A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Fore Station on Thursday (April 24), carrying 28 Starlink satellites to orbit.
Space News & Blog Articles
Hubble Telescope snaps stunning portraits of Mars, a celestial moth and more in spectacular 35th anniversary photos
As scientists and space enthusiasts commemorate the Hubble Space Telescope's 35 years in orbit, the mission team joined in by delivering a fresh collection of awe-inspiring images.
We Need a Rapid Asteroid Response Mission
Looking up at the night sky, it’s reasonable to believe that our Solar System is largely empty after all the only things easily visible are the planets. In reality its a cosmic shooting gallery and it’s just a matter of time before an asteroid slams into Earth. A team of scientists propose that space agencies develop a rapid-response flyby reconnaissance mission to reach potential asteroid threats within 2.5 years of detection.
Mars is covered in evidence of ancient lakes, rain and snow — but scientists aren't sure how that's possible
Valleys on Mars suggest the Red Planet was once covered in flowing water — but it's still a mystery how that could have been.
Planning on rewatching 'Revenge of the Sith' for its 20th anniversary? Here's why 'The Clone Wars' finale makes it a better movie
The end of the long-running animated show puts Anakin Skywalker's downfall in a whole new perspective.
World's Largest Solar Telescope Gets the World's Largest Spectro-Polarimeter
Telescopes can have more than one sensor. Those sensors can utilize some of the same infrastructure, like lenses and mirrors, and specialize in collecting different data. A good example of this is the Inouye Solar Telescope (IST). It is the largest solar telescope in the world, with a primary mirror diameter of 4 meters. It also has five separate instruments, four of which are currently in operation. The latest of these to come online is the Visible Tunable Filtergraph (VTF), which just collected its first light according to a press release by the Max Planck Institute for Solar Research, one of the project partners.
Mars orbiter snaps 1st image of Curiosity rover driving on the Red Planet (photo)
A NASA Mars orbiter recently spotted the Curiosity rover driving across the Red Planet's surface, capturing an unprecedented off-Earth action shot.
Half the Stellar Mass in the Universe Formed During Cosmic Noon
About 380,000 years after the Big Bang, the first atoms formed. The first light of what we now see as the cosmic microwave background was released, and the primordial hydrogen and helium grew cold and dark. The cosmos entered a dark age for about 100 million years until the first stars and galaxies started to form. You could say the rise of galaxies marked cosmic morning. But star formation didn't really kick into gear for another 2-3 billion years, during what astronomers call cosmic noon. This period can be difficult to observe, but a new study gives us an unprecedented view of this epoch.
Hubble Space Telescope at 35 | Space photo of the day for April 24, 2025
Thirty-five years ago today, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into Earth orbit.
See a cosmic 'smiley face' in the early morning sky as the moon greets Saturn and Venus tomorrow
Nobody knows it, but the universe has a secret smile, and it uses it only for Earth.
Vera Rubin Could Triple the Number of Known Satellite Galaxies Around the Milky Way
The Milky Way has more than 30 known satellite galaxies. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are the largest and most well-known; other lesser-known ones, like the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy, are also on the list. Astronomers think there are many more small satellites that are difficult to detect but essential in understanding the Milky Way. The Vera Rubin Observatory should help astronomers find many more of them.
Scientists discover super-Earth exoplanets are more common in the universe than we thought
Super-Earths can exist in wider orbits around their parent stars than was previously believed, suggesting these Earth-like exoplanets could be more common than we thought.
China's Shenzhou 20 astronauts arrive at Tiangong space station
The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou 20 mission arrived at the nation's Tiangong space station today (April 24), about 6.5 hours after lifting off.
The 1st 'Predator: Badlands' trailer looks amazing, but it's the 'Alien' universe teases that have us most excited (video)
The first public look at Predator: Badlands has finally arrived, and it's safe to say this new entry is doubling down on the series' sci-fi worldbuilding.
James Webb Space Telescope finds a wild black hole growth spurt in galaxies at 'cosmic noon'
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have peered into galaxies that existed at cosmic noon to hunt ravenously feeding black holes and bursts of starbirth.
Prebiotic Molecules are Forming in Space
We associate complex chemistry with planets or other bodies, where energy and matter interact in dynamic associations. But as science advances, researchers are finding prebiotic chemistry in a wider variety of places, including in space itself. New research shows that some prebiotic chemicals, part of the recipe for life itself, can form in the cold vacuum of space.
Fan-favorite Clone Wars character returns for 'Star Wars Outlaws' DLC in May, plus we're getting a Nintendo Switch 2 port
Despite a rocky start, Ubisoft Massive is nowhere near done with Star Wars Outlaws. Next up, Kay and Nix will meet infamous pirate Hondo Ohnaka.
The World's Largest Telescope is Coming Together
I do love the names of the European Southern Observatory installations. You are familiar I’m sure with the Very Large Telescope but have you heard of the Overwhelmingly Large Telescope? It was intended to house a 100m mirror but never got commissioned due to its complexity. There is however, an Extremely Large Telescope with a 39 metre mirror and its due to be completed in a couple of years. This image was taken on 12 April 2025 by photographer Eduardo Garcés showing its progress.
Could astronauts visit the Hubble Space Telescope again?
Astronauts repaired and upgraded NASA's Hubble Space Telescope over the course of five servicing missions from 1993 to 2009. Could yet another astronaut visit be in the cards?
Catch a Rare Lunar-Planetary Grouping Friday Morning
Occasionally, the Universe seems to literally smile upon us. If skies are clear Friday morning on April 25th, early rising sky watchers may witness a rare scene, as brilliant Venus and fainter Saturn form the ‘eyes’ and a thin crescent Moon nearby completes the ‘grin’ low to the east at dawn.
Climate change is officially the leading threat to imperiled species in the United States
For the first time, scientists have identified climate change as the top driver of human-caused biodiversity loss among species protected under the Endangered Species Act.