Astronomy news

• 5 planets will light up the September sky — here's how to see them

  01-09-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  Venus, which has been such a prominent object in the western evening twilight sky since the start of spring, is now entering its final full month of visibility.With each passing day, it drops a bit lower in the southwest sky and sets a bit earlier and closer to the vicinity of the sun. By month’s end, making a Venus sighting will be rather difficult as it will be following the sun to below the horizon by only about 30 minutes.During the last week of September, Mercury pops up above the wes
  
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• 'Alien: Isolation 2': Facing a ruthless and evolved Xenomorph in our Gamescom hands-on preview

  03-09-2026 22:00 via space.com
  
  It's hard to downplay excitement for Alien: Isolation 2 after a first menacing teaser and promising early previews. Alien video games are in a good spot right now thanks to bangers like Aliens Dark Descent and Fireteam Elite 2, but nothing has hit quite like Creative Assembly's 2014 survival horror classic. Now, after a thrilling Gamescom hands-on demo, it looks like the studio has nailed it once again, bringing Xenomorph-shaped scares to the next generation. At least that's what its breezy prol
  
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• 2 spacecraft will soon reach Mercury after 8 years in space. Here's what BepiColombo can do

  03-09-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  Mercury, the tiniest and least-explored planet in the inner solar system, is hiding mysteries far larger than itself — and finally, scientists will soon be getting not one but two spacecraft designed to decode the strange world.That's thanks to the BepiColombo mission, a joint project of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) that launched in October 2018. After a harrowing journey through the inner solar system, the mission is tackling a crucial mane
  
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• 'Strange New Worlds'' latest episode is a soap opera spoof, but hasn't 'Star Trek' always been a soap opera in space anyway?

  03-09-2026 19:00 via space.com
  
  "Strange New Worlds"' fourth season has doubled down on the show's long-established penchant for seeking out new genres beyond "Trek"'s traditional frontiers. So far the Enterprise has encountered Martians, hangovers and Muppets, and now its latest mission, "Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass", has made a detour into full-on soap opera territory. Thanks to the meddling of Q junior Trelane (Rhys Darby), the ship's lighting is slightly off, day-to-day operations are punctuated by ad breaks, and
  
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• 'Strange New Worlds'' latest episode is a soap opera spoof, but hasn't 'Star Trek' always been a soap opera in space?

  03-09-2026 19:00 via space.com
  
  "Strange New Worlds"' fourth season has doubled down on the show's long-established penchant for seeking out new genres beyond "Trek"'s traditional frontiers. So far the Enterprise has encountered Martians, hangovers and Muppets, and now its latest mission, "Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass", has made a detour into full-on soap opera territory. Thanks to the meddling of Q junior Trelane (Rhys Darby), the ship's lighting is slightly off, day-to-day operations are punctuated by ad breaks, and
  
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• 'A new mission starting today': 8 years after launch, BepiColombo begins Mercury arrival

  03-09-2026 18:25 via space.com
  
  After nearly eight years traveling through the inner solar system, the trailblazing BepiColombo spacecraft has finally begun its arrival at Mercury.The joint European Space Agency (ESA)-Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission reached a major milestone today (Sep. 3), entering its arrival phase at one of our sun's least-studied planets. BepiColombo's Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), the main power and propulsion system that has ferried a dual stack of planetary probes through space for
  
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• Comet McNaught put on a surprise show this summer: Here's how to spot it before it fades

  03-09-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  Comet 220P/McNaught has already put on an unexpectedly impressive show this summer as two dramatic outbursts of activity caused it to shine 20,000 times brighter than usual. Here's how you can spot the icy interloper before it fades in the coming weeks.Comet 220P/McNaught orbits the sun once every 5.5-years. It reached perihelion — its closest point to the sun — on June 14. Solar heating typically increases cometary activity by causing volatile ices to turn directly into gas, releasi
  
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• On this day in space! Sept. 3, 2006: Europe's SMART-1 spacecraft crashes into the moon in lunar death dive

  03-09-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  On Sept. 3, 2006, a European satellite named SMART-1 crashed into the moon! This wasn't actually as disastrous as it sounds, because the spacecraft did it on purpose.SMART-1 launched in 2003 and was the first European spacecraft to go to the moon. It was also the first mission of a program called Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology, which was a series of low-cost spacecraft that the European Space Agency launched to test new spaceflight technologies.SMART-1's primary objective was
  
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• Mesmerizing plasma loops on the sun | Space photo of the day for Sept. 3, 2026

  03-09-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  Astrophotographer Mark Johnston captured the sun in remarkable detail from his backyard in Arizona. (Image credit: Mark Johnston)A spectacular series of glowing plasma loops arcs above the sun in this remarkable view captured from an astrophotographer's backyard. What is it? This image is a still from a high-resolution timelapse captured by astrophotographer Mark Johnston from Scottsdale, Arizona on Aug. 21, 2026. The footage shows a coronal loop arcade — a series of arching loops of hot p
  
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• Watch India launch its 1st geosynchronous Earth-imaging satellite today

  03-09-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  India plans to notch a spaceflight milestone today (Sept. 3), and you can watch the action live.A GSLV Mark II rocket is scheduled to launch an Earth-imaging satellite toward geosynchronous orbit — something India has never done successfully — from Satish Dhawan Space Centre today at 5:25 p.m. EDT (2:55 a.m. on Sept. 4 India Standard Time).You can watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of the Indian Space Research Organisation, or directly via ISRO. Coverage will start 30 minutes
  
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• Rocket issues delay 1st-ever private mission to Venus: 'We are awaiting Neutron readiness'

  03-09-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  The future of a privately backed robotic mission Venus seems about as cloudy as the planet itself at the moment.Scientists based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working with the California-based company Rocket Lab to search for possible signs of life on Venus. The first step in that program is the Rocket Lab Mission to Venus, which will deploy a small, nose cone-like probe crafted to sample the Venusian atmosphere using a device called an autofluorescence nephelometer (AFN
  
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• Astronomers discover mysterious 10-sided cloud structure at Saturn's south pole

  02-09-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  A mysterious giant 10-sided pattern of clouds has recently formed around Saturn's south pole, a new study finds.This newfound "decagon" joins the bizarre colossal hexagon seen for decades at Saturn's north pole. Saturn's hexagon — a cloud pattern about 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) wide — was first discovered in 1988 by scientists reviewing data from NASA's Voyager flybys of Saturn in 1980 and 1981. Despite decades of observations, no similar structure was seen anywhere else on Sa
  
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• China's private, reusable Pallas-1 rocket aces debut launch (video)

  02-09-2026 22:00 via space.com
  
  Another reusable Chinese rocket has taken to the skies.Pallas-1, a launcher developed by the Beijing-based company Galactic Energy, flew for the first time ever on Monday (Aug. 31), lifting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 10 p.m. EDT (0200 GMT and 10 a.m. Beijing time on Sept. 1).Everything went well on the mission, according to Galactic Energy.Galactic Energy's Pallas-1 rocket launches for the first time ever, on Aug. 31, 2026. (Image credit: CCTV)"The rocket
  
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• This was always the way: 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' is finally on Disney+

  02-09-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  Famed author Thomas Wolfe coined the phrase "You Can’t Go Home Again" with the title of his classic 1940 novel, and while that actually might be true in some cases, "The Mandalorian and Grogu" gets its homecoming as it arrives on Disney+ for fans today, Sept. 2, 2026.Honestly, this is probably where the $166 million "The Mandalorian"spinoff movie should have premiered in the first place, but Disney decided to test the big screen waters with its charismatic clansman and Baby Yoda. Sadly, it
  
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• 2 spacecraft headed to Mercury are about to begin their long-awaited arrival for Europe and Japan — watch it live today

  02-09-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  The BepiColombo mission is finally getting ready to arrive at its exotic destination.BepiColombo launched in October 2018 and took a long, looping and highly circuitous route toward Mercury our solar system's innermost planet. That journey is now nearly over, and the mission is gearing up for arrival.BepiColombo's two science orbiters — one run by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the other by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) — will separate from their power and propul
  
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• 2 spacecraft headed to Mercury are about to begin their long-awaited arrival for Europe and Japan — watch it live on Sept. 3

  02-09-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  The BepiColombo mission is finally getting ready to arrive at its exotic destination.BepiColombo launched in October 2018 and took a long, looping and highly circuitous route toward Mercury our solar system's innermost planet. That journey is now nearly over, and the mission is gearing up for arrival.BepiColombo's two science orbiters — one run by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the other by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) — will separate from their power and propul
  
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• Blue Origin wins $700 million contract to build NASA's next Mars orbiter

  02-09-2026 19:00 via space.com
  
  Blue Origin will build NASA's next Mars orbiter.The agency announced on Tuesday (Sept. 1) that it has selected Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company to develop the $700 million Mars Telecommunications Network (MTN), which is expected to be up and running at the Red Planet by 2030."The award marks a milestone in NASA's strategy to expand communications and navigation services beyond Earth and the moon, establishing the foundation for sustained exploration of Mars in the coming decades," NASA officials
  
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• 'You’re going to feel exposed, vulnerable, and very isolated' — 'Alien Isolation 2' creative director talks upping the scare factor for the sequel (interview)

  02-09-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  Released in 2014, "Alien: Isolation" was a sci-fi horror gaming masterpiece that combined stealth, survival horror mechanics, and cinema's greatest monster to create an underpants-ruiningly terrifying experience. After earning phenomenal reviews, winning awards, and selling millions of copies globally, players were left clamouring for a sequel. Now, 12 years later, it's finally happening. In June 2026, fans got what they’ve been waiting for: their first real glimpse into what Alien: Isolat
  
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• 'Alien Isolation 2' creative director talks upping the scare factor for the sequel (interview)

  02-09-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  Released in 2014, "Alien: Isolation" was a sci-fi horror gaming masterpiece that combined stealth, survival horror mechanics, and cinema's greatest monster to create an underpants-ruiningly terrifying experience. After earning phenomenal reviews, winning awards, and selling millions of copies globally, players were left clamouring for a sequel. Now, 12 years later, it's finally happening. In June 2026, fans got what they’ve been waiting for: their first real glimpse into what Alien: Isolat
  
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• Supermassive black holes 'too big' for the early universe may not be so massive after all

  02-09-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  In the four years that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been making observations of the early universe, it has been delivering one scientific milestone after another. However, the $10 billion telescope has also left astronomers with a massive problem  — literally.The JWST has been routinely spotting supermassive black holes in the early universe that, at hundreds of millions of times the mass of the sun, are too big to have grown to such monstrous sizes before the universe w
  
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• Falcon Heavy brings the heat | Space photo of the day for Sept. 2, 2026

  02-09-2026 16:10 via space.com
  
  Fire spews from the 27 Merlin engines of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket during the launch of NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Aug. 30, 2026. (Image credit: SpaceX)SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket can generate some serious thrust, leading to incredible displays of fireworks as seen in the photo above.What is it?In this photo, the 27 Merlin engines of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket spew fire as they generate the thrust that sent NASA's revolutionary Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to orbit on
  
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• On this day in space! Sept. 2, 2016: Rosetta spacecraft finds long-lost Philae lander on Comet 67P after 2-year search

  02-09-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  On Sept. 2, 2016, the European Space Agency finally located Philae, its long-lost comet lander. Philae was a spacecraft about the size of a washing machine, and it was dropped off at Comet 67P by another spacecraft named Rosetta in November 2014. But when Philae's landing harpoons failed to deploy, it bounced all over the comet before tumbling into a shady place where its solar panels couldn't collect enough light. Philae did transmit some data to Rosetta while using the last of its batteries af
  
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• Scientists may have detected the 1st direct evidence of dark matter

  02-09-2026 15:18 via space.com
  
  In what could be a groundbreaking discovery, scientists report they may have detected the first direct evidence of dark matter. The potential detection came from the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment, in the form of a single suspected interaction between a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP), one of the leading hypothetical particle candidates for dark matter, and an everyday particle.Dark matter has been a headache for scientists because, despite accounting for 85% of the mass in the universe, scien
  
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• A bright space station will soar over the US this week — and it's not the ISS. Here's how to see it

  02-09-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  You may have seen the International Space Station whizzing across the night sky before, but have you ever seen China's Tiangong space station? Three taikonauts are currently orbiting Earth aboard the Tiangong space station — and just days after two of them spent 5.5 hours outside the station repairing a solar array, there are particularly good opportunities to see it from parts of the eastern U.S. over the next week, including several bright, high passes visible from New York City.On a fav
  
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• SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches Starlink satellites to orbit on its 35th flight

  02-09-2026 13:24 via space.com
  
  The Starlink missions keep on coming.A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 27 of the company's internet satellites to orbit this morning (Sept. 2), lifting off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base at 4:42 a.m. EDT (0842 GMT; 1:42 a.m. local California time). It was the 35th flight for this Falcon 9's first stage, which is known as Booster 1063. That's just two shy of the SpaceX reuse record, which was set by B1067 last week.A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from California's Vandenberg Spac
  
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• Don't miss out on VisionQuest — stream the latest Marvel series from anywhere using this Proton VPN deal, now up to $168 off

  02-09-2026 13:00 via space.com
  
  When it comes to the best VPN services, there are plenty to choose from. Our tech-savvy colleagues at TechRadar and T3 have tried and tested the majority of the leading providers, and both these trusted sites awarded Proton VPN an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars. Right now you can save 70% on a 2-year subscription to Proton VPN. TechRadar crowned Proton VPN as its 'best VPN service for privacy,' while T3 praised it as a 'feature-packed all-rounder VPN.' You can choose from 1-month, 1-year, or 2-ye
  
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• The moon might be hiding a history of ancient supernova explosions

  02-09-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  It's now possible to disentangle the sprinkling of supernova dust on the moon from the lunar dirt it is mixed up in, thanks to a new computer model that opens up the moon's surface as a time capsule holding details about the history of supernova explosions near the Earth as our solar system has travelled through space while orbiting the galaxy.When stars explode as a supernova, they shower space with debris, some of which is in the form of radioactive isotopes traveling at high velocity. Some of
  
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• Two astronauts replace ISS camera and docking aid on 6th-ever all-female spacewalk (video)

  01-09-2026 23:02 via space.com
  
  Two astronauts replaced a spacecraft docking aid and a video camera during a successful spacewalk outside of the International Space Station on Tuesday (Sept. 1).NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot got through most of the tasks set out for them even in light of Adenot's spacesuit developing a mobility issue late in the extravehicular activity (EVA), which lasted six hours and 49 minutes.After beginning the spacewalk from the U.S. Quest airlock at 8
  
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• Scientists trace 7 stages of a meteorite's life, from hurtling space rock to Earth's surface

  01-09-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  Studying 75 meteorites falling to Earth, scientists have identified the seven stages a space rock goes through as it crashes through our atmosphere, each of which is determined by different physical processes. The research found that there are more factors than mere evaporation that determine how fragments of asteroids and comets lose mass and speed passing through the atmosphere before slamming into the ground as meteorites. As well as just "burning up" in the atmosphere, space rocks also go th
  
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• Nonprofit wants to launch 80,000-year mission to Alpha Centauri in 2029 (video)

  01-09-2026 22:00 via space.com
  
  The first dedicated mission to another star will launch before the end of the decade, if all goes according to plan.A nonprofit called the Fermi Explorer Mission announced today (Sept. 1) that it plans to send a small probe toward Alpha Centauri by 2029. But none of us will live to see the interstellar spacecraft's historic arrival; its journey is expected to take about 80,000 years."We hope to be both the first to leave and the last to arrive at Alpha Centauri," Philip Johnston, co-founder and
  
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