Space News & Blog Articles

While many astrophotographers follow the "rule of 500" (or 300), some experimentation can help find the right exposure time for your setup.

No one knows why quasars flicker — but astronomers are using these wavering beacons to "weigh" the black holes that power them.

The Moon waxes from first quarter to gibbous in the evening sky, offering some of its most interesting telescopic aspects. Venus grows more insistent in the western twilight. And Jupiter and especially Saturn pose well in the southeast to south by late evening.

Perseverance came up empty on its first attempt to grab and stow a sample of Mars.

Careful measurements using the OSIRIS-REX spacecraft have refined astronomers’ predictions for how likely it is that this potentially hazardous asteroid will strike Earth.

Learn to star-hop your way to celestial treasures in the August sky.

Red dwarf stars appear to flare preferentially at high latitudes, which might keep their exoplanets habitable instead of hellish.

The recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi just went into outburst — its first burst in 15 years — and it's bright enough to see with the naked eye

Science Editor Camille Carlisle has won the Division of Planetary Science’s Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award for “Rugged Worlds,” the cover story of the May 2020 issue of Sky & Telescope.

The spent rocket booster that deployed the Russian Spektr-R satellite a decade ago is now set to burn up over the Indian Ocean on Monday, August 9th.

It's Perseid meteor week! Venus lights the western twilight. Saturn and Jupiter are up in the southeast by mid-twilight and await your telescope later at night. And explore the deep-sky glories of Sagittarius before moonlight returns.

It’s August and that means the Perseid meteor shower! One of the year’s most beloved celestial events peaks on Wednesday night−Thursday morning, August 11–12.

Astronomers have discovered the two reddest objects in the asteroid belt, and their origin story might tell us more about planet formation.

With no interference from the Moon, this year's Perseid meteor shower should be excellent. Find a dark location and enjoy every flash.

How will engineers plan the trajectory of Comet Interceptor, a mission designed to fly by an interstellar visitor, when its target is still unknown?

Two spacecraft are heading for a close Venus encounter: Solar Orbiter passes by on August 9th and BepiColombo on August 10th.

The Perseids are upon us — and as you're looking out for shooting stars, look for Jupiter and Saturn low in the southeast as soon as night begins to fall.

Mysterious spots that scientists thought were subsurface lakes beneath the Martian south pole may instead be ancient clay deposits.

Saturn is at opposition this week, and Jupiter is soon to follow. Will your scope show the Seeliger effect of Saturn's opposition rings? Venus continues to haunt the low west in twilight. And in the south, Sagittarius starts nudging Scorpius aside.

For many, smoke from wildfires has transformed summer nights, blotting out stars and familiar deep-sky sights. But through it all double stars keep on shining.

In some planetary systems, the direction that a star spins and the direction its planets orbit don’t always line up. A new study explores what we can learn from these nonconformists.