Dozens of Hidden Star Streams Found in the Outskirts of Our Milky Way Galaxy
Astronomers using Gaia data and a new physics‑based algorithm called StarStream have identified 87 stellar‑stream candidates, more than quadrupling the previously known sample. The streams originate from surviving globular clusters, providing rare direct links between streams and their parent clusters. Many of the newly found ribbons are broader or misaligned, indicating earlier searches missed a substantial portion of tidal debris. The expanded catalog will be tested with upcoming facilities such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, NASA’s Roman telescope, and DESI.
1st Results From Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Reveal How Much We Still Don't Know About the Moon
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, which touched down on the Moon in March 2025, returned its first scientific data after a two‑week surface stay. Using the LISTER heat probe, the craft measured subsurface heat flow at Mare Crisium that matched the values...
Yes, NASA's Launching Artemis 2 Astronauts to the Moon on April Fools' Day. It's Not a Joke.
NASA is set to launch Artemis 2, its first crewed lunar flyby, on April 1, 2024, from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39B. The four‑person crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Haines—will spend ten days orbiting the Moon aboard the...
Northern Lights Could Be Visible in 16 States Tonight March 31 as a Speedy Coronal Mass Ejection Heads for Earth
A fast coronal mass ejection (CME) launched by an X1.4 solar flare on March 30 is racing toward Earth at roughly 1,118 mi/s (1,900 km/s). NOAA predicts a glancing impact that could trigger a G1‑to‑G2 geomagnetic storm, with G3 possible if conditions intensify....
Heading to Florida for NASA's Artemis 2 Moon Launch? Here's What to Know Before You Go
NASA plans to launch the crewed Artemis 2 mission from Kennedy Space Center between April 1 and April 6, 2026. Cell‑phone data shows the previous Artemis 1 launch attracted 150,000‑200,000 visitors, and tourism officials expect a comparable crowd. Overnight guests typically spend about $350...
Moon Menu: Here's What the Artemis 2 Astronauts Will Eat During Their Historic Mission (Video)
NASA's Artemis 2 crew will launch no earlier than April 1, bringing a pre‑selected menu of 189 food and beverage items for the deep‑space flight. The meals, stored for weeks without refrigeration, are rehydrated with Orion’s water dispenser and heated in a...
'Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4': Release Date, Plot, Factions, & Everything Else We Know About the Upcoming 40K Strategy...
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 is slated for a 2026 release, developed by KING Art Games and published by Deep Silver. The title returns to the series' original real‑time strategy roots, set on Kronus and continuing the Dark Crusade storyline 200 years...
'An Incredible Privilege and Responsibility': Artemis 2's Christina Koch Is Ready to Become the 1st Woman to Fly Around the...
Artemis 2, NASA’s first crewed mission beyond low‑Earth orbit, is slated for launch no earlier than April 1, 2026. The four‑person crew—including Christina Koch, who will become the first woman to travel beyond LEO—will spend ten days testing Orion in Earth orbit before...
'Project Hail Mary' Author Andy Weir Reveals His Favorite Scenes in the Movie, Praises Ryan Gosling's Amazing Performance, & More...
Amazon MGM Studios’ "Project Hail Mary" opened to $140 million worldwide, setting a record for a non‑franchise, non‑sequel release. Author Andy Weir, also a producer, praised the film’s marketing push and highlighted his favorite moments – the first‑contact language scene and a...
Fireball Sightings Are Surging Across the US — Here's What's Really Going On
In March 2026 the United States recorded a sharp rise in fireball sightings, with the American Meteor Society logging 2,369 reports—up from 1,587 in January. Large, widely witnessed events more than doubled, highlighted by a 1‑ton, 3‑foot meteor that exploded...
Are Saturn's Rings Made of a Lost, Shattered Moon? New Evidence Arises for the Case
New research presented at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference proposes that Saturn's iconic rings originated from the catastrophic breakup of a moon dubbed Chrysalis about 100 million years ago. Computer simulations show tidal forces stripped the moon's icy mantle, leaving...
NASA's Ambitious 'Decade of Venus' Exploration May Bank on 1 Probe: 'Not Everything Can Move Forward'
NASA faces tough budget constraints that could force it to scale back its planned trio of Venus missions. While the European‑led Envision mission is still under negotiation, funding shortfalls may shift the VenSAR radar instrument to ESA development. The domestically...
Sun Storms Are Powered by a Magnetic Engine 16 Earths Deep, Study Finds
A new study confirms the Sun's magnetic dynamo resides in the tachocline, a shear layer about 200,000 km (roughly 16 Earth‑widths) beneath the photosphere. Researchers Krishnendu Mandal and Alexander Kosovichev analyzed three solar cycles of helioseismic data from NASA‑ESA's SOHO and...
A Photographer's Journey to Capture a Blood Moon Rising over the South China Sea. 'It Was an Incredible Moment'
Malaysian photographer and paediatrician Tharuman Gnanamoorthy embarked on a 280‑mile road trip to Alor Setar to capture the March 3 total lunar eclipse, producing striking composite images of the blood‑red Moon rising over the South China Sea. Weeks of rehearsal with a...
Scientists Find 2 'Failed Stars' That May Have a Second Chance to Shine Bright — by Getting Together
Astronomers using data from the Zwicky Transient Facility have identified a tightly bound pair of brown dwarfs, designated ZTF J1239+8347, about 1,000 light‑years from Earth. One component is siphoning material from its companion, a process that could push the accreting...
What if the Next Great Astronomer Isn't Human? How AI Is Revolutionizing Our Study of the Cosmos
AI framework MadEvolve combines large language models with evolutionary programming to auto‑optimize cosmology code. The system has already uncovered 1,300 anomalous objects in archival Hubble data and set new performance records in reconstructing the universe’s initial conditions. By restricting LLM...
Astronomers Keep Finding New Moons of Jupiter and Saturn
Astronomers have announced four new Jovian moons and eleven new Saturnian moons, raising the totals to 101 and 285 respectively and bringing the known count of moons in the Solar System to 442. The discoveries were made using the 6.5‑meter...
NASA Won't Give up Hope on Silent MAVEN Mars Probe: 'We're Still Looking for It'
NASA announced on March 16 that it still has not re‑established contact with the MAVEN orbiter, which went silent after emerging from Mars’ far side on Dec. 6, 2025. The agency has resumed Deep Space Network attempts following a solar conjunction,...
Rainfall, Rivers and Seas: How Earth Can Prepare Us to Explore Saturn's Moon Titan
A new study shows Earth hosts a broader range of analog sites that replicate Titan’s methane‑driven hydrology than previously thought. These terrestrial analogs let scientists test instruments, refine models, and train for extreme conditions before missions launch. The research underpins...
Watch Live Today: NASA Astronauts Conducting Spacewalk Delayed by ISS Medical Evacuation
NASA postponed a long‑delayed EVA after the International Space Station’s first medical evacuation forced a reshuffle of crew assignments. Astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams will now perform a 6.5‑hour spacewalk on March 18, marking the first EVAs of 2026 and...
Where Are All the Aliens? Maybe They Just Don't Want to Talk to Us
Researchers at Noroff University have proposed a new variable for the Drake Equation that measures a civilization’s willingness to communicate. Erik Geslin’s paper argues that many advanced extraterrestrials may deliberately stay silent, viewing contact with an ecologically unstable humanity as...
Why Are some Stars Always Visible While Others Come and Go with the Seasons?
The night sky’s apparent motion is governed by Earth’s rotation and orbit, creating a sidereal day of 23 hours 56 minutes that makes stars rise about four minutes earlier each night. Stars near the celestial poles, like Polaris, become circumpolar and never set...
Arizona's Meteor Crater Is Still Revealing New Secrets 50,000 Years Later
Arizona's Meteor Crater, the world’s best‑preserved impact site, continues to generate fresh scientific data decades after its formation 50,000 years ago. Researchers like Dan Durda and Christian Koeberl use the crater as a natural laboratory to study shock‑metamorphic effects and high‑energy...
Sci-Fi Shooter 'Marathon' Comes to Life in Hilarious Marketing Prank (Video)
Bungie celebrated the launch of its new sci‑fi extraction shooter Marathon with a staged marketing prank. The studio teamed up with hidden‑camera creator Michael Krivicka to stage a fake technology showroom where visitors believed they had fired a futuristic arm...
Russia Aims to Reclaim Soviet Space Glory with 2036 Launch of Ambitious Venus Mission
Russia's Roscosmos announced the Venera‑D mission, a multi‑vehicle Venus probe slated for launch in 2036. The mission will deploy a lander, a balloon, and an orbiter to study the planet’s surface and atmosphere, including a search for microbial life in...
NASA Begins Building Nuclear-Powered Dragonfly Drone for 2028 Launch to Saturn Moon Titan
NASA’s Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory has started building and testing the Dragonfly rotorcraft, a nuclear‑powered drone destined for a 2028 launch to Saturn’s moon Titan. The car‑sized craft will use a radioisotope power system, marking a shift from solar‑driven...
A Mass Stellar Migration Billions of Years Ago May Have Helped Life Get Started on Earth
Astronomers using ESA's Gaia catalog identified 6,594 solar‑twin stars within 1,000 light‑years, revealing a pronounced age peak of 1,551 stars that are 4‑6 billion years old—matching the Sun’s age. The data suggest the Sun and many of these twins migrated outward...
'The Future of the Space Economy': Colorado Startup Lux Aeterna Raises $10 Million to Develop Reusable Satellites
Colorado startup Lux Aeterna announced a $10 million seed round to accelerate its fully reusable satellite program. The funding, led by Konvoy, brings total capital to $14 million and will support the 2027 test flight of its Delphi prototype on a SpaceX...
SpaceX Is 'About 4 Weeks' Away From Launching Its Most Powerful Starship yet, Elon Musk Says
SpaceX announced that its upgraded Starship V3 is slated for a test flight in early April, roughly four weeks away. The version features taller Super Heavy and upper stages powered by the new Raptor 3 engine, delivering higher thrust and efficiency....
China's 1st Moon Astronauts Could Land in Rimae Bode, a 'Geological Museum' On the Lunar Near Side
China is targeting a crewed lunar landing before the decade ends, and a new Nature Astronomy study highlights the Rimae Bode region on the near‑side as a prime candidate. The volcanic‑rich area meets engineering constraints—flat terrain, low latitude, and reliable communications—while...
Living in Space Can Change Where Your Brain Sits in Your Skull – New Research
A new MRI analysis of 26 astronauts reveals that microgravity causes the brain to shift upward and backward inside the skull, with movements up to more than 2 mm in year‑long missions. The study segmented the brain into over 100 regions,...
Russia Fixes Launch Pad Damaged by Thanksgiving Astronaut Launch to the International Space Station
Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31, the only pad used for crewed Soyuz flights, was out of service after a Nov 27, 2025 launch damaged its service cabin and infrastructure. Roscosmos announced on March 3 that a 150‑person team completed extensive repairs, replacing 2,350 square meters...
The World's 1st Private Space Telescope Just Spotted Its 1st Star. Here's What It Saw.
London‑based Blue Skies Space launched Mauve, the world’s first privately funded space telescope, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in November. On Feb 9 the satellite recorded its inaugural five‑second observation of the bright UV‑rich star η Ursa Majoris, demonstrating its capability to capture visible...
Is It Legal to Own, Buy, or Sell Apollo Mission Moon Rocks and Lunar Samples?
Apollo moon rocks remain U.S. government property, making their purchase or sale illegal under federal law. A 2002 theft of 8 kg of lunar material resulted in an eight‑year prison term, underscoring the seriousness of the offense. NASA’s Lunar Sample Laboratory...
China's Mysterious Shenlong Space Plane Recently Launched on Its 4th Mission. What Is It Doing up There?
China’s reusable Shenlong space plane lifted off from Jiuquan on Feb 6, 2026, marking its fourth orbital mission. The vehicle’s prior flights ranged from a two‑day test to multi‑year stays, each releasing one or more satellites. Unlike the U.S. X‑37B, Shenlong...
Satellite Spies Northern Lights over Iceland and Canada | Space Photo of the Day for Feb. 23, 2026
On Feb 16, 2026 a minor G1 geomagnetic storm lit up the night skies over Iceland and eastern Canada. The VIIRS sensor aboard NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite captured grayscale images of the auroral displays across the Denmark Strait and Canadian provinces. The storm,...
What's the Point of a Space Station Around the Moon?
The Lunar Gateway, a planned orbiting space station, is a cornerstone of NASA’s Artemis program, intended to support crewed lunar missions, scientific research, and technology testing for future Mars trips. Although most international hardware has already been built and is...
Could One of Europe's Most Important Wetlands Really Vanish? Satellites Show It May Happen in Our Lifetime
Doñana National Park, Spain’s flagship wetland, is losing surface water at an accelerating pace, according to ESA Sentinel‑2 satellite analysis. Researchers using machine‑learning classification found a marked decline in wet area, volume and depth since 2005, projecting potential desiccation within...
Elon Musk Wants to Put a Satellite Catapult on the Moon. It's Not a New Idea
Elon Musk told xAI staff he wants a Moon‑based factory to produce AI‑focused satellites and launch them with a massive electromagnetic catapult. He believes that within two to three years space‑based compute will be the cheapest way to run AI...
NASA Will Fuel up Its Artemis 2 Moon Rocket for the 2nd Time on Feb. 19. Will It Leak Again?
NASA is set to conduct a second wet‑dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System for Artemis 2 on Feb 19, loading over 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. The first rehearsal was halted by an LH₂ leak at the tail service...
From Soyuz to the Stars: A Roscosmos Trivia Quiz
The article presents a Roscosmos‑focused trivia quiz that highlights the agency’s Soviet heritage and its contemporary role in spaceflight. It notes that the modern Russian space agency was established in 1992 and that the Vostochny Cosmodrome was built to lessen...
Trump's Greenland Grab Is Part of a New Space Race – and the Stakes Are Getting Higher
President Trump’s push to expand U.S. presence in Greenland highlights the island’s emerging role as a strategic gateway for space operations. High‑latitude launch sites in Greenland enable efficient polar and sun‑synchronous orbits, making the territory attractive to private launch firms...
NASA Launches Twin Rocket Missions From Alaska to Study Mysterious Black Auroras
NASA launched two sub‑orbital sounding rockets from Alaska’s Poker Flat Research Range to investigate the electrical dynamics of auroras. The BADASS mission reached 224 miles altitude to study rare black auroras, while the GNEISS mission deployed twin rockets to 198...
Watch Vulcan Centaur Rocket Launch 'Neighborhood Watch' Satellites for the US Military Early on Feb. 12
ULA’s Vulcan Centaur will launch early on Feb 12 from Cape Canaveral on the USSF‑87 mission, carrying two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites for the U.S. Space Force. The payloads will monitor the crowded geostationary orbit, providing “neighborhood watch” data...
Who Are the Astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-12 Mission to the ISS?
SpaceX’s Crew‑12 mission is set to launch ahead of schedule, adding four astronauts to the International Space Station’s thinly‑manned roster. The crew comprises two NASA astronauts, a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, and a Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut,...
Did the Viking Missions Discover Life on Mars 50 Years Ago? These Scientists Think So
In 1976 NASA’s Viking landers returned positive signals from three life‑detection experiments, but the onboard GC‑MS failed to find organic molecules, leading the team to declare Mars lifeless. Recent analysis by Ben Benner and colleagues argues that the GC‑MS actually detected...
Can Current Space Law Handle the New Space Age?
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, drafted during the Cold War, now underpins a space sector transformed by cheap launches, megaconstellations and commercial lunar missions. Rapid orbital growth has exposed gaps in debris mitigation, traffic coordination and liability, prompting calls for...
The Heart of a Giant Telescope | Space Photo of the Day for Feb. 9, 2026
The European Southern Observatory is advancing construction of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) on Chile’s Cerro Armazones, a 39‑meter primary mirror that will become the world’s largest optical instrument. The site, already home to the Very Large Telescope, positions the...
What Americans Lose if Their National Center for Atmospheric Research Is Dismantled
The Trump administration is moving to fragment the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), a unique NSF‑funded hub that blends observation, supercomputing, and applied research. While Congress rejected outright budget cuts, the latest spending bill lacks language protecting NCAR as...
As China and the US Vie for the Moon, Private Companies Are Locked in Their Own Space Race
Private companies are reshaping the space frontier as launch costs fall, turning low‑Earth orbit into a bustling commercial marketplace. Meanwhile, the United States and China are locked in a geopolitical race to return humans to the lunar south pole by...
