Sending a mission to the Solar Gravitational Lens (SGL) is the most effective way of actually directly imaging a potentially habitable planet, as well as its atmosphere, and even possibly some of its cities. But, the SGL is somewhere around 650-900 AU away, making it almost 4 times farther than even Voyager 1 has traveled - and that’s the farthest anything human has made it so far. It will take Voyager 1 another 130+ years to reach the SGL, so obviously traditional propulsion methods won’t work to get any reasonably sized craft there in any reasonable timeframe. A new paper by an SGL mission’s most vocal proponent, Dr. Slava Turyshev of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, walks through the different types of propulsion methods that might eventually get us there - and it looks like we would have a lot of work to do if we plan to do it anytime soon.
Space News & Blog Articles
Where will the annular solar eclipse be visible on Feb. 17?
The 'ring of fire' eclipse on Feb. 17, 2026, will be witnessed by more penguins than people.
Can Life Begin on a Moon Without a Sun?
Free-Floating Planets, or as they are more commonly known, Rogue Planets, wander interstellar space completely alone. Saying there might be a lot of them is a bit of an understatement. Recent estimates put the number of Rogue Planets at something equivalent to the number of stars in our galaxy. Some of them, undoubtedly, are accompanied by moons - and some of those might even be the size of Earth. A new paper, accepted for publication into the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, and also available in pre-print on arXiv, by David Dahlbüdding of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and his co-authors, describes how some of those rogue exo-moons might even have liquid water on their surfaces.
Could the remains of a 'dead' comet still be in the solar system? Astronomers are still searching 6 years later
The fate of a comet that was predicted to pass close to Earth remains a mystery five years after its dramatic breakup in the inner solar system.
ESA marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2026
Today we join the international community in celebrating Women and Girls in Science. Discover the diversity of female talents working in science and technology around Europe and the words of wisdom that shaped their careers.
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
File: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch the Starlink 7-14 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Image: SpaceX
SpaceX is preparing for its 12th Starlink mission of the year so far with a Falcon 9 rocket launch set for Wednesday morning from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
ULA sets sights on ramping up launch cadence in 2026
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket rolls from the Government Vertical Integration Facility (VIF-G) to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Vulcan will launch the USSF-87 mission for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC). Image: United Launch Alliance
On the cusp of launching its first Vulcan rocket of the year on Thursday, United Launch Alliance leadership announced its goal for 2026 to launch between 18 and 22 times.
NASA's SPHEREx Mission Spots 3I/ATLAS's Bright Envelope
NASA's Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) was built for the ambitious purpose of performing an all-sky survey. The data it collects from more than 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars in the Milky Way over its two-year mission will help scientists explore the origins of the Universe and its evolution over time. But that doesn't mean scientists can't occasionally take a break from investigating the deepest cosmological mysteries to take a peek at an interstellar object (ISO), right?
Life on Earth is lucky: A rare chemical fluke may have made our planet habitable
Life on Earth may exist thanks to an incredible stroke of luck — a chemical sweet spot that most planets miss during their formation but ours managed to hit.
Peering Into the Energetic Turbulence Around Supermassive Black Holes
Most evidence shows that supermassive black holes (SMBH) sit in the center of massive galaxies like ours. Their masses can be extraordinary; many billions of times more massive than the Sun. All that concentrated mass has a powerful effect on their surroundings.
Earth orbit is getting crowded. Can this map of 1 million routes around our planet help prevent satellite collisions?
Could we prevent in-orbit crashes in the future by using advanced computer models?
Saturn's Moons
Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, is famous for its magnificent ring system. However, the planet also possesses a vast and diverse collection of natural satellites, or moons. As of today, Saturn has 146 confirmed moons, including 62 that have been officially named.
10 best places to see the 'blood moon' total lunar eclipse on March 3
From dark-sky parks to remote deserts, these locations offer prime views of the March 3, 2026, blood moon.
Astrophotography Upgrade: Stepping Up to CMOS
Upgrading to the latest cameras may require changing your imaging techniques.
How are gas giant exoplanets born? James Webb Space Telescope provides new clues
Relatedly, astronomers may have just pushed the upper size limit of what counts as a planet.
'Predator: Badlands' decloaks on Hulu & Disney+ this week: Here’s how to watch
Thia and Dek arrive on Hulu/Disney+ just in time for a romantic Valentine's Day weekend.
Oldest Moon Rocks Found on the Farside of the Moon
The 4-billion-year-old Moon rocks brought back from the farside of the Moon challenge ideas about what it was like in the early solar system.
Italy's 2026 Winter Olympic venues from space | Space photo of the day for Feb. 10, 2026
ESA marked the opening of the 2026 Winter Olympics by capturing the venue from low-Earth orbit.
ESA awards contracts for Ramses mission to Apophis
On 10 February 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a contract with OHB Italia for the development of the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). Launching in 2028, Ramses will rendezvous with the asteroid Apophis before its rare close encounter with Earth. The mission will provide unique insight into the physical properties and behaviour of asteroids, and strengthen international collaboration and European capabilities in planetary defence.
Hubble captures light show around rapidly dying star
Image: The Egg Nebula
