12 total solar eclipse is just one day away! Here's how you can watch the entire show live online from the comfort of your homeMillions of people across Spain, Iceland and Greenland will see the moon completely hide the sun during the climactic phase of totality on Aug. 12. Countless more skywatchers across Europe will witness a deep partial solar eclipse, as the moon's curved silhouette covers a swathe of the sun's surface, while failing to cover it entirely. Thankfully, we live in mod
  
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• 'Launching anywhere, anytime and without compromise': Rocket Lab unveils new 'GHOST' portable spaceport system

  11-08-2026 00:43 via space.com
  
  Rocket Lab plans to start launching even more frequently and flexibly, thanks to a new portable spaceport system called "GHOST."GHOST — short for "Global Hypersonic & Orbital Spaceport Technology" — turns the company's "Electron and HASTE rockets into a launch-anywhere, launch-anytime capability for multi-launch flight campaigns and critical national security missions," Rocket Lab representatives said in a statement today (Aug. 10). "Packaged entirely within standard shipping con
  
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