Astronomy Magazine
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News•Feb 17, 2026
Feb. 17, 1959: Vanguard 2 Launches
On February 17, 1959 the United States launched Vanguard 2, the world’s first satellite expressly built for meteorological observation. The 10‑kilogram sphere carried two photocells intended to map global cloud cover as it circled the Earth. Although the spacecraft achieved orbit, residual propellant caused a wobble that corrupted its data, rendering the cloud‑measurement mission ineffective. Vanguard 2 remains in space and is projected to stay aloft for roughly two centuries.
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 16, 2026
Firefly Returns to Flight with ‘Stairway to Seven’
Firefly Aerospace is set to launch the seventh flight of its Alpha small‑lift rocket, dubbed “Stairway to Seven,” on Feb 20 from Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 2 West. The mission marks the final flight of the Block 1 configuration and will test Block 2 avionics...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 16, 2026
The Sky Today on Monday, February 16: Catch Comet Wierzchoś in Twilight
Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś) has brightened to roughly 7th magnitude and is visible in the Northern Hemisphere after sunset on February 16. Observers can spot it about 30 minutes post‑sunset, low in the southwestern sky at roughly 10° altitude, near the 4th‑magnitude...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 14, 2026
Feb. 14, 1980: SolarMax Launches
On February 14, 1980 the Solar Maximum Mission (SolarMax) lifted off from Cape Canaveral to study solar flares, the solar constant, and the Sun’s atmosphere in X‑ray, gamma‑ray, and ultraviolet wavelengths. Early in its flight the spacecraft suffered a coronagraph electronics glitch...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 13, 2026
Rocket Storms Are Stripping Mars of Its Water
A 2023 "rocket dust storm" in Mars' northern summer lifted water vapor to about 60 km, triggering a hydrogen escape flux of 5 × 10⁸ cm⁻² s⁻¹—roughly 50 times the seasonal baseline. Instruments on the Trace Gas Orbiter and the UAE Hope probe recorded 70 ppm...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 13, 2026
Top 10 Space Stories of 2025
The 2025 roundup of space headlines highlighted a volatile commercial launch market, lingering federal budget uncertainty, and two landmark scientific milestones. Private providers experienced both record‑breaking crewed flights and costly setbacks, while Congress debated the next round of NASA and...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 10, 2026
Blue Origin Pauses New Shepard, Shoots for the Moon
Blue Origin announced it will pause New Shepard suborbital flights for at least two years to reallocate resources toward its lunar ambitions. The company is advancing the New Glenn heavy‑lift rocket and the $3.4 billion Blue Moon lander, slated for NASA’s...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 9, 2026
Why Does the Travel Time From Earth to Mars Vary?
Travel time between Earth and Mars is not fixed; it depends on the planets’ relative positions and the orbital path chosen. A Hohmann transfer orbit, the most fuel‑efficient trajectory, typically yields a seven‑to‑nine‑month cruise. Because Earth and Mars align favorably...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 7, 2026
Feb. 7, 1984: First Untethered Spacewalk
On February 7, 1984, astronaut Bruce McCandless II performed the first untethered spacewalk, drifting away from the Space Shuttle Challenger using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). He reached a maximum distance of 320 feet (98 meters) and stayed outside for 1 hour 22 minutes, testing the nitrogen‑propelled...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 6, 2026
Michael’s Miscellany: 10 More Cool Things About the Sun
Michael Bakich adds ten fresh solar facts, highlighting the Sun’s differential rotation, elemental makeup, magnetic polarity reversal, historic Carrington flare, and expansive corona. The piece quantifies rotation periods (25.6 days at the equator, 33.5 days at the poles) and details...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 6, 2026
Feb. 6, 1971: Teeing Off on the Moon
On Apollo 14 in February 1971, astronaut‑commander Alan Shepard turned a lunar sampling tool into a makeshift 6‑iron and took two historic golf swings on the Moon. The first ball vanished into a crater, while the second was lofted far enough for...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 5, 2026
Feb 5, 2002: RHESSI Launches
On February 5, 2002, NASA launched the High‑Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), a Small Explorer mission dedicated to capturing high‑energy solar phenomena. RHESSI delivered the first X‑ray and gamma‑ray images of solar flares using its imaging spectrometer, and routinely coordinated observations with...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 4, 2026
Feb. 4, 1906: The Birth of Clyde Tombaugh
Clyde Tombaugh was born on February 4, 1906, on farms in Illinois and Kansas and taught himself astronomy and optics despite lacking a college education. Using a homemade 9‑inch reflector built from farm machinery, he sent detailed planetary drawings to Lowell Observatory,...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 4, 2026
Departure Delay
NASA announced that the Artemis 2 crewed lunar flyby will not launch before March, after the mission’s first wet‑dress rehearsal revealed multiple technical issues. The delay pushes back the departure from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, originally slated for early...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 3, 2026
Feb. 3, 1966: Luna 9 Successfully Lands
On February 3, 1966 the Soviet Luna 9 probe achieved the first soft landing on the Moon after a series of failed attempts. The 100‑kg lander descended from orbit, firing retrorockets at 75 km altitude and touching down in the Oceanus Procellarum. Its petal‑opened capsule...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Feb 1, 2026
February 2026: What’s in the Sky This Month? Jupiter Continues to Dominate the Night; Mercury, Venus, and Saturn Are Visible
February 2026 offers a rich celestial lineup, with Mercury reaching its greatest eastern elongation on Feb 19 and Venus brightening the western twilight. Jupiter dominates the night after its recent opposition, providing multiple moon transits and shadow events throughout the month. Saturn...
By Astronomy Magazine