Space News & Blog Articles

Having survived two recent threats — high-velocity space dust and enhanced solar activity — Gaia is now returning better data than ever.

The development of the VIPER lunar rover has been discontinued.

The latest smartscope astrophotography craze opens the door to some incredible opportunities for both beginners and seasoned observers.

Little-known Norma, a small constellation in the southern sky, contains several stellar and deep-sky delights.

Small galaxies in the early universe might have had centers dominated by dark matter, according to new research.

The parent company of Orion and Meade telescope manufacturers has shut its California offices. Stay tuned for updates.

Some galaxies hailing from the infant universe may already hold vast populations of old stars.

Mercury lurks in the sunset. The July Moon rides low across the sky this week as it waxes from first quarter to full. It occults springlike Spica, then passes summery Antares to hang with the Teapot.

New supercomputer simulations reveal the journey gas takes to enter a galaxy and surround and enter its black hole. That journey holds a few surprises for astronomers.

The motions of individual stars in the core of Omega Centauri, a massive globular cluster, confirm the existence of a black hole at its core.

Dutch astrocartographer Wil Tirion will be remembered as the creator of the most beautiful star maps and atlases of our time.

A long-ago incident forged a connection with Antares, the topaz-colored star at the heart of the Scorpion.

The waxing Moon passes Regulus on its way to occulting Spica July 13th. The Kite of Boötes tilts toward the Dipper. And the largest asteroid is at opposition.

Don't miss Spica's dramatic disappearance at the Moon's dark limb. We also check in on the status of current bright comets.

A new image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope reveals a stunning alignment among the infant stars in the Serpens Nebula.

Grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour. This month offers a chance to watch a dramatic coverup of the bright star Spica by the first-quarter Moon. You can also glimpse Mercury just after sunset — and Saturn very late in the evening.

A group of high school astronomy students helped confirm and characterize a planet slightly smaller than Saturn that closely orbits its star.

Jupiter hangs in Taurus between Aldebaran and the Pleiades.

Astronomers surveyed dozens of neutron stars, homing in on three that challenge most ideas about what these exotic objects are made of.

China’s Chang’e 6 mission has brought back material from the farside of the Moon.

T Coronae Borealis is a nova star that's due to suddenly — and briefly — brighten. Here's how to see this once-in-a-lifetime event.