SpaceX launches the Starlink 6-88 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 4, 2026. This was the company’s first Starlink mission of the year and the first Falcon 9 launch from the Eastern Range of 2026. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now
Update Jan. 4, 3:38 a.m. EST (0838 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the 29 Starlink satellites.
The discovery of Gravitational Waves (GWs) in 2015 confirmed a prediction made by Einstein's Theory of General Relativity and led to a revolution in astronomy. These waves are produced when massive, compact objects (such as black holes and neutron stars) merge, creating ripples in spacetime that can be detected millions of light-years away. A decade later, researchers from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have proposed how GWs could be used to investigate an enduring cosmological mystery - the existence of Dark Matter.
It's quite a challenge to make an Earth-like world. You need enough mass to hold an atmosphere and generate a good magnetic field, but not so much mass that you hang on to light elements such as hydrogen and helium. You also need to be close enough to your star that you remain comfortably warm, but not so warm that all your water gets baked away. And then you need an abundance of short-lived radioisotopes (SLRs).
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First, instead of moving storms quickly eastward, the sluggish jet stream stalled storm systems in place, causing prolonged downpours and flash flooding.
If nonliving materials can produce rich, organized mixtures of organic molecules, then the traditional signs we use to recognize biology may no longer be enough.
Earth reaches its closest point to the sun in its 2026 orbit on Jan. 3.
The Quadrantids are known for producing bright "fireball" meteors that can outshine the brightest planets
The Milky Way has a long and fascinating history that extends back to the early Universe - ca. 13.61 billion years ago. In that time, it has evolved considerably and merged with other galaxies to become the galaxy we see today. In a recent study, a team of Canadian astronomers has created the most detailed reconstruction of how the Milky Way evolved from its earliest phases to its current phase. Using data provided by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the team examined 877 galaxies whose masses and properties closely match what astronomers expect the Milky Way looked like over time ("Milky Way twins").
2026 is a special year for creator Gene Roddenberry's iconic "Wagon Train To The Stars" sci-fi franchise as it celebrates its 60th anniversary seeking out new life and new civilizations!
The Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation Flight Model 3 spacecraft is pictured prior to being encapsulated within a pair of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 payload fairings. Image: SpaceX
SpaceX is ringing in the new year with a Falcon 9 rocket launch slated for Friday evening from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
A VPN, or virtual private network, is great for online safety and accessing content while travelling. It's worth getting, but why? Scroll down to find out.
SpaceX will launch the first mission of 2026 tonight (Jan. 2), and you can watch the action live.
SpaceX will soon lower the orbits of about 4,400 Starlink satellites, to decrease the threat they pose to other spacecraft and reduce space traffic overall.
Entertainment is the final frontier, as you experience everything from Starfleet to the Green Lantern Corps and Godzilla in 2026.
It's happening. We are going.
Auroras may be visible from Alaska to Illinois as an incoming coronal mass ejection could disrupt Earth's magnetic field and trigger geomagnetic storm conditions.
Don't miss January's Wolf Moon rise over the eastern horizon tonight, as the first full moon of 2026.
The Sun is not only our closest stellar neighbor, it's also the star we understand the most. As we've observed it over the centuries, we've learned that the Sun is not an immortal constant. It goes through active and quiet cycles, it has become warmer over geologic time scales, and it occasionally batters the Earth with solar flares. We've generally thought that other main sequence stars behave in much the same way, but when it comes to solar flares, that isn't always true.
Astronomers have detected a "free floating" rogue planet the size of Saturn drifting through the Milky Way some 10,000 light-years from Earth.
An elusive meteor shower kicks off the skywatching year for 2026.
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