Astronomy news

• Launch monster: SpaceX has lofted more satellites than everyone else in history, combined

  22-06-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  SpaceX has now launched more satellites than the rest of humanity combined —and the gap will continue to widen over time.
  
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• SpaceX launching its 1st 'Starfall' reentry capsule early on June 23: Watch it live

  23-06-2026 00:00 via space.com
  
  SpaceX's newest spaceflight tech is about to launch to the final frontier for the first time. The company's Starfall capsule is set for its debut mission, following SpaceX's application with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for two reentry vehicle landings. The mission is scheduled to lift off from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday (June 23), during a one-hour launch window that opens at 6:43 a.m. EDT (1043 GMT). You can watch the a
  
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• This ball of stars named Terzan 5 may be one of the Milky Way's original building blocks

  22-06-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  A huge, shining bauble of stars called Terzan 5 could be a clump of our galaxy's central bulge that hasn't been smoothed out into the mix, and has instead survived as a fossil relic leftover from the birth of the Milky Way galaxy."Terzan 5 may provide direct evidence that can help explain how bulges formed in galaxies throughout the universe," said Barbara Lanzoni of the University of Bologna in a statement. Lanzoni is a member of a team of astronomers, led by Bologna colleagues Giorgia Zullo an
  
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• NASA's Roman Space Telescope arrives in Florida ahead of SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch this summer

  22-06-2026 22:00 via space.com
  
  The heavy hitters in space telescopes are about to be joined by a new contender.NASA's Nancy Roman Grace Space Telescope arrived at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, on Sunday (June 21), for final tests ahead of launching later this summer. Roman was shipped to KSC from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, riding the agency's Pegasus barge from Baltimore to the Space Coast.KSC is Roman's final stop before launching to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket wher
  
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• 'Project Hail Mary' is streaming now on MGM+, and you can watch for just $0.99 for a limited time

  22-06-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  'Project Hail Mary' has finally landed on a streaming service, though maybe not the one you were expecting.Amazon MGM Studios' "Project Hail Mary" recently launched (June 18) first on the MGM+ streaming platform, which is a sister site to Prime Video, after its 90-day theatrical window was up. As a bonus, there is a summer deal that lets you snag the Amazon Prime Video MGM+ channel for $0.99/month for 2 months. Be quick, though; this offer ends June 26.Watch Project Hail Mary on MGM+ (via Amazon
  
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• Dark energy is still accelerating the expansion of the universe, and astronomers are relieved. 'Thankfully, we have averted this crisis'

  22-06-2026 20:02 via space.com
  
  The expansion of the universe is still accelerating under the influence of dark energy, despite recent claims to the contrary, according to new research. This means that dark energy, the mysterious force that dominates the universe, is not weakening but continues to get stronger, considered something of a "cosmological crisis" as it was so against expectations.In 1998, via the study of cosmic explosions called Type Ia supernovas, astronomers discovered that not only is the universe expanding, bu
  
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• 'Control Resonant' takes inspiration from 'Devil May Cry', 'Neon Genesis Evangelion', and 'Inception' to craft a trippy sci-fi action game

  22-06-2026 19:00 via space.com
  
  You certainly can't accuse Remedy Entertainment of playing it safe and sticking to what they know.2019's Control was a third-person shooter, last year's multiplayer spin-off, FBC: Firebreak, was a first-person shooter, and now this year's direct follow-up, Control Resonant, is a melee-focused action game. Despite the genre flip, though, it's undeniably Control — a freaky sci-fi horror mash-up that's dripping with atmosphere.We played 40 minutes of Control Resonant at Summer Games Fest, and
  
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• 'Let's not fool the public': Why moon art should be more realistic in the Artemis age

  22-06-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  GOLDEN, Colorado — The moon is in need of good and accurate artists! As NASA's Artemis program hits its stride, and in a few years "reboots" our moon with a human presence, there's an urgent need to guard against artistic misrepresentations of the lunar landscape, experts say. We've all seen those alluring lunar renderings of vehicles and astronauts bounding about while setting up equipment and putting in place a moon base.What's wrong with this picture? Missing in this artwork are small c
  
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• Our expert thinks this pocket-friendly drone is brilliant for beginners, and it's $30 off ahead of Amazon Prime Day

  22-06-2026 16:19 via space.com
  
  Prime Day kicks off tomorrow, but there are some excellent deals already out there on some of our favorite gear, such as this DJI Neo drone, which is $30 off. It's easy to transport and, thanks to its sub-250g, you don't have to worry about registering it under the current drone regulations. At well under $200, you really can't go wrong. Get the DJI Neo drone on sale right now at Amazon for $169.In our DJI Neo review, our expert James Abbott awarded it four stars, calling it "incredibly easy to
  
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• Our sun is destined to 'kick and spit' its way across the solar system when it dies

  22-06-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  Scientists have discovered that dying stars don't go down without a fight, with red giants spitting out blobs of plasma and receiving a corresponding "kick."
  
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• James Webb Space Telescope captures the star-forming clouds of Orion A in stunning detail | Space photo of the day for June 22, 2026

  22-06-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  The Orion A region has never looked as colorful and vibrant.
  
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• Could we actually terraform Mars? Scientists are trying to find out

  22-06-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  Scientists have drawn up a research blueprint for assessing the viability of warming the Red Planet, outlining what it might take to make Mars a place in space where Earth life can thrive.
  
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• SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 24 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from California (video)

  21-06-2026 20:38 via space.com
  
  A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 Starlink satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sunday, June 21, 2026.
  
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• SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 24 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from California

  21-06-2026 20:38 via space.com
  
  A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 Starlink satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sunday, June 21, 2026.
  
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• A mysterious gamma-ray stream comes from the Milky Way's center. Could dark matter have something to do with it?

  21-06-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  New research has failed to rule out self-annihilating dark matter as the source of a hotly debated gamma-ray emission known as the Galactic Center Excess radiating from the heart of the Milky Way.
  
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• Happy Summer Solstice! Today marks the longest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere

  21-06-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  The summer solstice marks the longest day and the start of astronomical summer.
  
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• This Week In Space podcast: Episode 215 — Disclosure Day

  20-06-2026 17:16 via space.com
  
  On Episode 215 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and guest co-host Susan Karlin talk with bestselling sci-fi/sci-fact author Dr. David Brin.
  
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• Supermassive black holes may be surrounded by dark matter clusters, new 'echo map' technique suggests

  20-06-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  A technique called echo mapping suggests supermassive black holes, like that at the heart of the Milky Way, are surrounded by clusters of dark matter.
  
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• Late, great singer-songwriter Elliott Smith finds immortality as an asteroid

  20-06-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  An asteroid has been named after Smith, who died in 2003 at the age of 34.
  
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• Do we need a lunar building code to build moon bases safely?

  20-06-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  As NASA pushes to build a sustained human presence on the moon, one expert says what's needed is a lunar building code.
  
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• A private company will build and launch NASA's next Mars orbiter in 2028 — and it's not SpaceX

  19-06-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  A California-based company will design, build and launch a spacecraft for NASA's Aeolus mission to orbit around Mars, where the probe will be the first to provide daily measurements of the planet's global environment.
  
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• 'This is not like life that we’ve experienced' 'Star City' cast on struggling to relate to the brutality of Soviet existence in Apple TV's For All Mankind' spin-off

  19-06-2026 22:00 via space.com
  
  "I don’t have a relatable thing. This is not like life that we’ve experienced."
  
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• The most unpredictable meteor shower of the year peaks this week. Here's what to expect

  19-06-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  The June Bootids usually produce just a handful of meteors, but this notoriously unpredictable shower has a history of surprise outbursts.
  
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• The most unpredictable meteor shower of the year peaks next week. Here's what to expect

  19-06-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  The June Bootids usually produce just a handful of meteors, but this notoriously unpredictable shower has a history of surprise outbursts.
  
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• 'No one thought it was going to be possible.' A space telescope is falling out of space. This is NASA's daring plan to save it. (video)

  19-06-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  NASA's Swift space observatory is falling out of orbit. Can a commercial company build a spacecraft in nine months to save it?
  
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• 'No one thought it was going to be possible.' A space telescope is falling out of space. This is NASA's daring plan to save it.

  19-06-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  NASA's Swift space observatory is falling out of orbit. Can a commercial company build a spacecraft in nine months to save it?
  
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• Menstruation in space will be studied for 1st time with 'Operation Period'

  19-06-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  Maybe the next Sally Ride won't be asked the "100 tampons" question.
  
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• Annie Easley, a hero of NASA | Space photo of the day for June 19, 2026

  19-06-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  Easley was a human computer for the agency who helped with building the Centaur upper-stage rocket.
  
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• Want to start stargazing? Here's why June is the perfect time for newcomers

  19-06-2026 15:00 via space.com
  
  Short nights and bright stars make the midsummer night sky surprisingly beginner-friendly.
  
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• Juicy new details emerge about an asteroid NASA's Lucy spacecraft flew by last year

  19-06-2026 12:00 via space.com
  
  Evidence of chemical alteration by liquid water has been found on the asteroid Donaldjohanson, which formed further from the sun before being shoved inwards.
  
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