Astronomy news

• Scientists discover massive 'thermal anomaly' beneath the surface of Mars

  31-08-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  New research into the interior of Mars further emphasizes that the Red Planet is a world of two very different halves.Deep inside the southern hemisphere of Mars, the temperature is up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit (400 degrees Celsius) warmer than beneath the northern hemisphere, deepening the mystery of the strange dichotomy between the Red Planet's flattened north and craggy southern highlands."Scientists usually assume that the interiors of planetary bodies are generally spherically symmetric, b
  
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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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• The 12 best sci-fi movies of the 2000s

  01-09-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  At the turn of the century, sci-fi evolved to new heights, which fortunately had nothing to do with Y2K (even if previous sci-fi movies might have led us to believe it would). Propelling themselves through the 00s, iconic franchises continued to thrive with both Star Wars and Star Trek continuing their dominion over sci-fi cinema. The decade also saw the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with 2008's Iron Man. The MCU now consists of 38 movies and counting, with many of them sitting fi
  
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• On this day in space! Sept. 1, 1979: NASA's Pioneer 11 probe becomes 1st spacecraft to visit Saturn

  01-09-2026 19:15 via space.com
  
  On Sept. 1, 1979, NASA's robotic space probe Pioneer 11 became the first spacecraft to fly by Saturn. Pioneer 11 launched in 1973 on a mission to explore the asteroid belt, Jupiter and Saturn. It launched directly toward Jupiter, then used Jupiter's gravity to slingshot around the planet, make a sharp turn and start flying toward Saturn. Four years and nine months later, it finally made it to Saturn. During its closest approach, it was about 13,000 miles (2,100 kilometers) above the planet's clo
  
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• Why do black hole flares die out? It may be down to how stars spin

  01-09-2026 19:00 via space.com
  
  Some stars encounter supermassive black holes and live to tell the tale. New research shows why the flares these encounters cause dim over repeated episodes, and it may be down to the way these stars spin and an escaping binary partner that leaves them to be a stellar snack for a black hole.Some stars are unfortunate enough to encounter the supermassive black holes that sit at the heart of every galaxy, being subjected to immense tidal forces that turn them into a strand of stellar spaghetti, a
  
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• NASA's Roman Space Telescope is just one of a few missions named after real-life women

  01-09-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  NASA's next big space telescope is not only meant to unlock some of the mysteries of dark energy. It also is a pioneer in the naming of missions.Scientific American recently said that the observatory, which launched on Aug. 30, is the first ever space telescope ever named after a real-life woman: American astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, who supported development of the iconic Hubble Space Telescope and was NASA's first head of astronomy in the 1960s.The story is very different when it comes to men
  
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• 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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• Repairing the ISS 250 miles above Earth | Space photo of the day for Sept. 1, 2026

  01-09-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot on the outside of the International Space Station during an extravehicular activity on Aug. 25, 2026. (Image credit: ESA/NASA)Repairing an engineering marvel like the International Space Station is no easy feat by itself, but it's even more impressive when it's done 250 miles (400 kilometers) up.What is it?In this photograph, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot works on the exterior of the International Space Station on Aug. 25, 2026. The photo was tak
  
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• 'Orbitals' is a co-op sci-fi adventure that recaptures the magic of Saturday morning cartoons

  01-09-2026 11:00 via space.com
  
  Growing up, the best Saturday morning cartoons were the ones we re-enacted with our friends on the playground. Whether it was screaming at the top of our lungs to go Super Saiyan like in Dragon Ball Z, or sleuthing around the school as Darkwing Duck. In the years since our childhood, we’ve often bonded with both strangers and friends over memories of Saturday morning cartoons, remembering the quaint stories and characters that influenced our lives in surprisingly profound ways.Those storie
  
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• Watch 2 astronauts take 6th-ever all-female spacewalk today

  01-09-2026 06:05 via space.com
  
  Two astronauts will conduct history's sixth all-female spacewalk today (Sept. 1), and you can watch it live.NASA's Jessica Meir and Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency will venture outside the International Space Station (ISS) at around 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT) on an excursion expected to last about 6.5 hours.You can watch it here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA, or directly via the agency. Coverage will start at 7:00 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT).NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and the European Space A
  
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• NASA's doomed Swift space telescope restarts science work after rescue mission fails

  31-08-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is back to studying the universe after spending months in a low-drag configuration while awaiting an orbital rescue mission that ultimately fell short.Mission controllers restarted two of Swift's three science instruments — its X-ray Telescope (XRT) and Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) — on Aug. 26. Both instruments had been shut down in February as part of an effort to minimize atmospheric drag and keep the aging spacecraft in orbit long eno
  
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• 'No guts, no glory': How I captured NASA's Roman Space Telescope cross the sun on a picture-perfect SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch

  31-08-2026 21:48 via space.com
  
  The SpaceX Falcon Heavy carrying NASA's Roman Space Telescope crosses the face o the sun as it launches to space from Pad 39A of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in this photo taken by Space.com's Josh Dinner from a Titusville Hobby Lobby parking lot. Here's how he did it. (Image credit: Space.com / Josh Dinner)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Standing in the parking lot of the Titusville Hobby Lobby was maybe something I should have planned on before traveling to Florida for the launch of NASA's
  
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• What's next for Roman Space Telescope? Here's how NASA's flagship observatory will open up the universe

  31-08-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  NASA's next big space telescope has left Earth, but it's not ready to start observing the heavens just yet.The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched yesterday (Aug. 30), riding a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket into the heavens. Astronomers are very excited about Roman, for it's expected to discover thousands of new exoplanets and shed light on mysterious dark energy and dark matter, among other accomplishments.Such science work is a few months off, however. Here's a brief rundown of the next st
  
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• What's next for NASA's just-launched Roman Space Telescope?

  31-08-2026 18:00 via space.com
  
  NASA's next big space telescope has left Earth, but it's not ready to start observing the heavens just yet.The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched yesterday (Aug. 30), riding a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket into the heavens. Astronomers are very excited about Roman, for it's expected to discover thousands of new exoplanets and shed light on mysterious dark energy and dark matter, among other accomplishments.Such science work is a few months off, however. Here's a brief rundown of the next st
  
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• SpaceX, NASA delay next astronaut launch to ISS due to leak on Dragon spacecraft

  31-08-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  SpaceX's next astronaut mission to the International Space Station won't launch on Sept. 12 after all.That flight, known as Crew-13, has been delayed due to an oxidizer leak in the propulsion system of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, NASA announced on Saturday (Aug. 29). "Joint NASA and SpaceX teams are performing additional tests and data review and will complete any necessary rework prior to launch," NASA officials wrote in an update on Saturday. "A new target date will be announced once available
  
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• On this day in space! Aug. 31, 1965: NASA's ginormous Super Guppy carrier plane takes 1st flight like a flying whale

  31-08-2026 16:42 via space.com
  
  On August 31, 1965, NASA's Super Guppy cargo plane took its first test flight. This oversized aircraft looks a bit like a giant flying whale. It was built by a company called Aero Spacelines and based on the Boeing B-377 Stratocruiser. NASA uses these funny-looking planes to transport large cargo, like spacecraft parts and other smaller aircraft.(See the Super Guppy swallow a T-38 supersonic jet!) At the time, they needed the planes to transport Apollo program rocket stages from California to Fl
  
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• Roman telescope leaves its rocket behind | Space photo of the day for Aug. 31, 2026

  31-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope separates from a SpaceX Falcon Heavy upper stage after launching on Aug. 30, 2026. (Image credit: NASA)NASA caught a breathtaking image of its next-generation Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope deploying into space shortly after launch.What is it?This image was captured just some 31 minutes after the Roman telescope took off atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday (Aug. 30). The photo shows the Nancy Grace Ro
  
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• September full moon 2026: When, where and how to see the Harvest Moon

  31-08-2026 15:00 via space.com
  
  The full moon of September 2026 will occur at 12:49 p.m. EDT (1649 GMT) on Sept. 26 as the moon glows opposite the sun in Earth's sky.September's full moon is often referred to as the Harvest moon — a traditional name for the full moon that falls closest to the September equinox, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.Sadly, the sun, Earth and moon won't line up again to create a spectacular lunar eclipse, as was the case in August. But it'll still present a magnificent treat for stargazers
  
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• Watch Rocket Lab launch Japanese radar satellite to orbit early on Sept. 2

  31-08-2026 06:05 via space.com
  
  Rocket Lab will launch a private Japanese radar satellite to orbit early Wednesday morning (Sept. 2), and you can watch the action live.An Electron vehicle is scheduled to lift off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site on Wednesday during a window that opens at 7:00 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT; 11:00 p.m. local New Zealand time). It's carrying a single Strix satellite for Synspective, a Tokyo-based Earth-imaging company.You can watch it live via Rocket Lab, beginning about 30 minutes before launch. Space.co
  
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• Watch Rocket Lab launch Japanese radar satellite to orbit early on Sept. 1

  31-08-2026 06:05 via space.com
  
  Rocket Lab will launch a private Japanese radar satellite to orbit early Tuesday morning (Sept. 1), and you can watch the action live.An Electron vehicle is scheduled to lift off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site on Tuesday during a window that opens at 7:30 a.m. EDT (1130 GMT; 11:30 p.m. local New Zealand time). It's carrying a single Strix satellite for Synspective, a Tokyo-based Earth-imaging company.You can watch it live via Rocket Lab, beginning about 30 minutes before launch. Space.com wi
  
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• Watch Rocket Lab launch Japanese radar satellite to orbit early Aug. 31

  31-08-2026 06:05 via space.com
  
  Rocket Lab will launch a private Japanese radar satellite to orbit early Monday morning (Aug. 31), and you can watch the action live.An Electron vehicle is scheduled to lift off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site on Monday during a window that opens at 8:00 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT; midnight on Sept. 1 local New Zealand time). It's carrying a single Strix satellite for Synspective, a Tokyo-based Earth-imaging company.You can watch it live via Rocket Lab, beginning about 30 minutes before launch. Space
  
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• Trump calls in to NASA press conference to celebrate launch of Roman Space Telescope, a mission he tried to cancel

  30-08-2026 21:00 via space.com
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —President Trump interrupted a NASA press conference today (Aug. 30) to congratulate the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team on a successful launch. Just a few years ago, however, the president tried to cancel this very mission. In today's briefing, mission leadership was going through the specifics of Roman's successful launch and the science the observatory is expected to deliver when NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman got a phone call. It was the president. The ro
  
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• 'What a glorious dawn launch': Why the Roman Space Telescope's picture-perfect liftoff beyond Earth is such a big deal

  30-08-2026 20:44 via space.com
  
  CAPE CANAVAREL, Fla. — It was a bright and sunny morning here in Florida when the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off planet Earth against a magical blue sky. "What a glorious dawn launch," Jackie Townsend, the Roman Space Telescope's project manager, said during a post-launch press conference on Sunday (Aug. 30). "The ride was magnificent — it put us right where we wanted to be. All of the deployments went great." Roman lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket right on cu
  
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• On this day in space! Aug. 30, 1992: Astronomers discover 1st Kuiper Belt object out beyond Pluto

  30-08-2026 16:51 via space.com
  
  On Aug. 30, 1992, astronomers spotted an object orbiting the sun beyond Pluto for the very first time. It was the first Kuiper Belt object ever detected.Before then, Pluto was believed to be the most distant planetary body of our solar system. No one had seen anything orbiting farther out because these so-called Trans-Neptunian objects were far too faint to detect with the technology they had at the time.With new digital imaging techniques, astronomers were able to spot a new and tiny world orbi
  
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• Liftoff! NASA's Roman Space Telescope soars to the stars on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in spectacular launch (video)

  30-08-2026 14:56 via space.com
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A new era of astronomy is about to begin after NASA's newest flagship observatory leaped from the terrestrial bounds of Earth into the vastness of space this morning.NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched today (Aug. 30) on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center here in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT) at Launch Complex-39A (LC-39A).Roman is NASA's newest orbital observatory designed to add to the wealth of research
  
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• NASA's Roman Space Telescope is ready for launch aboard SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket

  30-08-2026 00:44 via space.com
  
  A new flagship observatory is about to launch to space and join the ranks of its powerful predecessors, like the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. NASA's groundbreaking new Nancy Roman Grace Space Telescope is ready to lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. It's scheduled to depart from Launch Complex-39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, bound for a gravitationally stable spot in space called Lagrange Point 2, or L2, nearly 1 million miles (1.6 million km) from Earth. The
  
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• This Week In Space podcast: Episode 225 — Get a Grip!

  29-08-2026 17:03 via space.com
  
  On Episode 225 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik are joined by Adam Kall of KMI to discuss their work on the ISS, the goals of the company, and how nature — via the humble octopus and gecko lizards — may provide answers for orbital debris mitigation. The mitigation of orbital debris is an increasingly serious problem that has not gotten enough attention, but this is changing. Commercial companies are addressing orbital debris, and one of them, KMI Space, hasflown its ex
  
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• When is the next lunar eclipse?

  29-08-2026 17:00 via space.com
  
  August's "almost Blood Moon" partial lunar eclipse has come and gone, delighting stargazers with a gorgeous natural light show as light filtered by our planet's atmosphere turned it a deep crimson around the point of maximum eclipse.But when is the next lunar eclipse?Earth won't darken the moon again until Feb. 20, 2027, when a penumbral eclipse will cast our planet's soft outer shadow across February's full "Snow Moon", so named for the freezing weather that occurs around the time it rises. Fuj
  
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