If you think you've met the wildest exoplanet yet, you haven't learned about TOI-4507 b. This strange world breaks almost every known rule for how planets should behave.

ESA astronaut Marco Sieber journeyed deep underground in Italy's Apennines for CAVES training

Three new ORCS – "odd radio circles" – have been found associated with giant, active galaxies, giving astronomers clues as to how these immense, enigmatic structures form.

📷: Ogetay Kayali from Houghton, Michigan Three objects fill this frame in the constellation Cepheus. At far right is the Shark Nebula (LDN 1235), at center left is the Wolf’s Cave Nebula (LDN 1217), and in the upper left corner is … well, what looks like a piece of toast to this imager, who proposedContinue reading "I propose a Toast"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 13: The Moon reaches Last Quarter The Moon rises together with Jupiter around midnight on October 13 and are visible into the early-morning hours of October 14.  The Moon lies just to the lower left of bright Jupiter; the planet isContinue reading "The Sky Today on Tuesday, October 14: Look south for Pluto and M75"

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Rocket Lab will launch a radar satellite for the Japanese Earth-observation company Synspective today (Oct. 14), and you can watch the action live.

SpaceX's Starship megarocket aced its test flight today (Oct. 13), the 11th overall for the program and the final mission for this version of the giant vehicle.

On Oct. 13, 1773, Charles Messier spotted the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) for the first time. Writing of it a few months later, he described the object as a “very faint nebula without any stars”; it would become the 51st entry in his famous catalog of non-comets. In 1781, Messier’s friend and fellow astronomer Pierre MechainContinue reading "Oct. 13, 1773: The discovery of the Whirlpool Galaxy"

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We talk to "Solar Opposites "executive producers Mike McMahan and Josh Bycel about the show's wild final season.

Hundreds of satellites may soon be flying in orbital regions that are already too packed to allow safe and long-term operations, a new study suggests.

The Taurid meteor streams have a reputation for generating impressive fireball meteors.

From how space rocks wobble to where to hit them, scientists are learning the fine art of asteroid deflection — and it could one day save Earth.

The Vezda might be vanquished, but there are more cosmic threats for Captain Pike and the Enterprise crew to confront in 2026.

New research suggests that this mystery platinum signature underneath the Greenland ice sheet may have originated from a volcanic fissure eruption in Iceland, not space.

Mission highlight: SpaceX Starship Test Flight 11 This week’s highlighted mission is the eleventh integrated flight test of SpaceX’s Starship. Liftoff from Starbase in Texas is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 13, with the launch window opening at 7:15 p.m. EDT. A livestream will begin here about 30 minutes before liftoff. The upcoming flight will buildContinue reading "How to watch today’s Starship Test Flight 11 launch"

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Nearly 300 space advocates from across the United States converged on Capitol Hill on Oct. 6 for a “Save NASA Science” Day of Action, pressing lawmakers to protect the agency’s budget. The event, organized by The Planetary Society and a coalition of 20 science and education organizations, took place against the backdrop of a federalContinue reading "Advocates rally to “Save NASA Science” amidst government shutdown"

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In 2030, the International Space Station will be deorbited: driven into a remote area of the Pacific Ocean.

If the universe is expanding, then what is it expanding into, and what is it expanding from? Where's the edge of the universe, and where is its center?

In this episode, Astronomy magazine Editor Emeritus Dave Eicher invites you to head out in the early morning hours of October 14 to view the Moon close to Jupiter, which lies in the constellation Gemini the Twins. Although the Moon won’t be at its brightest, it still spreads a lot of light into the sky. But JupiterContinue reading "This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher: The Moon meets Jupiter"

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The discovery of what is potentially the smallest clump of dark matter ever seen strengthens the case for cold dark matter.

We actually know very little about what's going on inside Uranus and Neptune, causing researchers to propose that these planets be called "rocky giants" instead.

The annual Orionid meteor shower comes to a peak on Oct. 20-21

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Simonyi Survey Telescope scans the heavens to start its decade-long exploration in the search for dark matter.

Is the New Moon ever visible? If so, can it be seen without a telescope? Esther BockMilwaukee, Wisconsin The New Moon is typically invisible to the naked eye. It occurs when the Moon is positioned between Earth and the Sun, with its illuminated side facing away from us. As a result, the side we seeContinue reading "Is the New Moon ever visible?"

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The isotopic ratio of sulfur-33 on the moon differs from that of Earth. Did the moon's sulfur instead come from the impactor that formed it?

"Show me you’re worthy of this uniform!" — We finally have a release date for 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,' with the Paramount+ TV series warping onto our screens on Jan 15, 2026.

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 12: The Saturn Nebula shines Last Quarter Moon occurs this afternoon at 2:13 P.M. EDT. A few hours later, the Moon passes 4° north of Jupiter at 6 P.M. EDT. The pair rises around midnight and are visible into the early-morningContinue reading "The Sky Today on Monday, October 13: The Moon reaches Last Quarter"

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Wang Zhipu, taken from Fuzhou, China The evening of Nov. 8 2022 offered skywatchers in parts of Asia and North America a rare chance to see a totally eclipsed Moon occult Uranus. Under normal circumstances, Uranus (at around magnitude 5.7) would be lost in the Moon’s glare, but the dimmed Moon during totality allowed bothContinue reading "Uranus plays lunar peekaboo"

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An academic dives into using quantum physics to explore dark matter.

SpaceX plans to launch Flight 11 of its huge, reusable Starship rocket on Monday evening (Oct. 13), and you can watch the action live.

Microbes essential for human health have proven resilient against the extreme forces of space travel, offering hope for maintaining astronaut well-being on future long-duration missions.

From phases to phenomena, this moon-themed skywatching quiz will test your lunar knowledge.

Voshkod 1 kicked off the second series of manned Soviet spaceflights, following the Vostok missions that had been the first to put humans in space. When the craft launched on Oct. 12, 1964, for its flight of just over 24 hours, it was the seventh crewed spaceflight for the Soviet Union — but the firstContinue reading "Oct. 12, 1964: Voshkod 1 sends the first crew to space"

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Don't miss the moon, Jupiter and the stars of the constellation Orion rise along the southern horizon on Oct. 12.

Two bright wanderers share the autumn sky as Jupiter rises beside the half moon.

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 11: Io and Europa cross Jupiter Now that spooky season is upon us, let’s chase some cosmic ghosts. Tonight we’re seeking the Saturn Nebula (NGC 7009), a planetary nebula that, as its name implies, looks like a ghostly version of theContinue reading "The Sky Today on Sunday, October 12: The Saturn Nebula shines"

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On Episode 181 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik are joined by Alma Okpalefe to discuss World Space Week, a global celebration of all things space.

Author(s): Charles Day

Quantum effects prevent trapped atoms from thermalizing, despite being repeatedly jiggled through laser excitation.

[Physics 18, 168] Published Fri Oct 10, 2025

Twenty-one months after the deaths of the Apollo 1 crew in a fire during a test on the launchpad, the three men who had originally served as their backup crew — Walter Schirra Jr., Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham — flew on Apollo 7. The first manned American spaceflight since the accident, their mission wasContinue reading "Oct. 11, 1968: Apollo 7 launches"

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This 'Star Wars' quiz is your chance to prove your knowledge of the saga that changed cinema — and pop culture — forever.

SpaceX plans to launch the 11th test flight of its Starship megarocket at 7:15 p.m. EDT (2315 GMT) on Monday (Oct. 13). Here's how you can watch.

A baby exoplanet has been spotted nestled inside a ring around its young parent star, offering a never-before-seen view of planet formation.

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 10: Spot Ceres in Cetus Last week, Io and Europa took a trip together across Jupiter, transiting the planet with their shadows. The moons’ resonant orbits mean similar events often repeat, and this morning is your chance to catch another one. Continue reading "The Sky Today on Saturday, October 11: Io and Europa cross Jupiter"

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Greg Meyer from Phoenix, Arizona Stars swirl around Polaris to the north and arc across the sky to the south in this 360° star-trail panorama taken at the Okie-Tex Star Party. The photographer used an Insta360 X4 action cam, taking 30-second exposures at ISO 800; the final stacked image was blended with another shot ofContinue reading "Okie-Tex starry night"

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Science and maintenance work continue on the International Space Station, but updates have been all but halted by the U.S. government shutdown. A JAXA astronaut's social media posts are the exception.

Four proposed sun-gazing spacecraft, working together, could help speed up space weather warnings by 40%, a new study suggests.

Here's how to find Comet Lemmon in October's night sky.

After decades of searching, astronomers have imaged two supermassive black holes in orbit around each other at the heart of quasar OJ287.

Scientists have spotted the first clear sign of water from an interstellar comet, 3I/ATLAS, offering new clues to the chemistry of other planetary systems.

These binoculars guide you through the night sky in real time, with a database of 200,000 stars, and in this hands-on test, I was impressed with their quality. They're currently also $500 off for pre-orders.

The Delta Aurigids 2025 will make for a challenging skywatching event, here's why.

Over the course of human history, perhaps no single object in the night sky has drawn more attention than the Andromeda Galaxy, which the 10th-century Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi dubbed a “nebulous smear.” For centuries, the fuzzy object nestled in the night sky between her mythological parents, Cepheus and Cassiopeia, and winged Pegasus heldContinue reading "Unveiling the Andromeda Galaxy’s true nature"

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Hulu's adult animated sci-fi series launches its final season on Oct. 13.

The sun's returning coronal hole could stir up geomagnetic storms and dazzling auroras under clear, dark skies this weekend.

A train of glittering SpaceX Starlink satellites shine brightly above a green aurora in a new video released by NASA astronaut Don Pettit.

Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere is a great time to hunt galaxies. You’ll find objects ranging from the marvelous Andromeda Galaxy (M31) to Stephan’s Quintet (NGCs 7317, 7318A, 7318B, 7319, and 7320) to NGC 1. But except for a few, like M31, most galaxies are faint and lack detail unless your telescope is large. So,Continue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Glorious Albireo"

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A compilation of various images from the James Webb Space Telescope shows the effects of gravitational lensing caused by dark matter.

"It would be hard, but may be doable."

Author(s): Marric Stephens

Simulations have shown that the 2D sheets in twisted bilayers such as graphene can slide past one another even at small twists and under extreme compression. 

[Physics 18, s128] Published Thu Oct 09, 2025

On Oct. 10, 1846, William Lassell peered through his 20-foot reflector in Liverpool, England. Lassell was a self-funded amateur astronomer who had made a fortune as a brewer, and he’d built his own scope – apparently doing quite a good job of it, since through it, Lassell spotted Triton orbiting Neptune. Neptune itself had beenContinue reading "Oct. 10, 1846: The discovery of Triton"

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World Space Week 2025 casts a lens on life in space — here, we take a look at how astronauts traveling beyond Earth can affect their families.

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  1 Ceres is passing close to the 5th-magnitude star Phi2 (φ2) Ceti this evening. Viewing will be best about two hours after sunset, after the sky has grown dark but shortly before the Moon rises. At that time, Ceres will be about 15°Continue reading "The Sky Today on Friday, October 10: Spot Ceres in Cetus"

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📷: David Gluchowski from Brooklyn, New York The Harvest Moon rises behind the Empire State Building on the evening of Oct. 6. This sequence was taken with a Canon mirrorless camera and 150–600mm zoom lens.

The post Empire State of Shine appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. Friday, October 10The Moon passes 5° north of Uranus at 5 A.M. EDT. The pair is visible in the southwest in the hours leading up to sunrise, although you’ll need binoculars to view the distant ice giant, as it glows a faint magnitude 5.6.Continue reading "The Sky This Week from October 10 to 17: The Moon meets Jupiter"

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We're not the only ones who see a baboon in this nebula photo, right?

SpaceX moved its Super Heavy booster to the pad recently to gear up for Flight 11 of its Starship megarocket, which is scheduled for Oct. 13.

Just four minutes of darkness was enough to confuse dozens of species of birds.

It's not too late to hop aboard the alien mothership for the sensational Apple TV+ sci-fi series.

SpaceX launched 24 of Amazon's Project Kuiper satellites Monday (Oct. 13), bringing the total number of spacecraft lofted for the nascent broadband megaconstellation to 153.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will work to streamline space regulations, a push just announced in the newly christened "Space Month" of October 2025.

Author(s): Sumanta Chakraborty

A neutron star’s viscosity determines how the star interacts with gravitational waves, a behavior that could be useful to the study of neutron-star interiors.

[Physics 18, 169] Published Wed Oct 08, 2025

Author(s): Michael Schirber

New experiments show that adding polymers to a fluid can reduce energy dissipation by suppressing small eddies.

[Physics 18, s130] Published Wed Oct 08, 2025

Ask most astronomers, and they’ll tell you that dark matter and dark energy make up more than 95 percent of the universe and that they are the explanations for many of the large-scale phenomena we observe. But a new study published Sept. 12 in the journal “Galaxies” offers a different scenario: that what we see is the weakeningContinue reading "Are dark matter and dark energy only an illusion?"

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This quiz is your chance to explore the wonders of the James Webb Space Telescope, from its mind-blowing discoveries to the science behind its design.

CAS Space is preparing to launch its first liquid propellant rocket, the Kinetica 2, carrying a prototype cargo spacecraft — the latest sign of China's accelerating commercial launch sector.

NASA's Lunar Electric Rover was tested in Arizona's rugged desert terrain to simulate lunar exploration and refine designs for future missions.

Karl Schwarzschild was born Oct. 9, 1873 – just one day after his famous collaborator Ejnar Hertzsprung – and grew up in a Jewish family in Germany. Schwarzschild was considered a child prodigy, publishing a paper on celestial mechanics by age 16. He studied astronomy at the University of Strasbourg, then went on to receiveContinue reading "Oct. 9, 1873: The birth of Karl Schwarzschild"

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The Lego Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon is still $100 off, despite Prime Day in October finishing, as Walmart still has several top deals available.

Join 'Space Gal' Emily Calandrelli to help Arm and Hammer celebrate Baking Soda Rocket Day with 14,000 nationwide.

As part of World Space Week, which is highlighting the theme of living in space, we look at one scientist's dream of gigantic space habitats.

Todd Bossaller from Marshall, Missouri A disconnection event is when the ion tail of a comet appears to briefly become detached from its nucleus due to turbulence in the solar wind. Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) experienced one such event on the morning of Oc. 9, captured here with a 4-inch scope at f/5 and 30Continue reading "Lemmon’s tail disconnects"

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The Moon crosses in front of several stars in the Pleiades star cluster of Taurus this evening, creating a series of occultations that many in North America will be able to catch. Note, however, that the Moon’s waning gibbous phase means the stars will vanish behind the bright leading edge of the Moon, which makesContinue reading "The Sky Today on Thursday, October 9: The Moon crosses the Pleiades"

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Blue Origin rolled the first stage of its powerful New Glenn rocket to the pad Wednesday (Oct. 8) for testing ahead of a planned launch of two NASA Mars probes.

A new study indicates that crews with a wider range of personalities perform better under pressure, possibly informing how NASA selects and trains its astronauts for future missions to Mars.

Australia's SpIRIT nanosatellite has snapped its first "selfie" from space, marking a successful start to its mission.

Prime Japanese Viewing Location (TBD) Centered around the September 2, 2035, Total Solar Eclipse This tour is currently under development. Eclipse Traveler is designing an exclusive journey to place you in an optimal viewing location for this incredible celestial event. The full itinerary, pricing, and booking details are coming soon. For the most up-to-date information,Continue reading "2035 Japan Total Solar Eclipse"

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Aboard a Cruise off the Coast of Australia (TBD) Centered around the July 22, 2028, Total Solar Eclipse This tour is currently under development. Eclipse Traveler is designing an exclusive cruise journey to place you in an optimal viewing location for this incredible celestial event. The full itinerary, pricing, and booking details are coming soon.Continue reading "2028 Australia Total Solar Eclipse Cruise"

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The crew on the Chinese Tiangong space station enjoyed tasty treats for mid-Autumn festival while spending time looking at the Earth below them.

Two decades of spacecraft images reveal more than 1,000 dust devils whipping across Mars at unexpected speeds, offering fresh insight into how wind and dust shape the Red Planet.

Prime Chilean Viewing Location (TBD) Centered around the July 11, 2029, Partial Solar Eclipse This tour is currently under development. Eclipse Traveler is designing an exclusive journey to place you in an optimal viewing location for this incredible celestial event. The full itinerary, pricing, and booking details are coming soon. For the most up-to-date information,Continue reading "2029 Chile Partial Solar Eclipse"

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Prime South African Viewing Location (TBD) Centered around the November 25, 2030, Total Solar Eclipse This tour is currently under development. Eclipse Traveler is designing an exclusive journey to place you in an optimal viewing location for this incredible celestial event. The full itinerary, pricing, and booking details are coming soon. For the most up-to-dateContinue reading "2030 South Africa Total Solar Eclipse"

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Prime Australian Viewing Location (TBD)Centered around the November 25, 2030, Total Solar Eclipse This tour is currently under development. Eclipse Traveler is designing an exclusive journey to place you in an optimal viewing location for this incredible celestial event. The full itinerary, pricing, and booking details are coming soon. For the most up-to-date information, clickContinue reading "2030 Australia Total Solar Eclipse"

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For two decades, images from European spacecraft have captured bits of unremarkable digital noise as they photograph Mars. Now, scientists have turned that noise into a breakthrough, cataloging 1,039 martian dust devils to create the first global map of the Red Planet’s surface winds. The new study, published Oct. 8 in Science Advances, details howContinue reading "A thousand martian dust devils help chart the Red Planet’s winds"

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This newly discovered comet could soon glow bright enough for the naked eye as it sweeps through October's morning and evening skies.

Grab the best deals we have found across Lego, streaming, skywatching gear and cameras!

HBO Max is a treasure trove of Sci-Fi shows and movies, and thanks to this Prime Day deal, you can save 25% on Max and Starz. From sandworms to deadites, you really can't go wrong with this deal.

Whether you're building them now or putting sets away for the holidays, you can't have enough Lego. From Star Wars to Marvel, we've rounded up the best Prime Day Lego deals, but you'll have to hurry.

These are the best telescope deals I have seen for Amazon's Prime Day in October, with huge savings across our favorite models.

How memorable sound effects elevated "Alien: Earth to the next level.

Now is your last chance to save 30% and get the lowest price on the Lego Star Wars Grogu with Hover Pram set, as October Prime Day is soon coming to a close.

30% off for Prime Day, this Celestron Astromaster 130EQ is just what you need to capture the majesty of the moon, or zoom in on the breathtaking Orionid meteor shower.

Amazon Prime Day in October is in its final day and this telescope deal on the Celestron Inspire 100AZ brings the price down to $304 — perfect for a better view of comet Lemmon.

Blue Origin launched its 15th space tourism mission today (Oct. 8), sending six people on a brief trip to the final frontier.

Author(s): Michael Schirber

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes the discovery of macroscopic quantum tunneling in electrical circuits.

[Physics 18, 170] Published Tue Oct 07, 2025

Author(s): Tianhan Liu

Experiments clarify the degree to which a graphene coating can reduce the strength of van der Waals interactions with a surface.

[Physics 18, s127] Published Tue Oct 07, 2025

The smart telescope revolution continues to grow, with ZWO as one of the leading innovators. Last year, the company introduced the least expensive “smarty” yet: the Seestar S30. The S30 is a compact, all-in-one astroimaging system. Like its larger sibling, the popular Seestar S50 (which I reviewed in the January 2025 issue), the S30 includes pretty much everythingContinue reading "Astronomy tests ZWO’s Seestar S30"

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Considering a drone for the first time? You won't go wrong with the DJI Mini 3 — our drone expert scored it with a flawless review, praising its camera and ease of use as real highlights.

On the evening of Oct. 9, a waning gibbous moon visits the famous Pleiades Star Cluster  — the Seven Sisters  — in the Taurus constellation.

I search deals for a living and 77% off, plus three free months of NordVPN, is one of the best deals for online and streaming security while traveling.

Astronomers using JWST have captured the clearest view yet of a doomed red supergiant star just before it exploded, solving a decades-old mystery about why such stars rarely appear to go supernova.

On Oct. 8, 1873, Ejnar Hertzsprung was born near Copenhagen, Denmark. His father had studied astronomy and worked in finance, and Hertzsprung himself showed interest in astronomy and math, but pursued a degree in chemical engineering. After graduating from the Polytechnical Institute in Copenhagen, he worked as a chemist in St. Petersburg, Russia, and wentContinue reading "Oct. 8, 1873: The birth of Ejnar Hertzsprung"

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A newly discovered asteroid, 2025 TF, skimmed past Earth closer than many satellites and was photographed by the Catalina Sky Survey and ESA's planetary defense programs.

This chestburstingly good Hulu deal lets you save 20% on Disney Plus's entire catalogue, including Sci-Fi like Alien: Earth, Prey, Star Wars, Doctor Who and much more.

Dream of taking to the skies? This DJI Neo drone, equipped with a camera and autonomous flight, is $159 this Prime Day. That's the lowest price it's ever been, but you'll have to catch it fast!

After marking the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the first exoplanet around a sun-like star, we now look forward to what the next 30 years might offer.

The DJI Mini 4K is one of the best drones on the market and this October Prime Day drone deal saves you 20% on a model that was already good value.

Can't wait for Star Wars: Ahsoka Season 2? This Prime Day in October, step into the shoes of the show's villain with 32% off this Baylan Skoll Force FX Elite electronic lightsaber.

I search for deals for a living and I believe STARZ for just $2.50 a month is a streaming deal worth getting — there's plenty of Sci-Fi content to watch.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched for the 29th time on Tuesday (Oct. 7), one shy of the company's reuse record.

Let’s visit Venus in the early-morning sky; the bright planet rises around 5 A.M. local daylight time and stands nearly 10° high in the east an hour later. Blazing at magnitude –3.9, it’s unmissable in far eastern Leo; it will cross into western Virgo by tomorrow morning.  Venus is stunning through binoculars or any telescope;Continue reading "The Sky Today on Wednesday, October 8: Venus’ last day in Leo"

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Alessandro Carrozzi Several sunspot groups — active regions AR 4136, 4139, 4143, and 4146 — all approach the solar limb in this Hydrogen-alpha image taken July 19, 2025 with a 6-inch f/25 refractor.

The post The spotted Sun appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

A European Mars probe witnessed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS' Red Planet flyby on Oct. 3, snapping imagery of the interloper from just 19 million miles (30 million kilometers) away.

JWST's detection of phosphine on a brown dwarf, also known as a "failed star," could have repercussions for the claimed detection of the molecule on Venus.

Cairns – Great Barrier Reef – Daintree Rainforest – Uluru – Melbourne – Great Ocean Road July 25 – August 1, 2028 Continue your journey down under with an 8-day extension that showcases Australia’s diverse landscapes, beginning just after the Sydney eclipse tour. Fly to the tropical north to Cairns, the gateway to two UNESCOContinue reading "2028 Highlights of Australia Post-Eclipse Tour"

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Sydney – Blue Mountains – Hunter ValleyJuly 19 – July 25, 2028 Discover the best of Sydney and its breathtaking surroundings on this 7-day tour, perfectly timed for the total solar eclipse on July 22, 2028. Your journey begins with a deep dive into Australia’s most famous city, exploring iconic sites including the Sydney OperaContinue reading "2028 Sydney 7-Day Total Solar Eclipse Adventure"

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Auckland – Rotorua – Queenstown – Milford Sound – Sydney – Blue Mountains – Hunter ValleyJuly 13 – July 25, 2028 Embark on an unforgettable 13-day journey through the natural wonders of New Zealand and the iconic landmarks of Australia, centered around the total solar eclipse of July 22, 2028. The adventure begins in Auckland,Continue reading "2028 New Zealand & Australia 13-Day Total Solar Eclipse Tour"

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Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin plans to launch its 15th space tourism mission on Wednesday morning (Oct. 8), and you can watch it live.

The Lego Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon features over 7,500 pieces and is now $100 off at Walmart in this anti-Prime Day deal

This anti-Prime Day deal from Walmart gets you the high-resolution Fujifilm X-T5 with the XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 lens for just $2260.

Looking to start stargazing? I know firsthand that the Celestron Travel Scope 70 is a superb first step into the hobby, and it's a fantastic $40 off this Prime Day!

Cairo – Nile Cruise – LuxorJuly 27 – August 2, 2027 Embark on a 7-day journey through the heart of ancient Egypt, combining iconic historical sites with the breathtaking spectacle of the August 2 total solar eclipse. Your tour begins in Cairo, where you will explore the new Grand Egyptian Museum, home to Tutankhamun’s completeContinue reading "2027 Pharaoh’s Shadow 6-Night Total Solar Eclipse Tour"

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Luxor – Karnak Temple – Dendera Temple and Abydos (Optional)July 30 – August 3, 2027 Experience the awe of ancient history and the spectacle of a rare celestial event on this 5-day journey to Luxor, centered around the August 2 total solar eclipse. With an incredible totality of 6 minutes and 22 seconds, this tourContinue reading "2027 Luxor 4-Night Eclipse Discovery Tour"

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The Draconid meteor shower peaks on Oct. 8, as a waning gibbous moon graces the night sky.

The new science book "First Contact" is a vivid, humorous and deeply informed exploration of the many ways humanity has imagined, and actively searched for, life beyond Earth.

This Pococo Galaxy Star Projector outclasses many of the competition, with its portability and realistic images, and it's an absolute steal at $80 this Prime Day.

If you get up before twilight begins to paint the eastern sky, you might be able to spot Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon). It’s currently in the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear near the 3rd-magnitude star Tania Australis, also known as Mu Ursae Majoris. The comet rises around 1:30 a.m. local time, but you’ll wantContinue reading "How to see Comet Lemmon"

The post How to see Comet Lemmon appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

The Hommkiety Galaxy Projector is 25% off and at its lowest-ever price for Prime Day in October, bringing the cosmos indoors for less.

I think Celestron's Skymaster 20x80 binoculars are a brilliant alternative to a telescope, especially if you want to escape light pollution. With Amazon Prime Big Deals Day, they're 24% off.

On Oct. 4, 1959, exactly two years after the launch of Sputnik, the Soviet Union scored another win when Luna 3 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and set off for the Moon. It was the third spacecraft in the Luna program, Luna 1 having overshot the Moon after a rocket-burn error, and LunaContinue reading "Oct. 7, 1959: The first photos of the Moon’s farside are taken."

The post Oct. 7, 1959: The first photos of the Moon’s farside are taken. appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

'The Martian' author Andy Weir leaves the Solar System behind as Ryan Gosling blasts off on a mission to save the world.

You know, I'm something of a space hipster myself.

See the best images of the October 2025 full Harvest Supermoon.

A recent view from Hubble shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, where newborn stars sculpt dense gas and dust.

Author(s): Matteo Viel

The new map of the Universe’s expansion history released by the DESI Collaboration offers hints at a breakdown of the standard model of cosmology.

[Physics 18, 130] Published Mon Oct 06, 2025

This October Prime Day deal gets you the Celestron Cometron 7x50 binoculars for just $41 at Amazon.

One final Predator: Badlands trailer has hit ahead of the movie's release, showing off the dangerous planet of Kalisk in all its glory.

As Beijing prepares to tackle space debris, transparency and trust will determine whether the effort is viewed as stewardship or a strategic threat.

SpaceX launched 28 more of its Starlink broadband satellites to orbit today (Oct. 7), sending them up from Florida's Space Coast.

Step outside tonight in the early evening, when Sagittarius lies above the southwestern horizon. Globular cluster M22 shines brightly at magnitude 5.1, readily observable with binoculars or any size telescope. It’s far from the Full Moon, increasing your chances of a good view tonight.  You can find this ancient ball of stars some 2.5° northeastContinue reading "The Sky Today on Tuesday, October 7: View the ancient stars of M22"

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On Monday (Oct. 6), the nonprofit Planetary Society held a "day of action" to urge Congress to restore NASA's science funding, which was slashed nearly in half in the White House's proposed 2026 federal budget.

Cédric de Decker/Louis Leroux-Géré/Vincent Martin/Thibault Rouillée Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) is still just outside the edge of naked-eye visibility, according to reports, but it is showing fine, rapidly changing detail in images. These astroimagers caught Lemmon as it was passing the Little Pinwheel Galaxy (NGC 3184) on Oct. 5 with 45 minutes of LRGB exposureContinue reading "Comet Lemmon and the Little Pinwheel"

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You've explored outer space and battled aliens alone, but now it's time to buddy up with the best co-op space games to play with friends.

As we bring more human consciousness to space, we'll bring with it our human religions while finding new names for new types of spiritual experiences unique to space.

From a distance, Biosphere 2 emerges from the cacti and creosote of the Sonoran desert like a gleaming oasis, a colony of glass and bright white structures. Despite being just outside Tucson, Arizona, it looks almost like a colony on another planet. When one of the facility’s 100,000 annual visitors steps inside, they see a whole worldContinue reading "Biosphere 2’s latest mission: Learning how life first emerged on Earth – and how to make barren worlds habitable"

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Mission highlight: Blue Origin to launch 15th human flight This week’s highlighted mission is a crewed suborbital flight from Blue Origin. The company is planning to launch the NS-36 mission aboard its New Shepard rocket. Liftoff is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 9:00 a.m. EDT  from Launch Site One in West Texas. A liveContinue reading "Blue Origin’s NS-36 to carry six passengers to space"

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As just one of all the living creatures on Earth, you're along for the ride as our planet constantly moves in two major ways.

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover may have captured an image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS streaking across the sky above the Red Planet.

Watch Alien: Earth in its entirety and Prey, the precursor to Predator: Badlands, on Hulu with over 20% off for three months before the price increases.

Tune in to see this year's first supermoon as it lights up the autumn sky above the Italian countryside.

The company Inversion just unveiled Arc, a spacecraft designed to serve as an orbital storehouse and superfast delivery system for mission-critical gear, getting it anywhere on Earth in less than an hour.

Image specialist Andy Saunders on mining NASA's archives for the ultimate record of America's early space programs

To keep the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at peak performance, ESO engineers carefully recoat its enormous mirrors.

In this episode, Astronomy magazine Editor Emeritus Dave Eicher invites you to head out late in the evening of October 9 and find the Moon. This won’t be a problem because it will be bright. Then scan the area around the Moon to find the Pleiades star cluster, also known as M45. If you can’t find itContinue reading "This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher: The Moon and the Pleiades"

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The U.S. government shut down the same day Juno's last mission extension expired, putting the status of the mission in limbo.

What would a bucket full of deep space contain? Richard LivitskiSeal Beach, California One would think that this excellent question would be easy to answer: A bucket full of “deep space” would contain essentially nothing — and, well, there you are! Outer space is, after all, the closest approximation we have to a vacuum. However,Continue reading "What would a bucket full of deep space contain?"

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On Oct. 6, 2010, only five days after launching, the Chang-e 2 spacecraft arrived at the Moon and initiated a rocket burn, slipping into its lunar orbit. Part of China’s Lunar Exploration Program, Chang’e 2 carried an improved camera for 3D mapping, laser altimeter, X-ray and gamma-ray spectrometers, microwave radiometer, high-energy particle detector, and solarContinue reading "Oct. 6, 2010: Chang-e 2 arrives at the Moon"

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See the full Harvest Supermoon rise at sunset on Oct. 6.

The discovery of the "hot Jupiter" exoplanet 51 Pegasi b on Oct. 6, 1995 changed the course of astronomical history.

Full Moon occurs late tonight at 11:48 P.M. EDT. October’s Full Moon is traditionally called the Hunter’s Moon. But this October’s Full Moon also has two other names: It is both a Super Moon and the 2025 Harvest Moon.  A Super Moon occurs when the Full phase coincides with the Moon reaching (or close to)Continue reading "The Sky Today on Monday, October 6: The Full Harvest Super Moon shines"

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Artist Ashley Zelinskie unveils the 'Unfolding the Universe: Wandering Through Time and Space' exhibit to celebrate the James Webb Space Telescope.

A recent DARPA study laid out a step-by-step process that could enable an economic link between Earth and the moon. But how real is the promise of giving the moon an industrial makeover?

A team of researchers discusses how the xAI plant in Memphis emitted normal amounts of air pollution.

On Oct. 4, 1923, Edwin Hubble took a photographic plate of the Andromeda Nebula (as it was known then) using the 100-inch Hooker telescope at Mount Wilson. The next night, Oct. 5th, he took another plate and found that a star that seemed to belong to the nebula had changed in brightness. At first, he thought thisContinue reading "Oct. 5th, 1923: Hubble discovers galaxies beyond the Milky Way"

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This quiz will test your grasp of everything from orbital mechanics and international partnerships to basic facts about the International Space Station

A total solar eclipse will sweep across Australia and New Zealand on July 22, 2028, bringing over five minutes of midday darkness.

The nearly Full Moon passes 4° north of Saturn at 11 P.M. EDT and sits close to the ringed planet all night. Despite our satellite’s proximity, you’ll want your telescope trained on Saturn this evening to catch the last in the current series of Titan shadow transits — there won’t be another until 2040!  AroundContinue reading "The Sky Today on Sunday, October 5: Titan’s last shadow transit"

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On Episode 180 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss the headlines, from the shutdown of NASA to the risky dismantling of the space shuttle Discovery (because Texas insists).

Does this compact and portable smart telescope provide an affordable way for beginners to get started with astroimaging?

An expert discusses the many ways that Alaska's arctic sea ice melt is affecting the lives of those who live in the area.

On Oct. 4th, 1957, at 10:29 PM Moscow time, the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik 1 into space on a repurposed R-7 rocket. The world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik was about 22 inches (58 centimeters) in diameter and weighed 184 pounds (84 kilograms). Although there were no scientific instruments aboard, the transmitter it carried sentContinue reading "Oct. 4th, 1957: Sputnik launches"

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This quiz will take you on a journey through fiery facts, explosive history, and the science behind these fireballs.

World Space Week 2025 (Oct. 4–10) explores the theme "Living in Space," with global events highlighting the challenges and future of life beyond Earth.

Grab your telescope and hunt down these four lunar features to celebrate International Observe the Moon Night 2025 on Oct. 4.

Author(s): Michael Schirber

Turning a biologically important molecular motor at a constant rate saves energy, according to experiments.

[Physics 18, 167] Published Fri Oct 03, 2025

Jupiter’s Galilean moons often transit the planet’s disk one at a time — tonight, however, Io and Europa cross the disk together. The two moons even appear to partially overlap as their transits begin early this morning at 4:04 a.m. EDT, with smaller Europa passing in front of larger Io.  You’ll spot bright Jupiter highContinue reading "The Sky Today on Saturday, October 4: Io and Europa overlap"

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The Expedition 73 crew continued their science research and maintenance work aboard the International Space Station this week, despite the start of a U.S. government shutdown back on Earth.

See stunning photos of Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) as it brightens ahead of a possible naked eye appearance in mid-October.

Alien: Earth suggests a future where consciousness isn't confined to the body you're born in, but is this a realistic possibility, or merely science fiction? We spoke to experts to find out.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin just announced the passenger list for NS-36, the company's 15th space tourism launch.

What does the next generation of martian exploration look like? The answer, quite literally, is blowing in the wind. The Tumbleweed Mars rover, a spherical robot designed to roll across the martian surface, driven by the martian wind, has passed crucial technical tests, validating its potential for low-cost, large-scale exploration. The concept, developed by TeamContinue reading "The wind-driven future of Mars exploration"

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Originally scheduled for October 11, a big observational event in southwestern New Mexico has been changed to Saturday, November 15. The original October date now faces a high chance of rainstorms in the area. This event will take place near Animas, New Mexico, under an incredibly dark sky. Not only will the new 30-inch scopeContinue reading "New Mexico Stargaze rescheduled due to weather"

The post New Mexico Stargaze rescheduled due to weather appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

SpaceX sent 28 more of its Starlink satellites skyward from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California today (Oct. 3). It was the company's 125th Falcon 9 launch of the year already.

Rogue Incursion's non-VR edition isn't among the finest Alien games of all time, but Zula Hendricks' video game debut is no snoozer.

When we target objects in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, one of the first that observers go to is the North America Nebula (NGC 6000), and then they head right next door to the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070). But there’s another, equally fascinating nebulous region that covers even more area in the Swan: the VeilContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Veil Nebula"

The post Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Veil Nebula appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Look up Oct. 5: the nearly Harvest Moon will guide you to Saturn, where a telescope reveals its famous rings — even if they're just a thin line for now.

An asteroid, called 2025 TF, safely passed within roughly 250 miles (400 km) of our planet on Sept. 30 after surprising astronomers.

Promising a trick up its sleeve for astrophotographers, does the wholly digital OM System OM-3 deliver?

The European Space Agency signed a cooperation deal with South Korea and advanced a rideshare mission with Japan, as the agency pushes for wider global partnerships.

Author(s): David Ehrenstein

An atomically smooth surface that oscillates vertically can host drops that either bounce or hover in place, depending on the oscillation frequency.

[Physics 18, 166] Published Thu Oct 02, 2025

In 1848, James Marshall was building a lumber mill in northern California for his employer, John Sutter. One January morning, Marshall spotted sparkling pebbles within the mill’s outflow; Sutter and Marshall soon realized they had found gold in “them thar hills.” The chance discovery sparked the California Gold Rush, with treasure-seeking scouts streaming to theContinue reading "Why NASA is targeting the Moon’s south pole for Artemis"

The post Why NASA is targeting the Moon’s south pole for Artemis appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

As NASA's ER-2 aircraft takes flight over the American Southwest, the GEMx mission is using high-altitude hyperspectral imaging to uncover Earth's hidden mineral resources

Auroras aren't over: the sun's decline brings more storms, and a 'last gasp' finale could light up skies in the next 2 years.

A 12-ton rocket loaded with a 1-ton warhead, the V-2’s successful launch would prove to be exceptionally significant to both the military and to space exploration. On Oct. 3, 1942, the V-2 was fired from Peenemunde, Germany – its fourth test, and the first to succeed. The rocket rose to an altitude of 60 milesContinue reading "Oct. 3, 1942: The V-2 successfully launches"

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Here's a chilling peek at Episode 7 of Apple TV+'s riveting sci-fi thriller

NASA's Perseverance rover has found minerals that could have powered life on Mars — or simply shaped the Red Planet's environment in fascinating ways.

Ryan Génier from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Emission nebula Sharpless 2–119 in Cygnus is also known as the Clamshell Nebula. Its ring-like appearance is thanks to the shell of ionized gas — called a Strömgren sphere — surrounding an association of hot, massive stars. (The Rosette Nebula consists of a similar set of features.) This imagerContinue reading "A clam in Cygnus"

The post A clam in Cygnus appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Let’s peer into Cetus the Whale to spot 1 Ceres this evening, one day past opposition and glowing at magnitude 7.6, within the reach of binoculars or any small scope.  Ceres is carving a slow path north of Diphda, Cetus’ magnitude 2.0 beta star. Around 10 P.M. local daylight time, Diphda is roughly 20° highContinue reading "The Sky Today on Friday, October 3: Ceres shines in Cetus"

The post The Sky Today on Friday, October 3: Ceres shines in Cetus appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. Friday, October 3There’s a new potential supernova candidate in a spiral galaxy located in Ursa Major, visible overnight for U.S. observers. If you’ve got an imaging scope or an astrophotography setup on a larger optical instrument, you may want to give it a try.Continue reading "The Sky This Week from October 3 to 10: Titan’s last shadow transit"

The post The Sky This Week from October 3 to 10: Titan’s last shadow transit appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Astronomers using JWST have captured the sharpest infrared view yet of the supermassive black hole jet in M87, offering new insights into its structure and physics.

China's Tianwen 2 spacecraft took a picture of itself, as well as the Earth, while en route to a mysterious asteroid that may tell us more about the moon's history.

ESA is making use of spacecraft originally dedicated to its Mars and Jupiter missions to track comet 3I/ATLAS as it continues its journey through our solar system

Paying tribute to the 'Star Trek' creator's posthumous space adventure that still resonates with fans today.

How Ridley Scott's third sci-fi masterpiece proved there is life on Mars after all, by telling a deeply human, and oddly familiar story.

The first supermoon of 2025 rises on Oct. 6 close to the gas giant Saturn.

Before you set your telescope up next time, read through the four following items. I hope one or more of them will help you get more from your session. Finding the Sun You’ve placed your solar filter on the front of your telescope and want to point it at the Sun, but you’re not certainContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: More observing tips"

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A new rainbow spectrum from the STELES instrument on Chile's SOAR Telescope captures Eta Carinae in unprecedented detail.

Auroras may be visible from Alaska to New York as geomagnetic storm conditions are predicted to continue tonight.

Author(s): Marric Stephens

Researchers have shown experimentally that ultraintense lasers can drive high-amplitude surface plasma waves without the need for intricate structures.

[Physics 18, s125] Published Wed Oct 01, 2025

An ancient solar eclipse changed the course of a military conflict when it cast a shadow on a battle over Corinth between the Spartans, commanded by Cleombrotus, and the invading Persians, led by Xerxes I. Herodotus wrote that, “while [Cleombrotus] was offering sacrifice to know if he should march out against the Persians, the SunContinue reading "Oct. 2, 480 B.C.E.: A eclipse causes a retreat"

The post Oct. 2, 480 B.C.E.: A eclipse causes a retreat appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

"This is the strongest accretion episode ever recorded for a planetary-mass object."

The discovery strengthens the case for a new mission to orbit and land on Enceladus and search for evidence of life.

Tonight we’re aiming at the Moon to catch sunrise as it finally starts to reach the northwestern portions of the nearside. Use the accompanying chart and a telescope to locate a pair of craters near the terminator: J. Herschel and Philolaus. The former is larger, spanning 96 miles (154 km). You can also tell itContinue reading "The Sky Today on Thursday, October 2: The Moon’s northwestern craters see sunrise"

The post The Sky Today on Thursday, October 2: The Moon’s northwestern craters see sunrise appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Chris Schur, taken form Payson, Arizona Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) is moving quickly through northern skies, currently in the constellation Leo Minor and visible to the east in the predawn hours, around 20 degrees to the right of the Big Dipper asterism. Astroimager Chris Schur caught the comet Sept. 30 displaying a dust fan andContinue reading "Comet Lemmon brightens"

The post Comet Lemmon brightens appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

I’ll never forget the first elementary school trip I took to my local planetarium. Looking back on it today, it feels like a distinctly analog experience. As the lights dimmed and went out, the deep darkness drew gasps from my classmates, followed by cheers as the stars appeared. At the end of the show, asContinue reading "Celebrate 100 years of planetariums this week with the IAU"

The post Celebrate 100 years of planetariums this week with the IAU appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

An unstable group of asteroids orbiting near Venus could threaten Earth — but not for a few thousand years

At 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 1, when the federal government shut down due to a lack of appropriations from Congress, NASA began pausing its operations. While the agency has protocols for dealing with a government shutdown that it has turned to before, the current political context introduces new factors, including the potential for permanent staffContinue reading "How the government shutdown affects NASA"

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This spinoff of Disney+'s 'The Mandalorian' TV series debuts in theaters on May 22, 2026.

Scientists believe a moon of Uranus may have once had a subsurface ocean.

Auroras may be visible from Alaska to Idaho as geomagnetic storm conditions are predicted to continue tonight.

Two centuries after its completion, the Erie canal is celebrated from space, with NASA satellite imagery showing the engineering feat of this structure.

I wanted to share the above image with you to demonstrate how prevalent satellite trails are becoming in astroimages. I received it from John Chumack, a longtime contributor to Astronomy magazine. He actually labeled the image, “Insane Satellite Traffic.” And he’s not wrong. He was in his observatory taking 60-second exposures of Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon. HeContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Satellite trails"

The post Michael’s Miscellany: Satellite trails appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Author(s): Rachel Berkowitz

A new experiment on static electricity casts doubt on previous ones.

[Physics 18, s122] Published Tue Sep 30, 2025

Author(s): Michael Schirber

Cosmological simulations show that a left–right asymmetry in the early Universe could leave a mark in the distribution of galaxy rotations.

[Physics 18, s126] Published Tue Sep 30, 2025

Author(s): David Ehrenstein

The most troublesome contaminant in dark-matter searches that use xenon can be removed using a centuries-old concept.

[Physics 18, s131] Published Tue Sep 30, 2025

Does this flagship 44.3-megapixel photo and video hybrid camera have enough in its tank-like structure to satisfy astrophotographers?

See what the grim darkness of the future holds for the Warhammer 40,000 universe in the realm of video games.

A new analysis of archival data from the Cassini spacecraft has confirmed that the icy jets shooting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus contain organic molecules — the key building blocks of life. This microscopic ice, sampled directly from a crack in the moon’s surface, strengthens the case that Enceladus’s hidden ocean is potentially habitable. Scientists haveContinue reading "Organic molecules in Saturn’s rings originated from liquid water, scientists confirm"

The post Organic molecules in Saturn’s rings originated from liquid water, scientists confirm appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Over 80% of NASA's workforce is being told to stay home during the government shutdown.

ESA has signed a €40m contract with Avio to develop a reusable upper stage demonstrator, marking a step toward Europe's own Starship-like ambitions.

For Astronomy magazine’s 15th annual compilation of Star Products, we’ve once again explored the vast astronomical marketplace to handpick the finest, most innovative, and most practical gear for amateur astronomers everywhere. This carefully selected collection features 35 exceptional products, arranged in alphabetical order by manufacturer for easy reference. Whether you’re passionate about visual observing orContinue reading "Astronomy’s 15th annual star products"

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On Oct. 1, 1847, Maria Mitchell was positioned on the roof of the Pacific National Bank on Main Street in her hometown of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Sweeping the sky with her family’s 2-inch reflector, she spotted a small object that did not appear on any of her charts. Though not able to be seen with theContinue reading "Oct. 1, 1847: Miss Mitchell’s Comet"

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NASA has reported possible biosignatures in a Mars rock, but delays and funding woes cloud its sample return mission. Could China's Tianwen-3 step in and deliver samples from the site itself?

'This world goes much deeper than you imagine'

What about those previously studied plumes of methane and meteorites potentially stuffed with the fossils of Martian microbes?

October’s longer nights bring two transits of Titan across Saturn, while Io and Europa tango together across Jupiter three times. Mercury and Mars make a brief evening appearance, and Venus dominates the morning sky. Plus, the fine Orionid meteor shower occurs during the dark of the Moon. Mercury and Mars meet in the evening sky,Continue reading "October 2025: What’s in the sky this month? Mercury and Mars meet, Titan transits Saturn, and the Orionid meteor shower dazzles"

The post October 2025: What’s in the sky this month? Mercury and Mars meet, Titan transits Saturn, and the Orionid meteor shower dazzles appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Saturn takes center stage once darkness falls in October. Although the ringed world reached opposition and peak visibility in late September, the view this month is almost as good. The magnitude 0.7 planet lies in the northeastern corner of Aquarius the Water-bearer and appears far brighter than any nearby star. This area climbs highest inContinue reading "October 2025: What’s in the Southern Hemisphere sky this month?"

The post October 2025: What’s in the Southern Hemisphere sky this month? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Rising around midnight and nearly 50° high in the south two hours before sunrise is Orion the Hunter, one of autumn’s premier constellations. As the season progresses, Orion will rise earlier and earlier each night until it is visible during the evening.  For now, the best time to observe this famous star pattern is inContinue reading "The Sky Today on Wednesday, October 1: Visit the Orion Nebula"

The post The Sky Today on Wednesday, October 1: Visit the Orion Nebula appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Valerie Hwang from Deming, New Mexico The twilight launch of SpaceX’s Starlink Group 11-20 batch of satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California resulted in a plume visible up to 600 miles (1,000 km) away, captured here from New Mexico with an iPhone 15 Pro. The distinct profile of the exhaust — often calledContinue reading "Starlink’s space jellyfish"

The post Starlink’s space jellyfish appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have delivered the first detailed weather report of a nearby rogue world, and it's stormier than expected.

Lunar samples reveal the far side of the moon, hidden from Earth's view, may have a cooler interior than the near side.

The JWST has studied the chemical composition of a moon-forming disk circling a giant planet 625 light-years away.

NASA has awarded a contract to execute a high-stakes orbital maneuver, racing against time and atmospheric drag to prevent a critical science asset from tumbling back to Earth. The target of this unprecedented rescue attempt is the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a telescope that has spent two decades studying the universe’s most powerful explosions, knownContinue reading "NASA partners with Katalyst to reboost $500 million Swift Observatory"

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Amid a looming government shutdown, NASA’s future hinges on whether Congress can pass a stopgap funding measure with protective language for the agency. On Wednesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) moved to permanently axe federal employees — breaking from the precedent of issuing temporary furloughs — in the event of aContinue reading "What’s at stake for NASA if government shuts down"

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How a cancelled TV show got a short-lived reprieve on the big screen.

Vaonis has just released a limited-edition run of their Vespera II smart telescopes with a stylish clear housing and a built-in hygrometer — available for $2490 from select retailers.

A decade before George Lucas flew off to a galaxy far, far away, International Rescue introduced a generation to the coolest toys on the planet.

Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin return in this $65 million sequel to 2020’s post-apocalyptic hit.

This early October Prime Day deal gets you the Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42 binoculars for just $190 on Amazon — their lowest price since 2023.

Mining the moon for helium-3: How real is the prospect, and is there a business case for such an undertaking?

A possible threat to life on Earth has been identified by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil: asteroids that share Venus’s orbit but which currently can’t be detected. These objects haven’t been observed, but researchers want to expand the search for them. They say that some could strike Earth within a few thousand years. “Our study showsContinue reading "Could asteroids near Venus pose a threat to Earth?"

The post Could asteroids near Venus pose a threat to Earth? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Science, especially when conducted remotely on another planet, is rarely black and white.

This limited-time deal gets you the Canon EOS R5 Mark II with the RF 24-105mm f/4 lens kit for just $4925— $174 cheaper than Amazon's current sale price. Shoot the Orionids with ease!

This quiz is your chance to dive into the wonders of Hubble's legacy

On Sept. 30, 1880, in a pioneering moment for astrophotography, amateur astronomer Henry Draper and his wife, Anna, captured the first image of the Orion Nebula. Though a medical doctor by trade, Henry was a key contributor to the development of stellar photography and spectroscopy. He and Anna obtained the first photo of a star’sContinue reading "Sept. 30, 1880: Henry and Anna Draper photograph M42"

The post Sept. 30, 1880: Henry and Anna Draper photograph M42 appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Author(s): Jacquelyn Noronha-Hostler

Experiments at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider give the first hints of a critical point in the hot quark–gluon “soup” that is thought to have pervaded the infant Universe.

[Physics 18, 164] Published Mon Sep 29, 2025

Over 950 events are scheduled for International Observe the Moon Night 2025.

A new image from NOIRLab shows telescopes on two Chilean peaks in the Atacama Desert.

Scientists are testing prototypes of tumbleweed rovers in a wind tunnel that show that Mars' winds are strong enough to push them.

SpaceX is targeting Oct. 13 for the 11th test flight of Starship, which will be the final launch of the megarocket's current "Version 2" iteration.

Saturn’s moon Iapetus is now some 8’ east of the planet; although it is nearing 12th magnitude as it approaches its fainter eastern elongation in the first week of October, observers with larger scopes may find it easier to see farther from the “noise” of the several moons that cluster closer to the ringed planet. Continue reading "The Sky Today on Tuesday, September 30: Saturn’s moons line up"

The post The Sky Today on Tuesday, September 30: Saturn’s moons line up appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

The algorithm has already been tested on images from the Subaru telescope and will now be used on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory once science results begin to flood in.

Imran Badr from San Jose, California The supernova remnant SNR G65.3+5.7 in Cygnus is comparable in size to its well-known neighbor, the Veil Nebula — but is much fainter. The object’s brightest component is cataloged as Sharpless 2–91. This four-panel mosaic of the full remnant comprises 169⅓ hours of Hα/OIII/RGB data with a 2.4-inch astrographContinue reading "The fainter Veil"

The post The fainter Veil appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

At a major space congress in Sydney, leaders from NASA, ESA, ISRO, CNSA, and more shared visions for humanity's return to the moon, journeys to Mars and the tech shaping the future of space.

Firefly Aerospace's seventh Alpha rocket exploded on Monday (Sept. 29) during preflight testing. The vehicle was destroyed, and Firefly is assessing the damage to its test stand.

International Space Station astronauts can breathe easy — other NASA missions not so much.

'Foundation' actress Cherry Jones discusses her character's tempestuous relationship with Brother Dusk.

A star like the Sun lives modestly for billions of years, converting the nuclear fuel in its core into energy that ultimately escapes as light and heat. But the most spectacular phase of a Sun-like star’s existence lasts only tens of thousands of years and coincides with its death. The star puffs off its outer layersContinue reading "JWST peers into the Crystal Ball Nebula to unveil a stellar finale"

The post JWST peers into the Crystal Ball Nebula to unveil a stellar finale appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Mission highlight: Rocket Lab boosts US hypersonic research This week’s highlighted mission is a suborbital flight for a classified U.S. government customer. Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch the Justin mission aboard a variant of its Electron rocket, called Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE). Liftoff is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 7:45 p.m.Continue reading "Rocket Lab’s Justin mission headlines slow week of launches"

The post Rocket Lab’s Justin mission headlines slow week of launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

From twinkling constellations to stellar life cycles, this starry skywatching quiz will test your cosmic knowledge.

Death to the Chig! We take a look back at this pioneering TV show on its 30th birthday.

The early years of our solar system were a period of unimaginable chaos and violence, a gravitational free-for-all where colliding planetary embryos competed for survival. In this tumultuous environment, countless collisions shaped the worlds we know today, but one has remained an enduring cosmic mystery: Mercury. A new study suggests Mercury may have formed fromContinue reading "Was Mercury formed by a cosmic hit-and-run?"

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SpaceX's Falcon 9 lit up the evening sky Sept. 28, when the expanding 'jellyfish' plume from the rocket's ascent could be seen for hundreds of miles.

In this episode, Astronomy magazine Editor Emeritus Dave Eicher invites you to head out in the evening and point a telescope at everyone’s favorite planet: Saturn. The ringed world just passed opposition – the point in its orbit when it lies opposite the Sun from our perspective. Opposition, which only occurs for worlds farther from the Sun than Earth,Continue reading "This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher: Saturn at Opposition"

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Despite being just outside Tucson, Arizona, Biosphere 2 looks almost like a colony on another planet.

Targeted at content creators, the Canon EOS R50 V may not be the obvious choice for budding astrophotographers. But do the features and brand name make it an affordable option for capturing the night sky?

Ancient iron-metabolizing microbes may have turned toxic oxygen into an energy source.

Two Chinese astronauts installed more debris shielding on the Tiangong space station during a six-hour spacewalk on Friday (Sept. 26). It was the fourth EVA of the Shenzhou 20 mission.

On Nov. 24, 2021, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) launched. The spacecraft was on its way to Dimorphos, part of a binary system with the asteroid Didymos. Nearly a year later, on Sept. 26, 2022, DART crashed into Dimorphos at about 14,000 mph (22,000 km/h). The crash was intentional: The DART mission goal wasContinue reading "Sept. 29, 2022: Seeing the DART impact"

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The Hubble Space Telescope saw a galaxy that has features of both elliptical and spiral galaxies, puzzling experts.

Scientists have proposed a new explanation for Venus' giant, crown-shaped geological features, known as coronae.

First Quarter Moon occurs at 7:54 P.M. EDT, offering North American observers a chance to spot the so-called Maginus sunrise ray. Now in Sagittarius, the Moon remains above the horizon until close to midnight, offering several hours to watch the ray’s progress unfold. The 100-mile-wide (160 km) Maginus Crater, located in the lunar south, isContinue reading "The Sky Today on Monday, September 29: Follow the Maginus sunrise ray"

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 28 Starlink satellites launched from Vandenberg Space Force Station in California on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025.

This quiz will take you on a journey through the life cycle of stars, their classification, and the incredible processes that power them.

One of the key ways war leads to environmental harm is by leaving behind unexploded weaponry.

This might just be one of our favorite science-themed Lego sets ever made.

Expedition 73 crewmembers sequenced DNA and worked with virtual reality glasses this week, while also continuing to unpack cargo vehicles and congratulating NASA's 24th group of astronaut candidates.

At 10:58 AM on Sept. 28, 1969, residents of the small farming community of Murchison, Victoria, in Australia, heard a series of loud booms. The noise was accompanied by a strong smell and a streak of smoke in the sky. A carbonaceous chondite meteorite, the Murchison Meteorite broke up as it entered the atmosphere, andContinue reading "Sept. 28, 1969: The Murchison Meteorite explodes over Australia"

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The Milky Way's closest neighbor shines in a spectacular new astrophotography portrait.

The James Webb Space Telescope has detected methane gas on the dwarf planet Makemake, indicating that the distant body is a dynamic icy world.

Look to Scorpius this evening, where the asteroid 4 Vesta floats near the globular cluster M80 close to the Scorpion’s claws.  Viewing is best looking southwest starting around 30–60 minutes after sunset and lasting another hour or so, ending as the region sinks toward the horizon and the asteroid’s faint light becomes difficult to seeContinue reading "The Sky Today on Sunday, September 28: Vesta passes M80"

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This skywatching quiz will test your meteor shower mastery — from fiery streaks to cosmic origins.

For tots with an interest in outer space, the Lego Duplo 3-in-1 Space Shuttle Adventure set is a wonderful thing that promotes imaginative play.

Like many fans we are simply having fun using science to analyze the creatures.

On Episode 179 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik are joined by Josh Dinner for coverage of NASA's new class of astronauts and upcoming Artemis II mission to the moon.

Edgar once designed science experiments for astronauts to perform. Now she'll be the astronaut performing them.

Born Sept. 27, 1918, and educated at Bradfield College and Oxford University in the U.K., Martin Ryle would go on to be the first astronomer royal (1972-1982) with a background in radio astronomy. During World War II, Ryle worked in radio systems and countermeasures for the RAF. He was strongly antiwar, though, and had noContinue reading "Sept. 27, 1918: The birth of Martin Ryle"

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