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<![CDATA[ Latest from Space.com ]]>
https://www.space.com
- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 22:00:00 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ A mystery object is holding this 120 million-mile-wide cloud of vaporized metal together ]]>
- A tremendously large cloud that blocked the light from a distant star has been found to consist of swirling winds of vaporized metal. Even more curious, the cloud appears to be strangely bound to a mystery body that could be a massive planet or a low-mass star.
Astronomers were first tipped off to the existence of this metallic cloud in September 2024 when a sun-like star, designated J0705+0612 and located around 3,000 light-years away, became 40 times dimmer than usual. This dimming lasted for nine months, before the star returned to its original brightness in May 2025.
That dramatic darkening captured the interest of Johns Hopkins astronomer Nadia Zakamska, as astronomers don't typically witness such events. "Stars like the sun don’t just stop shining for no reason, so dramatic dimming events like this are very rare," Zakamska said in a statement.
Zakamska and colleagues followed up on this event using the Gemini South telescope, located on Cerro Pachón in Chile, the Apache Point Observatory 3.5-meter telescope, and the 6.5-meter Magellan Telescopes. They combined these fresh observations of J0705+0612 with archival data, finding that the star had been temporarily covered, or occulted, by a vast, slow-moving cloud of gas and dust.
The team estimated that this cloud is around 120 million miles (200 million kilometers) wide, or around 15,000 times as wide as the diameter of Earth. It is estimated to have been around 1.2 billion miles (2 billion km) away from J0705+0612 when it caused the dimming of the star. That is around 13 times the distance between Earth and the sun.
Low-mass star or high-mass planet?
The researchers also discovered that this cloud is gravitationally bound to another object, one that also orbits the star J0705+0612. That body must be massive enough to exert a strong enough gravitational influence to hold the cloud together, implying it has at least several times the mass of Jupiter, though it could be much more massive than this. That means, the big question is: what is the nature of this mystery object?
If the object is a star, then this cloud is a circumsecondary disk, a cloud of gas and dust that orbits the less massive star in a binary system. If the unknown body is a planet, then the cloud is a circumplanetary disk. The observation of a cloud of either type occulting a star is extremely rare.
To determine the composition of this cloud, the researchers turned to Gemini South's Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST), watching for two hours as the cloud sat in front of J0705+0612.
"When I started observing the occultation with spectroscopy, I was hoping to unveil something about the chemical composition of the cloud, as no such measurements had been done before," Zakamska said. "But the result exceeded all my expectations."
The team discovered that the cloud was rich in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, which astronomers somewhat confusingly refer to as "metals." These winds of gaseous metals, including iron and calcium, were mapped in three-dimensions, marking the first time astronomers have measured the internal gas motions of a disk orbiting a secondary object such as a planet or low-mass star.
"The sensitivity of GHOST allowed us to not only detect the gas in this cloud, but to actually measure how it is moving," Zakamska said. "That's something we’ve never been able to do before in a system like this."
Mapping the speed and direction of winds within the cloud revealed to the team that it is moving separately from its host star, further confirming that it is bound to a secondary object sitting in the outer limits of this planetary system.
The team suggests that this cloud may have been created when two planets orbiting J0705+0612 slammed into each other, spraying out dust, rocks, and other debris. This kind of event is common in chaotic and young planetary systems, but is unusual for a system like this one, which is estimated to be around 2 billion years old.
"This event shows us that even in mature planetary systems, dramatic, large-scale collisions can still occur," Zakamska said. "It's a vivid reminder that the universe is far from static — it’s an ongoing story of creation, destruction, and transformation."
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/stars/a-mystery-object-is-holding-this-120-million-mile-wide-cloud-of-vaporized-metal-together
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+ <![CDATA[ James Webb Space Telescope watches distant galaxies form farthest cluster ever seen in the ancient universe (image) ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/james-webb-space-telescope-watches-distant-galaxies-form-farthest-cluster-ever-seen-in-the-ancient-universe-image
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- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 22:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 18:05:17 +0000
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+ Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:00:53 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket is on the launch pad. What's next? ]]>
- As the first human moon mission in decades approaches two weeks before its prime launch date, NASA has a lot to do before it can get four astronauts into space on Feb. 6.
Artemis 2 is scheduled for a 10-day mission to bring four astronauts around the moon: NASA's Reid Williams (commander), Victor Glover (pilot) and Christina Koch (mission specialist), along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen.
But before the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, its Orion spacecraft and its crew can leave Earth from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, key technical tests and a big fueling effort need to happen. It took eight months (from rollouts to launch) to bring the predecessor Artemis 1 uncrewed lunar mission into space in 2022, but NASA recently emphasized that the extra practice was beneficial.
"Why do we think that we'll be successful in Artemis 2 is, it's the lessons that we learned," said Artemis 2 launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson in a NASA press conference at KSC on Jan. 16, the day before SLS arrived at its launch pad. "Artemis 1 was a test flight, and we learned a lot during that campaign getting to launch," she added.
Road to launch
Artemis 2's SLS and Orion left the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at KSC on Saturday at 7:01 a.m. EST (1201 GMT), reaching the pad almost exactly 12 hours later. On Jan. 16, Blackwell-Thompson said the team anticipated almost immediately connecting to (and validating connections to) ground systems, fueling systems, and the firing room. Everything will also need to be powered on.
The rocket's crew access arm, which allows the four astronauts and their support teams to reach the Orion spacecraft, will go through some test swings, she said. The emergency egress system, a basket system designed to bring the astronauts away from SLS in case of urgent issues before launch, will be configured. "Checkouts" for the pad and radio-frequency communications, along with booster servicing, will also be performed.
While Blackwell-Thompson did not share specific timings of these events (perhaps because, as officials keep saying, the timeline needs to be flexible due to the developmental nature of the mission), she noted that the astronauts will participate directly in a second "countdown demonstration test", following the first they did in December atop the rocket while inside the VAB. The second countdown, she added, will include "a walk-down of the emergency egress system."
The Space Launch System and Orion capsule are rolled out from the Vehicle Assembly Building on Jan. 17, 2025. (Image credit: Josh Dinner/Space.com)
Wet dress rehearsal
What everyone will be watching for, however, is the "wet dress rehearsal"—or testing of fueling and procedures during a simulated countdown—that NASA hopes to finish no later than Feb. 2, or four days before the Artemis 2 launch window opens on Feb. 6.
"During wet dress, teams demonstrate the ability to load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants into the rocket, conduct a launch countdown, and practice safely removing propellant from the rocket without astronauts onsite," NASA officials wrote of the procedure Jan. 9.
It's a consequential moment not only for NASA and its mission partners, but also for the space community at large, because the Artemis 1 mission required at least four wet dress rehearsal attempts before NASA deemed the rocket safe to launch.
The Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion capsule sit on the launch pad. (Image credit: NASA/Sam Lott)
Blackwell-Thompson (who also helmed launch operations for Artemis 1) said NASA has learned a few things since then.
"It was a brand new vehicle," she acknowledged, saying part of the process was learning how to safely load liquid oxygen using the "legacy hardware" that has fueled other missions at KSC for decades. After the first two wet dress rehearsals, the team learned how to better regulate the fueling temperatures, she said.
Then hydrogen leaks arose during the third rehearsal, which led to NASA not only changing the way in which liquid hydrogen is loaded, but also modifying the ground umbilical plates that send power, coolant, fuel and communications to the rocket, according to Blackwell-Thompson.
The team "made some changes to that interface between the flight plate and the ground plate" to avoid the hydrogen leaks "where you have the flex hoses and the connections on the back of the plate." When leaks arose in a "cavity"—where ground plates come together—this was addressed through modifying "the flow rates, the temperatures, the pressures," she said.
A "replenish valve" in the ground equipment, which also proved tricky to manage during wet dress rehearsals, led to a design modification for Artemis 2. Cryogenic or super-cool fuels have already been tested with that valve "with as many cycles as we would expect to have during Artemis 2," Blackwell-Thompson said.
Blackwell-Thompson emphasized the team is prepared to take their time, and will only launch when they are safely ready. While Feb. 6 is the prime launch date for Artemis 2, windows are available in February, March and April at the least.
"We need to get through wet dress. We need to see what lessons that we learn as a result of that. And that will ultimately lay out our path toward launch," Blackwell-Thompson said. "With a wet dress that is without significant issues, if everything goes to plan, then certainly there are [launch] opportunities within February that could be achievable."
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/nasas-artemis-2-moon-rocket-is-on-the-launch-pad-whats-next
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+ <![CDATA[ Watch NASA fuel up its Artemis 2 moon rocket today in critical prelaunch test ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/watch-nasa-fuel-up-its-artemis-2-moon-rocket-today-in-critical-prelaunch-test
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- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 21:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 21:31:12 +0000
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+ Mon, 02 Feb 2026 09:00:00 +0000Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:55:15 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin will refly booster on next launch of powerful New Glenn rocket ]]>
- Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket is about to show its reusability chops.
New Glenn will loft one of AST SpaceMobile's huge Block 2 BlueBird internet-beaming satellites on its next mission, which is targeted for late February, Blue Origin announced on Thursday (Jan. 22).
That flight will be the third overall for New Glenn, and the first to feature a flight-proven booster: It will reuse the first stage from New Glenn's second flight (NG-2), which launched NASA's twin ESCAPADE Mars probes on Nov. 13, Blue Origin said on Thursday.
The two-stage New Glenn is one of the largest rockets in the world, standing 322 feet (98 meters) tall. Its first stage is designed for extensive reuse — at least 25 flights, according to Blue Origin.
New Glenn debuted in January 2025, successfully sending a test version of Blue Origin's Blue Ring spacecraft to orbit. The rocket's first stage crashed during its touchdown try on that flight, but NG-2 was a different story: The booster landed softly on Blue Origin's drone ship "Jacklyn," which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
And now it will fly again.
The upcoming NG-3 mission will lift off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, as NG-1 and NG-2 did. It will deliver a Block 2 BlueBird to low Earth orbit, helping build out Texas-based AST SpaceMobile's direct-to-cellphone internet constellation.
Block 2 BlueBirds have antennas that span about 2,400 square feet (223 square meters), making them some of the largest satellites in space. One Block 2 BlueBird has reached orbit to date, getting there atop an Indian rocket this past December.
AST SpaceMobile has also sent five first-generation BlueBirds to LEO. Those satellites have 693-square-foot (64.4 square m) communications arrays.
"We're proud to have AST SpaceMobile as our customer on NG-3," Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said in a statement on Thursday. "Our customers need a reliable, cost-effective launch vehicle, and New Glenn is purpose-built to serve their needs."
New Glenn's booster after its successful landing on Nov. 13, 2025. (Image credit: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin had experience with reusable rockets before the first New Glenn booster recovery. The company has been flying New Shepard, a reusable rocket-capsule combo, to and from suborbital space since 2015.
New Shepard has launched 38 times to date, 17 times with space tourists on board. The most recent crewed flight occurred on Thursday.
The company is following in SpaceX's footsteps, however, in the recovery and reuse of orbital-class rockets. Elon Musk's company pulled off its first landing on an orbital flight in December 2015 and has now done so more than 500 times.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-will-refly-booster-on-next-launch-of-powerful-new-glenn-rocket
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+ <![CDATA[ 'Back to the Moon': Time magazine salutes Artemis 2 astronauts in special commemorative cover issue ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/entertainment/back-to-the-moon-time-magazine-salutes-artemis-2-astronauts-in-special-commemorative-cover-issue
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- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 20:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 18:03:32 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Two cosmic dogs rule the winter sky — here's how to spot them this week ]]>
- During the winter season, two celestial dogs — the constellations Canis Major and Canis Minor — are on display in our evening sky.
If we begin to stargaze this week at around 6 p.m. local standard time, just as darkness has fallen, look for a 2nd-magnitude star rising about 30 degrees to the south of that point on the horizon marking due east. Your clenched fist held at arm's length measures approximately 10 degrees, so going roughly "three fists" to the right of east will bring you to this star known as Murzam. An imaginary line drawn through the stars Bellatrix in Orion and Alnitak (the lowest star in Orion's Belt), extended about twice its own length, also leads to Murzam.
This name, based on ancient Arabic, means "roarer" or "announcer." Its appearance on the horizon heralds the rising of the Dog Star Sirius, the brightest of all stars, about 17 minutes later. Both stars are a part of Canis Major, the Big Dog.
Interestingly, another star also serves to announce the appearance of Sirius: Procyon, the brightest star of Canis Minor, the Little Dog. The name Procyon is derived from the ancient Greek, meaning "before the dog" since it precedes Sirius by about 25 minutes as they rise. But later in the night, when they are toward the south, Procyon marches behind its more brilliant companion.
Dog days of summer
It is no wonder that the ancients would watch for Murzam and Procyon to announce the rising of Sirius, for a host of influences on man were attributed to the Dog Star and, by inference, to its constellation. Only the sun, the moon, Venus, Jupiter and occasionally Mercury and Mars, can rival Sirius.
As an example, the celestial dog was thought to aid the sun in causing the intense heat, drought and pestilence of summer. Sirius was said to be primarily responsible for the hot and muggy "dog days" that occur during July and early August for the Northern Hemisphere. Legend has it that because Sirius rises at the same time as the sun during the first half of summer, its brightness adds to the sun's energy, producing additional warmth. As it turns out, its heliacal rising (day of first visibility in the east before sunrise) occurred at the time of the summer solstice some five millennia ago.
Star of the Nile
Milky Way stretching over the Pyramid of Khafre and the Great Sphinx. (Image credit: gorinyan/Getty Images)
The ancient Egyptians held a great deal of respect for Sirius. Its heliacal rising would herald the annual flooding of the Nile Valley, the waters re-fertilizing the fields with silt. This event was of such importance to them that it marked the beginning of their year. It, of course, was pure coincidence that for a time the rising of the brightest star in the sky should have coincided with the rising of the Nile River, but certainly the ancient Egyptians did not see it quite that way. After all, here was this brilliant star rising just before the sun, and shortly thereafter, they saw the Nile begin to rise. And this happened year after year, so naturally they concluded that it was the star that had a direct connection to the life-giving flood of their river. They called the star Sopdet, seen as a goddess, often depicted with a star on her head, and built temples oriented to the exact spot on the horizon where it would rise, for they believed that as it rose earlier at each passing morning, it was calling up the waters by its own mystical power and letting it flow across the plain.
Who let the dogs out?
Sirius (lower center) is the brightest star in the night sky. (Image credit: Eerik/Getty Images)
If we wait until around 9:30 p.m., both Canis Major and Canis Minor will be in fine view, roaming across the south-southeast sky. The Big Dog is a rather striking star pattern, yet it is quite overshadowed by the brilliance of Sirius. All through the long winter nights, it scintillates with a dazzling white with a tinge of blue in the southern sky and because of its brilliance, it is always easily recognized. Follow the line of Orion's belt southeastward (toward the lower left), and you will come to this splendid twinkler. Seemingly, it appears as perhaps a stud on the Big Dog's collar or perhaps his tag. He also has a foreleg, and three rather bright stars lower down in a triangle forming his hindquarters, back leg and tail.
The star located in the lower right corner of the triangle is Adhara, which shines at magnitude +1.50 and ranks as the twenty-second brightest star and misses by just a hundredth of a magnitude, the cutoff for first-magnitude classification.
From a few fainter stars, you can perhaps make a head.
There was nothing tame about the dog of the heavens as conceived by the ancients. As late as the 9th century, Canis Major was pictured as a fierce, vicious hunting dog. It was not until 1603 that Johann Bayer (1572-1625) substituted a watchdog in his famous pictorial star Atlas Uranometria and other atlases thereafter followed suit. But the concept of both Canis Major and Canis Minor belonging to Orion appears to be as ancient as the Dog Star itself. The Big Dog is jumping up and down excitedly behind Orion, who is trying to deal with Taurus the Bull, who is charging down on him from his other side. We can only hope that the dog is indeed Orion's and coming to help him, and not to bite him!
As for Canis Minor, the Little Dog, he is certainly smaller, composed of Procyon — the Little Dog Star — and one other noticeable star, so this dog seems to only have a head and a tail. Thus, we have a pair of dogs running on either side of the Milky Way.
A wide-angle view of the Nov. 8, 2022 total lunar eclipse shows the moon among winter stars, with Orion left of centre and the Dog Stars — Procyon above and Sirius below — at far left. (Image credit: VW Pics / Getty Images)
Tightly packed companions
Modern astronomers have discovered by a peculiar coincidence, in that each dog star keeps strange company. Both have dim, mysterious companions with unusual characteristics. They are white dwarfs, diminutive as stars go; the companion to Sirius (known as Sirius B or colloquially "The Pup"), for example, is only about the size of our Earth, about 7,500 miles (12,000 km) in diameter, yet contains nearly as much material as our sun. Hence, its average density is exceedingly high — an ordinary glassful of its material would weigh about ten tons if brought to the Earth's surface.
Top camera pick
(Image credit: Amazon)
Want to capture a stunning photo of the night sky? We recommend the Canon EOS R7 camera as the best camera for beginners.
The companion stars were known to exist years before they were observed in a telescope. Both Sirius and Procyon are very near to us (8.6 light-years for Sirius, 11.5 for Procyon). In 1844, German astronomer, mathematician, physicist, and geodesist Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel (1784-1836) found their paths through space to be wavy, instead of straight, and correctly attributed this to the gravitational effects of unseen companions. In 1862, Alvan Clark (1804-1887) was testing the lens of a new 18½-inch refracting telescope, he saw Sirius B for the first time. Procyon's white dwarf companion was not found until 1896 at the Lick Observatory in California.
Personally, I think the discovery of these two amazing objects deserves a round of A-Paws.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/stargazing/two-cosmic-dogs-rule-the-winter-sky-heres-how-to-spot-them-this-week
+
+ <![CDATA[ A 'cosmic clock' in tiny crystals has revealed the rise and fall of Australia's ancient landscapes ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/a-cosmic-clock-in-tiny-crystals-has-revealed-the-rise-and-fall-of-australias-ancient-landscapes
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- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:35:46 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ By the power of nostalgia! The live-action 'Masters of the Universe' trailer is finally here, and it actually looks good (video) ]]>
-
Admit it, you thought we'd start this news piece with a "By The Power of Greyskull" bit, right? Well, we were strongly tempted, but figured the internet was already flooded with the phrase due to the recent arrival of the first teaser for the upcoming sci-fi movie, "Masters of the Universe".
If you were a kid in the '80s, chances are you’re more than familiar with Mattel's "Masters of the Universe" toy line and its Saturday morning cartoon show spinoff. Heck, you might even be a fan of Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella’s awesome 1987 live-action fantasy adaptation. Now, after years of speculation and false starts on a reboot of the MOTU franchise, a sneak peek has arrived courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Studios.
Directed by Travis Knight ("Bumblebee"), this live-action "Masters of the Universe" flick storms into theaters on June 5, 2026, and will star Nicholas Galitzine as Adam Glenn, aka the Sword of Power-swinging Prince Adam/He-Man, colliding with the nefarious villain Skeletor, portrayed by Jared Leto.
"Masters of the Universe" arrives in theaters on June 5, 2026. (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)
The rousing trailer finds Prince Adam bored to death hiding out at a generic corporate desk job on Earth when his precious sword is discovered, which sends him on a wild odyssey back to the land of Eternia and its talking tigers, spaceships, gothic castles, and magic swords.
We’re given good looks at He-Man's entourage of Teela (Camila Mendes), Duncan/Man-at-Arms (Idris Elba), Roboto, and Cringer/Battle Cat, as well as Evil-Lyn, Goat Man, Spikor, and Beast Man. It all culminates with an electrifying fight between He-Man and a hissing whip-wielding Skeletor.
"Masters of the Universe's" cast also stars Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Charlotte Riley, and Kristin Wiig voicing Roboto. Could this actually be a resurrection of the sword-and-sorcery fantasy sub-genre? It all looks mighty enticing, but we'll have to wait for more trailers before we truly "have the power" to decide. Stay tuned!
With a screenplay penned by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, and Dave Callaham, and executive produced by Ynon Kreiz, Bill Bannerman, and David Bloomfield. "Masters of the Universe" lands in theaters on June 5, 2026.
In the meantime, you can watch the 1987 "Masters of the Universe" movie on Amazon Prime Video while you wait.
Watch "Masters of the Universe" (1987) on Amazon Prime Video:
]]>
- https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/by-the-power-of-nostalgia-the-live-action-masters-of-the-universe-trailer-is-finally-here-and-it-actually-looks-good-video
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+ <![CDATA[ Artemis 2 SLS wet dress rehearsal latest news: NASA begins countdown for critical fueling test ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/news/live/artemis-2-moon-rocket-nasa-fueling-test-feb-1-2026
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- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 11:50:26 +0000
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+ Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:17:49 +0000Sun, 01 Feb 2026 19:50:12 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ A colossal asteroid may have warped the moon from the inside out ]]>
- An unusual ratio of potassium isotopes, found in samples of basaltic rock brought back to Earth from the moon's South Pole–Aitken Basin by China's Chang'e 6 sample-return mission, has provided further evidence for how the impact that formed this gigantic basin is responsible for the asymmetry between the moon's near and far sides.
The moon's near side is familiar to us through the pattern of the 'Man in the Moon' that is made from the dark shapes of the lunar maria, which are vast volcanic plains. In contrast, the far side, visible only to spacecraft that go around the back side of the moon, has barely any dark maria.
The huge 1,600-mile (2,500-kilometer) wide expanse of the South Pole–Aitken Basin extends considerably onto the far side of the moon. It's one of the largest impact features in the entire solar system and is between 4.2 and 4.3 billion years old – much older than the lunar maria, most of which are estimated to be around 3.6 billion years old.
Chang'e 6 touched down inside the 334-mile (537 km) crater Apollo, which sits inside the South Pole–Aitken Basin, on June 1, 2024, and returned to Earth precious samples from its landing site 25 days later. Ever since, Chinese scientists have been carefully analyzing the samples to try to learn why the far side is so much different from the near side.
Now, a team led by Heng-Ci Tian of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing has analyzed samples of lunar basalt brought back by Chang'e 6. The scientists found that the ratio of the heavier potassium isotope, potassium-41, relative to potassium-39 is greater in the samples from the South Pole–Aitken Basin than in samples from the near side collected by the Apollo missions and lunar meteorites.
A diagram showing how the impact that carved out the South Pole–Aitken Basin led to a loss of volatiles, including potassium, affecting the whole far side of the moon. (Image credit: TIAN Hengci)
Tian's team explored several possible explanations for this baffling isotopic composition. They considered whether the long-term irradiation of the lunar surface by cosmic rays could have resulted in the unusual isotopic ratio. They looked at whether the various melting, cooling, and eruptive processes of magma could have changed the composition of the basalts. And they explored whether the isotope ratio is a consequence of meteoritic contamination. Ultimately, they concluded that all of these processes would have only a minor effect, if any.
That left one other option: that the potassium isotope ratio is a relic of the giant impact that formed the South Pole��Aitken Basin. The intense temperature and pressure of the impact heated the moon's crust and mantle so much that many of the volatile elements present (volatiles are elements with low boiling points), including potassium, evaporated and escaped into space. Previous results support this – Chang'e 6 has already discovered that the mantle on the far side contains less water than the near side. Since the lighter potassium-39 isotope would be more susceptible to evaporating than the heavier isotope, the impact resulted in this greater ratio of potassium-41 to potassium-39.
Isotopic curiosities aside, the findings show how deeply the impact affected the moon's interior, and how isotopic ratios can provide windows into the conditions of such impacts, and how those impacts altered the moon's crust and mantle. The reduction in volatiles would limit volcanism by suppressing the formation of magma, providing a strong explanation for why the lunar far side contains so few maria.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/moon/a-colossal-asteroid-may-have-warped-the-moon-from-the-inside-out
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+ <![CDATA[ The Pelican Nebula shines near the Las Vegas Strip in gorgeous deep space photo ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/stargazing/astrophotography/the-pelican-nebula-shines-near-the-las-vegas-strip-in-gorgeous-deep-space-photo
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+ Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:46:17 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau explain why this is the perfect series for Trek's 60th anniversary (interview) ]]>
- A long-gestating effort to bring a Starfleet Academy TV series from concept to reality has finally manifested itself, as the "Discovery" spinoff series' Star Trek: Starfleet Academy debuted on Paramount+ with a two-episode launch on Jan. 15.
It chronicles the lives and loves of a fresh class of young Starfleet cadets in the 32nd century under the direction of school chancellor and USS Athena captain Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter). Executive producer and current "Star Trek" ringmasterAlex Kurtzman and series co-showrunner Noga Landau ("Tom Swift," "Nancy Drew") believe this was the ideal "Star Trek" show to bring fans to mark the venerable franchise's 60th anniversary.
"For every 'Trek' show, they all reflect the moment in which they were made," Kurtzman tells Space.com.
The USS Athena's glitzy bridge in "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" (Image credit: Paramount+)
"They're saying something about society in its different phases. And right now — and I'm speaking both as the showrunner but also as a parent — I see our kids inheriting a very divided, fractured world. And I also see that they’re able to hold onto this optimism still, that anything is possible. It's probably the first generation that I've seen that's able to do both of those things. And that felt like a beautiful reinforcement of Roddenberry's essential vision.
"What a great reason to make a show, because right now they’re being bombarded with negativity all day long," explains Kurtzman. "We wanted to be a compass that guided them back toward hope and possibility and a brighter future."
"We take on very real-world topics. All science fiction, but particularly 'Star Trek,' is always allegorical to something, and you get to read into it whatever you want. It felt like we got to talk about something very relevant now in this show. And that it's not possible to learn without legacy. You have to learn from the past in order to understand the future and the present. To have a brand new generation and then several members of older generations there, I think it speaks to the spectrum of what is possible with 'Star Trek.'”
"We wanted to be a compass that guided them back toward hope and possibility and a brighter future."
Alex Kurtzman
With 'Star Trek' celebrating its milestone 60th birthday later this year, Landau is certain that there's really never a wrong time to do "Starfleet Academy."
"Our audience, some of them, have been waiting 60 years to be able to go to Starfleet Academy, and they finally get to do it now," she adds. "For the look of the Athena, our ship has wings, and that was very intentional. It was important that the ship looks like classic Trek, but also looks like something we've never seen before."
Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake in "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" (Image credit: Paramount+)
The design aesthetics and production logistics on "Starfleet Academy" were ambitious, and Kurtzman is excited for fans to experience this transformative moment in Federation history and the show's impressive USS Athena mega-sets.
"We're on the biggest stage in North America, it's the first two-story stage we've ever built," he explained. "We built it so that we could do long walk-and-talks that would start in the upper level, take you down the stairs, past the big time window to space, through the lobby, into a turbo-lift, down into a hallway, and keep it all continuous. That's a really exciting thing.
"We wanted it to feel consistent with the language we’ve established for the 32nd century, but we also wanted to harken back to East Coast collegiate vibes. So how do you sprinkle some Harvard in there? Our production designer, Matthew Davies, and his entire team came up with the idea of marrying dark wood with all of this future aesthetic. If you look at Nahla's office, as we're based in San Francisco, it's Frank Lloyd Wright-heavy. Very Mission furniture-heavy. And we lit the show differently and used different lenses than we’ve ever used on 'Star Trek' before.”
"Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" is streaming exclusively on Paramount+. The two-episode premiere dropped on Jan. 15, with subsequent episodes releasing weekly on Wednesdays.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/star-trek-starfleet-academy-showrunners-alex-kurtzman-and-noga-landau-explain-why-this-is-the-perfect-series-for-treks-60th-anniversary-interview
+
+ <![CDATA[ Gladys West, GPS pioneer and one of NASA's famed 'Hidden Figures,' dies at 95 ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/gladys-west-gps-pioneer-and-one-of-nasas-famed-hidden-figures-dies-at-95
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+
- WpmoGe4yzEiyGSejrDsdeA
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- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:11:04 +0000
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+ Tr3ZX5xQ8kq4eTcwVYA5rP
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+ Sun, 01 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:43:50 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Why binoculars are best for beginner astronomers to stargaze ]]>
- British amateur astronomer, Sir Patrick Moore, used to say that the best first telescope isn’t a telescope at all — it’s a pair of binoculars. Telescopes are wonderful — the things you can see through them can be jaw-dropping — but they can so easily extinguish enthusiasm for the night sky.
Telescopes can take a beginner’s eyes from the sky at the wrong time by requiring attention to technology, like aligning optics, finding objects, fussing with eyepieces and battery changes.
However, binoculars are instant — and they’re portable. You pick them up, point them at the night sky, and the constellations you thought you knew suddenly reveal an extra layer of stars, clusters and nebulas you could never hope to see with the naked eye.
Why 10x50 is the sweet spot for stargazing
The Nikon Aculon 10x50 A211 sit in the sweet spot for stargazing with decent magnification and large objective lenses all at a reasonable price point, photographed here during our full review. (Image credit: Jamie Carter)
Binocular specs are written as two numbers, such as 10x50. The first is the magnification (also called power); 10x is 10 times bigger than what the naked eye sees. The second, 50mm, is the diameter of the objective (front) lenses in millimetres — the aperture, which controls how much light they collect and, therefore, how bright the image is.
There are several power-aperture combinations sold as astronomy binoculars, including 10x42 (10x magnification and 42 mm lenses) and 15x70 (15x magnification and 70 mm lenses). The former is more portable than, but not as bright as, a pair of 10x50 binoculars, while the latter is much heavier and harder to hold steady. That’s the problem in a nutshell because for stargazing, you’re trying to marry magnification and brightness in a way your hands can actually cope with.
Here’s why 10x50 is the classic spec for stargazing binoculars:
• 10x magnification is enough to split double stars, bring out lunar craters and reveal structure in bright nebulas. Go any higher, and the shake in your body will make them virtually unusable.
• 50mm objective lenses collect a generous amount of light — enough to see faint star clusters, nebulas and even some galaxies — without the binoculars being too heavy to hold steady.
Those after ultimate portability might think 8x25 or 10x25 binoculars are perfect for travel, but in low light, their tiny apertures struggle. Meanwhile, for spectacular close-ups of objects, 15x70, 18x50 or 20x80 binoculars hugely impress, but they’re so shaky that they need to be mounted on a tripod — which puts them on a par with a telescope.
Image-stabilized binoculars for astronomy
An image stabilized binocular is fantastic for stargazing and removes the need for a tripod, but they do require more financial investment compared with regular binoculars. (Image credit: Jase Parnell-Brookes)
Here’s something to think about if you get obsessed with binocular astronomy and want to upgrade. Image-stabilized binoculars get rid of vibrations, using motion sensors to detect hand shake and then shifting actuators around the lenses to cancel it out. At 10x or 15x magnification, the effect is incredible — a click of the button freezes the night sky and makes the details much easier to see.
Image-stabilized binoculars are a game-changer for astronomy, but they’re very expensive — ordinary 10x50s will show you more than enough in the night sky during your first years of stargazing.
Why binoculars beat a telescope
If you’re more interested in stargazing than gadget-gazing, binoculars are exactly what you need. Compared to a telescope, binoculars give you four advantages:
1. You can take them everywhere
(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)
You can put them in a daypack, keep them in the car or hang them by the door for opportunistic clear nights. You can take them on holiday — perhaps the only time you ever get under a truly dark sky — without thinking about it. A telescope, by contrast, typically stays at home.
2. You see the sky the right way up
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Binoculars give an upright, stereo view that matches what you see with the naked eye and what’s on your star chart or app. That makes learning the sky straightforward. Telescopes often invert or mirror the image, which easily confuses beginners, who are forced to scan a night sky they don’t know in an unnatural way.
3. You get a wide field of view
(Image credit: Future)
Binoculars frame some objects beautifully. The Pleiades (M45) look exquisite in binoculars — an entire sparkling cluster of stars in the same field of view — whereas a telescope can magnify them so much that the pattern falls apart. Depending on the object, binoculars can be superior to a telescope.
4. They’re easy to aim and focus
(Image credit: Jamie Carter)
You point them at the night sky and tweak a single focus wheel. No finder alignment, no fuss. You spend your time in the sky, not on the kit. That said, it pays to make a quick diopter adjustment before you use binoculars, using the wheel on one of the eyecups to average out any differences between your eyes.
• Adjust the hinge so both barrels line up comfortably with your eyes.
• Close one eye and focus on a distant object using the center focus wheel.
• Use the diopter ring on one eyepiece to fine-tune the other eye, averaging out your vision.
With your binoculars calibrated, hold them up to the night sky, keeping your elbows in to your chest to increase stability — and definitely not outstretched, where they will get tired. It also helps to sit in a lawn chair, resting your arms on the armrests and leaning back to avoid neck strain.
Another special skill for binocular astronomers that isn’t intuitive is averted vision. While your direct vision is good with detail, your peripheral vision is more sensitive to light — and for “faint fuzzies,” that’s crucial. So look slightly to the side of a faint nebula or star cluster, rather than straight at it, to appreciate its brightness.
Five binocular targets for January and February
In January and February, the evening sky is tailor-made for 10x50 binoculars, whether you’re in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere (though visibility may vary by location). Here are five easy, spectacular targets to get you started:
1. The Moon
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Scan along the terminator, the line between day and night on the lunar surface, and you’ll see jagged crater rims, long shadows and bright mountain peaks catching the morning sun.
2. The Pleiades (M45)
(Image credit: Westend61 via Getty Images)
High in Taurus, the Pleiades are the definitive binocular object. To the naked eye, you might see six or seven stars; in 10x50s, the cluster blossoms into dozens, sparkling against a dark background. The Pleiades are the textbook example of why binoculars beat a telescope eyepiece for some targets.
3. Orion’s Sword and the Orion Nebula (M42)
(Image credit: Christophe LEHENAFF via Getty Images)
Find Orion’s Belt, then drop down to the fainter line of stars in Orion’s Sword. In its center is the Orion Nebula, a glowing patch of light. In binoculars, you’ll see a wing-shaped mist with a knot of newborn stars (called the Trapezium) at its center.
4. The Hyades and Aldebaran
Between the Pleiades and Orion is the Hyades open star cluster, which forms a “V” that marks the head of the constellation Taurus. In 10x50s, you’ll see the cluster’s dozen or so brightest members.
5. Sirius and M41
Follow Orion’s Belt down toward the horizon, and you always come to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, in the constellation Canis Major. Put Sirius in the center of the field of view, then scan slightly down toward the horizon. You’ll notice a small, grainy patch — M41, an open cluster of around 100 stars.
A pair of 10x50s, a clear evening and a short hit-list of bright objects. Master those, and you’ll have not only seen some of the finest sights the winter sky can offer, but also learned the patterns that will make every future telescope easier — and far more rewarding — to use.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/stargazing/skywatching-kit/why-binoculars-are-best-for-beginner-astronomers-to-stargaze
+
+ <![CDATA[ See the full 'Snow Moon' chill in the eastern sky at sunset tonight ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/stargazing/see-the-full-snow-moon-chill-in-the-eastern-sky-at-sunset-tonight
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- FyJZsV3uvQhKCi8KDyKC6D
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- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:15:58 +0000
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+ GyKFhubqMwX5Vb2cBafmjg
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+ Sun, 01 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:36:24 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Houston Texans celebrate upcoming Artemis 2 mission | Space photo of the day for Jan. 23, 2025 ]]>
- On Jan. 4, 2026, during the Houston Texans' Space City Day game, two bright-orange spacesuits stood out against the green turf at NRG Stadium. NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) used the spotlight to give fans a close-up look at Artemis 2, the agency's first crewed mission in the Artemis campaign to return humans to the moon.
The Texans played the Indianapolis Colts that day, by the way, and won 38-30.
Unlike later Artemis landing missions, Artemis 2 is primarily a deep-space shakeout: the crew will verify Orion's systems in the environment beyond low Earth orbit, from life support to navigation to communications, building directly on the uncrewed Artemis 1 test flight to lunar orbit in 2022.
JSC employees Tessa Rundle and Daniel Kolodziejcyk, wearing Orion Crew Survival System spacesuits, celebrate the upcoming Artemis 2 mission with NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, center. (Image credit: Image courtesy of the Houston Texans)
Why is it amazing?
The Space Day Celebration shows how intertwined NASA's history is with the city of Houston. JSC, a key hub for space exploration and human spaceflight, isn't just "near Houston" but is home to NASA's astronaut corps, Mission Control and key programs like Orion and Gateway, making Houston's Space City Day a natural stage for hyping up the next crewed lunar mission.
Beyond getting people excited for the upcoming launch, NASA also encouraged the public to "ride along" symbolically with the astronauts. During the halftime festivities, NASA promoted its "Send Your Name with Artemis 2" initiative, which stores participants' names on a small chip that will travel inside Orion on the mission, a simple way to turn a major space exploration milestone into something open to everyone.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/houston-texans-celebrate-upcoming-artemis-2-mission-space-photo-of-the-day-for-jan-23-2025
+
+ <![CDATA[ Chinese space tourism startup eyes 2028 for 1st crewed mission, signs celebrity for future flight ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/chinese-space-tourism-startup-eyes-2028-for-1st-crewed-mission-signs-celebrity-for-future-flight
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+
- diDj9XsqtAk6nfYZq4L7cf
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- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:52:24 +0000
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+ GqbYAsqwx2EfRqMKHs9LdF
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+ Sat, 31 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:41:51 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ 'For All Mankind' Season 5 shows off Martian motorbiking in Apple TV's 1st teaser trailer (video) ]]>
-
The countdown has begun… no, not for the upcoming Artemis II launch (slated for February), but for Apple TV's compelling space saga "For All Mankind," which will officially lift off for its 10-episode fifth season on March 27, 2026. And now, we’ve got a fresh teaser trailer, poster, and images to prove it.
Created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi, "For All Mankind" first debuted on Apple TV back in 2019 and centers around the alternative history notion of what would have transpired if the global space race of the '60s and '70s had never ended.
Since its inception, the popular series has explored the intriguing alternative-history world where NASA astronauts, engineers, scientists, and their families find themselves in a skewed timeline where Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov becomes the first man to step onto the surface of the Moon in 1969.
"For All Mankind" Season 5 lands on March 27, 2026. (Image credit: Apple TV)
According to the detailed synopsis, this latest season "picks up in the years since the Goldilocks asteroid heist. Happy Valley has grown into a thriving colony with thousands of residents and a base for new missions that will take us even further into the solar system. But with the nations of Earth now demanding law and order on the Red Planet, friction continues to build between the people who live on Mars and their former home."
"Everything that's happened has led to this moment," actor Joel Kinnaman’s astronaut Ed Baldwin narrates in the teaser as the first Martian, Alex Poletov Baldwin, streaks across dunes on a futuristic motorbike. "You’re gonna do things people can’t even fathom. It’s on you to make the next move."
All systems are go! "For All Mankind" Season 5 returns this spring! (Image credit: Apple TV)
"For All Mankind's" ensemble cast also includes Toby Kebbell, Edi Gathegi, Cynthy Wu, Coral Peña, and Wrenn Schmidt, beside new series regulars Mirelle Enos, Costa Ronin, Sean Kaufman, Ruby Cruz, and Ines Asserson.
Season 5 also showcases Barrett Carnahan as Marcus, a recent high school graduate residing on Mars, and Tyler Labine as a Mars Peacekeeper named Fred, both joining as recurring talent.
Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi are showrunners and executive producers with Ronald D. Moore and Maril Davis of Tall Ship Productions, in collaboration with Kira Snyder, David Weddle, Bradley Thompson, and Seth Edelstein.
Cynthy Wu and Joel Kinnaman star in "For All Mankind" Season 5 (Image credit: Apple TV)
Produced for Apple TV by Sony Pictures Television, Apple TV's "For All Mankind" Season 5 lands March 27, 2026, followed by new single episodes rolling out each Friday through May 29, 2026.
All four previous seasons of For All Mankind are now available to stream and binge exclusively on Apple TV.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/for-all-mankind-season-5-shows-off-martian-motorbiking-in-apple-tvs-1st-teaser-trailer-video
+
+ <![CDATA[ This Week In Space podcast: Episode 195 — Remembering Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/this-week-in-space-podcast-episode-195-remembering-apollo-1-challenger-and-columbia
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+
- q6Exd5GtbMnAPXfvNFAajZ
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- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:36:32 +0000
+ NjLepCeZ2ujTZzQhKwhx87
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+ Sat, 31 Jan 2026 15:31:26 +0000Mon, 02 Feb 2026 03:55:35 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Rocket Lab's new Neutron rocket suffers fuel tank rupture during test ]]>
- It will be quite a bit longer before Neutron makes it to the launchpad.
Rocket Lab's medium-lift launch vehicle buckled under pressure Wednesday (Jan. 21), when the main stage tank of the company's first Neutron rocket ruptured during an overnight test in Wallops, Virginia.
The "hydrostatic pressure trial," according to a Rocket Lab statement, was meant to push the stage to its structural limit, but was not intended to destroy the vehicle. The company says it is reviewing test data to determine a new timeline for Neutron's debut launch, which had been expected during the first quarter of 2026. "We intentionally test structures to their limits to validate structural integrity and safety margins to ensure the robust requirements for a successful launch can be comfortably met," the Rocket Lab statement reads.
While the Neutron stage seems to be a total loss, Rocket Lab said no serious damage was caused to its facilities or the surrounding test structures.
It's a significant setback for Rocket Lab's newest vehicle, which aims to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 payload mass to orbit capacity and partial reusability. Launching Neutron in Q1 2026, which now seems incredibly unlikely, was already a delay from a hoped-for debut by the end of 2025.
As data from the Jan. 21 test is analyzed, Rocket Lab plans to assess its repercussions and continue Neutron's development campaign using the next stage 1 tank already in production, according to the company's statement.
Neutron is a class heavier than Rocket Lab's Electron rocket workhorse, which has seen a steady and consistent increase in small-lift launches over the past few years. Standing more than twice as tall as its Electron predecessor, Neutron clocks-in at 141-foot-tall (43 meters).
The rocket is powered by Rocket Lab's Archimedes engines. Neutron's first stage is designed to be reusable, and able to land on an ocean barge after delivering up to 28,700 pounds (13,000 kilograms) to low Earth orbit.
As for when Neutron will get the chance to deliver such a payload, Rocket Lab says it "intends to provide an update on the Neutron schedule during its 2025 Q4 earnings call in February."
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/rocket-labs-new-neutron-rocket-suffers-fuel-tank-rupture-during-test
+
+ <![CDATA[ Space.com headlines crossword quiz for week of Jan. 26, 2026: Which planet may have a July meteor shower? ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/space-com-headlines-crossword-quiz-for-week-of-jan-26-2026-which-planet-may-have-a-july-meteor-shower
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+
- B2wK6N33trnUibKpiJaQMS
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- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:20:29 +0000
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+ K2UC6KnmJqUh23CRKSw4o9
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+ Sat, 31 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:41:04 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Sinking ice on Jupiter's moon Europa may be slowly feeding its ocean the ingredients for life ]]>
- Jupiter's icy moon Europa may have a previously unrecognized way of delivering life-supporting chemicals to its vast subsurface ocean, according to new research.
Europa, one of the dozens of moons orbiting Jupiter, has long intrigued scientists as one of the most promising places in the solar system to search for extraterrestrial life, thanks to a hidden global ocean beneath its fractured, frozen surface that may contain twice as much salty water as all of Earth's oceans combined. Unlike Earth, however, Europa's ocean is deprived of oxygen and sealed off from sunlight, ruling out photosynthesis and requiring any potential life to rely on chemical energy instead. A key unanswered question has been how ingredients for that energy — such as life-supporting oxidants created on the moon's surface by intense radiation from Jupiter — could be transported through Europa's thick ice shell to the ocean below. Now, a new study by researchers at Washington State University suggests the answer may lie in a slow but persistent geological process that causes portions of Europa's surface ice to sink, carrying those chemicals downward.
"This is a novel idea in planetary science, inspired by a well-understood idea in Earth science," study lead author Austin Green, now a postdoctoral researcher at Virginia Tech, said in a statement. "Most excitingly, this new idea addresses one of the longstanding habitability problems on Europa and is a good sign for the prospects of extraterrestrial life in its ocean."
Scientists know from images taken during spacecraft flybys that Europa's surface is highly geologically active due to Jupiter's powerful gravitational pull. However, most of this motion appears to occur horizontally rather than vertically, according to the new study, which limits opportunities for surface materials to migrate downward, except during extreme events such as the formation of large fractures.
Additionally, the Jovian moon's near-surface ice is thought to behave as a rigid "stagnant lid," further restricting the delivery of oxidants to the subsurface ocean, the study notes.
Using computer models, the researchers found that pockets of salt-rich ice near Europa's surface can become both denser and mechanically weaker than surrounding, purer ice. Under the right conditions, these denser patches can detach and slowly sink, or "drip," through the ice shell, eventually reaching the ocean below in as little as 30,000 years, according to the study.
The process, known as lithospheric foundering, resembles a geological process on Earth in which portions of the planet's outermost layer sink into the mantle. In 2025, researchers identified this process unfolding beneath the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
To test whether a similar mechanism could operate on Europa, Green and his team modeled an ice shell roughly 18.6 miles (30 kilometers) thick under a range of ice shell conditions. In all six scenarios the team examined, surface material within the top 300 meters descends toward the base of the shell, the new study reports.
In some simulations, the sinking began after 1 to 3 million years and reached the base of the shell after 5 to 10 million years. In ice shells that were more heavily damaged or weakened, sinking began after as little as 30,000 years, the study reports.
This occurred for almost any salt content, the researchers say, provided the surface ice experienced at least some degree of weakening.
According to the study, the mechanism "may be an expedient method of transporting surface materials to the underlying Europan ocean."
The moon will be studied in greater detail in the coming years by NASA's Europa Clipper mission. Launched in 2024, the spacecraft is scheduled to arrive in the Jovian system in April 2030 and conduct nearly 50 close flybys of Europa over four years, allowing scientists to assess the depth of its subsurface ocean and further evaluate the moon's potential habitability.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/jupiter/sinking-ice-on-jupiters-moon-europa-may-be-slowly-feeding-its-ocean-the-ingredients-for-life
+
+ <![CDATA[ From a new flagship space telescope to lunar exploration, global cooperation – and competition – will make 2026 an exciting year for space ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/from-a-new-flagship-space-telescope-to-lunar-exploration-global-cooperation-and-competition-will-make-2026-an-exciting-year-for-space
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- QvCg363DJFaJWEgUhgnJGT
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- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:44:47 +0000
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+ Yuw4vppLVbKKRqnHAGpu2Z
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+ Sat, 31 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:39:17 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ A black hole 'feeding frenzy' could help explain a cosmic mystery uncovered by the James Webb Space Telescope ]]>
- Scientists may have solved a cosmic mystery that has been troubling them since the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) began observations back in 2022.
When astronomers started looking back into the early days of the universe with the cutting-edge observatory, they discovered supermassive black holes that appear to have formed prior to the universe being 1 billion years old, something our current models of the cosmos can't explain But a new study has found that a black hole "feeding frenzy" may explain how these cosmic monsters were born so early in the universe's history.
"We found that the chaotic conditions that existed in the early universe triggered early, smaller black holes to grow into the super-massive black holes we see later, following a feeding frenzy which devoured material all around them," research leader Daxal Mehta of Maynooth University said in a statement. "We revealed, using state-of-the-art computer simulations, that the first generation of black holes – those born just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang grew incredibly fast, into tens of thousands of times the size of our sun."
Performing complex computer simulations, this team of researchers found that the turbulent and dense-gas-rich conditions in the first galaxies may have allowed black holes to enter into brief phases of mega-gluttony, exceeding a barrier known as the "Eddington limit." This limit determines how much material can fall to a body like a star or black hole before the radiation generated by that accretion pushes further matter away, emptying the central object's larder of gas and dust, thus cutting off its food supply.
Periods of super-consumption that defy this limit are known as "super-Eddington accretion" and serve as the missing link between black holes that form when massive stars die in supernova explosions and monstrous supermassive black holes.
Supermassive black holes are like six-foot toddlers
Supermassive black holes with masses millions or even billions of times that of the sun sit at the heart of all large galaxies in the modern 13.8 billion-year-old universe, which isn't troubling to explain at all, as they have had plenty of time to grow.
The issue is the discovery of supermassive black holes as early as 500 million years after the Big Bang, a population that the JWST has routinely been uncovering for the last three and a half years. That is because the merger and feeding processes that are thought to allow black holes to achieve supermassive status are thought to take at least 1 billion years.
"It's like seeing a family walking down the street, and they have two six-foot teenagers, but they also have with them a six-foot-tall toddler," research team member and Maynooth University scientist John Regan previously told Space.com. "That's a bit of a problem. How did the toddler get so tall? And it's the same for supermassive black holes in the universe. How did they get so massive so quickly?"
Artist's illustration of a supermassive black hole emitting a jet of energetic particles. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The team's simulations suggest that a super-Eddington feeding frenzy could have allowed the first generation of black holes to gorge on the dense gas of the early cosmos to reach masses of tens of thousands of times that of the sun. While that doesn't get us to supermassive black holes, it provides a significant head start on the merger process that would see black holes of increasing size collide and fuse together to birth an even more massive black hole.
"These tiny black holes were previously thought to be too small to grow into the behemoth black holes observed at the center of early galaxies," Mehta said. "What we have shown here is that these early black holes, while small, are capable of growing spectacularly fast, given the right conditions."
The team's research could help scientists determine whether early supermassive black holes started out as "light seeds," with ten to a few hundred times the mass of our sun, or as "heavy seeds," with as much as 100,000 times the mass of the sun. Previously, it had been theorized that only heavy seeds would be massive enough to facilitate the rapid growth of supermassive black holes.
"Now we're not so sure," Regan said. "Heavy seeds are somewhat more exotic and may need rare conditions to form. Our simulations show that your 'garden variety' stellar mass black holes can grow at extreme rates in the early universe."
The team's research doesn't just suggest a new avenue for supermassive black hole growth, but it also shows how important high-resolution simulations are in our investigation of the early cosmos.
"The early universe is much more chaotic and turbulent than we expected, with a much larger population of massive black holes than we anticipated, too," Regan said.
As for collecting evidence of this theory, that may be a job not for the JWST or any other traditional astronomical device, but for instruments designed to detect the tiny ripples in space known as gravitational waves that mergers such as this radiate. Of particular importance could be the first space-based gravitational wave detector, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), a joint European Space Agency/ NASA mission set to launch in 2035.
"Future gravitational wave observations from that mission may be able to detect the mergers of these tiny, early, rapidly growing baby black holes," Regan concluded.
The team's research was published on Wednesday (Jan. 21) in the journal Nature Astronomy.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/a-black-hole-feeding-frenzy-could-help-explain-a-cosmic-mystery-uncovered-by-the-james-webb-space-telescope
+
+ <![CDATA[ From 'Asteroids' to 'Star Citizen': A brief history of space dogfighting games ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-games/from-asteroids-to-star-citizen-a-brief-history-of-space-dogfighting-games
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+
- ayackJjSEXmrqTq5kAGt5D
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 21:29:14 +0000
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+ dF4c2fntC8j7gpccrAQqvC
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+ Sat, 31 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:21:43 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ 'Vitus Reflux' may be the lowest stakes episode of 'Star Trek' ever. Luckily, it's also a lot of fun ]]>
- You can't save the universe every week. Sure, the Enterprise-D’s daring mission to rescue Jean-Luc Picard from the Borg, and Michael Burnham leading Discovery to the 32nd century are the kind of Alpha Quadrant-changing events that grab headlines, but even 60-year-old multimedia franchises need to take it easy from time to time.
"Starfleet Academy" is set in a school and, therefore, unlikely to put its students in situations of extreme peril every week — such educational negligence is more commonly found at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even so, it's hard to think of an episode in "Trek"'s long history that lowers the stakes quite as much as "Vitus Reflux", the new show's third outing.
This is an utterly throwaway slice of college comedy, rather more concerned with sports, pranks, and teen/20-something romance than getting lost on the final frontier. But perhaps the most remarkable thing about these futuristic playground squabbles is that they're actually kind of fun. They also hint that this show might be starting to carve out its own unique sector within the "Star Trek" universe.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Ignore the transporters, futuristic sports, and extra-terrestrial classmates, and this episode could be set in any present-day educational establishment — even the sports hall where the students train will feel familiar to pretty much anyone who's attended school in the last four decades. And yes, it does have a squeaky wooden floor.
With her motivational speeches — "No blood will be shed on my court without my express permission!" — half-Klingon/half-Jem'Hadar first officer/drill sergeant Lura Thok descends from a long line of disciplinarian PE teachers on screen. Meanwhile, the Academy cadets' rivalry with the War College next door is the sort of petty feud that's easy for most of us to relate to. Forget the evolved ideals of Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise-D gang — this is much closer to real life, albeit filtered through the prism of fluffy mascots and the US high school movie. (That said, the radical notion of a "nerd/jock hybrid" like "Coach" Jett Reno is one innovation that particular genre has traditionally been reluctant to embrace.)
From the outset, it's clear that this Starfleet Academy v War College game of "Calica" — essentially futuristic laser tag with added transporter beams — is little more than a battle for inter-faculty bragging rights, and an ode to a training sequence in "Starship Troopers". Winners and losers won't be remembered for long, while the only thing in any danger is the participants' pride.
(Image credit: Paramount)
And it turns out that there really are no rules when it comes to making your enemies look stupid. Fancy beaming your barely clothed opponents from the shower room to other locations on campus, or reworking the Starfleet Academy promo video to make the current class look as stupid as possible? Pretty much anything is fair game here.
Especially when unconventional school principal Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) decides to reinvent this trivial student feud as a cross between an educational experience and an opportunity to get one over on her War College opposite number, Chancellor Kelrec (Raoul Bhaneja). Whether she's supplying her charges with fast-growing fungi with Furby-like voice-imitation properties (the "Vitus Reflux" of the title) or simply encouraging them to employ some out-of-the-box thinking — not too far removed from the questionable tactics that led to James T Kirk cheating on the Kobayashi Maru test — she has little interest in being impartial.
Nonetheless, with cadets Darem Reymi (George Hawkins), Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard) and Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) all learning a little bit about teamwork making the dream work by the end of the episode — as well as realizing that their holographic classmate, SAM (Kerrice Brooks), is permeable (but not porous) to laser fire — this can surely go down as a successful class.
(Image credit: Paramount)
Of course, when the final credits roll, little has actually changed. Like an episode of "The Simpsons", " Vitus Reflux" could suddenly disappear from Paramount+ and have little bearing on the future of the show and its characters — the stakes really are that low.
And in that regard, it definitely isn't alone in the "Star Trek" universe. Numerous holodeck/holosuite episodes have simply been diversions from day-to-day Starfleet life, perhaps the most extreme example being the "Deep Space Nine" crew battling Vulcans in a baseball match spawned by Benjamin Sisko's decades-old rivalry with Captain Solok in "Take Me Out to the Holosuite". There have also been numerous shore leave adventures and unashamed comedy outings where the protagonists' actions have little bearing on the universe beyond their starship hull.
But bearing in mind that even comedy series "Lower Decks" usually featured some kind of antagonist or threat to the USS Cerritos, it's hard to think of too many "Trek" missions quite as trivial as this frothy concoction. And that's absolutely fine for a show that's attempting to reveal another side of Starfleet, whose heroes' biggest adventures are almost definitely several years ahead of them.
These cadets may be seeking out some 32nd century adventure and excitement, but that doesn't mean all their missions have to be life-or-death. After all, sometimes being a student is more about having fun than making your mark on the wider universe.
New episodes of "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" debut on Paramount+ on Thursdays.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/vitus-reflux-may-be-the-lowest-stakes-episode-of-star-trek-ever-luckily-its-also-a-lot-of-fun
+
+ <![CDATA[ Peak Design 25L Outdoor Backpack review ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/stargazing/skywatching-kit/peak-design-25l-outdoor-backpack-review
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+
- bZeNAZmVUmiQheFhKCURTN
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 20:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 17:55:50 +0000
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+ R2jb6TeaQvBQaKZReVMkwn
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+ Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:52:36 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Cult sci-fi series 'Blake's 7' reboot in the works, helmed by 'The Last of Us' director Peter Hoar ]]>
- Hollywood trade publication Deadline reports that Peter Hoar, the Emmy-nominated director of "The Last of Us," has launched a production company and is working on a reboot of cult British sci-fi drama “Blake’s 7.”
Along with executive producer Matthew Bouch (“A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder”) and West End producer Jason Haigh-Ellery, Hoar has launched “genre-based” indie studio Multitude Productions, and together the three of them have snapped up a host of IP, including “Blake’s 7,” which last aired on BBC One 45 years ago.
According to Deadline, Hoar plans to direct the reboot, which will go out to buyers soon. Bouch would “love it to go to the BBC” and will more than likely seek co-funding from American streamers and European networks alike. With long-running genre series struggling for momentum and budgets tightening across high-end scripted television, Hoar and Bouch say the moment is right to set up shop.
(Image credit: BBC)
“The ‘Blake’s 7’ story is legendary because they were given the [70s UK police show] ‘Softly, Softly’ slot that was intended for police drama with a budget intended for one big set and a few location shoots,” Hoar said. “At the time, it felt like it meant something. Those shows got into my veins. I could tell they didn’t have money, but I was able to compartmentalize and enjoy the ride knowing that the sets wobbled.”
Set in deep space in the far future, the show first aired in January 1978 and was shown on BBC One. Created by Terry Nation, a prolific British television scriptwriter in the 70s and 80s and credited for bringing the Daleks into existence, “Blake’s 7” followed on from the success of shows like “Dr Who” and “Space: 1999” and took an interesting and much darker approach to science fiction storytelling.
It followed a band of resistance fighters led by a man called Roj Blake (Gareth Thomas) who escapes from incarceration after attempting to lead a rebellion against the totalitarian Terran Federation.
Along the way, Blake recruits five like-minded individuals and steals a mysterious alien starship of a design never-before-seen. Together with Kerr Avon (Paul Darrow), Vila Restal (Michael Keating), Jenna Stannis (Sally Knyvette), Olag Gan (David Jackson), Cally (Jan Chappell) and the ship’s onboard sentient computer Zen (voiced by Peter Tuddenham), they form the original seven.
(Image credit: BBC)
Over the course of four seasons and a total of 52 episodes, some members of the original crew were killed off and replaced, a prototype portable super-computer called Orac (also voiced by Peter Tuddenham) is stolen and becomes an unofficial member of the crew, and the original alien ship, renamed the Liberator, is destroyed by Federation fighters.
The show was an attempt to embrace science fiction drama, and the performances of classically trained Darrow often made the show feel like a Shakespearean tragedy set in space. The ongoing love-hate chemistry between Avon and his character’s arch nemesis, the head of the Federation, Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce), was an undeniable highlight.
The show also launched the careers of Josette Simon — who later appeared in “Wonder Woman”, “Halo”, and “The Crow” — and Glynis Barber, who starred in “Dempsey and Makepeace”, “EastEnders”, and “Hollyoaks.”
(Image credit: BBC)
According to Deadline, Hoar compares “Blake’s 7” to recent sci-fi success “Andor,” which he believes is a hit not because of its circa-$25M per hour budget, but rather “because of the integrity, wit and sophistication.” He described “Dr Who” as a cautionary tale, pointing to Disney+’s recent exit after two seasons from what had been one of the decade’s largest co-production deals.
Bouch said, “We look back at when we were young with a degree of nostalgia, but also thinking about the 70s and 80s as we were growing up and the amount of genre material that was available … We are looking to the international market and seeing if there is a way of dovetailing that British low-budget sensibility with international markets. We know in the US there’s a big contraction, and we all need to think about finding ways to make things more economical.”
Hoar and Bouch, who have worked with Britain’s biggest showrunners, including Russell T. Davies and Jack Thorne, are championing a multi-writer model to get scribes back to work.
Over the years, “Blake’s 7” has retained a dedicated fanbase, and several rumors have circulated regarding a reboot. There’s a surprisingly deep expanded universe, and while it’s fragmented and uneven, there are novels, audio dramas, and even a serialized weekly comic that ran alongside seasons one and two.
Watch Blake's 7 on Britbox with a 7-day free trial:
]]>
- https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/cult-sci-fi-series-blakes-7-reboot-in-the-works-helmed-by-the-last-of-us-director-peter-hoar
+
+ <![CDATA[ What actually happens to a spacecraft during its fiery last moments? Here's why ESA wants to find out ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/what-actually-happens-to-a-spacecraft-during-its-fiery-last-moments-heres-why-esa-wants-to-find-out
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- kixreGtCKUGM4HsNGYgunG
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:39:48 +0000
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+ ZgKHuEqWgPhh5fekTpbJtD
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+ Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000Sat, 31 Jan 2026 15:34:26 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Vaonis Hestia smartphone-powered telescope review ]]>
- Smart telescopes are great, but they are expensive. Even the least expensive, such as ZWO's SeeStar S30, will set you back in the region of $400. Yet most of us already have a smart device in our pockets. If we could just mate our smartphones to some kind of telescopic device, could we not have our own DIY smart telescope?
That's the ethos behind Vaonis's Hestia. It's not a smart telescope, or even a normal telescope. Think of it as a lens to which you can attach your smartphone and, by using an app on your phone and your phone's built-in camera, you can take images of the night sky. We call this afocal photography; it can be achieved, to an extent, by using an inexpensive smartphone adaptor that holds your phone's camera up to a telescope eyepiece. However, with the addition of Vaonis' Gravity app, the Hestia has a much wider range of guidance, exposure settings, stacking and catalogues of varied objects to choose from.
In short, it's more sophisticated than simply holding your phone up to a telescope eyepiece, but simpler than a smart telescope. The question is, how does it compare?
Vaonis Hestia review
Vaonis Hestia: Design
The Vaonis Hestia comes with a tripod. (Image credit: Gemma Lavender)
Feels solid, not flimsy, unlike the tripod
Lightweight and portable
Can be adjusted to fit all models of smartphones
The Hestia comes in a nicely padded protective case, and is about the size of a hardback book, though not nearly as heavy. It comes with a tripod sporting a pan-and-tilt handle so that you can manually move the Hestia around the night sky. The Hestia's mostly white finish is of similar quality to the plastic housing of Vaonis' smart telescopes, such as the Vespera II.
One side of the Hestia is a black metal plate with magnetic clasps that can be moved around and adjusted to fit your choice of phone, and then all you need to do is position your camera over the small opening where the Hestia focuses the light.
The Vaonis Hestia has black metal plates on magnetic clasps that can be moved to fit your phone. (Image credit: Gemma Lavender)
None of Vaonis' telescopes are particularly aesthetically eye-catching, and the Hestia is probably the ugliest of the lot, with the rubber 'camera-cup', safety warning text and the unappealing black metal plate. If you want an astronomical instrument that looks good, then the Hestia certainly does not match up to a classic refractor. Although its utilitarian appearance suits its economical design, ultimately, it is not about how it looks, but what it can do.
Vaonis Hestia: Performance
The Vaonis Hestia can be used with any sized smartphone. (Image credit: Gemma Lavender)
Perfect for imaging the Sun (with solar filter) and the Moon
Gravity app allows you to stack images
Lack of motorised tracking is a big limitation
Ordinarily, an aperture just 1.2-inches (30mm) in diameter would be far too small for any half-serious astronomical observing, but most smart telescopes have a small aperture. The Hestia has the same size aperture as the SeeStar S30, for example. The small apertures in these devices are mitigated somewhat by the fact that they are 100% focused on imaging, not visual use, and imaging collects photons and integrates over exposures, building up a picture — something the human eye cannot do, of course. Nevertheless, the limited aperture does constrain the resolution, and the low magnification means that other than the Sun and the Moon, nothing really fills the field of view.
It is possible, via the Gravity app, to stack individual images together to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and help the faint details stand out. However, this still runs into the problem of having to manually track your target while keeping it aligned in the field of view.
The lack of tracking is also a serious limitation. Again, it's fine for the Sun and the Moon, which are both bright and only need short exposures anyway. It is also okay for stars and star clusters, since you only need a short exposure to see them. For nebulae and galaxies, however, where many integrations over long exposures are required to tease out their faint light, the Hestia is not really suitable. For example, the SeeStar S30 can track the Orion Nebula for half an hour and build up a wonderful image, but after only 30 seconds, all you can see at that point is a faint smudge. Those 30 seconds are really all you get with the Hestia. I did try manually tracking, but it is difficult to keep your target perfectly aligned each time.
With a small aperture, the Hestia falls in line with smart telescopes. (Image credit: Gemma Lavender)
Vaonis Hestia: Functionality
Sadly, there is no motorized tracking on the Vaonis Hestia. (Image credit: Gemma Lavender)
Very simple to use
The Gravity app is user-friendly
No motorized tracking
The Hestia will never run out of power because it does not require a battery or any external power. This gives it a significant leg-up over smart telescopes, which have a battery life of between 4 and 8 hours, depending upon the model and weather conditions (cold weather drains batteries faster). All I needed to remember was to keep my phone charged!
I found that getting my smartphone's camera to line up with the rubber cup wasn't as easy as it might at first seem. The two magnetic brackets are quite loose, slipping and sliding across the metal plate. Although they are meant to be that way, and for good reason, as if they held on with too much magnetic strength, they would be difficult to adjust. It does mean that lining up your phone's camera is finicky business, and if you don't take due care, the phone can be nudged out of position. Even if it is just a slight nudge, it means light will fall on a different part of your camera sensor, resulting in a double image.
The tripod of the Vaonis Hestia is a little lightweight but so is the Vaonis Hestia. (Image credit: Gemma Lavender)
The accompanying tripod is not the sturdiest, with quite thin lower legs, but the Hestia is not heavy, so as long as you position it on firm ground and are careful not to knock into it, then it should be okay.
The Hestia does not have a tracking mount or any machinery, motorized or otherwise. The focal length and f/ratio are not provided, but the magnification is 25x through a small 1.2-inch (30mm) aperture. But given that it is not motorized it means that it cannot track objects in the sky. This limits exposures of deep-sky objects to about 30 seconds before they start to visibly trail. You could try and manually track objects, using Vaonis's Gravity app as a guide and taking care to center the object each time, but again, a misalignment could lead to a double exposure.
The Hestia comes with a solar filter that I could screw in over the aperture. Users must ensure that the solar filter is attached before pointing the Hestia at the Sun — the intense bright sunlight could otherwise damage the Hestia's optics, your phone's camera and even your eyes if you looked directly through the rubber eyecup at it. There is a warning next to the rubber eyecup reminding you not to do this.
While the Hestia has no motorized tracking, you can adjust it manually. (Image credit: Gemma Lavender)
To take images, I had to download Vaonis' free Gravity app from the App Store (or Google Play if you have an Android device). It first asked me to register my Hestia by scanning the QR code on the reverse of the instrument (it's hidden by the tripod head, which I had to unscrew to get to the QR code). Then the app guides you through the positioning of your phone so that it is receiving focused light (focus is achievable with a slider in the app) through the camera. Gravity has three observing modes — Sun, Moon and 'Catalog', which has everything from stars and galaxies to nebulae and planets. I found the Gravity app very easy to use.
Should you buy the Vaonis Hestia?
Buy it if:
✅ You're a beginner wanting to image the Moon and the Sun.
✅ You're an eclipse chaser: The Hestia with the solar filter is perfect for imaging solar eclipses.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're a dedicated astrophotographer: The Hestia is really designed for beginners and those wanting to have a go at imaging the night sky in the easiest way.
❌ You want to image deep-sky objects: The Hestia is not capable of capturing good images of deep-space objects.
The Hestia works surprisingly well for imaging the Sun and the Moon. It is well suited to watching sunspot groups, spying large prominences and tracking the changing phases of the Moon. It also works well for stars and star clusters, but beyond that it is not suitable for deep sky imaging. If a user wishes to image a galaxy or a nebula, their best choice is to get a smart telescope.
If you are not too concerned about taking images then I would argue that a good pair of large binoculars (anything bigger than 10x50s) or a medium-aperture telescope of 5- or 6-inches provides a better view of the Moon, the stars and definitely the planets than the Hestia does. Because of its wide field of view and low magnification, the planets do not look like anything more than bright lights, but this is a common failing of all smart telescopes with their small apertures and wide fields. I could not see the belts of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn, for example.
User reviews of the Vaonis Hestia
Reviewers on amazon.com were broadly supportive of the Hestia, highlighting its portability, the functionality of the Gravity app and its appeal to users who want to try out astrophotography but who don't have the skills, money or time to purchase dedicated large imaging cameras and telescopes. On the negative side of things, some users found focusing to be difficult and lamented the lack of motorized finding and tracking.
If the Vaonis Hestia isn't for you
There isn't really an instrument quite like this on the market, but if you are interested in low-cost afocal photography and already own a telescope, I suggest just buying a smartphone adaptor that can attach to the eyepiece.
If you are looking for something more sophisticated, then try Vaonis' range of smart telescopes, in particular the Vespera II or the Vespera Pro.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/stargazing/skywatching-kit/vaonis-hestia-smartphone-powered-telescope-review
+
+ <![CDATA[ NASA's Artemis 2 mission to the moon puts Crew-12 SpaceX launch in delicate dance ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/nasas-artemis-2-mission-to-the-moon-puts-crew-12-spacex-launch-in-delicate-dance
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- wFZJjDBMCGcsHJVwoFaqP7
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 17:31:49 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 17:31:50 +0000
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+ YAXWb3WqCjwrBf45DaszRW
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+ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 23:25:50 +0000Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:46:28 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Blue Origin launches 6 space tourists to the final frontier after last-minute crew swap (video) ]]>
-
Blue Origin just sent its latest batch of space tourists to the final frontier.
The company, which was founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, launched its New Shepard vehicle today (Jan. 22), sending six passengers on a brief trip to suborbital space.
It was Blue Origin's 17th human spaceflight to date and the 38th mission overall for New Shepard, the company's autonomous, reusable rocket-capsule combo. That latter fact explains the flight's name: NS-38.
New Shepard launches the NS-38 mission with six passengers on Jan. 22, 2026. (Image credit: Blue Origin)
New Shepard lifted off from Blue Origin's West Texas launch site today at 11:25 a.m. EST (1625 GMT; 10:25 a.m. local time in Texas), after a brief delay caused by "unauthorized personnel on the range," according to the Blue Origin stream.
The six people inside the vehicle's capsule were entrepreneur and pilot Tim Drexler; Linda Edwards, a retired obstetrician/gynecologist; real estate developer Alain Fernandez; entrepreneur Alberto Gutiérrez; Jim Hendren, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel who founded the company Hendren Plastics Inc.; and Laura Stiles, Blue Origin’s director of New Shepard launch operations.
Stiles was a late addition to the crew. She replaced Andrew Yaffe, who had to drop out due to illness but will fly on a future New Shepard mission, according to Blue Origin.
The passengers for Blue Origin's NS-38 suborbital mission. (Image credit: Blue Origin)
The sextet enjoyed a few minutes of weightlessness and saw Earth against the blackness of space.
They also earned their astronaut wings, as New Shepard carried them above the Kármán Line, the 62-mile-high (100 kilometers) boundary that's widely recognized as the start of outer space. (It's not unanimous, however; both NASA and the U.S. Air Force deem space to begin 50 miles, or 80 km, above Earth.) Telemetry during today's flight indicated the capsule reached an altitude of nearly 350,000 feet (106,680 meters).
NS-38 ended quickly, as all New Shepard flights do. The vehicle's rocket came back to Earth for a powered touchdown at its designated landing pad at 7 minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff. The capsule followed suit roughly three minutes later, raising a cloud of dust in the West Texas desert as it settled down softly under parachutes.
Blue Origin has now flown 98 people to space over its 17 human spaceflights, the first of which took place on July 20, 2021 — the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. That tally includes 92 different individuals, as six people have ridden the capsule twice.
Blue Origin has not revealed its ticket prices. For perspective, Virgin Galactic, the company's main competitor in the suborbital space tourism industry, charges $600,000 per seat.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/blue-origin-ns-38-space-tourist-launch
+
+ <![CDATA[ Blue Origin pausing space tourism flights for at least 2 years to focus on moon plans ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/blue-origin-pausing-space-tourism-flights-for-at-least-2-years-to-focus-on-moon-plans
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+
- wKdJmUyYMFGwV9wwnqDXRn
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:48:07 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:59:13 +0000
+ AQhtijN5YkRhAtRNYseJQX
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+ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:37:37 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:37:38 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ SpaceX launches 25 Starlink satellites into orbit from California (video) ]]>
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SpaceX lit up the night sky over Vandenberg Space Force Base today (Jan. 22) with the launch of 25 more satellites for its Starlink broadband internet service.
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 4 East today at 12:47 a.m. EST (0547 GMT; 9:47 p.m. on Jan. 21 local California time. The Falcon's upper stage reached a preliminary orbit about nine minutes later and released its Starlink payload (known as Group 17-30) as scheduled, roughly an hour after launch.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 25 Starlink satellites lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Image credit: SpaceX)
The Falcon 9's first stage, known as Booster 1093, completed its 13th flight, landing on the Pacific Ocean-based drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You."
The new batch of satellites add to the 9,500 active units that comprise the Starlink megaconstellation. The service provides internet access to underserved areas around the world, as well as to airlines wanting to offer WIFI and cell phone carries seeking direct cell-to-satellite service for emergencies.
Thursday's launch was SpaceX's ninth of the year and 592nd since 2010.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlink-satellite-launch-vandenberg-group-17-30
+
+ <![CDATA[ Russian 'inspector' satellite appears to break apart in orbit, raising debris concerns ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/russian-inspector-satellite-appears-to-break-apart-in-orbit-raising-debris-concerns
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- 7ndTDcMFvQBmFjqTPXgiF5
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:14:17 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:14:18 +0000
+ WoKpXViEg8yiM2wRQqbQuV
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+ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 22:26:05 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ James Webb Space Telescope discovers what remains after two stars collide and explode as a red nova ]]>
- Astronomers have discovered what kind of stellar body is left after two stars collide and merge to generate an explosion called a "luminous red nova." Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the scientists discovered that the result of this merger event, which triggers a bright burst of light, is a supermassive star similar to a red supergiant star, and also found that these stellar mergers could have provided the raw materials needed for life.
Though many astronomical events occur over cosmic timescales of thousands or even millions of years, transient events like supernova explosions, the merger of black holes, and the collision and fusion of stars, as in the case of luminous red novas, occur over much shorter periods, from fractions of a second to decades. That gives astronomers the opportunity to study these events in "real time" as they develop.
"We don't normally witness the evolution of a system over millions of years, but these pairs of stars are experiencing the final moments before their collision, which instead occurs much more rapidly," research team leader Andrea Reguitti of the Istituto Nazionale Di Astrofisica (INAF) said in a statement. "The resulting transient, in fact, has evolutionary times comparable to those of a supernova — that is, a few months."
Reguitti set about answering the question of what remains after the luminous red nova fades away and the two stars have merged into a single object by studying nine different luminous red novas found in archival data. These transients have brightnesses in between that of classical novas, triggered when a white dwarf hoards material from a companion star thus sparking a runaway nuclear explosion, and supernovas that mark the death of a massive star and the birth of a black hole or a neutron star. The masses of stars involved in the mergers that trigger the formation of a luminous red nova can range from less than that of the sun to up to 50 times that of our star.
Of the nine luminous red novas examined, the team found that only two told the entire story of these powerful merger events. These were AT 2011kp, which was spotted in 2011 in a galaxy located around 25 million light-years away, and AT 1997bs, which erupted in a galaxy located 31 million light-years from Earth.
"In some cases, analyzing archival images from major space telescopes taken years before the event has allowed us to identify the progenitor, that is, study the system as it was before the merger, and therefore understand what types of stars were involved," Reguitti said. "However, until now, it was unknown what type of star would remain after the merger."
To determine the nature of the stellar body left behind by these merger events, the team had to observe them several years after the initial event. That is because when stars merge to create a luminous red nova, they eject a vast amount of stellar material. That gives rise to the brightest phase of these transients (changes in brightness), but the bright and dense shell of matter also obscures the view of the created stellar body. As every luminous red nova can eject dust equivalent to 300 times the mass of Earth, it is easy to see how the initial stages of these events would be difficult to observe through all of that material.
This investigation also required a space telescope powerful enough to observe distant galaxies and distinguish individual stars. That is where the JWST came in. Using infrared data gathered by the JWST in 2023 and 2024, in addition to visible light images collected by Hubble and the Spitzer Space Telescope, the team took another look at their selected luminous red novas, observing AT 2011kp as it was 12 years after the stellar merger event took place, while AT 1997bs was seen as it was after 27 years of evolution.
This revealed a stellar object very similar to a red supergiant star, a body hundreds of times the size of the sun, which, if placed at the heart of our solar system, would engulf the rocky inner planets and graze the orbit of Jupiter. Despite their immense size, the created stars were much cooler than the sun, with surface temperatures of between 5,840 degrees Fahrenheit and 6,740 degrees Fahrenheit (3,200 and 3,700 degrees Celsius) compared to the sun's surface temperature of around 10,300 degrees Fahrenheit (5,700 degrees Celsius).
"We didn't expect to find this type of object as a result of the merger," team member Andrea Pastorello, also of the INAF, said. "Rather, we would have expected that the system, going from two stars of a certain mass to a single one with a mass almost equal to the sum of the two (net of the material expelled by the collision), would have stabilized on a hotter and more compact source."
The impressive observing power of the JWST also allowed the researchers to study the chemicals that comprise the dust surrounding this newborn superstar. They found that this dust was made up of mostly carbon compounds like graphite. These compounds are important building blocks for living things, and with luminous red novas making such a significant contribution to interstellar dust, these events could have also played a key role in supplying the raw materials needed for life on Earth.
"We are made of carbon compounds, the same carbon that this dust is rich in," Reguitti concluded. "It's a different way of telling the old story that we are 'stardust.'"
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/stars/james-webb-space-telescope-discovers-what-remains-after-two-stars-collide-and-explode-as-a-red-nova
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+ <![CDATA[ Large Hadron Collider reveals 'primordial soup' of the early universe was surprisingly soupy ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/science/particle-physics/large-hadron-collider-reveals-primordial-soup-of-the-early-universe-was-surprisingly-soupy
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:30:39 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Rocket Lab launches its 1st mission of 2026, sending 2 satellites to orbit (video) ]]>
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Rocket Lab just launched its first mission of 2026.
An Electron rocket carrying two satellites for the European company Open Cosmos lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site today (Jan. 22) at 5:52 a.m. EST (1052 GMT; 11:52 p.m.local time in New Zealand).
Electron's "kick stage" deployed the two spacecraft into a circular orbit 1,050 kilometers (652 miles) above Earth as planned about 70 minutes after liftoff.
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launches two satellites for the European company Open Cosmos from New Zealand on Jan. 22, 2026. (Image credit: Rocket Lab)
Mission success. Payload deployment confirmed for @open_cosmos. Welcome to orbit! 🛰️🚀 pic.twitter.com/xphXedHVRBJanuary 22, 2026
Today's launch was Rocket Lab's first dedicated mission for Open Cosmos, a company that designs, builds and operates satellites and also offers data-sharing and data-analysis services.
"Our approach not only dramatically lowers the costs, complexity and timescales of missions, but it also simplifies access to EO [Earth observation] data in a way that removes the barriers for all companies —even non-space customers — to address society’s most urgent challenges," Open Cosmos' website reads.
This morning's mission, which Rocket Lab called "The Cosmos Will See You Now," sent up the first two satellites in Open Cosmos' planned telecom constellation in low Earth orbit.
"This new constellation complements the already-in-orbit satellites that deliver high-resolution imagery and global monitoring capabilities, supporting a wide range of applications and providing valuable metadata for diverse uses," Rocket Lab said in an emailed statement after the launch.
Electron on its way to orbit for its 80th launch with mission success for @Open_Cosmos pic.twitter.com/mOZu5oaVrnJanuary 22, 2026
"The Cosmos Will See You Now" was Rocket Lab's 80th overall to date. The vast majority have been conducted by the 59-foot-tall (18-meter-tall) Electron, which gives small satellites dedicated rides to Earth orbit and beyond.
Rocket Lab has also conducted a handful of missions with HASTE, a suborbital version of Electron that allows customers to test hypersonic technologies in the space environment.
Rocket Lab launched 21 missions in 2025, which set a new record for the company. Its previous high, set in 2024, was 16.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/rocket-lab-electron-first-launch-2026-open-cosmos-satellites
+
+ <![CDATA[ 1.1 million mph cosmic winds race through 'magnetic superhighway' in colliding galaxies ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/galaxies/1-1-million-mph-cosmic-winds-race-through-magnetic-superhighway-in-colliding-galaxies
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:51:48 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:03:23 +0000
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+ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 17:29:21 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Watch comet 3I/ATLAS race toward interstellar space in free livestream tonight ]]>
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Tune in tonight(Jan. 22) to watch live views of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS at opposition, as it appears opposite the sun in Earth's sky and races out of the solar system, courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project.
Tonight's livestream is due to start at 6:30 p.m. EST (2330 GMT) and will feature live views of the interstellar comet captured by the Virtual Telescope Project's robotic scopes in Manciano, Italy. Of course, there's always the possibility that clouds could conspire to ruin the show — an eventuality that led to the cancellation of the earlier Jan. 16 livestream.
3I/ATLAS at opposition
Magnitude
"Magnitude" is used to measure the apparent brightness of objects in the night sky. The lower the number, the brighter the object! The brightest stars are around Mag +1, while a full moon is -13 and the sun is -27.
Comet 3I/ATLAS will be positioned at opposition on the night of Jan. 22 — a time when solar system objects and planets are typically at their best and brightest for observation, appearing fully illuminated by sunlight from Earth's perspective, much like a full moon.
Sadly, 3I/ATLAS is forecast to remain relatively faint, with a predicted magnitude of +13.2 as it reaches opposition, according to the Comet Observation Database (COBS) run by the Crni Vrh Observatory in Slovenia. As such, it'll be too faint to see with the naked eye, only becoming detectable through large telescopes.
3I/ATLAS' journey through the solar system
Comet 3I/ATLAS was first detected on July 1, 2025, by astronomers analyzing data collected by a telescope scanning the sky as part of the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) project. A frenzied analysis of its orbit swiftly led scientists to conclude that it was just the third interstellar visitor to our solar system, behind 1I/ 'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.
3I/ATLAS made its closest approach to the sun on Oct. 31, 2025, around which time it disappeared for weeks behind the glare of a parent star. It later emerged to perform its closest proximity pass of Earth — an event known as perigee — on Dec. 19. It's due to make a planetary flyby in March later this year, when it will pass 33.4 million miles (53.7 million km) from Jupiter before continuing on its one-way journey out of the solar system, never to be seen again.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/stargazing/watch-comet-3i-atlas-race-toward-interstellar-space-in-free-livestream-tonight
+
+ <![CDATA[ Living spaceships, plague planets, and a quote from Josef Mengele: 'The Sixth Nik' is NYT bestselling author Daniel Kraus' 1st sci-fi novel, and it's really weird ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-books/living-spaceships-plague-planets-and-a-quote-from-josef-mengele-the-sixth-nik-is-nyt-bestselling-author-daniel-kraus-1st-sci-fi-novel-and-its-really-weird
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:30:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:14:41 +0000
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+ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 17:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 16:02:57 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ ISS astronaut spots Artemis 2 moon rocket on the launch pad from space (photo) ]]>
- The lone U.S. astronaut currently in space took a picture of NASA's first rocket designed for a human moon mission in more than 50 years.
Artemis 2's rocket, called the Space Launch System, arrived at the launch pad Saturday (Jan. 17) — and may launch to the moon as soon as Feb. 6. From the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Chris Williams captured a view of the rocket coastside at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "If you zoom in on the rightmost launch pad, you can see a shadow just to the left of the center of the pad," Williams said in an X post Monday (Jan. 19). "That shadow is from the rocket (and launch tower) that will soon take four of my friends on a trip around the moon."
Artemis 2 is expected to carry four astronauts on a lunar mission: NASA's Reid Williams (commander), Victor Glover (pilot) and Christina Koch (mission specialist), along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen. Glover will be the first person of color to leave low Earth orbit, while Koch will be the first woman and Hansen will be the first non-American. The moon mission is the first to return astronauts to the lunar surface since Apollo 17's moon-landing excursion in 1972.
Williams, temporarily flying solo on the U.S. side of the ISS after the early and unprecedented medical evacuation of SpaceX Crew-11 on Jan. 15, said the space photo was not his best effort. ("Should have grabbed a different lens," he added.) But it was a "special" image to him nonetheless, Williams said. The ISS coincidentally passed over Florida at about the same time SLS arrived at Launch Pad 39B on Saturday at 6:42 p.m. EST (2342 GMT). The rocket spent nearly 12 hours carefully moving across KSC on top of a baseball-infield-sized "crawler-transporter" previously tasked for Apollo and space shuttle missions.
The crew of Artemis 2 aims to spend 10 days testing the Orion spacecraft on the capsule's third space mission. The astronauts will first do a checkout in Earth orbit, and assuming all goes well, perform an engine burn (a trans-lunar injection) to bring them around the moon and home again.
Artemis 2 will be the first crewed flight for Orion. But an Orion flew uncrewed around Earth in 2014 for Exploration Flight Test-1 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket, and another uncrewed Orion went around the moon in 2022 with Artemis 1 — which flew atop SLS on the rocket's first flight.
Artemis 2 will conduct a wide range of science and human health experiments to prepare for more long-duration moon missions. Artemis 3 is scheduled to land with astronauts in 2027 or 2028, pending readiness of the SpaceX Starship lander currently tasked to land astronauts there. More Artemis program missions are expected to follow, as NASA aims to build up a permanent presence on the moon.
The launch date of Artemis 2 is subject to change as the rocket and spacecraft undergo tests at the pad, most especially a "wet dress rehearsal" (or fueling of the rocket, in a simulated launch sequence) that required multiple attempts for certification of Artemis 1. The rehearsal is scheduled for no later than Feb. 2.
NASA has released windows for Artemis 2's launch in February, March and April. Agency officials at KSC emphasized Jan. 16 they would launch Artemis 2 with safety in mind when the mission was ready, and not "rush" the process.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/iss-astronaut-spots-artemis-2-moon-rocket-on-the-launch-pad-from-space-photo
+
+ <![CDATA[ NASA delays critical Artemis 2 rocket fueling test due to below-freezing temperatures, launch no earlier than Feb. 8 ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasa-delays-critical-artemis-2-rocket-fueling-test-due-to-below-freezing-temperatures-launch-no-earlier-than-feb-8
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 21:02:49 +0000
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+ ZVULqKhZ44CNmtwsY2hCzL
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+ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 15:52:13 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 23:27:18 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Searching for newborn stars with CAFFEINE | Space photo of the day for Jan. 22, 2026 ]]>
- There are many questions surrounding the mechanics of star formation, from timeline to impact on surrounding stars. But for astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), one particular question is of particular focus: If you pack more material into a star-forming cloud, do you get more stars for your trouble?
Using theArTéMiS camera at the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) — a radio telescope in Chile operated by the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy — the ESO astronomers zoomed in on GAL316, a key stellar nursery. This image is part of a larger survey, the Core And Filament Formation/Evolution In Natal Environments (CAFFEINE) survey, which the astronomers are using to answer their key question — and fuel their thirst for knowledge.
What is it?
This is a layered, composite view of a stellar nursery that combines two perspectives on the same region of space. The blue, filamentary structure traces cold gas and dust — the raw ingredients of star formation — detected by APEX with the ArTéMiS camera. The background starfield comes from VISTA observations, showing the densely populated Milky Way region behind and around the cloud. Together, the two datasets make it easier to see how the invisible "fuel" for future stars threads through a field already full of older ones.
Where is it?
GAL316 is a star-forming region in our Milky Way.
A ghostly blue filament of cold gas and dust stretches across a dense starfield and looks a bit like steam curling through a café window. (Image credit: ESO/M. Mattern, P. André et al. Background: VVV)
Why is it amazing?
CAFFEINE was designed to test whether the densest star-forming regions become more productive, converting a higher fraction of their material into new stars once they pass the minimum density needed for star birth. The survey's results suggest the opposite of the intuitive guess: above that threshold, the densest regions observed didn't seem any more efficient at forming stars than other nurseries.
That matters because it hints that star formation isn't limited by "not enough stuff" once clouds reach a certain point. Instead, other brakes may still be at work even in the richest regions, the internal motions of the cloud, the way material fragments, and the early influence of young stars on their surroundings. In other words, piling on more gas and dust doesn't automatically turn a stellar nursery into a star-making machine.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/stars/searching-for-newborn-stars-with-caffeine-space-photo-of-the-day-for-jan-22-2026
+
+ <![CDATA[ Is a MacBook or Windows laptop better for astrophotography? ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/stargazing/skywatching-kit/is-a-macbook-or-windows-laptop-better-for-astrophotography
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- 5ZbabSX6REaT9JmdX7YmKU
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:03:16 +0000
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+ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:39:25 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ See a slender crescent moon shine with Saturn in the western sky tonight ]]>
- Look toward the southwestern horizon at sunset on Jan. 22 to witness the slender crescent moon cozy up to the gas giant Saturn beneath the stars of the constellation Pisces.
The moon's 22%-lit disk will appear roughly 30 degrees above the horizon — roughly the width of three clenched fists held at arm's length. Saturn will appear as a steady, bright star-like object less than 7 degrees to the moon's upper left.
Both Saturn and the moon's delicate, sickle profile will make for a gorgeous naked eye stargazing target and photo opportunity, with the four bright stars of the Great Square of Pegasusasterism forming a diamond to the pair's upper right.
A small telescope will enhance the view of the moon, revealing the dark basalt plains of Mare Crisium (the Sea of Crisis) and Mare Fecunditatis (the Sea of Fertility). These lunar features formed billions of years ago, when molten lava filled ancient impact basins and solidified in the extreme space environment.
Point the same telescope toward Saturn to catch the thin profile of its famous ring system dividing the gas giant's cloudy disk. The rings are currently tilted almost edge-on as seen from Earth. Saturn's largest moons Titan, Dione, Rhea and Tethys will also be visible as bright specs of light extending to one side of the gas giant's disk.
The thin crescent moon will shine near Saturn and Neptune on Jan. 22. (Image credit: Starry Night/Chris Vaughan)
Celestron NexStar 8SE
(Image credit: Amazon)
We reckon the Celestron NexStar 8SE is the best motorized telescope out there as it's great for astrophotography, deep-space observing and it offers stunning detailed imagery. It is a little pricey but for what you get, it's good value. For a more detailed look, you can check out our Celestron NexStar 8SE review.
Neptune also lurks nearby on the night of Jan. 22. The distant ice giant — about 17 times farther from the sun than Earth — sits less than 2 degrees above Saturn, though you'll need a telescope with an aperture of at least 8-inches (200 millimeters) to resolve the tiny blue dot of its disk. For scale, the tip of your little finger held at arm's length accounts for roughly 1 degree of sky.
The moon and Saturn will set around four and a half hours after the sun on Jan. 22. By the following night, the upturned lunar crescent will have leapt past Saturn to appear above it in the evening sky, noticeably thicker ahead of its first quarter phase on Jan. 25, when its right half will be bathed in direct sunlight as its left lies in shadow.
Editor's Note: If you take a picture of the moon with Saturn and want to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/stargazing/see-a-slender-crescent-moon-shine-with-saturn-in-the-western-sky-tonight-jan-22-2025
+
+ <![CDATA[ See the moon glow next to mighty Jupiter in the winter sky tonight ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/stargazing/see-the-moon-glow-next-to-mighty-jupiter-in-the-winter-sky-jan-30-2026
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- M9PnaMJnEPcuuTWD57Bauf
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 10:21:02 +0000
+ CEcchuPtaJCCTJDfJ4XeKY
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+ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 21:04:12 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope review ]]>
- Although it is marketed as a white-light solar telescope, the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope is really a nighttime scope (which can be purchased on its own) alongside a detachable solar filter from Thousand Oaks. This may be a perk for users who don't own a telescope and want to purchase a kit that's ready for both solar and lunar viewing. However, it's likely not of interest to anyone who already has a larger scope.
The telescope is lightweight with a streamlined design, and two handy eyepieces are included. The smaller aperture of the telescope — 2.4-inches (60mm) with the solar filter attached and 3.1-inches (80mm) without the solar filter — makes this telescope more suitable for beginners. And, the price is reasonable for this audience.
iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope review
iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope: Design
A view of the iOptron 80mm telescope from the side, including the plastic focusing knobs. The white disc inside the focus knob, which had been glued in, fell out during my first session. (Image credit: Ryan French)
Simple aluminum body in bright blue
Sleek 60mm solar filter
Traditional 9mm and 25mm eyepieces
The iOptron 80mm telescope is a simple-looking refracting telescope with a 3.1-inch (80mm) aperture. It's bright blue, with a clear iOptron logo at the end of the telescope. At the base of the telescope, there is a rack-and-pinion focus with a 1.25-inch (32mm) eyepiece slot. The lack of a finder scope and the eyepiece opening at the very end of the scope give it a sleek and streamlined look. The kit also includes a 45-degree erect glass prism, allowing for easier viewing of high-altitude objects. Simple 0.35-inch (9mm) and 1-inch (25mm) eyepieces are also included.
A unique selling point of this telescope is the featured SolarLite solar filter from Thousand Oaks. The filter has a simple design, mounting onto the end of the telescope with three screws. The solar filter has an aperture of only 2.4 inches (60mm), which decreases the usable aperture size from the 3.1-inch (80mm) telescope measurement. Thousand Oaks is a trustworthy producer of solar filters, so you can have peace of mind that the filter is safe.
The front and back of the Thousand Oaks SolarLite filter, which provides a safe view of the sun for both naked-eye and telescope observations. (Image credit: Ryan French)
Specifications
Weight: 3lbs (1.3 kg)
Dimensions: 13.8 x 4.1 x 4.1-inches (350 x 105 x 105 mm)
Optical design: Refractor
Aperture: 3.15-inches (80mm), or 2.36-inches (60mm) with the solar filter
Focal length: 15.7-inches (400 mm)
Focal ratio: f/5.0
Eyepiece focal length: 25mm (16x) and 9mm (44x)
Mount type: Alt-azimuth
The iOptron 80mm was designed primarily as a night-sky telescope, which is apparent from the safety label with a warning against its use for solar observations. This label is somewhat helpful, to remind you to attach the solar filter before pointing at the sun. However, it might be confusing for customers who purchased the telescope-solar-filter package especially for solar viewing. Rest assured: With the solar filter attached, solar viewing is safe.
The cosmetic finishes on the telescope are not high-quality. The plastic rack-and-pinion focus has small, white discs to hide the screws underneath, yet one popped out during my first observing session.
The caution label on the side of the general-use scope could be confusing for beginners who are using the solar filter. (Image credit: Ryan French)
iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope: Performance
We got soft, orange views of the sun and saw visible sunspots through the iOptron 80mm white light solar scope. (Image credit: Ryan French)
Easily visible sunspots
Inclusion of useful 9mm and 25mm eyepieces
Views of soft, golden-orange sun
Potentially problematic plastic focus knob
I tested the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope on a clear, cloudless day at around 4 p.m. The sun was not at its highest by this time — but I live in a dry location over 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) above sea level, so atmospheric conditions are generally quite stable for nighttime and solar astronomy.
With the solar filter attached, the aperture of the telescope is only 60 mm wide. Through the 9mm eyepiece, the sun filled up the view nicely, but the wider 25mm view was more forgiving for non-tracking mounts. The sun appeared a nice golden orange through the solar filter.
The telescope performed as expected for a 60mm aperture white-light scope. Sunspot regions were visible (even through the 25mm eyepiece), with the difference between the umbra (the dark center of the sunspot) and the penumbra (the lighter edge of the sunspot) at the edge of visibility to a keen eye. As with all solar observations, your viewing experience will depend on the size and presence (or lack thereof) of sunspots on a given observation day, which will change constantly. At the time of my observations, only small sunspots were near the center of the sun, with a larger region rotating into view.
A comparison between the view of the sun from the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope and the view from the space-based Solar Dynamics Observatory. (Image credit: Ryan French)
The images above show a comparison between a photograph taken through the iOptron telescope (a single shot from a Sony A7 IV with a Barlow lens) and a white-light image of the sun from the space-based Solar Dynamics Observatory. Naturally, the image from space is much clearer and sharper, but the iOptron telescope still picked out all of the sunspot regions. A more ambitious photographer could obtain sharper sun images by stacking multiple images together.
My primary criticism with the telescope's performance is the plastic focusing knob, which is a little stiff and not of the highest quality. When I turned the knob, it caused the telescope to wobble a fair amount and thus required readjustment of the telescope.
iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope: Functionality
The iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope pointing at the sun. (Image credit: Ryan French)
Lightweight, portable design
Easy setup
No finder scope, which may cause difficulties for beginners
The iOptron 80mm is lightweight and easy to carry over long distances. The setup is instantaneous; the telescope easily mounts onto a tripod, and the solar filter is easy to attach to the end of the scope. Don't forget this step! The 45-degree erect glass prism is a nice inclusion; it allows you to angle the eyepiece away from the telescope for easier viewing while the sun is high in the sky.
The iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope has a basic design. It lacks a finder scope, which would need its own solar filter, or at least an indication of where the sun is relative to the pointing. By contrast, most dedicated solar telescopes include this feature to help you find the sun. For this reason, it may take beginner astronomers a little time to find the sun within the field of view.
User reviews of the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope
There do not appear to be any online reviews of the solar-filter-telescope combination. However, there are reviews of the telescope without the solar filter, rated on its use for nighttime astronomy. On the High Point Scientific website, two reviews independently mention the issues with the focus knob that I also found during my testing:
"A good basic refractor telescope. Useful for terrestrial daytime viewing and wide field viewing of moon, and large objects like comets. However, cheap plastic focusing housing causes image shift making astrophotography difficult. (4/5)"
"The view through the iOptron 80 is good, but there is a problem with focusing. When you turn the knob to focus, the object moves from side to side depending upon which way the knob is turned. Sometimes it can move completely out of view. You can see the eyepiece holder move side to side as you turn the knob back and forth. (3/5)"
Should you buy the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope?
Buy it if:
✅ You're new to astronomy and want a single telescope for both daytime and nighttime astronomy.
✅ You need a compact, lightweight solar telescope: The iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope ticks both these boxes.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You already own a basic nighttime telescope: There isn't much point swapping to this one if you already have a decent telescope for astronomy.
❌ You want to photograph the sun: This isn't possible using this scope.
The iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope is a decent purchase if you do not already own a telescope and want to buy something versatile for both solar and lunar astronomy. It has a small aperture, but it's easy to set up, making it suitable for beginners.
If you already own a regular (nonsolar) telescope, it is probably better to purchase a solar filter directly for the scope you already own. This will save you money and may provide you with a larger aperture than the 60mm solar filter included with the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope. Thousand Oaks, the company that makes the solar filter included with this product, also sells solar filters for other telescope sizes.
If the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope isn't for you
If the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope isn't for you, you have a couple of options. If you already own a telescope, the cheapest option is to buy a Thousand Oaks filter to fit your scope. That may even provide better results, if your scope's aperture is wider than 80mm.
If you want to invest in a solar-specific telescope, then H-alpha observations provide a far better view of the sun than white-light solar telescopes do. White-light filters are restricted to observing the sun's surface, the photosphere, while H-alpha filters observe a higher layer in the sun's atmosphere, called the chromosphere. In addition, H-alpha observations can reveal filaments called solar prominences. However, H-alpha telescopes are much more expensive than the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope. Trusted H-alpha brands include Lunt, which sells 40mm, 50mm and 152mm-aperture options.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/stargazing/skywatching-kit/ioptron-80mm-white-light-solar-scope-review
+
+ <![CDATA[ Artemis 2 moon suits ready to make history | Space photo of the day for Jan. 30, 2026 ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/artemis-2-moon-suits-ready-to-make-history-space-photo-of-the-day-for-jan-30-2026
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- 7568aWfs2rg9QjD7aJQ6ac
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:03:51 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:03:52 +0000
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+ bjAsSopLa4ecYUHn7488CK
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+ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 15:38:26 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Wobbling exoplanet hints at a hidden exomoon so massive it could redefine the word 'moon' altogether ]]>
- A gas giant planet beyond the solar that wobbles as it circles its star, hinting to astronomers that it is orbited by its own moon. To make this suspected discovery even more remarkable, if this moon exists it would be absolutely massive, comparable to around half the mass of Jupiter. That would make it thousands of times more massive than any moon orbiting a solar system plane — so massive it could make astronomers reconsider what constitutes a moon.
The extra-solar planet, or "exoplanet," suspected to host this tremendous exomoon is HD 206893 B, a gas giant with 28 times the mass of Jupiter, which orbits a young star located around 133 light-years from Earth. The team behind this research detected signs of the potential exomoon while investigating HD 206893 B with the GRAVITY instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) located in the Atacama desert region of northern Chile.
"What we found is that HD 206893 B doesn't just follow a smooth orbit around its star. On top of that motion, it shows a small but measurable back-and-forth 'wobble'. The wobble has a period of about nine months and a size comparable to the Earth–moon distance," team leader and University of Cambridge astronomer Quentin Kral told Space.com."This kind of signal is exactly what you would expect if the object were being tugged by an unseen companion, such as a large moon, making this system a particularly intriguing candidate for hosting an exomoon."
The GRAVITY instrument allowed the team to use a technique called astrometry, which precisely measures the positions of stars and other astronomical bodies over time. This allows astronomers to detect tiny aberrations in motion that are the result of a gravitational "tug" from an unseen body.
"This technique has previously been used to measure the long, slow orbits of massive exoplanets and brown dwarfs, where observations spaced years apart are sufficient," Kral said. "In our study, we pushed this approach much further by monitoring the object over much shorter timescales, from days to months. What we found is that HD 206893 B doesn't just follow a smooth orbit around its star. On top of that motion, it shows a small but measurable back-and-forth 'wobble.'"
The result of this investigation was the inference of a companion body orbiting HD 206893 B around once every nine months at a distance of around one-fifth the distance between Earth and the sun. The orbit of this potential exomoon is tilted at around 60 degrees relative to the orbital plane of its parent planet, potentially indicating some type of interaction has disturbed this system at some point in its history.
Of course, what would be really extraordinary about this exomoon, if confirmed, is its absolutely tremendous mass, around 40% of Jupiter's mass, or around nine times the mass of the ice giant Neptune! That is so big it could call into question the definition of the word "moon."
"In our solar system, the most massive moon is Ganymede, which is still extremely small compared to what we are inferring here. Ganymede is thousands of times less massive than Neptune, so there is an enormous gap in mass between the largest moons we know and this potential exomoon candidate," Kral said.
"This naturally raises the question of whether such an object should even be called a moon. At these masses, the distinction between a massive moon and a very low-mass companion becomes blurred. However, there is currently no official definition of an exomoon, and in practice, astronomers generally refer to any object orbiting a planet or substellar companion as a moon."
Though astronomers believe that several exomoons have been detected in the past, all of these possible detections have been controversial. Thus, the team is hoping that the exomoon of HD 206893 B can be the first to be officially confirmed.
"Exomoons are difficult to detect because they produce signals that are extremely small compared to those of planets, and those signals depend very strongly on both the observing technique and the system's geometry," Kral explained.
The most successful method of exoplanet detection thus far has been the transit method, which measures the dip in light caused as a planet crosses, or "transits", the face of its parent star.
However, this technique hasn't been nearly as successful at detecting exomoons.
"The transit method — which has been the most successful technique for finding exoplanets — can, in principle, detect moons comparable in size to Jupiter's largest moons. However, it is most sensitive to planets orbiting very close to their stars, and theoretical studies suggest that such close-in planets are unlikely to retain large moons over long periods of time," Kral said.
"Astrometry, the technique we use, is sensitive to longer-period moons orbiting planets or substellar companions far from their stars. This makes it particularly promising for detecting exomoons in regions where they are expected to be stable — at least for the most massive moons, which are likely to be the first ones we can find."
In addition to hopefully confirming the presence of this exomoon, Kral and colleagues think this research and the technique they used lay down a future roadmap for exomoon discovery in other planetary systems.
"It's important to keep in mind that we are likely only seeing the tip of the iceberg," Kral concluded. "Just as the first exoplanets discovered were the most massive ones orbiting very close to their stars — simply because they were the easiest to detect — the first exomoons we identify are expected to be the most massive and extreme examples.
"As observational techniques improve, our definitions and understanding of what constitutes a moon will almost certainly evolve."
The team's research is available as a pre-peer-reviewed paper on the repository site arXiv, and accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/wobbling-exoplanet-hints-at-a-hidden-exomoon-so-massive-it-could-redefine-the-word-moon-altogether
+
+ <![CDATA[ Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) crumbles apart in stunning new telescope images ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/comets/comet-c-2025-k1-atlas-crumbles-apart-in-stunning-new-telescope-images
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+
- nsP3ugCDYrfaDhrhYyrTEE
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- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:31:24 +0000
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+ JcjbQ9mZ2hhPJq7MEiSN2J
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+ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 21:03:12 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ 'We can handle any kind of difficult situation': Crew-11 astronauts say 1st medical evacuation from ISS had a silver lining ]]>
- The astronauts of NASA's most recent mission to the International Space Station (ISS) sat down today (Jan. 21) to discuss their time in orbit, as well as their untimely departure.
NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui of JAXA and cosmonaut Oleg Platonov launched to the ISS on SpaceX's Crew-11 mission in early August of last year, for what was planned to be a 6.5-month stint aboard the orbital lab. The quartet returned to Earth shy of that goal, however, due to a medical issue that one of them experienced.
The astronauts splashed down in their Crew Dragon capsule on Jan. 15, about a month before their replacements aboard Crew-12 were expected to launch on their own six-month mission. Crew-11 was the first mission to the ISS ever cut short due to astronaut health issues, and it was therefore a critical demonstration of their training and preparedness, the astronauts said.
"This is actually a very, very good experience for the future of human spaceflight," Yui said during a post-mission press conference today.
The fact that Crew-11 returned to Earth safely under such unprecedented circumstances shows that astronauts and mission control "can handle any kind of difficult situation," he added.
The ISS has been continuously occupied in low Earth orbit since November 2000. That this was the first medical evacuation ever needed speaks not only to the training of NASA's and other space agencies' astronauts, but also the resources and preparedness of the station itself to deal with unexpected medical issues.
While NASA and the Crew-11 astronauts aren't disclosing the nature of the medical situation or whom it affected, citing privacy concerns, Fincke did say during today's press conference that the station's ultrasound machine played an important role.
"When we had this emergency, the ultrasound machine came in super handy. So I'd recommend portable ultrasound machines in the future, for sure, for all spaceflights," Fincke said. "It really helped."
Such medical diagnostic and treatment technologies will be crucial on missions that send humans deeper into space, where a quick return to Earth isn't possible. And NASA is deep into the planning of such missions. Its Artemis program, for example, aims to put astronauts on the moon just a year or two from now, and to eventually establish one or more bases on the lunar surface.
Crew-11's experience helps builds confidence that we can pull off such ambitious exploration feats, Fincke said.
"I'm very proud of the space station that we built and what humans can do, but how we handled everything all the way through — through nominal operations to these unforeseen operations — really bodes well for future exploration," he said during today's briefing, which took place in Houston. "We're a well-honed machine here at the Johnson Space Center and around the world. So, when we're getting ready for Artemis, I am very optimistic."
Forgoing the usual crew overlap period typically practiced with the arrival of a new group of astronauts to the ISS before another's departure, the Crew-11 astronauts left behind only a skeleton crew of three aboard the station. Operating on adjusted schedules to accommodate the lack of crew availability, those three are awaiting the launch of Crew-12, which is expected no earlier than Feb. 15, to bring the station back up to its normal crew complement of seven.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/we-can-handle-any-kind-of-difficult-situation-crew-11-astronauts-say-1st-medical-evacuation-from-iss-had-a-silver-lining
+
+ <![CDATA[ From space to the seabed, critical infrastructure is becoming more vulnerable, experts warn: 'People don't realize how dependent we are' ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/from-space-to-the-seabed-critical-infrastructure-is-becoming-more-vulnerable-experts-warn-people-dont-realize-how-dependent-we-are
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+
- QozhQRycngN7UgfBnAzLrZ
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 23:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 21:59:24 +0000
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+ Cmw9YnozCxdNAWNcELJRc4
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+ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 21:03:34 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ 'Eye of God' nebula looks like a cosmic lava lamp in new James Webb Space Telescope image ]]>
-
Astronomers have been given a new and incredibly detailed look at a very familiar astronomical object thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The new JWST image shows the Helix Nebula, the ring-like structure of which has led to the nickname the Eye of God.
The Helix Nebula is composed of stellar material shrugged off by a dying star as its outer layers were blasted away and its core collapsed to form a dense stellar remnant called a white dwarf. White dwarfs are the type of stellar corpses that are left behind when stars with similar masses as the sun run out of hydrogen in their cores and can no longer generate the energy to support themselves against the inward push of their own gravity. The remains that surround them are referred to as "planetary nebulas," even though they have nothing to do with planets at all.
That means that this intricate view of the Helix Nebula, located some 650 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Aquarius, gives scientists a hint of what is to come for our own star when it exhausts its hydrogen fuel in around 5 billion years. So, while this familiar sight for astronomers may look like a lava lamp in these images, it may actually serve as a crystal ball, foretelling doom for our solar system.
The Helix Nebula as seen by the JWST with its comet-like knots, fierce stellar winds, and layers of gas shed off by a dying star interacting with its surrounding environment. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, A. Pagan (STScI))
The Helix Nebula, also known as NGC 7293 or Caldwell 63, was first discovered by German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding prior to 1824. It is one of the closest and brightest planetary nebulas that can be seen from Earth.
Since then, the Helix Nebula has been imaged by a vast array of telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope, with the JWST joining the fray with an infrared image courtesy of its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).
(Left) The Helix Nebula as seen by the Visible and Infrared Telescope for Astronomy. (Right) The smaller field of view from the JWST’s NIRCam (right). (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, A. Pagan (STScI))
The image clearly traces winds of blisteringly hot gas emerging from the vicinity of the white dwarf stellar remnant at the heart of the Helix Nebula as they slam into outer shells of previously shed cold gas and dust. This demonstrates a sharp transition between the hot gas of this system and its coolest counterpart.
Not visible in the JWST image is the smoldering white dwarf in the center of the Helix Nebula, but astronomers can see the effect of the radiation it emits as it lights close surrounding gas, heating it and causing it to be ionized.
Further out from the stellar remnant are dust pockets of cold molecular hydrogen, in which conditions are just right for the formation of complex molecules. These could one day become the building blocks of new planets, and perhaps even life.Thus, perhaps this cosmic crystal ball also offers a look backwards billions of years into the past before the solar system took shape around our infant sun.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/galaxies/eye-of-god-nebula-looks-like-a-cosmic-lava-lamp-in-new-james-webb-space-telescope-image
+
+ <![CDATA[ SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from two coasts in two days ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlink-satellite-launch-b1082-group-17-19-ocisly-b1095-group-6-101-jrti
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- aUGDg6sk2rE9Sgyb8ur4ui
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 22:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 22:32:45 +0000
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+ h3RThxSmVZcMMz6zkEZDL3
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+ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 08:50:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:07:35 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ 'Legends of Tomorrow' at 10: Celebrating DC's scrappy version of 'Back to the Future' ]]>
- In 2016, DC gave the spotlight to the misfits, the outsiders, the rebels – and the fans ate it up. No, this isn't about David Ayer's "Suicide Squad" or Jared Leto's method acting as a turkey with gang tattoos; this is about the most underrated part of the Arrowverse: "Legends of Tomorrow."
Truthfully, the premise didn't exactly inspire anyone when it was first announced. Airing on Jan. 21, 2016, the show takes lesser-used characters from other Arrowverse series and chucks the benchwarmers together for a time-travel adventure where they cross space and time to battle bad guys like Vandal Savage (Casper Crump). Hooray for surplus heroes!
This show definitely had the stench of one-season-and-done all over it, and it didn't help that the first season received apathetic reviews, as critics dished out a 65% approval rating while the audience was less kind with 58% on Rotten Tomatoes.
(Image credit: The CW)
Fortunately, the charisma of the show's stars – such as Caity Lotz, Brandon Routh, and Dominic Purcell – work overtime to compensate for the noticeable shortcomings, keeping the viewers invested in what's on screen even as the series stumbles through an initial and very public identity crisis. "Legends of Tomorrow" takes its time to find its feet, struggling to figure out if it's meant to be more serious like "Arrow" or bashfully endearing like "The Flash." However, it finally settles on what fans appreciate it as: DC's playful version of "Back to the Future."
There's no budget for a wheel-spinning DeLorean, though, as the team travels in the distinctively less stylish Waverider, which gives PlayStation 1 "Wipeout" vibes whenever it appears on screen. That's par for the course here, really, as the Arrowverse shows never had massive money behind them, usually blowing the budget on episodes featuring King Shark or Gorilla Grodd, then having Barry Allen "losing" his powers for the rest of the season. However, "Legends of Tomorrow" somehow spins the low-budget approach to its own benefit. The campy effects add to the series' charm and candour, forcing the adventures to be more intimate and contained, rather than turning into a CGI roller coaster ride out of James Cameron's wildest dreams.
While "Legends" could never compete with the visual vibrancy of "Game of Thrones" or the digital detail of "The Mandalorian," the superhero series makes the likes of Ancient Egypt and 1970s London come to life through creative costumes, efficiently designed sets, and hammy setups. It's reminiscent of early "Doctor Who" and "Star Trek" episodes, where practicality and imagination shook hands with an understanding that it's up to the audience to suspend their disbelief if they want the full experience.
(Image credit: The CW)
Viewers who let go of any expectations weren't let down in the end, especially if they appreciate the show for what it is rather than what it could be. "Legends of Tomorrow" values fun above everything else, taking us on a joyride through the ages and the different corners of the DC Universe that might have never been explored on screen otherwise. Did it always make sense? Absolutely not. Could it have been better in places? For sure. Yet, you can't deny that the show commits to the goofiness and goes full throttle around every wacky bend. Doc Brown and Marty McFly would be so proud of what Greg Berlanti and company built here.
While on the topic of unconfined joy, let's not forget that "Legends" is solely responsible for the rise of the cute and cuddly Beebo. Only those who have watched the show understand the importance and influence of the Blue God, who became an undisputed highlight of weekly television. Marvel can keep that monosyllable hunk of wood known as Groot, because all that anyone needs in their life is more Beebo. If James Gunn is serious about the success of this all-new DC Universe and providing the ultimate fan service, he better find a place for this character. More Beebs, less members of the Gunn family on screen. Please.
What "Legends of Tomorrow" also does phenomenally well is to give second chances to characters done dirty in the past. Remember the "Jonah Hex" movie starring Josh Brolin? No, of course you don't, no one does. Thankfully, DC's resident gunslinger received a rebirth thanks to a straight-shootin' performance from Johnathon Schaech, who doesn't miss when he shows up in an episode. Matt Ryan's John Constantine also entered the last chance saloon after the cancellation of his solo series, but his portrayal of the Hellblazer – more akin to his comic book counterpart than Keanu Reeves' version – lived on longer because of his magical time as part of the Legends.
(Image credit: The CW)
Despite the low expectations and a show consisting largely of B-list characters, "Legends of Tomorrow" lasted seven solid seasons. That's more than any Arrowverse show, except for "Arrow" and "The Flash." It's also the same number of seasons as "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and more than any Marvel series released after 2016. Simply put, it's a phenomenal achievement that should be shouted from the rooftops.
So, what was the secret to the show's success? According to Caity Lotz, it all comes back to what's been mentioned before: the fun factor. "The fans embrace our weirdness," she told ComicBook.com. "It's good to know when we're just having fun, and we're playing, people are into it. And I think the fact that we don't take everything too seriously is really what makes it so fun."
But isn't that what all this stuff should be in the first place? By committing to every absurdity and possibility, "Legends of Tomorrow" counteracts the corporate-sanitized version of superhero productions today. It's the very definition of letting your hair down and going with the flow. Maybe it's time that everyone takes a page out of the Legends' book and goes back to the past to discover that rebellious spirit – and Beebo – again.
"Legends of Tomorrow" is available to watch on Amazon, Apple TV, and other streaming services in the US and UK.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/legends-of-tomorrow-at-10-celebrating-dcs-scrappy-version-of-back-to-the-future
+
+ <![CDATA[ Astronomers watch 1st black hole ever imaged launch a 3,000‑light‑year‑long cosmic jet from its glowing 'shadow' ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/astronomers-watch-1st-black-hole-ever-imaged-launch-a-3-000-light-year-long-cosmic-jet-from-its-glowing-shadow
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- sVkWHmAfrnTL2ZsurHD7AQ
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 21:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:55:58 +0000
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+ wFambezMGoEJdGcXTXTSBk
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+ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 22:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:01:35 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Record-setting astronaut Suni Williams retires from NASA after 27 years ]]>
- One of NASA's most decorated astronauts has called it a career.
Suni Williams retired from the agency on Dec. 27, 2025 after 27 years of service. During her NASA career, she spent 608 total days off Earth — the second-most in American history, behind Peggy Whitson's 695 — and ran the first-ever marathon in space.
"Suni Williams has been a trailblazer in human spaceflight, shaping the future of exploration through her leadership aboard the space station and paving the way for commercial missions to low Earth orbit," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement on Tuesday (Jan. 20) that announced Williams' retirement.
"Her work advancing science and technology has laid the foundation for Artemis missions to the moon and advancing toward Mars, and her extraordinary achievements will continue to inspire generations to dream big and push the boundaries of what's possible," Isaacman added. "Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement, and thank you for your service to NASA and our nation."
Williams joined NASA in 1998, part of an astronaut class dubbed "The Penguins." She flew to space for the first time in December 2006, living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) until late April of 2007.
In the home stretch of that mission, she competed in the Boston Marathon from orbit, running on a treadmill as her crewmates cheered her on. Williams finished the 26.2-mile run in four hours and 24 minutes.
She flew two more long-duration missions to the ISS, launching to the station in July 2012 and then again in June 2024. That latter flight was the first crewed mission of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which did not go according to plan.
Williams and fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore were supposed to spend just 10 days or so in space. But Starliner experienced thruster problems on the way to the ISS, and NASA decided to extend the duo's mission while it worked out how to handle the situation.
The agency eventually decided to bring Starliner down uncrewed, which happened without incident in September 2024. Williams and Wilmore stayed aboard the ISS until March 2025, when they returned to Earth on the downward leg of SpaceX's Crew-9 astronaut mission.
Williams and Wilmore (who retired in August 2025) spent 286 days in space on that mission, which puts them in a tie for sixth place for longest single spaceflight by an American. (Frank Rubio holds that record, at 371 days.)
During her NASA career, Williams conducted nine spacewalks, which lasted a total of 62 hours and 6 minutes. That's a record for most spacewalking time by a woman, and it's the fourth-most overall.
Williams, 60, is from Needham, Massachusetts. She earned a bachelor's degree in physical science from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master's degree in engineering management from the Florida Institute of Technology. She's also a retired U.S. Navy captain and pilot who has logged more than 4,000 flight hours in 40 different aircraft.
But she was probably always destined to become an astronaut.
"Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favorite place to be. It's been an incredible honor to have served in the Astronaut Office and have had the opportunity to fly in space three times," Williams said in the same statement.
"I had an amazing 27-year career at NASA, and that is mainly because of all the wonderful love and support I've received from my colleagues," she added. "The International Space Station, the people, the engineering, and the science are truly awe-inspiring and have made the next steps of exploration to the moon and Mars possible. I hope the foundation we set has made these bold steps a little easier. I am super excited for NASA and its partner agencies as we take these next steps, and I can't wait to watch the agency make history."
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/record-setting-astronaut-suni-williams-retires-from-nasa-after-27-years
+
+ <![CDATA[ Rocket Lab launches Korean disaster-monitoring satellite after long delay ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/rocket-lab-launch-korean-disaster-monitoring-satellite-after-delay
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+
- LccChpQFKWtBTbPxf72p2H
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 20:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:47:01 +0000
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+ DHo3eGk9xWbmg5WkZJB29F
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+ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 21:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 05:28:40 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin plans to build 5,400-satellite megaconstellation ]]>
- Yet another satellite megaconstellation is in the works, this one from Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.
The Washington-based aerospace company announced today (Jan. 21) that it plans to build a network called TeraWave, which will consist of 5,280 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and 128 a bit higher up, in medium Earth orbit (MEO).
"This network will service tens of thousands of enterprise, data center and government users who require reliable connectivity for critical operations," Blue Origin said in an X post today.
As that post notes, TeraWave is targeting a customer base of big businesses and government agencies — organizations that want or need very high-throughput communications services.
TeraWave's LEO satellites will deliver speeds of up to 144 gigabits per second using radio frequency links, according to a Blue Origin statement. And the MEO spacecraft will be even more capable, using lasers to provide speeds of up to 6 terabits per second.
"TeraWave addresses the unmet needs of customers who are seeking higher throughput, symmetrical upload/download speeds, more redundancy and rapid scalability," Blue Origin's statement reads. "It enables customers to choose throughput and physical presence in response to changes in their needs."
Blue Origin plans to start building out the constellation in the fourth quarter of 2027.
What makes TeraWave different? It is purpose-built for enterprise customers. Unmatched speeds of up to 6 Tbps through a multi-orbit constellation of 5,280 LEO and 128 MEO satellites with both RF and optical links. Globally distributed customers can each access up to 144 Gbps of… https://t.co/xByEivptBA pic.twitter.com/Se07aUhgy2January 21, 2026
A number of other satellite-internet megaconstellations are under construction. SpaceX's Starlink, for example, already services customers around the globe using a network of more than 9,500 satellites (and that number is growing all the time).
Two Chinese megaconstellations — Guowang ("National Network") and Qianfan ("Thousand Sails") — are under construction in LEO as well. Both will eventually consist of more than 13,000 spacecraft, if all goes according to plan.
And Amazon, which Bezos founded back in 1994, is assembling a 3,200-satellite network in LEO called, appropriately enough, Amazon Leo (though it was initially named Project Kuiper). Like Starlink, Amazon Leo is tailored more to everyday residential users.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-plans-to-build-5-400-satellite-megaconstellation
+
+ <![CDATA[ New 'Starfleet Academy' episode 'Vox in Excelso' shows that Klingons are the most versatile species in 'Star Trek' ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/new-starfleet-academy-episode-vox-in-excelso-shows-that-klingons-are-the-most-versatile-species-in-star-trek
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+
- uUoMQTE84XQSarL5DGRzgb
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- <![CDATA[ You're getting warmer! Hot dark matter could refine cosmic game of hide and seek ]]>
- New research suggests that dark matter, the universe's most mysterious "stuff," may actually have been born "hot." If this is the case, the best current model we have of cosmic evolution, the standard model of cosmology, also known as the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (LCDM), may need serious revision or overwriting altogether, altering the rules of the epic game of hide and seek that has been ongoing between dark matter and scientists for decades.
Dark matter is a headache for researchers because it doesn't interact with electromagnetic radiation, light, in layman's terms. This not only makes dark matter effectively invisible, but it also means that scientists know it can't be made of the electrons, protons, and neutrons that compose the atoms making up everything from the most massive stars down to the tiniest bacteria, because they do interact with light. Couple this with the fact that dark matter outweighs ordinary matter in the universe by a ratio of five to one.
This mystery has sparked a search for candidate particles for dark matter beyond the standard model of particle physics. Thus far, this search has favored "cold" dark matter, which doesn't refer to temperature but instead references the speed at which the particles move (cold meaning much slower than light, hot meaning moving at speeds approaching light). In the standard picture, cold dark matter emerges from the hot and dense soup of energy that filled the early universe.
The new research suggests an alternative origin. Dark matter could have instead been born extremely hot, opening up alternative possibilities of how it interacts with everyday matter.
The team proposes that incredibly hot dark matter moving at near-light speeds could have been born in the universe during a period called post-inflationary reheating. This refers to the point at which the inflation field driving the rapid initial expansion of the universe decayed and transformed into a hot and incredibly dense "soup" of radiation and particles.
"Dark matter is famously enigmatic. One of the few things we know about it is that it needs to be cold," research leader Stephen Henrich, of the University of Minnesota's School of Physics and Astronomy, said in a statement. "As a result, for the past four decades, most researchers have believed that dark matter must be cold when it is born in the primordial universe.
"Our recent results show that this is not the case; in fact, dark matter can be red hot when it is born but still have time to cool down before galaxies begin to form."
Henrich and his colleagues demonstrated that dark matter could stop significantly interacting with ordinary matter and electromagnetic radiation while still very hot and thus moving at speeds approaching that of light, a process called "decoupling." If produced during post-inflationary reheating, this would give dark matter plenty of time to cool off and start acting like cold dark matter, assisting in the formation of the first galaxies by forming gravitational waves into which ordinary matter clusters.
The concept could resurrect one of the earliest and simplest candidates for dark matter, low-mass neutrinos, which were ruled out around four decades ago because it was thought they would have wiped out galactic-scale structures rather than promoting them.
"The neutrino became the prime example of hot dark matter, where structure formation relies on cold dark matter," team member Keith Olive, also of the University of Minnesota's School of Physics and Astronomy, said. "It is amazing that a similar candidate, if produced just as the hot Big Bang universe was being created, could have cooled to the point where it would, in fact, act as cold dark matter."
The team will now attempt to produce and observe these particles using experiments on Earth, including tests conducted with powerful particle accelerators, as well as detecting them in the early universe. This investigation could not only reveal the true nature of dark matter, but it could also help scientists build a clearer picture of one of the most crucial, yet mysterious, periods of cosmic evolution.
"With our new findings, we may be able to access a period in the history of the universe very close to the Big Bang," team member Yann Mambrini of the Université Paris-Saclay in France said.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/dark-universe/youre-getting-warmer-hot-dark-matter-could-refine-cosmic-game-of-hide-and-seek
+
+ <![CDATA[ US government declassifies Cold War-era 'JUMPSEAT' spy satellites ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/nro-declassifies-cold-war-era-jumpseat-spy-satellite
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:57:13 +0000
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+ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:40:28 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 20:56:40 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Sci-fi extraction shooter 'Marathon' is coming March 5, with new trailer showcasing all-star voice cast, collector's edition & more (video) ]]>
-
Following a delay last year, venerable game studio Bungie's first post-Destiny shooter has finally set a launch date. That's right, Marathon is back and looking snazzier than before.
Set on Tau Ceti IV after the events of the original games (last seen 30 years ago), the online extraction shooter tasks players with retrieving valuable artifacts, data, and resources from a lost colony as Runners, augmented humans with cybernetic bodies.
Last week, we learned about shells (class archetypes) and how they can reshape entire matches. Now, we've just received a pre-order trailer that's playing up the mystery and ongoing narrative that will add sauce to the strictly online action game.
Bungie has landed on March 5 as the definitive release date for Marathon, with the game set to hit PC (Steam), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S with full cross play and cross save.
Like other extraction shooters, such as ARC Raiders, Marathon will mix both PvE (co-op gameplay) and PvP (player-versus-player) action, making each trip down to Tau Ceti IV unpredictable and filled with danger. Teamwork gets the job done, but Bungie is also teasing unique opportunities for solo players.
Standard Edition pre-orders grant access to bonus cosmetics and rewards for Destiny 2. The Deluxe Edition adds premium cosmetics and access to the first rewards pass. Last but not least, the Collector's Edition includes all Deluxe Edition content plus an enticing bundle of physical goodies:
Taking things a step further, Bungie and Sony (who now owns the company) have teamed up to craft and release a limited-edition DualSense controller as well as the latest Pulse Elite wireless headset.
Those two are among the most stylish peripherals from a first-party publisher we've seen since Starfield's, we must say. Pre-orders will begin on January 29 at 10am local time here, but the headset will be limited to the US.
(Image credit: Bungie)
Holding together the universe-building and ongoing narrative efforts, an all-star voice cast has been revealed. It includes names such as Jennifer English (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33), Neil Newbon (Baldur's Gate 3), Erin Yvette (Dispatch), and Ben Starr (Final Fantasy XVI), among many others. Moreover, it's been confirmed Marathon will be dubbed for all supported languages.
Though the first closed tests last year and so-so trailers had us worried last year, we're thinking Bungie could shock the world come March. At the very least, the studio's Halo pedigree, "gunplay" chops, and striking art direction are on full display in the latest videos.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-games/sci-fi-extraction-shooter-marathon-is-coming-march-5-with-new-trailer-showcasing-all-star-voice-cast-collectors-edition-and-more
+
+ <![CDATA[ NASA's Juno spacecraft spots the largest volcanic eruption ever seen on Jupiter's moon Io ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/jupiter/nasas-juno-spacecraft-spots-the-largest-volcanic-eruption-ever-seen-on-jupiters-moon-io
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 13:45:01 +0000
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+ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:44:36 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Save 33% and watch Disney+ for just £3.99 a month. Don't miss out, this offer ends in January! ]]>
- The Mandalorian and Grogu, Maul – Shadow Lord, and VisionQuest are just a few of the huge Star Wars and Marvel shows and movies dropping throughout 2026. With all of them due to stream on Disney+, it's a great time to subscribe to the channel. To entice us even more, there's currently a money-saving subscription offer in play that runs until January 28.
We rank Disney Plus as our best streaming service for sci-fi fans, and as well as Marvel and Star Wars, the channel is also home to a feast of other top content. There's the intriguing Paradise (season two starts February 23), every Predator release (Badlands is due to stream in March), the Avatar movie series (Fire and Ash will stream later this year), the fantastic Alien: Earth series, plus all the Alien movies, and a whole lot more.
Get three months' worth of Disney+ for just £3.99 a month on this UK-only streaming deal.You'll get access to brand new Marvel and Star Wars shows and movies, plus a vast back catalogue that's guaranteed to keep you entertained. You can cancel your subscription at any time. Offer ends January 28.View Deal
Standard runs at a 1080 resolution with up to two streams running simultaneously, while the Premium option lets you watch in 4K and HDR, with up to four streams.
The first new Marvel show to drop on Disney+ this year is Wonder Man on January 27. Next up is season two of the excellent Daredevil: Born Again on March 4. Following later in the year (air dates TBC) will be VisionQuest and season two of the animated series X-Men '97.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in cinemas on July 31, which will stream on Disney+ a few months later. Following that comes Avengers: Doomsday, landing on the big screen on December 18. Expect to see it streaming in early 2027.
While there's a hell of a lot happening in the Star Wars universe this year, only The Mandalorian and Grogu movie (May 22) currently has a release date as yet.
On the small screen, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, Ashoka season two, Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi (and potentially a couple of other releases) are all scheduled to stream on Disney+ in 2026.
Key features: A vast library of Star Wars content, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, complete Alien, Predator and Avatar franchises, Transformers movies, The Walking Dead, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Futurama, The Strain, and much more. You can cancel your monthly subscription at any time.
Price history: Offers come up occasionally for Disney Plus in the UK, the current 33% deal is the best one we've seen since this time last year.
✅ Buy it if: You want to be amongst the first to watch every new Star Wars and Marvel release and get access to what we regard as the best streaming package for sci-fi fans at a bargain price for three months.
❌ Don't buy it if: You're a current subscriber to Disney Plus or live outside of the UK.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/save-33-percent-and-watch-disney-for-just-gbp3-99-a-month-dont-miss-out-this-offer-ends-in-january
+
+ <![CDATA[ NASA's Artemis 2 crewed mission to the moon shows how US space strategy has changed since Apollo – and contrasts with China's closed program ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasas-artemis-2-crewed-mission-to-the-moon-shows-how-us-space-strategy-has-changed-since-apollo-and-contrasts-with-chinas-closed-program
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:19:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:49:30 +0000
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+ zWcE5FCJWcnMx9BjPmmwTC
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+ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 13:09:29 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ 'The most incredible display of aurora I've ever seen in my 20 years of flying'. Pilot captures historic northern lights show from 37,000 feet (photos) ]]>
-
An incredible northern lights display captured on the night of Jan. 18-19 from 37,000 feet. Click the arrows in the bottom right corner to enlarge. (Image credit: Matt Melnyk)
I've been fortunate enough to witness some incredible aurora displays over the years — and to receive stunning photos from readers and photographers — but this latest series of images from airline pilot Matt Melnyk may be the best I've ever seen.
During the recent geomagnetic storms that rattled Earth's magnetic field on the night of Jan. 18–19, auroras were spotted far beyond their usual polar limits, with skywatchers around the world sharing vivid images of green, red and deep magenta scenes in the sky. But Melnyk arguably had the best seat in the world — the cockpit of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
"The show started as soon as we climbed above the clouds and continued on and off during the flight from Calgary to London, U.K.," Melnyk told Space.com. "It was a historical night that's for sure!"
The breathtaking photographs were captured from 37,000 feet (11 kilometers) over northern Manitoba, Hudson Bay and Baffin Island in Canada.
From the cruising altitude of aircraft like Melnyk's, high above the clouds and far from city light pollution, auroras can appear brighter, sharper and more expansive than from the ground, with clouds and city lights far below. The northern lights appeared to fill the entire sky, saturating the scene with vivid curtains of color dancing to the whims of Earth's magnetic field.
Image 1 of 2
An incredible northern lights display captured on the night of Jan. 18-19 from 37,000 feet. (Click the arrow in the lower right corner to enlarge.) (Image credit: Matt Melnyk)
Image 2 of 2
An incredible northern lights display captured on the night of Jan. 18-19 from 37,000 feet. Click the arrow in the lower right corner to enlarge. (Image credit: Matt Melnyk)
"This was the most incredible display of aurora I've ever seen in my 20 years of flying!" Melnyk added. "This flight I will remember for days to come."
Melnyk captured the stunning photographs with a Canon R6 ii and Sigma 14mm F1.8 lens. "I normally shoot with a 20mm F1.4 lens out of the airplane at night, but I decided to go extra wide for this flight as I knew I would probably need something wider to get the big auroras!" Melnyk added.
Image 1 of 3
An incredible northern lights display captured on the night of Jan. 18-19 from 37,000 feet. (Click the arrow in the lower right corner to enlarge.) (Image credit: Matt Melnyk)
Image 2 of 3
An incredible northern lights display captured on the night of Jan. 18-19 from 37,000 feet. (Click the arrow in the lower right corner to enlarge.) (Image credit: Matt Melnyk)
Image 3 of 3
An incredible northern lights display captured on the night of Jan. 18-19 from 37,000 feet. (Click the arrow in the lower right corner to enlarge.) (Image credit: Matt Melnyk)
Melnyk is no stranger to being accompanied by the northern lights during flights across Europe, and we recently featured another set of his images captured during a severe G4 geomagnetic storm in Nov. 2025. While those photos were stunning, this latest collection truly surpasses them.
Image 1 of 3
The view from the cockpit. (Click the arrow in the lower right corner to enlarge.) (Image credit: Matt Melnyk)
Image 2 of 3
An incredible northern lights display captured on the night of Jan. 18-19 from 37,000 feet. (Click the arrow in the lower right corner to enlarge.) (Image credit: Matt Melnyk)
Image 3 of 3
Melnyk has the best seat in the house. (Click the arrow in the lower right corner to enlarge.) (Image credit: Matt Melnyk)
]]>
- https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/the-most-incredible-display-of-aurora-ive-ever-seen-in-my-20-years-of-flying-pilot-captures-historic-northern-lights-show-from-37-000-feet-photos
+
+ <![CDATA[ This trio of 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' cadets weren't Trekkies before the show, but they are now (interview) ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/this-trio-of-star-trek-starfleet-academy-cadets-werent-trekkies-before-the-show-but-they-are-now-interview
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+
- bjYh5wLpXoY9aLjMD99bzH
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:57:31 +0000
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+ gVBYBwi7E3DkH39y3XVMET
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+ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 13:09:11 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Chinese capsule damaged by space-junk strike returns to Earth (video) ]]>
-
The first emergency operation in the history of China's human spaceflight program came to an end on Monday (Jan. 19) when an uncrewed Shenzhou 20 capsule parachuted into the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The spacecraft had spent 270 days in orbit, docked for nine months to the country's Tiangong space station.
And that wasn't the plan.
Landing site team members inspect the empty Shenzhou 20 capsule on Jan. 19, 2026. (Image credit: CCTV)
Delayed due to damage from a space-junk strike
Shenzhou 20's original return date had been delayed due to concerns over tiny cracks found in the craft's viewport window. That damage was thought to be caused by a strike by space debris.
On-site inspection of the returned capsule on Monday found that its exterior was "generally normal" and the items secured inside the vessel were in good condition, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said.
The recovery crew quickly took steps to protect the damaged porthole on the return capsule upon its touchdown on terra firma. That action was driven by the need for post-landing assessment work about the damage the Shenzhou 20 capsule suffered in space.
The Shenzhou 20 capsule was recovered on Jan. 19, 2026. It spent 270 days in orbit, longer than planned, due to a cracked window. (Image credit: CCTV)
Emergency mission
The Shenzhou 20 incident sparked an emergency mission to launch the uncrewed Shenzhou 22 spacecraft to Tiangong on Nov. 24. Now docked to the orbiting facility, that vehicle will serve the currently orbiting Shenzhou 21 crew on their expected return at the conclusion of their six-month mission later this year.
The Shenzhou 20 crew returned to Earth on Nov. 14 aboard the Shenzhou 21 capsule, after Chinese space officials deemed it too risky to fly them down on the damaged Shenzhou 20 spacecraft.
"Furthermore, in conjunction with the emergency launch of the Shenzhou 22 spacecraft, a porthole crack repair device was expedited and sent to the launch site," CNSA officials said. "Astronauts installed it inside the Shenzhou 20 capsule, effectively improving the spacecraft's heat protection and sealing capabilities during reentry."
Unique factors
The state-run China Central Television (CCTV) reported that Xu Peng, the on-site commander at the Shenzhou 20 capsule touchdown site, said that this return to Earth was unique in a number of ways.
"This marks the first time the Dongfeng Landing Site has carried out a spaceship recovery mission during the coldest season of the year, with cold weather posing a test for both our search and rescue teams and equipment," Xu said. "We made special cold-protection preparations in advance to ensure that both personnel and the equipment remained in good condition throughout the mission."
Xu also noted another unique factor of this uncrewed return recovery operation: Ground recovery teams made use of new capsule recovery methods, such as drones and other high-tech equipment.
"Adjustments were made to our recovery forces," Xu said. "The helicopter unit did not participate in this mission, and the drone and unmanned ground vehicle units made their debut. This new model, combining unmanned search equipment with ground personnel, was applied in the recovery of the uncrewed capsule."
Xu Peng, the on-site commander at the Shenzhou 20 capsule touchdown site, reports on frigid landing conditions and new spacecraft recovery techniques. (Image credit: CCTV)
Landing parachute
Furthermore, Xu added that, as the Shenzhou 20 return capsule came down without astronauts, there was no onboard crew member to manually separate the landing parachute.
"As a result, the main parachute did not automatically detach upon landing, and in strong winds, it could have dragged the return capsule along the ground. This requires our ground personnel to reach the landing point and cut the parachute as quickly as possible," Xu said.
One of the items carried in the uncrewed Shenzhou 20 capsule was a retired spacewalking spacesuit. That spacesuit was used for more than four years in orbit, far exceeding its original design life, reported CCTV. Over that time, the suit had supported 11 Chinese astronauts across eight crewed missions, enabling 20 successful spacewalks to be conducted.
Heated discussions
The Shenzhou 20 crew inspected their vehicle after it sustained damage in orbit. They observed that the porthole had an unexpected mark on the edge of the outermost glass — a triangular shape, about two centimeters long, according to a report by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
The Shenzhou capsule porthole consists of three layers of glass. "The outermost layer is a heat-resistant window, which can withstand the high-temperature ablation caused by the spacecraft's high-speed motion and intense friction with the air during its reentry into the atmosphere," the Xinhua report stated.
"The middle layer is a pressure-bearing window, and the inner layer is a protective window, which can ensure the airtightness of the cabin and the stability of the spacecraft's structure, but their heat resistance is less than half that of the heat-resistant window," reported Xinhua.
A Shenzhou 20 "Problem Analysis and Safety Assessment Report" was written based on laboratory tests that addressed a key question: Can a cracked heat shield withstand the extreme environment of atmospheric reentry? The consensus? "Life comes first, and safety comes first."
Rolling backup mode
Since the Shenzhou 12 mission, China's human spaceflight program has adopted a "rolling backup mode" of "one launch, one backup."
But, as noted in the Xinhua report, that "standby" spacecraft mode has never actually been needed. "This time, the standby status unexpectedly turned into emergency combat, and the tests followed one after another," Xinhua reported.
Actions taken — from the crew report, followed by ground worry and appraisal, to launch of the uncrewed Shenzhou 22 — was completed in 16 days.
Meanwhile, a Shenzhou 23 spacecraft has arrived at China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and its Long March 2F Y23 booster is about to be shipped, the CNSA pointed out.
"With the return of the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft, the main tasks of this emergency space operation for the Chinese space station have been successfully completed," CNSA officials stated.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/chinese-capsule-damaged-by-space-junk-strike-returns-to-earth-video
+
+ <![CDATA[ Jupiter's moon Europa has an ice shell about 18 miles thick — and that could be bad news for alien life ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/jupiter/jupiters-moon-europa-has-an-ice-shell-about-18-miles-thick-and-that-could-be-bad-news-for-alien-life
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000Tue, 20 Jan 2026 23:25:01 +0000
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+ ocGBwdXQR3V9pSyXMTJhrE
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+ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:43:45 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Hubble sees baby stars in Large Magellanic Cloud | Space photo of the day for Jan. 21, 2026 ]]>
- Star formation can feel like a distant, abstract concept, until you see it mapped across a landscape of gas and dust. A recent image from the Hubble Space Telescope looks at the the N159 star-forming complex within the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the Milky Way's closest companions. That proximity makes it a prime place to watch how stars form in environments that aren't exactly like our own.
What is it?
The image was captured in a parallel field to a recently released Hubble view, showing a neighboring region of the same sprawling complex. Together, images like these help astronomers build a broader picture of what's happening across a giant star factory rather than focusing on only one bright hotspot.
Within the image, thick clouds of cold hydrogen gas arrange themselves into ridges and wispy filaments. The deep red tones come from hydrogen gas that has been energized by the harsh radiation of newly formed stars. Where the glow is brightest, it's a sign that hot, massive young stars have recently become more active.
Where is it?
The N159 star-forming complex lies in in the Large Magellanic Cloud, which is roughly 150 light-years across and lies about 160,000 light-years from Earth.
A parallel image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the rich dynamics of star formation happening within the Large Magellanic Cloud. (Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Indebetouw)
Why is it amazing?
This recent image captures the rich dynamics of star formation. Massive young stars don't quietly settle in; their intense radiation and powerful stellar winds push outward, hollowing out the surrounding gas. The bubble-like structures and carved cavities in the glowing hydrogen are classic signatures of stellar feedback, the process by which newborn stars reshape the cloud that made them. That feedback can be both destructive and creative. It can blow material away and shut down star formation in one spot, while compressing gas elsewhere and helping new stars ignite.
Images like this one help astronomers better understand the nitty-gritty details of star formation, giving us more clues about the early universe and its first stars.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/hubble-space-telescope/hubble-sees-baby-stars-in-large-magellanic-cloud-space-photo-of-the-day-for-jan-21-2026
+
+ <![CDATA[ Best Lego NASA sets 2026: Build NASA's finest from the Apollo 11 Rover to Artemis 2 ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-toys-lego/best-lego-nasa-sets-2026-build-nasas-finest-from-the-apollo-11-rover-to-artemis-2
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- gn76xyDwkWnSgdjHVRHh6Q
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:28:21 +0000
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+ Ti3KjMbqSmKPSboXZujBp3
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+ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:15:41 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:15:42 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ US Space Force awards 1st-of-its-kind $52 million contract to deorbit its satellites ]]>
- Starfish Space will make history next year, if all goes according to plan.
The Washington-based company just scored a $52.5 million contract to deorbit satellites for the U.S. Space Force, the first deal ever signed for such end-of-life disposal services for a constellation in low Earth orbit (LEO).
The agreement calls for Starfish Space to use one of its Otter spacecraft to haul down at least one satellite, and possibly more, from the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) network. The company is currently targeting 2027 for launch of the Otter, which is designed to capture and service satellites, even those not modified to enable such off-Earth linkups.
"This contract and mission are proof that end-of-life satellite disposal provided by Otter can provide real value to LEO constellation operators," Austin Link, co-founder of Starfish Space, said in a statement today.
"With Otter, we've dramatically reduced the cost and complexity of satellite servicing across orbits," Link added. "This contract reflects both the value of affordable servicing missions and the technical readiness of the Otter."
The Space Force is currently building out the PWSA constellation, which will eventually consist of hundreds of satellites that conduct reconnaissance, navigation and communications work for the U.S. military.
This architecture reflects a philosophical shift for the military, which has traditionally relied on a small number of highly capable but expensive spacecraft that take a long time to develop and deploy. Having a large number of satellites is also better for resilience, military officials say, as it means a potential adversary has many more spacecraft to attempt to disable in order to degrade the constellation's capabilities.
Having so many satellites aloft presents issues, however. For example, should managers of large constellations bring their satellites down relatively early, to ensure that they don't add to the space debris problem? Or should they try to squeeze as much life as possible out of each spacecraft, to maximize return on investment and the achievement of mission goals?
Imagery from the Starfish Space/Impulse Space Remora mission, during which one Mira spacecraft approached within a mere 4,100 feet (1,250 meters) of another. (Image credit: Starfish Space/Impulse Space)
Starfish Space thinks Otter can help bridge the gap between those two options. "With Deorbit-as-a-Service provided by Otter, Starfish gives constellation operators a better alternative: maximize the operational life and value of their constellations and rely on Otters to dispose of any satellites which cannot dispose of themselves at end of life," the company wrote in the same statement.
Though Otter has yet to fly, Starfish Space has successfully demonstrated some of the technology the satellite will use in orbit. For example, the company's Otter Pup 1 trailblazer launched in June 2023 and maneuvered to within 0.6 miles (1 kilometers) of a target space tug 10 months later.
This past October, one of Impulse Space's Mira orbital transfer vehicles used Starfish software to get within 4,100 feet (1,250 meters) of another Mira. And we're waiting to hear about the milestones notched by Otter Pup 2, which launched in June 2025 to conduct the first-ever commercial satellite docking in LEO.
The first Otter missions are scheduled to launch this year, giving the company operational experience with the vehicle before it embarks on its debut disposal mission for the Space Force.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/us-space-force-awards-1st-of-its-kind-usd52-million-contract-to-deorbit-its-satellites
+
+ <![CDATA[ The 10 best sci-fi TV Shows of the 1990s ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/the-10-best-sci-fi-tv-shows-of-the-1990s
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+
- U78o5Rmx6ReuF47Xn7aCqn
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 12:40:50 +0000
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+ FyN8H9Y4XeKJ8pzvgmnbjm
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+ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:45:16 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ NASA's Crew-11 astronauts to discuss medical evacuation from International Space Station today: Watch it live ]]>
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Four astronauts will discuss their shorter-than-expected space mission during a press conference today (Jan. 21), and you can watch the event live.
Crew-11 consisted of NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui of Japan and cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. The quartet arrived at the ISS in early August for a planned 6.5-month stay, but they returned to Earth on Jan. 15 — about five weeks early — due to a "medical concern" experienced by one of them in orbit.
Their departure was the first medical evacuation in the history of the ISS, which has been continuously occupied by rotating astronaut crews since November 2000.
NASA has not revealed which astronaut was affected or given us many details about the health issue, citing privacy concerns. The agency has said, however, that the crewmembers are all stable and doing fine.
According to a NASA update, all four are undergoing "standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations" in Houston, where they've been since Friday (Jan. 16), (Their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, named Endeavour, splashed down off the coast of San Diego.)
Crew-11's departure leaves the ISS staffed by just three astronauts — NASA's Chris Williams and cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev.
The trio will have the orbiting lab to themselves until SpaceX's four-person Crew-12 mission arrives. Crew-12 is currently scheduled to launch on Feb. 15, but NASA and SpaceX are investigating the possibility of moving that up a few days.
Three was the nominal crew size on the ISS until 2009, when it doubled to six. The baseline number then increased again in 2020, to its current seven.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/medically-evacuated-crew-11-astronauts-to-discuss-their-shortened-iss-mission-today-watch-it-live
+
+ <![CDATA[ Satellite sees river flow across the globe | Space photo of the day for Jan. 29, 2025 ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/satellite-sees-river-flow-across-the-globe-space-photo-of-the-day-for-jan-29-2025
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:30:41 +0000
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+ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 06:09:12 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Watch private German rocket attempt history-making launch from Norway today ]]>
- Update for 11 a.m. EST on Jan. 21: Isar Aerospace has canceled the planned Jan. 21 launch attempt of its Spectrum rocket due to an issue with a pressurization valve. A new target date has not yet been announced.
A German company will attempt to make spaceflight history today (Jan. 21), and you can watch the action live.
Isar Aerospace plans to launch its Spectrum rocket from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway today, during a window that opens at 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT; 9 p.m. local time in Norway). Success would be huge, and not just for Isar: To date, no rocket has ever reached orbit from European soil.
You can watch the attempt live here at Space.com, courtesy of Isar, or directly via the company. Coverage will begin at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT).
Today's flight will be the second ever for the two-stage, 95-foot-tall (28 meters) Spectrum. It launched for the first time on March 30 of last year, also from Andøya.
That test flight didn't last long: Spectrum suffered an anomaly less than a minute after liftoff and crashed into the ocean near the pad, generating a fireball that looked particularly dramatic and spectacular against the icy Arctic backdrop.
That outcome was far from surprising; orbital-class rockets rarely succeed on their debut flights. Isar is now ready to take the lessons learned from the first crack and apply them to attempt number two.
"This qualification flight is a deliberate step toward delivering sovereign access to space for Europe and allied nations. Just 10 months after proving that launch vehicles can be designed, built and launched from continental European soil, we're ready to fly again," Isar Aerospace CEO and Co‑founder Daniel Metzler said in a statement on Jan. 16.
"Europe's immediate need for space access is clear," he added. "Rapid iteration is essential to developing space capabilities precisely when they are required."
Though this second launch, which Isar calls "Onward and Upward," is a test flight, it will carry viable payloads (which Spectrum did not do on its debut). Five cubesats and one scientific experiment are going up on the rocket today.
"The insights we gain with this mission will strengthen Europe's space infrastructure, a capability essential for defense readiness and economic resilience," Alexandre Dalloneau, vice president of mission and launch operations at Isar Aerospace, said in the same statement.
Editor's note: The original headline of this story erroneously said that Andoya Spaceport is in Sweden (rather than Norway). It was corrected at 11 a.m. EST on Jan. 21.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/isar-aerospace-second-orbital-launch-attempt-andoya-spaceport
+
+ <![CDATA[ Goodbye Goldilocks: Scientists may have to look beyond habitable zones to find alien life ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/search-for-life/goodbye-goldilocks-scientists-may-have-to-look-beyond-habitable-zones-to-find-alien-life
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- wMzRH8TMtkLXmibBf4CbZh
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- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:09:56 +0000
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+ r2i7TTPwSAYmcFvvn8oFe7
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+ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:45:47 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Mysterious polar weather on Jupiter and Saturn could be key to understanding their insides ]]>
- Scientists may finally know why Jupiter and Saturn have very different weather patterns at their poles, despite having similar sizes and compositions. The discovery could help researchers probe deep into the interiors of these giant gaseous planets.
Observations of the two solar system gas giants have revealed that Jupiter's north pole hosts a central polar vortex surrounded by eight smaller vortices, while Saturn has a single, strangely hexagonal, massive atmospheric whirlpool over its north pole.
While performing complex simulations of these types of vortexes of gas giants, the team behind this research found that the difference between a single vortex configuration and a multi-vortex pattern depended on how "hard" the base of the vortex was, meaning how heavy the gas is in this region (the softer the gas, the lighter it is). This "hardness" is in turn related to the interior composition of the gas giant.
"Our study shows that, depending on the interior properties and the softness of the bottom of the vortex, this will influence the kind of fluid pattern you observe at the surface, research team member Wanying Kang, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said in a statement. "I don't think anyone’s made this connection between the surface fluid pattern and the interior properties of these planets. One possible scenario could be that Saturn has a harder bottom than Jupiter."
Softer than Saturn?
Kang and colleagues were inspired to conduct their simulations after viewing images of Jupiter captured by the Juno spacecraft, which has been orbiting the solar system's largest planet since 2016, and by images of Saturn delivered by Cassini over 13 years of observations before it was deliberately plunged into the ringed planet at the end of its mission in 2017.
The Juno images revealed the immense scale of Jupiter's polar storms, which are around 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) wide. For context, that is around half the width of Earth. Cassini's observations of Saturn, meanwhile, showed its single hexagonal vortex is a staggering 18,000 miles (29,000 kilometers) wide.
Astronomers aren't sure why there is such a size discrepancy between the two planets' vortices. "People have spent a lot of time deciphering the differences between Jupiter and Saturn," team leader and MIT scientist Jiaru Shi said. "The planets are about the same size and are both made mostly of hydrogen and helium. It’s unclear why their polar vortices are so different."
The 8 polar vortices seen at the north pole of Jupiter (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/INAF/JIRAM)
To answer this question, the team developed a 2D model of how vortices at the poles of gas giants like Saturn and Jupiter would evolve over time, applying this to a range of different scenarios. This included changing characteristics like the planets' sizes, the speed of their rotation, their internal heating, and the hardness of rotating fluid within their vortices.
After ensuring the fluid in these vortices flowed in random patterns, the scientists were ready to determine how the fluid evolved under specific conditions. This led to the discovery that a single mechanism could determine if a single vortex or multiple vortices developed;the softer the gas rotating at the bottom of the vortex is, the smaller that vortex is. That allows for the formation of multiple vortices, just as is seen at the poles of Jupiter.
If the team is right, then this implies that Jupiter consists of softer, thus lighter, gas, while Saturn seems to be composed of heavier gaseous material.
"What we see from the surface, the fluid pattern on Jupiter and Saturn, may tell us something about the interior, like how soft the bottom is, and that is important because maybe beneath Saturn's surface, the interior is more metal-enriched and has more condensable material, which allows it to provide stronger stratification than Jupiter," Shi concluded. "This would add to our understanding of these gas giants."
The team's research has been accepted for publication in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/solar-system/mysterious-polar-weather-on-jupiter-and-saturn-could-be-key-to-understanding-their-insides
+
+ <![CDATA[ James Webb Space Telescope reveals new origin story for the universe's 1st supermassive black holes ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/james-webb-space-telescope-data-backs-new-origin-story-for-the-universes-1st-supermassive-black-holes
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- pwWHpz8w9ubSsZ3dLNsytA
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- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 22:00:00 +0000Tue, 20 Jan 2026 20:21:49 +0000
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+ nAnyKWMjE2BgDqUJRKdEWB
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+ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:16:42 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Watch Blue Origin launch 6 people to suborbital space today ]]>
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Six space tourists will launch to the final frontier on Thursday (Jan. 22), and you can watch the action live.
Blue Origin is scheduled to launch its NS-38 suborbital mission from West Texas on Thursday, during a window that opens at 11:00 a.m. EST (1600 GMT; 10:00 a.m. local Texas time).
You can watch it live here at Space.com courtesy of Blue origin, or directly via the company. Coverage will start 30 minutes before launch.
As its name suggests, NS-38 will be the 38th flight of New Shepard, Blue Origin's reusable rocket-capsule combo. Sixteen of the vehicle's 37 missions to date have carried people; the others have been uncrewed research flights.
New Shepard flights last 10 to 12 minutes from liftoff to the capsule's parachute-aided touchdown. During this time, passengers get to experience a brief period of weightlessness and see Earth against the blackness of space.
Blue Origin has not revealed how much it charges for a seat aboard New Shepard. Virgin Galactic, the company's chief competitor in the suborbital space tourism industry, has done so; Virgin Galactic tickets are $600,000 apiece.
The passengers for Blue Origin's NS-38 suborbital mission. (Image credit: Blue Origin)
The six people going up on NS-38 are entrepreneur and pilot Tim Drexler; retired obstetrician/gynecologist Linda Edwards; real estate developer and investor Alain Fernandez; entrepreneur and technologist Alberto Gutiérrez; retired U.S. Air Force Col. Jim Hendren, who founded the company Hendren Plastics Inc.; and Laura Stiles, Blue Origin’s director of New Shepard launch operations. You can read more about them all via Blue Origin.
Stiles is a late addition to the manifest. Blue Origin just announced her inclusion today (Jan. 20), explaining that she's replacing a passenger who can no longer fly on Thursday due to illness (but will get to participate in a future mission).
The person who dropped out is presumably Andrew Yaffe, a veteran of the recycling industry who was identified as an NS-38 crewmember in Blue Origin's first update about the mission.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 3:45 p.m. ET on Jan. 21 with the new launch target time of 11:00 a.m. ET on Jan. 22.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/blue-origin-ns-38-suborbital-space-tourism-mission
+
+ <![CDATA[ NASA and SpaceX move up launch of Crew-12 astronauts to Feb. 11 as relief crew after ISS medical evacuation ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/nasa-and-spacex-move-up-launch-of-crew-12-astronauts-to-feb-11-as-relief-crew-after-iss-medical-evacuation
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- FZM3tAJryDZsiQjUoT9viN
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- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 20:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:02:25 +0000
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+ f4VmwiirhKsj3x4iqFhjg4
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+ Wed, 28 Jan 2026 23:00:00 +0000Fri, 30 Jan 2026 17:04:19 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ How to make a super-Earth: The universe's most common planets are whittled down by stellar radiation ]]>
- The secret behind the formation of super-Earth and sub-Neptune exoplanets has been revealed, thanks to a study of four young planets that are evaporating.
Some 350 light-years away, the V1298 Tau system features an infant sun-like star, just 23 million years old, orbited by four planets on compact orbits close to their star, and all of which are seen to transit. Discovered in 2019 by astronomers Erik Petigura of the University of California, Los Angeles and Trevor David of the Flatiron Institute in New York, using data from the Kepler space telescope's K2 mission, the four planets are huge, with radii between five and 10 times that of Earth.
Now, a team of astronomers led by John Livingston from the Astrobiology Center in Tokyo and including Petigura and David, have used "transit timing variations" to measure the mass of each of the four planets. This has allowed the researchers to determine that the planets are very low density and that the atmosphere of each world is photoevaporating into space. This, says Livingston's team, is the key to the formation of super-Earths and sub-Neptunes.
Super-Earths are rocky planets larger and more massive than our own planet. Sub-Neptunes are partially gaseous worlds smaller than Neptune. Together, the two types of planet are the most common classes of world discovered by exoplanet hunters so far. (Planets smaller than Earth may indeed be more common, but they are harder to detect, so we haven't found as many.) What's curious is that our solar system contains neither a super-Earth nor a sub-Neptune, and astronomers don't know why our solar system lacks one of these common planets, or how such worlds form.
This is why the observations of V1298 Tau are such a big step forward. When a planet transits, or passes in front of, its host star, it blocks some of the star's light. The amount of light it blocks tells us the planet's radius. The frequency with which we see that planet transit then tells us its orbital period. The four planets have orbital periods of 8.2, 12.4, 24.1 and 48.7 Earth days, respectively. This is a very compact system — all four planets could easily fit inside the orbit of our solar system's innermost planet, Mercury.
Because the planets are all fairly close, their gravity tugs on each other, sometimes pulling a planet along its orbit a little faster, and sometimes causing it to go a little slower, depending on the respective planets' relative locations. This results in the planets sometimes being a little late or a little early for their scheduled transit. These transit timing variations, or TTVs, can tell researchers the mass of the planets: The greater the variation in the timing of a transit, the more massive the mass of the planet pulling on the transiting world.
With the radii and the masses of the planets known, Livingston's team could then calculate the densities of the planets, and found them to be extremely light.
"The unusually large radii of the young planets led to the hypothesis that they have very low densities, but this had never been measured," said Trevor David in a statement. "By weighing these planets for the first time, we have provided the first observational proof. They are indeed exceptionally puffy, which gives us a crucial, long-awaited benchmark for theories of planet evolution."
Indeed, the planets are some of the least dense known. They all formed with an extended atmosphere, like Neptune, but because they are so close to their star, extreme ultraviolet light and X-rays are heating their atmospheres. This causes the atmosphere of each world to expand and become bloated — so bloated, in fact, that the planets only have a loose grip on their atmosphere. Consequently, the atmosphere on each world is inevitably being stripped into space by the stellar wind of radiation. This process is known as photoevaporation. Livingston's team even looked for the spectral features of these outflows from the planets, but their signal is overpowered by the strong stellar winds.
The photoevaporation will continue for another 100 million years, by which time the planets will have been whittled down. The measurements suggest that all four worlds have a similar-size rocky core. The inner two worlds appear on course to lose their atmospheres altogether and become rocky super-Earths. The outer two planets are currently twice as massive, as their greater distance from their star offers them a little protection, but they too are on track to either lose their atmospheres entirely, or to keep some of it and evolve into mini-Neptunes.
The compact nature of their orbits suggests that this is how peas-in-a-pod systems, such as the worlds of TRAPPIST-1, form — planets of similar size and mass all on regularly spaced, circular orbits.
"What's so exciting is that we're seeing a preview of what will become a very normal planetary system," said Livingston. "The four planets we studied will likely contract into super-Earths and sub-Neptunes — the most common types of planets in our galaxy, but we've never had such a clear picture of them in their formative years."
The findings were reported on Jan. 7 in the journal Nature.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/how-to-make-a-super-earth-the-universes-most-common-planets-are-whittled-down-by-stellar-radiation
+
+ <![CDATA[ NASA exoplanet probe tracks interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS to gauge its spin ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/comets/nasa-exoplanet-probe-tracks-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-to-gauge-its-spin
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+
- bRK3gPminKg3Shy3uVwYBg
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- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:54:20 +0000
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+ zVaAGJiZZX4ZaBJnFAbHQm
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+ Wed, 28 Jan 2026 22:00:00 +0000Wed, 28 Jan 2026 20:59:28 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Total solar eclipse 2030: Everything you need to know about totality in southern Africa and southeast Australia ]]>
- On Monday, Nov. 25, 2030, a total solar eclipse will sweep across the Southern Hemisphere. Although it will occur almost entirely over the Indian Ocean, totality will nevertheless happen just after sunrise in Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Lesotho, before being glimpsed close to sunset from southeast Australia.
From remote areas of Queensland, Australia, it will be possible to witness a dramatic sunset eclipse if skies are clear. With spectacular stargazing and safari opportunities available, the 2030 total solar eclipse is bound to be popular and, for eclipse chasers in North America and Europe, rather expensive.
What's special about the Nov. 25, 2030 total solar eclipse?
Namibia is famous for safaris and stargazing. (Image credit: Buena Vista Images/Getty Images)
The Nov. 25, 2030, total solar eclipse presents the opportunity to combine the stunning celestial event with a safari and stargazing. In Namibia, the path of totality is conveniently placed between the giant dunes of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei and the spectacular Etosha National Park.
If you're looking for something extremely remote (and likely more expensive),the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in Botswana would make an excellent option.
There are two important marine mammal colonies in the path of totality. Cape Cross Seal Reserve, the world's largest breeding colony of Cape fur seals, on Namibia's Skeleton Coast, will get 1 minute, 22 seconds of totality, andPoint Labatt Conservation Park (which features the Australian sea lion, one of Australia's most endangered marine mammals), in South Australia, will get 1 minute, 57 seconds of totality.
Path of totality for the Nov. 25, 2030 total solar eclipse
Image 1 of 4
The path of totality for the total solar eclipse on Nov. 25, 2030 (Image credit: Created using MapHub.net. Sources: Esri, Maxar, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS user community)
Image 2 of 4
The path of totality for the total solar eclipse on Nov. 25, 2030 (Image credit: Created using MapHub.net. Sources: Esri, Maxar, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS user community)
Image 3 of 4
The path of totality for the total solar eclipse on Nov. 25, 2030 (Image credit: Created using MapHub.net. Sources: Esri, Maxar, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS user community)
Image 4 of 4
The path of totality for the total solar eclipse on Nov. 25, 2030 (Image credit: Created using MapHub.net. Sources: Esri, Maxar, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS user community)
The path of totality for the Nov. 25, 2030, total solar eclipse will span 9,033 miles (14,538 kilometers). The eclipse will begin at sunrise in the Atlantic Ocean; pass over Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Lesotho; cross the Indian Ocean; and finish as a low eclipse from southeastern South Australia and northwestern New South Wales, Australia. Those in the path of southeast Queensland will see a sunset eclipse, with the small rural town of Surat seeing the eclipsed sun just 2 degrees above the western horizon.
The maximum duration of totality will be 3 minutes, 44 seconds. However, not many observers will experience that because the eclipse takes place north of the remote Kerguelen Islands in the southern Indian Ocean. The maximum totality on land will be 2 minutes, 32 seconds, from just north of Durban, South Africa. From Australia, the eclipse will be on the wane by the time it hits Streaky Bay in South Australia, just south of Ceduna (the epicenter ofa total solar eclipse in 2002). In total, about 10.6 million people live in the path of totality, according toTime and Date.
The path of totality passes just north of the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS), a cosmic-ray-hunting telescope in Namibia's Khomas highlands. The same fate befalls theHAKOS Astro Guest Farm, a remote mountainous escape for amateur astronomers. Both get a 99.9% partial solar eclipse. However, that's not the case forTivoli Southern Sky Guest Farm, southeast of Windhoek, which will see totality for 1 minute, 53 seconds.
Where and when can I see the Nov. 25, 2030 total solar eclipse?
The Milky Way behind a rock arch at Spitzkoppe in Namibia. (Image credit: VisualStories/Getty Images)
Here are some of the places eclipse chasers will gather for the total solar eclipse on Nov. 25, 2030:
Location
Totality duration
Time
Sun height
Spitzkoppe, Namibia
1 minute, 53 seconds
7:17 a.m. CAT
14.6 degrees above east
Brandberg Mountain,Damaraland, Namibia
1 minute, 38 seconds (south side of the mountain)
7:17 a.m. CAT
13.6 degrees above east
Windhoek, Namibia
1 minute, 52 seconds
7:19 a.m. CAT
16.7 degrees above east
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana
Up to 2 minutes, 7 seconds
7:21 a.m. CAT
21.3 degrees above east
Afriski Mountain Resort, Lesotho
2 minutes, 11 seconds
7:30 a.m. CAT
31 degrees above east
Schweizer-Reneke, South Africa
1 minute, 57 seconds
7:26 a.m. SAST
26.8 degrees above east
Durban, South Africa
2 minutes, 22 seconds
7:33 a.m. SAST
33.6 degrees above east
Surfers Beach; Streaky Bay, Australia
2 minutes, 1 seconds
6:49 p.m. AEST
17.3 degrees above west
Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, Australia
1 minute, 53 seconds
6:52 p.m. ACDT
13 degrees above west
Cunnamulla, Queensland, Australia
1 minute, 13 seconds
6:24 p.m. AEST
5 degrees above west
What will the weather be like for the Nov. 25, 2030 eclipse?
A time lapse of cloud cover on the path of the 2030 total solar eclipse over southern Africa from Nov. 10 to Dec. 10, 2023. (Image credit: NASA Worldview application (https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov))
There's a saying among eclipse chasers: "Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get." Although you can maximize your chances of finding a clear sky if you're mobile, some regions have higher chances than others.
Inland Namibia is a good bet, with even the capital, Windhoek, having a cloudy day on Nov. 25 only 23% of the time since 2000, according to Timeanddate.com. Between Windhoek and the Skeleton Coast, there's a very low risk of clouds, but that changes dramatically on the coast itself.
Botswana has a very low chance of clouds. In the North West region of South Africa, there's around a 33% chance of a cloudy day. As you approach Durban, however, those odds rise to an alarming 67%. In Australia, Streaky Bay on the southern coast has a 48% chance of clouds, but the odds are about 33% for the rest of the track.
Where to see the partial solar eclipse on Nov. 25, 2030
The HESS telescope in Namibia will get a 99.9% partial solar eclipse. (Image credit: killapooky /550 px/Getty Images)
A partial solar eclipse will be visible from central and southern Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australia and New Zealand. Here's what will be seen from major cities and destinations in the partial eclipse zone:
Location
Percentage of the sun's disk covered
Maseru, Lesotho
98%
Johannesburg, South Africa
97%
Brisbane, Australia
96%
Gaborone, Botswana
95%
Alice Springs, Australia
95%
Mbabane, Eswatini
92%
Maputo, Mozambique
89%
Kerguelen Islands
82%
Sydney, Australia
79%
Perth, Australia
76%
Melbourne, Australia
75%
Cape Town, South Africa
71%
Adelaide, Australia
70%
Heard and McDonald Islands
68%
Luanda, Angola
61%
Hobart, Australia
58%
Antananarivo, Madagascar
41%
Saint-Paul, Reunion
37%
Broome, Australia
36%
Queenstown, New Zealand
33%
Port Louis, Mauritius
31%
Darwin, Australia
29%
After Nov. 25, 2030, when is the next total solar eclipse?
After the total solar eclipse on Nov. 25, 2030, these are the dates and locations for the next total solar eclipses:
Nov. 14, 2031: Pacific Ocean (hybrid-totality) and Panama (hybrid-annularity)
You can find a concise summary of solar eclipses out to 2030 on NASA's eclipse website. Read more about solar and lunar eclipses on EclipseWise.com, a website dedicated to predictions of eclipses, and find beautiful maps on eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler's EclipseAtlas.com, as well as interactive Google Maps on Xavier Jubier's eclipse website and Timeanddate.com'sEclipse Central hub. You can see climate and weather predictions by meteorologist Jay Anderson on Eclipsophile.com and get photography advice from expert eclipse photographer Alan Dyer at AmazingSky.com.
Bibliography
Bakich, M. and Zeiler, M. (2022). Atlas Of Solar Eclipses 2020-2045.
NASA Worldview application, part of the NASA Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Retrieved Jun. 24, 2025 fromhttps://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov
]]>
- https://www.space.com/stargazing/solar-eclipses/total-solar-eclipse-2030-everything-you-need-to-know-about-totality-in-southern-africa-and-southeast-australia
+
+ <![CDATA[ How Earth's atmosphere and climate come together to create a polar vortex ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/how-earths-atmosphere-and-climate-come-together-to-create-a-polar-vortex
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+
- BvMWYK4ukrQBMJCUaNaeVG
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- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000Mon, 19 Jan 2026 11:38:49 +0000
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+ AaF6NJBPdoDq5Ffz4TDq7m
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+ Wed, 28 Jan 2026 21:00:00 +0000Wed, 28 Jan 2026 18:35:36 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Northern lights may be visible in 10 states Jan. 20 as Earth's magnetic field 'rings like a bell' after CME impact ]]>
- Earth is still reverberating from the colossal coronal mass ejection (CME) that struck on Jan. 19, triggering dazzling aurora displays worldwide. And while tonight's show (Jan. 20) may be somewhat more subdued, the solar storm isn't quite over — so keep your camera batteries charged and your aurora alerts on.
Geomagnetic storm intensity is expected to gradually ease through the night, but elevated activity is forecast to persist. According to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, active to minor (G1) geomagnetic storm conditions are likely, meaning auroras may still be visible across northern U.S. states and other high-latitude locations. And with Earth's magnetic field still ringing like a bell from yesterday's impact, brief surges could push the lights farther south than forecast.
While NOAA's latest forecast predicts activity will remain at G1 levels tonight, the U.K. Met Office is slightly more optimistic. In its latest outlook, the agency notes that storm conditions could remain at strong to severe (G3 to G4) levels through Jan. 20, depending on how the CME continues to unfold. If that proves to be the case, auroras could become visible across a much larger portion of the U.S. than the 10 states currently predicted.
Where can I see the northern lights tonight?
Aurora forecast view line for tonight courtesy of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. (Image credit: Inset map: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, graphic made in Canva Pro)
States that could see auroras tonight
Based on the latest NOAA aurora forecast map, the following 10 U.S. states appear fully or partially above the aurora view line:
Alaska
North Dakota
Minnesota
Montana
South Dakota
Wisconsin
Idaho
Washington
Michigan
Maine
Auroras are notoriously unpredictable. While the list above reflects the best data available right now, Earth's magnetic field is still reverberating from last night's geomagnetic beating, and that lingering energy could give auroras an extra push farther south than expected.
The storm has been gradually easing throughout the day, but occasional surges in geomagnetic activity are still possible. So if you're south of the listed states and have clear, dark skies tonight, it's still worth taking a look — you might just catch one last burst.
Northern Hemisphere aurora forecast courtesy of the U.K. Met Office
When is the best time to look for the northern lights tonight?
If the skies are clear, make sure to look for the northern lights as soon as it gets dark tonight, as geomagnetic activity is already elevated following the early arrival of yesterday's CME.
That means the northern lights could appear sooner than expected, so it's worth keeping an eye on the sky throughout the evening.
According to NOAA's 3-day forecast, geomagnetic storm activity is expected to be best at the following times:
1 p.m. - 4 p.m. EST (1800-2100 GMT): Moderate (G2) geomagnetic storming possible
4 p.m. - 7 p.m. EST (2100-0000 GMT): Minor (G1) geomagnetic storming possible
10 p.m. - 1 a.m. EST (Jan. 21)(0300-0600 GMT): Minor (G1 geomagnetic storming possible
How can I see the northern lights from where I live?
If you're in one of the 10 U.S. states where auroras might make an appearance tonight, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of seeing them.
First, start by finding a spot with an unobstructed view toward north, preferably somewhere dark and well away from city lights. The clearer your view of the northern horizon, the better.
Then start scanning the sky with your phone's camera, as these are usually good at picking up faint auroral glows that aren't immediately obvious to the naked eye, helping you identify where activity may be starting.
Dark adaptation is crucial and often overlooked when aurora chasing. If you can, give your eyes at least 30 minutes to fully adjust to the darkness so you can detect subtle auroral features. Keep in mind that even a quick look at a bright light or phone screen can reset the process, forcing you to start over
Finally, dress for the wait. Aurora shows can be unpredictable and if conditions look promising you may find yourself waiting outside for a while. Make sure to wear plenty of layers!
We recommend downloading a space weather app that provides aurora forecasts based on your location. One option I use is "My Aurora Forecast & Alerts," available for both iOS and Android. However, any similar app should work well. I also use the "Space Weather Live" app, which is available on iOS and Android, to get a deeper understanding of whether the current space weather conditions are favorable for aurora sightings.
Editor's Note: If you snap a photo of the northern or southern lights and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/northern-lights-may-be-visible-in-10-states-tonight-as-earths-magnetic-field-rings-like-a-bell-after-cme-impact
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+ <![CDATA[ See the Milky Way glow with the stars of the Summer Triangle above Egypt's Black Desert ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/stargazing/astrophotography/see-the-milky-way-glow-with-the-stars-of-the-summer-triangle-above-egypts-black-desert
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- HaDhqDdNrov3zTdenDxfs3
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- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:55:23 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:22:54 +0000
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+ Wed, 28 Jan 2026 20:00:00 +0000Wed, 28 Jan 2026 18:35:17 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Earth was just hit by the strongest solar radiation storm in over 20 years — here's what it means ]]>
-
A portion of the solar radiation storm captured on Jan. 19. The incoming protons look like a 'snowstorm' on the SOHO spacecraft's LASCO instrument. The bright specks of light in the frame are Venus, Mercury and Mars. (Image credit: ESA/SOHO)
While a severe G4 geomagnetic storm impressed skywatchers with vivid auroras around the world this week, a far less visible, but historically significant, space weather event was also underway.
Solar radiation storms occur when a powerful magnetic eruption on the sun, often involving a coronal mass ejection (CME), accelerates charged particles, mainly protons, to extreme speeds. These particles can reach a significant fraction of the speed of light, allowing them to traverse the roughly 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) between the sun and Earth in tens of minutes or less, according to NOAA. When they arrive, the most energetic protons can penetrate Earth's magnetic defenses and travel along our planet's magnetic field lines toward the polar regions, where they plunge into the upper atmosphere.
NOAA classifies solar radiation storms on a scale from S1 (minor) to S5 (extreme) based on GOES satellite measurements of incoming high-energy protons. The Jan. 19 event reached S4 (severe) levels.
While it may sound dramatic, this type of storm poses no threat to people on the ground, thanks to Earth's thick atmosphere and magnetic field, which absorb the radiation before it reaches the surface.
Notably, this was not a "ground-level event," in which particles are energetic enough to be detected at Earth's surface. As space weather physicist Tamitha Skov explained, this storm had a relatively "soft" particle spectrum — historic in strength, but lacking the extreme energies needed to reach the ground.
A NOAA graphic explaining the severe S4 solar radiation storm event on Jan. 19. (Image credit: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
High above the surface, it's a slightly different story.
Severe radiation storms increase exposure risks for astronauts and for airline crews and passengers flying along polar routes, where Earth's magnetic shielding is weaker. Satellites are also vulnerable: energetic particles can interfere with onboard electronics, disrupt sensors, and overwhelm instruments. During this storm, some space weather forecasters reported temporary data dropouts, likely caused by intense proton fluxes degrading spacecraft measurements.
Is a solar radiation storm the same as a geomagnetic storm?
No, they are distinct space weather phenomena with different effects. Solar radiation storms are driven by fast-moving particles from the sun, while geomagnetic storms occur when disturbances in the solar wind interact with Earth's magnetic field.
Geomagnetic storms occur most often when a CME's magnetic field slams into Earth's own, but sometimes also when fast streams of solar wind flow outward from coronal holes. These interactions can trigger auroras and cause disturbances in navigation, radio communications and power systems.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/sun/earth-was-just-hit-by-the-strongest-solar-radiation-storm-in-over-20-years-heres-what-it-means
+
+ <![CDATA[ SpaceX targeting mid-March for 1st flight of bigger, more powerful Starship 'Version 3,' Elon Musk says ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-targeting-mid-march-for-1st-flight-of-bigger-more-powerful-starship-version-3-elon-musk-says
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- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:05:13 +0000
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+ Wed, 28 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000Wed, 28 Jan 2026 18:34:59 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Universal truths: Astronomy's deepest theories quiz ]]>
- Astronomy isn't just about gazing at stars, it's about understanding the invisible forces that govern everything from planetary motion to the expansion of the universe. Behind every orbit, black hole, and cosmic ripple lies a theory that explains how the universe works.
This quiz dives into the foundational concepts that have revolutionized our understanding of space and time.
Whether you're a student of physics, a space enthusiast, or just curious about how the universe holds itself together, this quiz offers a chance to test your knowledge of the principles that shape reality.
See how well you score below!
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/universal-truths-astronomys-deepest-theories-quiz
+
+ <![CDATA[ Proteins before planets: How space ice may have created the 1st building blocks of life ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/search-for-life/proteins-before-planets-how-space-ice-may-have-created-the-1st-building-blocks-of-life
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- EYibbxZc6eLUXN6XjWsj4c
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- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:25:52 +0000
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+ Wed, 28 Jan 2026 18:12:58 +0000Wed, 28 Jan 2026 18:13:00 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Mars orbiter sees odd etchings in the sand | Space photo of the day for Jan. 20, 2025 ]]>
- Mars is famous for its volcanoes, canyons and ancient river valleys, but some of its most active geology happens in slow motion, powered by air. Over time, strong gusts can loft sand grains that ping and scrape at exposed surfaces, gradually carving landscapes the way a sandblaster etches metal.
Recently, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express orbiter captured this image of a series of yardangs near the Eumenides Dorsum mountain. The ridges all lean the same way, slanting and curving in from the lower left of the frame, which ESA noted reflects the direction of the prevailing wind in this region.
What is it?
The main view from the Mars Express orbiter spans an area nearly the size of Belgium, turning what might sound like "wind ripples" into something far more dramatic: an organized, tens-of-miles-long pattern of erosion that's been working the same material over and over again.
ESA added that the yardangs likely formed more recently — even on top of this lava-raft terrain — which hints at a long, layered history where volcanic resurfacing came first, and wind erosion arrived later to rework the landscape.
This view was captured by the orbiter's High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), which has been mapping Mars in color and 3D for decades, helping scientists trace processes that shape the planet from the top down.
Where is it?
The image was captured near the northern end of the Eumenides Dorsum mountains, part of the huge, dusty Medusae Fossae Formation, and not far (in planetary terms) from the towering volcanic province of Tharsis.
The grooves, or yardangs, seen along the surface of Mars show which way the wind has been blowing. (Image credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin)
Why is it amazing?
Mars can look "frozen in time" at first glance, but images like this are a reminder that the planet is still actively changing, just not always through earthquakes and eruptions. Yardangs are evidence of sustained, directional winds strong enough (and consistent enough) to sandblast soft rock over large distances, and that makes them valuable for understanding modern Martian climate and near-surface conditions.
When you can read wind direction straight out of the terrain, you get a real-world check on atmospheric models and a clearer picture of how dust and sand are transported across the planet today.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/mars-orbiter-sees-odd-etchings-in-the-sand-space-photo-of-the-day-for-jan-20-2025
+
+ <![CDATA[ Rocket Lab's 'Hungry Hippo' Neutron fairing arrives at spaceport in Virginia ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/rocket-labs-hungry-hippo-neutron-fairing-arrives-at-spaceport-in-virginia
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- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:17:13 +0000
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+ Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:00:00 +0000Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:34:44 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ James Webb Space Telescope discovers young galaxies age rapidly: 'It's like seeing 2-year-old children act like teenagers' ]]>
- Astronomers have obtained their most detailed look yet at young galaxies in the early universe using the James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. The conclusion? These cosmic adolescents grew up incredibly fast.
The team behind this research observed 18 galaxies located around 12.5 billion light-years away over a range of wavelengths of light. Existing just over 1 billion years after the Big Bang, these galaxies were in the midst of rapid star formation and were therefore undergoing explosive growth.
The team's most important discovery was the fact that these galaxies seem to have matured faster than previously expected in more than one way — but most strikingly, the galaxies are richer in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, or "metals," as astronomers call them, particularly carbon and oxygen.
"With this sample, we are uniquely poised to study galaxy evolution during a key epoch in the universe that has been hard to image until now," team member Andreas Faisst of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) said in a statement. "Thanks to these exceptional telescopes, we have spatially resolved these galaxies and can observe the stages of star formation as they were happening and their chemical properties when our universe was less than a billion years old."
Galaxies grow up too fast
When the first galaxies in the universe formed, the cosmos was filled with hydrogen and helium and just a smattering of heavier elements. The first stars and their home galaxies were correspondingly metal-poor. These stars forged metals during their lives and then dispersed them throughout their galactic homes in supernova explosions that marked their deaths. These heavy elements became the building blocks of the next generation of stars, which were more metal-rich than their predecessors.
However, this process of enrichment should take longer than 1 billion years, meaning the prematurely mature state of these early galaxies is curious, to say the least.
"It was a surprise to see such chemically mature galaxies," Faisst added. "It's like seeing 2-year-old children act like teenagers. How do metals form in less than 1 billion years?"
Anyone living with human teenagers will tell you they have quite the appetites, and that is also true of these premature cosmic teens. The team found that the supermassive black holes in these galaxies are rapidly feeding, or accreting, surrounding matter. That means these black holes are also growing rapidly.
In addition to their anachronistically metal-rich nature, Faisst and colleagues discovered that many of the galaxies they studied had rotating stellar disks, similar to the spiral arms of our much more mature galaxy, the Milky Way. These features had also developed much earlier than previous models had predicted.
"Now, with this new survey, we can show that some of these galaxies were both structurally and chemically evolved," Faisst said.
The early galaxies DC-873321 and DC-842313, part of a sample of 18 galaxies found to be chemically and structurally mature (Image credit: Robert Hurt (Caltech), Andreas Faisst (Caltech) and the ALPINE-CRISTAL-JWST Survey team)
It wasn't just the galaxies studied by these scientists that were unexpectedly metal-rich. The surrounding gas, the circumgalactic medium, was also similarly enriched.
"The galaxies show very flat gradients in their metal abundances, reaching out to more than 30,000 light-years," team member Wuji Wang of Caltech's Infrared Processing & Analysis Center said in the statement.
The team now intends to match their observations of these galaxies using simulations of galactic growth and metal enrichment.
"The combination of observations and simulations provides a powerful synergy to understand the details of star formation, and dust and metal production mechanisms," Faisst said. "The knowledge of these will ultimately help us understand the formation of the first stars and planets and how our own Milky Way came into being."
The team's research was presented at the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Phoenix on Tuesday (Jan.6), and was published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/galaxies/james-webb-space-telescope-discovers-young-galaxies-age-rapidly-its-like-seeing-2-year-old-children-act-like-teenagers
+
+ <![CDATA[ 'Star Wars Outlaws' scores a new prequel novel starring antagonist Jaylen Vrax and his ND-5 assassin droid ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-books/star-wars-outlaws-scores-a-new-prequel-novel-starring-antagonist-jaylen-vrax-and-his-nd-5-assassin-droid
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- 3EzGw8boBERQQ3p2b7VwWT
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- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:17:04 +0000
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+ fNYiifrhyehYvekzQpKuEU
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+ Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000Wed, 28 Jan 2026 19:30:07 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Comet Wierzchos buzzes the sun later today: But can you see it? ]]>
- Solar system comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) makes its closest approach to the sun today (Jan. 20) during an event known as perihelion, when it will pass a little over half the Earth-sun distance from our parent star, causing it to brighten significantly.
Comet Wierzchos makes its closest flyby at 1:24 p.m.EST (1824 GMT) on Jan. 20, passing the sun at a distance of 52.6 million miles (84.6 million km).
At perihelion, a combination of proximity and the increase in solar radiation is expected to boost the comet's visibility. Heat from the sun vaporizes ice material in the comet's solid nucleus, releasing masses of gas and dust that forms a reflective cocoon, or coma, around the nucleus. Charged particles streaming outward from the sun sweep this material into the comet's characteristic tail.
Sony A7R IV
(Image credit: Sony)
Want to photograph comets? The Sony A7R IV mirrorless camera offers plenty of quality and value for money. Excellent autofocus, premium image quality, a massive 61MP resolution, up to 10FPS shooting and a lightweight design are all features. For a closer look, check out our Sony a7R IV review.
The comet is expected to reach a peak brightness, or magnitude, of around +8.1 in the days following perihelion, according to the Comet Observation Database (COBS) run by the Crni Vrh Observatory in Slovenia (the lower the number, the brighter the object in the night sky). That puts C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) beyond naked-eye visibility, which allows us to see objects down to a magnitude of approximately +6.5 under dark sky conditions. However, the comet should be visible with the aid of a small backyard telescope, assuming that you're in the right part of the world to see it.
By mid-January, comet Wierzchos will be traveling through the stars of the southerly constellation Microscopium and will be lost from sight below the horizon during the nighttime hours for stargazers in the U.S.
Northern Hemisphere observers will get another chance to see C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) in the weeks following its close approach to Earth on Feb. 17, when it will pass a little over 93 million miles (1 Astronomical Unit) from our Blue Marble. During this event, known as perigee, the comet will appear low on the southwestern horizon at sunset for stargazers in the U.S. with an estimated magnitude of +8.9. C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos)'s brightness will continue to recede as it rises higher in the evening sky in the following weeks, as it travels away from the warming influence of the sun.
En unos días el cometa C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) saldrá de la conjunción solar y comenzará a dejarse observar con prismáticos, primero desde el hemisferio sur y más tarde desde el norte. Será el cometa más brillante en este inicio de 2026ℹ️ https://t.co/WC5iEmUFtEImagen: Dídac Mesa pic.twitter.com/7jpHhWRRUkJanuary 16, 2026
C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) was discovered in March 2024 by astronomers analyzing data collected by the Catalina Sky Survey — a NASA-funded project at the University of Arizona, which continuously scans the night sky for potentially hazardous near-Earth objects.
The wandering body is thought to have originated from the shell of icy material that surrounds the solar system known as the Oort Cloud and was first spotted as it raced sunward at a distance of 8 AU. It has since been observed by the James Webb Space Telescope, which recorded a distinct lack of cobalt in its light fingerprint, suggesting that the element may have been lost prior to being expelled by giant inner solar system planets shortly after its formation.
Editor's Note: If you would like to share your comet images with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
]]>
- https://www.space.com/astronomy/comets/comet-wierzchos-buzzes-the-sun-later-today-but-can-you-see-it
+
+ <![CDATA[ Inside Lego's Artemis 2 range: Which set delivers the best build, detail and value? ]]>
+ https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-toys-lego/inside-legos-artemis-ii-range-which-set-delivers-the-best-build-detail-and-value
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- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000Tue, 20 Jan 2026 10:01:34 +0000
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+ Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:53:57 +0000Wed, 28 Jan 2026 18:31:33 +0000
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