More and more papers are coming out about the upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). As the telescope moves from theory to practice (and physical manifestation), various working groups are discovering, defining, and designing their way to the world’s next major exoplanet observatory. A new paper from researchers at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center adds another layer of analysis - we even just reported on its immediate predecessor two weeks ago. In this one, the researchers compared the ability of the telescope to distinguish between carbon dioxide and methane/water, to come up with a specific wavelength the engineers should design for.
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Blazing ring of fire' eclipse seen from space | Space photo of the day for Feb. 20, 2026
ESA's Proba-2 satellite captured a stunning 'ring of fire' annular solar eclipse from orbit — a view few on Earth could see.
A mini 'planetary parade' is visible tonight. Can you spot them all?
Uranus and Neptune will also be on the scene, too dim to see with the naked eye.
Fujifilm X-M5 review — impressive astro in a small package
Being the lightest and smallest camera in the X-series line-up, I was impressed with how good this little camera was for astrophotography.
Could one of Europe's most important wetlands really vanish? Satellites show it may happen in our lifetime
New satellite imagery reveals that Doñana National Park, one of Europe's most valuable wetlands, is shrinking so rapidly that it could disappear within a human lifetime.
Annular solar eclipse seen from space
Image: Proba-2's view from Earth orbit of an annular solar eclipse
Supermassive serial killers: Astronomers discover how black holes 'kill off' neighboring galaxies
Scientists have discovered that active supermassive black holes don't just kill their home galaxies, but can also eradicate star formation for their neighbors.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 20 – March 1
Three of the five naked-eye planets emerge in the fading afterglow of sunset. The first-quarter Moon Tuesday passes as close to straight up as you may ever see it. And can you try for Sirius B?
Smile sets sail for Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana
Just over a year since Smile arrived in the Netherlands in two parts, the now-complete and thoroughly-tested spacecraft has left for good. With a launch window set for 8 April – 7 May on a Vega-C rocket, the joint European-Chinese mission is almost ready to embark upon its unique space mission.
Earth from Space: Ouarzazate, Morocco
Image: The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over south-central Morocco, near the city of Ouarzazate.
Searching Out Missing Links in Galaxy Evolution
How do galaxies evolve? When did they start forming? Those are questions astronomers and cosmologists are working to answer. The standard evolutionary path includes early bright star-forming activity, a middle age, and then a quiescent old age where they stop making stars. That changes if the galaxy happens to collide with another one, because that spurs new bouts of starbirth. It's been this way since stars and galaxies first began forming, hundreds of millions of years after the Big Bang.
Moon mission fueling test concludes with no major problems
The countdown clock at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site stops at T-29 seconds at the end of the second terminal countdown demonstration, bringing an end to the wet dress rehearsal tanking test on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now
NASA and contractor engineers pumped more than 750,000 gallons of supercold propellants into the agency’s huge Space Launch System rocket Thursday without any signs of hydrogen leaks or any other significant problems in a major step toward launching four astronauts on a flight around the moon as early as March 6.
Why Cosmic ‘Dark Matter’ Is Living On Borrowed Time
The odds of finding any sort of smoking gun for non-baryonic (or exotic) dark matter --- the missing matter of the universe hypothesized to be made up of exotic elementary particles such as WIMPS (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), seems to get longer with each passing year.
Report Blames NASA and Boeing for Botched Starliner Flight Test
Nearly two years after Boeing’s botched Starliner mission to the International Space Station, NASA put the mishap in the same category as the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters — and said the spacecraft wouldn’t carry another crew until dozens of corrective actions are taken.
Independent report sharply criticizes NASA management, Boeing for troubled Starliner flight
A file photo shows Boeing’s Starliner capsule docked to the International Space Station as the two spacecraft fly over northern Africa toward the Nile Delta. Image: NASA
An independent review of the first, and so far only, piloted flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft concluded the test represented a potentially life-threatening “type A” mishap resulting from multiple technical problems and management miscues, NASA officials said Thursday.
SpaceX launches second Falcon 9 rocket to return to a landing in The Bahamas
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to begin the Starlink 10-36 mission on Feb. 19, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now
Update Feb. 19, 9:34 p.m. EST (0234 UTC): SpaceX confirms successful landing on the droneship.
No Supernova Needed. This Star Collapsed Directly Into A Black Hole
Theory shows that stars can collapse directly into black holes without first exploding as supernovae. In fact, this should be a relatively common occurrence. But despite that, astronomers have found scant observational evidence to support it.
The James Webb Space Telescope just mapped auroras on Uranus in 3D for the 1st time, and scientists are thrilled
"This is a crucial step towards characterizing giant planets beyond our solar system."
The Giant Satellites: Biggest Moons in Our Solar System
Our solar system is home to hundreds of moons, but a select few stand out for their sheer size. These largest satellites are not merely rocks in orbit; they are diverse, geologically active worlds that rival the size of some planets.
'We almost did have a really terrible day.' NASA now says Boeing's 1st Starliner astronaut flight was a 'Type A mishap'
"This was a really challenging event in our recent history."
