'Backward and Upward and Tilted': Spaceflight Causes Astronauts' Brains to Shift Inside Their Skulls
A MIT study using MRI scans of 26 astronauts and 24 controls found that prolonged exposure to microgravity causes the brain to move backward, upward, and rotate within the skull. The positional shifts, measured up to 2.5 mm, were observed across many brain regions and remained detectable for up to six months after return. Comparisons with head‑down‑tilt bed‑rest participants showed similar directions but a stronger upward component in actual spaceflight. The displacement of sensory‑related areas correlated with greater balance impairments during post‑flight recovery.
Blast From the Past: A Rocket History Quiz
Space.com released a rocket‑history quiz that walks readers from ancient gunpowder experiments to today’s reusable launchers. The interactive format highlights milestones such as Tsiolkovsky’s liquid‑propellant theory, Goddard’s 1926 flight, the V‑2 missile, and the Saturn V moon rocket. It also spotlights...
Superheavy-Lift Rockets Like SpaceX's Starship Could Transform Astronomy by Making Space Telescopes Cheaper
SpaceX’s Starship achieved a successful test flight in October 2025, positioning it to deliver payloads far larger than current rockets. The super‑heavy‑lift vehicle can transport roughly ten times more mass to orbit, enabling space telescopes with unfurled mirrors and reducing...
Satellite Sees 40-Year-Old Iceberg Melt, Turn Blue | Space Photo of the Day for January 12, 2025
A‑23A, a massive tabular iceberg that calved from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986, is now showing extensive blue melt‑water ponds as it drifts in the South Atlantic. NASA’s Terra satellite captured the striking image on 26 December 2025, and an ISS...
Astronomers Baffled by 'Mysterious Disruptor' With a Mass of 1 Million Suns and a Black Hole for a Heart
Astronomers have identified a completely dark object with a mass equivalent to one million suns, anchored by a black‑hole‑like core, in the gravitational‑lens system JVAS B1938+666. The object lies about 11 billion light‑years away, making it the most distant mass‑only detection ever...
'A Completely New Manufacturing Frontier': Space Forge Fires up 1st Commercial Semiconductor Factory in Space
Space Forge announced the first plasma generation aboard its ForgeStar‑1 satellite, marking the inaugural commercial in‑orbit semiconductor factory. The miniature furnace produced plasma at 1,000 °C, proving that gas‑phase crystal growth can be achieved in low‑Earth orbit. The company plans to...
Watch India Launch Advanced Military Satellite on Rocket's 1st Flight Since May 2025 Failure
India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is set to lift off tonight, marking its first flight since a May 2025 failure that lost the EOS‑09 Earth‑observing satellite. The rocket will carry the EOS‑N1 (Anvesha) military hyperspectral imaging satellite along with 15...
Moon Fever Hits DC as Artemis 2 Rocket 'Candle' Lights up Washington Monument Just 1 Month Before Launch (Photos)
NASA projected a Saturn V image onto the Washington Monument from Dec. 31 2025 to Jan. 5 2026, celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary and the upcoming Artemis 2 launch. The crewed round‑the‑moon mission is slated for Feb. 6 2026, marking the first human lunar flight since Apollo 17. Artemis 2...
Comet 24P/Schaumasse Makes Its Closest Approach to the Sun Today: But Will You Be Able to See It?
Comet 24P/Schaumasse will reach perihelion on Jan 8, 2026, passing 109.7 million miles from the Sun. At that point its apparent magnitude is roughly +10.8, far too faint for naked‑eye viewing. Observers will need a telescope of at least a 6‑inch aperture and should...
Space Telescopes Capture Breathtaking Galactic Hug | Space Photo of the Day for Jan. 8, 2026
NASA’s James Webb and Chandra observatories have released a striking composite image of the interacting galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207, located about 120 million light‑years away in Canis Major. The infrared view from Webb highlights dust lanes and active star‑forming regions, while Chandra’s X‑ray...
'Super Star' Being Shredded by Black Hole Releases as Much Energy as 400 Billion Suns
Astronomers observed a tidal disruption event dubbed “the Whippet,” where a super‑massive star was torn apart by a black hole, releasing energy comparable to 400 billion suns. The flare, first spotted by the Zwicky Transient Facility and confirmed with NASA’s Swift...
Astronomers Discover the Earliest, Hottest Galaxy Cluster in the Universe, and It Breaks All the Rules
Astronomers using ALMA have identified galaxy cluster SPT2349‑56, a compact assembly of more than 30 galaxies within a 500,000‑light‑year volume, existing just 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang. The cluster’s intracluster medium is measured at temperatures at least five times...
NASA Postpones Jan. 8 Spacewalk Due to 'Medical Concern' With an Astronaut
NASA postponed the Jan. 8 extravehicular activity on the International Space Station after a medical concern arose with an unnamed crew member. The EVA, slated for astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, would have prepared a power channel for the new...
NASA Perseverance Rover Sees Megaripples on Mars | Space Photo of the Day for Jan. 7, 2026.
NASA’s Perseverance rover has obtained its most detailed view yet of an aeolian megaripple, dubbed “Hazyview,” in the Honeyguide field near Jezero Crater. The 2‑meter‑tall sand structure appears largely inactive, with a salty dust crust that preserves ancient wind and...
Winning the Red Planet Race: Returning Mars Samples Before China Should Be a Top US Priority, Experts Say
The United States faces a critical decision on its Mars Sample Return (MSR) program as costs have ballooned to about $11 billion and the target launch has slipped to 2040, while China’s Tianwen‑3 mission plans to bring back at least 500 g...
Hubble Telescope Spies 'Wake' Of Supergiant Beutelgeuse's Hidden Companion Star
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope, together with ground‑based observatories, have detected a dense gas wake trailing Betelgeuse’s hidden companion star, Siwarha. The wake, likened to a boat’s ripple, confirms the companion’s existence after its initial indirect detection in July...
NASA's Curiosity Rover Sends Stunning New Panorama From High on Mars' Mount Sharp
NASA’s Curiosity rover transmitted a striking composite panorama from high on Mount Sharp, captured over sols 4,722 and 4,723 using its navigation cameras. The view showcases the boxwork formation, a network of mineral‑rich ridges that record ancient groundwater flow. While...
Hubble Telescope Discovers a New Type of Cosmic Object and Astronomers Are on 'Cloud 9'
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have identified a new dark‑matter‑dominated object, dubbed “Cloud 9,” on the outskirts of galaxy Messier 94. The cloud, classified as a Reionization‑Limited Hydrogen I Cloud (RELHIC), contains roughly one million solar masses of neutral hydrogen but no stars,...
NASA May Be 1 Month Away From Historic Artemis 2 Astronaut Launch Around the Moon
NASA’s Artemis 2 crewed lunar flyby is slated for a February 6, 2026 launch, just a month away. The four‑person crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen—will ride the Space Launch System and Orion capsule on a free‑return trajectory...
Congress Rejects President Trump's Deep NASA Budget Cuts, Proposes $24.4 Billion for the Agency
Congress has rejected President Trump's request to slash NASA's budget, instead proposing a $24.4 billion allocation for fiscal year 2026. The administration had sought $18.8 billion, a 24 % reduction, with science funding slashed by roughly 75 % to $3.9 billion. The Senate bill restores...
This Canadian Crater Looks Like Marbled Meat | Space Photo of the Day for Jan. 6, 2026
A new false‑color image from the EU’s Copernicus Sentinel‑2 mission showcases the Manicouagan impact crater in Quebec, often called the “eye of Quebec.” The 72‑km‑wide structure formed 214 million years ago when a 5‑km asteroid struck the region. Sentinel‑2’s 13 spectral...
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Isn't an Alien Spacecraft, Astronomers Confirm. 'In the End, There Were No Surprises.'
Astronomers using the Green Bank Telescope as part of the Breakthrough Listen project searched interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS for technosignatures and found none. The radio observations were sensitive enough to detect transmitters as weak as 0.1 watts, far below typical human devices....
'It Would Be a Fundamental Breakthrough': Mysterious Dark Matter May Interact with Cosmic 'Ghost Particles'
A new study published in Nature Astronomy suggests dark matter may interact with cosmic neutrinos, offering a possible explanation for the observed shortfall in large‑scale structure clumpiness. The team combined data from the Dark Energy Camera, Sloan Digital Sky Survey,...
The Universe May Be Lopsided, New Research Says
A new study led by Subir Sarkar argues that the universe may be asymmetric, challenging the long‑held assumption of isotropy that underpins the ΛCDM model. The research focuses on the cosmic dipole anomaly—a temperature gradient in the cosmic microwave background...
The 2026 'Super Bowl of Astronomy' Starts Today — Here's What's Happening
The 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS 247) began Jan 4‑8 in Phoenix, drawing thousands of astronomers, students and educators. The agenda emphasizes exoplanet research, particularly the upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory, and showcases fresh results from JWST, Hubble and ALMA...
Moon Rush: These Private Spacecraft Will Attempt Lunar Landings in 2026
2026 will see a surge of private lunar landers as Blue Origin, Firefly, Intuitive Machines, and Astrobotic each schedule missions to the Moon. Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 pathfinder will demonstrate a 3‑ton cargo capability and test exhaust‑interaction science. Firefly’s...
The Next Frontier in Space Is Closer than You Think – Welcome to the World of Very Low Earth Orbit...
Very low Earth orbit (VLEO), ranging from 60 to 250 miles above Earth, is emerging as a solution to LEO congestion. Satellites operating in VLEO can deliver sharper images, lower communication latency, and enhanced weather data, but face severe atmospheric...
2026 Begins a Golden Age of Solar Eclipses: How to See 3 Total Solar Eclipses and 3 'Ring of Fire'...
From August 2026 through July 2028 the world will witness three total solar eclipses and three annular “ring‑of‑fire” eclipses, a pattern last seen a decade ago. The 2026 eclipse will be visible across Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain, the 2027 event promises...
