Astronomy news

• The warmest summer on record: 2026 hit a scorching new high in the US

  14-09-2026 22:00 via space.com
  
  If this summer felt hotter than usual, you're not alone. As it turns out, this past summer was the hottest on record in the United States. This is the hottest that summer in the U.S. has been in at least 132 years. Specifically, the temperatures rose to 3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.67 degrees Celsius) above average, beating out the most recent record set in 2021 of 0.4 degrees F (0.22 degrees C) above average, according to a new report from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). And
  
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• Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS likely formed where its star's light couldn't touch it

  14-09-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  It has now been just over a year since the comet 3I/ATLAS first captured the world's attention as the third known object to fly through our solar system from beyond. Astronomers are still learning new things about where exactly it came from.For the first time ever, they've been able to study charged particles in the tail of the interstellar comet. This has told them that 3I/ATLAS contains more nitrogen than the typical comet from our own solar system — revealing a tantalizing clue about ho
  
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• Vega C rocket launches 2 European Earth-observing satellites to orbit from South America (video)

  14-09-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  Two European Earth-observing spacecraft lifted off from South America tonight (Sept. 14).A Vega C rocket carrying the FLEX and Copernicus-3C satellites launched from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 9:21 p.m. EDT (10:21 p.m. local time in Kourou and 0121 GMT on Sept. 15).Both FLEX and Sentinel-3C were deployed as planned. They were released at an altitude of about 509 miles (820 kilometers), and both were flying freely by 116 minutes after launch.A Vega C rocket launches the FLEX a
  
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• Vega C rocket launches 2 European Earth-observing satellites to orbit from South America

  14-09-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  Two European Earth-observing spacecraft lifted off from South America tonight (Sept. 14).A Vega C rocket carrying the FLEX and Copernicus-3C satellites launched from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 9:21 p.m. EDT (10:21 p.m. local time in Kourou and 0121 GMT on Sept. 15).Both FLEX and Sentinel-3C are scheduled to be deployed at an altitude of about 509 miles (820 kilometers). The two satellites will be flying freely by 116 minutes after launch, if all goes to plan.The Vega C rocket
  
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• 2 European Earth-observing satellites launching to orbit from South America tonight: Watch it live

  14-09-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  Two European Earth-observing spacecraft will lift off from South America tonight (Sept. 14), and you can watch the action live. A Vega C rocket carrying the FLEX and Copernicus-3C satellites is scheduled to launch from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 9:21 p.m. EDT (10:21 p.m. local time in Kourou and 0121 GMT on Sept. 15).You can watch it live here at Space.com courtesy of the European Space Agency, or directly via ESA. Coverage will begin at 8:50 p.m. EDT (0050 GMT).A Vega C rock
  
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• The US government is 'sincere in its efforts to understand UAP', new White House council chair says

  14-09-2026 19:00 via space.com
  
  Whatever they are and from where, UFOs, now known as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena or UAP, are the subject of serious scrutiny at the highest levels of the U.S. government.In June 2026, the White House established a new UAP Science Advisory Council in coordination with the Pentagon's All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the FBIDeep diving into the UAP landscape is Avi Loeb, noted Harvard astrophysicist. He is also director of the Galile
  
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• The original 'Star Wars' is coming to IMAX for the first time ever in 2027

  14-09-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  Unless you’ve been living in a galaxy far, far away, you probably already know that 2027 marks the 50th anniversary of "Star Wars", as George Lucas’s sprawling space opera first struck theaters back on May 25, 1977.To celebrate this milestone occasion, Disney and Lucasfilm are bringing the original Star Wars theatrical release to IMAX screens for the first time. We don't have an exact date yet, but it'll likely be just before the anniversary date in early 2027. "Star Wars: Starfighte
  
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• No cities on the moon — there isn't enough water, scientists say (op-ed)

  14-09-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  The discovery of water at the poles of the moon has inspired speculation about whether we can build there – cities, industrial neighborhoods, places where people work and live. But is there enough water, and can we use it efficiently enough? In their new article in Frontiers in Space Technologies, Dr. Martin Elvis and Dr. Jonathan McDowell do the math. Even at the most generous estimates of the available water and recycling efficiency, a city of one million people would only last 100 years
  
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• On this day in space! Sept. 14, 1966: NASA's Gemini 11 astronauts set altitude record for Earth orbit that went unbroken for 58 years

  14-09-2026 16:55 via space.com
  
  On Sept. 14, 1966, NASA's Gemini 11 mission set an spaceflight altitude record that lasted for nearly six decades when two astronauts reached an orbit of 850 miles above the Earth. It remained the highest altitude ever achieved by a crewed, non-lunar mission until 2024. Gemini 11 command pilot Pete Conrad and pilot Dick Gordon spent three days orbiting the Earth in their cramped Gemini spacecraft. After launch, they performed the first-ever direct-ascent rendezvous with an Agena target vehicle.
  
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• Cygnus the swan lifts up the International Space Station | Space photo of the day for Sept. 14, 2026

  14-09-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  The engines fire on Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft to lift up the International Space Station's orbit.(Image credit: NASA)Everyone needs a helping hand from their friends now and again  — even space stations. Recently, the International Space Station got an orbital boost from the docked Cygnus XL spacecraft, helping the station get to the correct altitude. What is it?On Aug. 27, while attached to the International Space Station's Unity module, Northrop Grumman's Cygnus
  
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• Pre-order the Unistellar Envision AR binoculars and learn about the night sky in real-time

  14-09-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  When had an early preview of the Unistellar Envisions earlier this year, our editor-in-chief Tariq Malik said they felt like something out of Star Trek. I have been very excited about getting my hands on these for a long time and I can't wait to use them to identify stars and constellations in the night sky. You can preorder the Unistellar Envision AR smart binoculars right now, available for $1499 exclusively from Unistellar.Unistellar announced that pre-orders were opening for the highly-antic
  
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• Is there a hidden 'Planet 9' in our solar system?

  14-09-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  For more than a century, astronomers have been captivated by the idea that an undiscovered planet could be lurking in the furthest reaches of our solar system.The search for this elusive, hypothetical planet has taken many forms over the decades. The discovery of Neptune in 1846 demonstrated that an unseen planet might be inferred from its gravitational effects on other worlds. Based on this, the search for a ninth planet began in earnest, seemingly culminating with the discovery of Pluto by ast
  
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• James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble discover 27 puzzling new objects orbiting the sun far beyond Neptune

  14-09-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  The Hubble and James Webb space telescopes have teamed up to target some of the smallest, most distant objects in the solar system, discovering that the history of these tiny objects is more puzzling than we'd realized.The two orbiting observatories collectively discovered 27 new Trans-Neptunian Objects, or TNOs, all less than 25 miles (40 kilometers) across, with the smallest being only 6 miles (10 kilometers) in diameter. As their name suggests, TNOs orbit the sun from far beyond Neptune. Some
  
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