Astronomy news

• Sky-Watcher SolarQuest mount head review

  08-08-2026 11:00 via space.com
  
  SpecificationsResolution: 2,073,600 counts/rev; 0.625 arc-secondSlewing speeds: 16x and 1200xPayload capacity: 8.8 lbs/4kgDovetail saddle: 45mm Vixen-styleControls: Power button and 8-way sliding switchPower: 8x AA batteries (not supplied)/external 12V DC via adaptor panelMount head weight: 2.9 lbs/1.3kgTotal weight with optional tripod: 8.8 lbs/4.05kgTripod: 31.7-59.8 inches/80.5-152cm adjustable aluminum tripod with accessory tray, bubble level and 3/8-inch screw fittingFinding the sun sounds
  
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• This year's 'Masters of the Universe' movie wasn't Hollywood's first attempt at capturing the power of He-Man; they tried back in 1987, and failed then too

  12-08-2026 23:00 via space.com
  
  For the generation that grew up in the 1980s, the release of the recent big-budget "Masters of the Universe" movie would undoubtedly have conjured up a sense of déjà-vu.Picture the scene. The year is 1987. You've got the action figures and the Castle Grayskull playset, you've watched every episode of the cartoon again and again, and you can recite He-Man's opening credits voiceover by heart. He has the power!Then someone tells you there's a live-action film adaptation coming out. Y
  
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• Total solar eclipse 2026 thrills millions with a stunning cosmic spectacle (photos, video)

  12-08-2026 21:30 via space.com
  
  And just like that, it's over.Total solar eclipses are incredible moments in time, but they are fleeting. As the moon passes directly in front of the sun and its shadow sweeps across Earth's surface, the temperature drops and the light takes on an eerie twilight quality. Birds and other animals go quiet. It's a spectacle unlike any other. And for millions today who were lucky enough to be in the path of totality across Greenland, Iceland and Spain, that's exactly what they experienced. "I cannot
  
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• Total solar eclipse 2026 has begun. Here are the first views of totality

  12-08-2026 20:05 via space.com
  
  The first breathtaking photos of totality for the total solar eclipse 2026 are pouring in, revealing incredible views of the sun's atmosphere radiating out from behind the moon's colossal silhouette.Eclipse chasers have spent the past few hours watching in awe, as the moon transformed the sun into an incandescent crescent in the run up to totality, before swallowing it entirely in the skies over Scoresby Sund, Greenland as seen from the deck of the MS Spitsbergen on the HX Expeditions eclipse vo
  
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• Radiation-shielding vest aced Artemis I lunar test, could protect astronauts on moon and Mars missions

  12-08-2026 20:00 via space.com
  
  A radiation-shielding vest might one day protect astronauts from dangerous, random outbursts from the sun, a new study finds.More than 50 years after the final Apollo mission, NASA's Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon. To succeed, this project must protect astronauts from solar radiation, especially the intense and unpredictable radiation from solar storms. Coating an entire spacecraft with a meaningfully thick layer of radiation shielding remains impractical due to weight constra
  
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• Farthest 'black hole star' ever found could help solve the James Webb Space Telescope's little red dot mystery

  12-08-2026 17:05 via space.com
  
  The most distant 'black hole star' yet found, existing in the universe less than 660 million years after the Big Bang, has provided a vital clue as to the origin of the mysterious "little red dots" that populate the James Webb Space Telescope's images of the early universe.The consensus seems to be that these bizarre objects, which were first discovered in 2022, are growing supermassive black holes entombed within huge clouds of gas that have spectrums similar to cool, red stars, such as red gia
  
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• Green comet caught soaring over Namibia | Space photo of the day for Aug. 12, 2026

  12-08-2026 16:00 via space.com
  
  Comet 220P/McNaught soaring over Namibia on August 8, 2026. (Image credit: Gerald Rhemann and Michael Jäger)What a view. Astrophotographers in Namibia have captured a bright green comet soaring overhead in a spectacular new photograph.What is it?In this incredible new photograph is the comet 220P/McNaught. Discovered by Australian astronomer Robert H. McNaught, the comet orbits our sun once every 5.5 years. Back in June, the comet reached perihelion, or the closest point in its orbit around
  
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• Perseid meteor shower peaks under perfect skies tonight — here's what to expect

  12-08-2026 14:00 via space.com
  
  The Perseid meteor shower, one of the most prolific and impressive meteor showers of the year, peaks tonight! Widely regarded as one of the best meteor showers of the year, the Perseids can produce up to 100 meteors per hour under ideal viewing conditions and weather permitting. This year's display is particularly favorable because the shower peaks on the night of the new moon, leaving skies free from bright moonlight that can wash out fainter meteors. What time should I look?The Perseids can pr
  
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• SpaceX wraps Starlink double header day with the launch of 24 Starlink satellites from California

  12-08-2026 13:48 via space.com
  
  Just over 12 hours after its first liftoff of the day out of Florida's Space Coast, SpaceX has delivered a second batch of Starlink internet satellites to orbit on a rocket lifting off from the company's California launch site. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Aug. 12, at 12:46 p.m. EDT (0346 GMT; 9:46 p.m. local time). The mission, Starlink Group 17-49, carried 24 of the broadband spacecraft to low Earth orbit (LEO) to join SpaceX's growing constellation of more
  
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• A total solar eclipse will darken the sky for millions today! Here's what you need to know

  12-08-2026 08:00 via space.com
  
  Today (Aug. 12), millions of people across Greenland, Iceland and Spain will witness a total solar eclipse as the moon completely covers the sun, turning day into night, albeit briefly. It's Europe's first total solar eclipse since 1999, and with a maximum of 2 minutes, 18 seconds of totality, it will be worth the wait … weather permitting! Even if you're not inside the path of totality, there's still plenty to see. A dramatic partial solar eclipse will be visible across much of Europe, o
  
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• SpaceX could make $500 billion in 2028, Elon Musk says (video)

  12-08-2026 01:42 via space.com
  
  SpaceX isn't a launch company anymore.SpaceX is famous for launching, and landing, its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets and sending astronauts to space aboard its Dragon crew capsule. Recently, however, the company has been transitioning into an artificial intelligence (AI) outfit — and that journey is now mostly complete. "Our AI revenue will exceed all other SpaceX revenue probably in September — like, next month — and will significantly exceed all other SpaceX revenue in in
  
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• SpaceX could make $500 billion in 2028, Elon Musk says

  12-08-2026 01:42 via space.com
  
  SpaceX isn't a launch company anymore.SpaceX is famous for launching, and landing, its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets and sending astronauts to space aboard its Dragon crew capsule. Recently, however, the company has been transitioning into an artificial intelligence (AI) outfit — and that journey is now mostly complete. "Our AI revenue will exceed all other SpaceX revenue probably in September — like, next month — and will significantly exceed all other SpaceX revenue in in
  
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• SpaceX could make $500 billion in 2027, Elon Musk says

  12-08-2026 01:42 via space.com
  
  SpaceX isn't a launch company anymore.SpaceX is famous for launching, and landing, its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets and sending astronauts to space aboard its Dragon crew capsule. Recently, however, the company has been transitioning into an artificial intelligence (AI) outfit — and that journey is now mostly complete. "Our AI revenue will exceed all other SpaceX revenue probably in September — like, next month — and will significantly exceed all other SpaceX revenue in in
  
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• 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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