Just when we thought the sun was taking a bit of a break, the sunspot AR3842 fired off two powerful solar flares, including a monster X7.1.
Space News & Blog Articles
NASA shuts off Voyager 2 science instrument as power dwindles
NASA has turned off one of Voyager 2's science instruments as power conservation becomes crucial for the interstellar exploring spacecraft located 12.8 billion miles from home.
Get Ready for Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS — The Best Is Yet to Come!
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has delighted observers already, but its morning run was only a warm-up — wait till you see what's coming.
ESA’s Hera mission progresses towards launch pending Falcon 9 readiness
An artist’s rendering of the Hera spacecraft alongside the CubeSats, Juventas and Milani. Graphic: ESA
The European Space Agency is on the cusp of launching its first planetary defense mission, a complement to NASA’s 2022 Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. The goal of these missions is to understand how Earth can be protected from a potentially destructive asteroid strike.
October's new moon will bring us a spectacular 'ring of fire' eclipse
October's new moon will occur today (Oct. 2) and create a dazzling annular solar eclipse.
Bernard's Star Has a Planet (Again)!
The thing about exoplanets is that astronomers don’t see them the way most people think they do. Part of the reason for that is the way we announce them. Whenever an interesting exoplanet is discovered, the press release usually has colorful artwork showing oceans, mountains, and clouds. Something visually captivating like the image above. But the reality is that we have only imaged a few exoplanets directly, and even then, they appear only as small fuzzy blobs. Most of the known exoplanets were discovered by the transit method, where the star dims slightly as the planet passes in front of it. So what astronomers actually see is a periodic flickering of starlight.
Did a NASA telescope detect cosmic 'hot dogs' or Dyson spheres?
The potential detection of "Dyson spheres" indicating advanced alien civilizations may actually be supermassive black hole powerful galaxies obscured by dusty shrouds called "hot DOGs."
'I think it was hard not to watch that rocket lift off without thinking, that's my rocket and that's my crew.' How the NASA astronauts bumped from SpaceX's Crew-9 watched their ride launch without them
NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were expected to launch on SpaceX's Crew-9 mission on Sept. 28. Still on Earth, they spoke about how they're feeling.
Uplifting news! ESA crowns new deep space antenna in Australia
This September saw the completion of a critical milestone for the construction of ESA's new deep space communication antenna in New Norcia, Australia: the lifting of the 122-tonne reflector dish.
Annular solar eclipse will turn the sun into a glorious 'ring of fire' today. Here's what you need to know.
Today (Oct. 2), the moon and sun will create a "ring of fire" during an annular solar eclipse. Here's how and when to catch the spectacular phenomenon.
An Earth-like Planet Around a Dead Sun Provides Some Reassurance About the Future of Earth
In about five billion years, our Sun will exit its main sequence phase and transition to its red giant phase. At this point, the Sun will expand and consume the planets of the inner Solar System, including Mercury and Venus. What will become of Earth when this happens has been the subject of debate for many decades. But with the recent explosion in exoplanet discoveries, 5,759 confirmed in 4,305 systems so far, astronomers hope to learn more about how planets fare as their stars near the end of their life cycle.
We Don’t See Many Planets in Old Triple Star Systems
Why is it important to search for exoplanets in triple star systems and how many can we find there? This is what a recent study accepted by Astrophysics & Space Science hopes to address as a pair of researchers from the University of Texas at Arlington investigated the statistical likelihood of triple star systems hosting exoplanets. This study holds the potential to help researchers better understand the formation and evolution of triple star systems and whether they are suitable to find life as we know it.
FAA requires investigation of anomaly on SpaceX's Crew-9 astronaut launch
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is requiring an investigation of the anomaly a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket experienced during the Crew-9 astronaut launch on Sept. 28.
China unveils spacesuit for moonwalking astronauts (video)
China has revealed the design of its moonwalking spacesuit, which the nation hopes to start putting to use on the lunar surface by 2030.
A star-studded Rosette nebula brings gorgeous color to the cosmos
The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros is captured in all its glory, revealing the sites of star formation and the feedback effects of stars that have already coalesced out of the nebula's molecular gases.
Does Betelgeuse Have a Companion Star?
New analysis of Betelgeuse's brightness variations and other data points to a small, close companion for this giant star.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS wows skywatchers around the world and astronauts in space (photos, video)
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is lighting up skies around the world. We take a look at some of the best photos taken from the ground and from space.
How long will the annular solar eclipse on Oct. 2 last?
The "ring of fire" duration depends on where you are watching it from.
James Webb Space Telescope deciphers the origins of Pluto's icy moon Charon
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide at the surface of Pluto's largest moon, Charon, potentially shedding light on its origins.
Some of Uranus' moons might be able to support life. Here's what a mission might reveal
Some of Uranus' moons show signs of having subsurface liquid oceans where life might be possible. A mission to the Uranian moon system could help planetary scientists learn more about the habitability of these worlds.