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<![CDATA[ Latest from Space.com ]]>
https://www.space.com
- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000
+ Fri, 23 Jan 2026 22:00:00 +0000en
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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."
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+ 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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+ Fri, 23 Jan 2026 22:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 18:05:17 +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."
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+ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/nasas-artemis-2-moon-rocket-is-on-the-launch-pad-whats-next
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+ Fri, 23 Jan 2026 21:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 21:31:12 +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.
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+ 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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+ 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.
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+ https://www.space.com/stargazing/two-cosmic-dogs-rule-the-winter-sky-heres-how-to-spot-them-this-week
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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:
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+ 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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+ Fri, 23 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 11:50:26 +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.
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+ https://www.space.com/astronomy/moon/a-colossal-asteroid-may-have-warped-the-moon-from-the-inside-out
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+ Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:21:21 +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
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+ Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:11:04 +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
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+ Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:15:58 +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
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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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+ <![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
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+ q6Exd5GtbMnAPXfvNFAajZ
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+ Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:36:32 +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."
]]>
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QvCg363DJFaJWEgUhgnJGT
- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:09:37 +0000
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ayackJjSEXmrqTq5kAGt5D
- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:00:00 +0000Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:03:36 +0000
+ Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:00:00 +0000Fri, 23 Jan 2026 21:29:14 +0000
@@ -241,7 +432,7 @@
<![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.
]]>
+ 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
@@ -506,7 +697,7 @@
<![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.
]]>
+ 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
@@ -716,7 +907,7 @@
<![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.
]]>
+ 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
@@ -773,194 +964,5 @@
-
- <![CDATA[ Severe G4 geomagnetic storm sparks jaw-dropping northern lights worldwide (photos) ]]>
- We were expecting a show and boy did it deliver.
Skywatchers around the world were treated to stunning auroras that surged far beyond their usual polar limits, lighting up mid-latitude skies during a severe G4 geomagnetic storm.
Northern lights were reported across mid-latitudes, with sightings stretching from Germany to the southwestern United States, including New Mexico, during a night of rapidly fluctuating geomagnetic conditions that fluctuated between G1, G2, G3 and G4 storm levels.
The display was triggered by the arrival of an exceptionally fast coronal mass ejection (CME) that struck Earth's magnetic field at around 2:38 p.m. EST (1938 GMT) on Jan. 19, when geomagnetic conditions first escalated to G4 (severe) storm levels, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. The CME had blasted away from the sun just a day earlier, on Jan. 18, during a powerful X1.9 solar flare — giving it remarkably little time to cross the roughly 91 million miles (147 million kilometers) between the sun and Earth.
After the initial shock arrival, the passage of the CME itself kept Earth's magnetic field in a highly disturbed state for hours, producing repeated surges of auroral activity as storm levels rose and fell through the night, according to the U.K. Met Office.
We've gathered up some of the best photos from last night's aurora activity captured by skywatchers around the world.
Scott Mellis captured this beautiful image of the northern lights dancing over Covesea Lighthouse, Lossiemouth, Scotland, on Jan. 19.
"Wow, what a night it was last night with the sky erupting in colour," Mellis told Space.com in an email.
Auroras over Covesea Lighthouse, Scotland. (Image credit: Scott Mellis)
Photographer Greg Gage sent us these stunning views of the northern lights captured from Deming, New Mexico, at 32° latitude!
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Northern lights captured from Deming, New Mexico, on Jan. 19. (Image credit: Greg Gage)
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Northern lights captured from Deming, New Mexico, on Jan. 19. (Image credit: Greg Gage)
"I live in Sistersville, WV and that is usually where I catch aurora. However, I'm on a 2-week 'snowbird' getaway to Deming, NM," Gage told Space.com in an email.
"In WV I am at latitude 40°. The last thing I expected was to catch auroras this far south. But a G4 CME was able to make it this far south. Wow!!"
Northern lights captured from Deming, New Mexico, on Jan. 19. (Image credit: Greg Gage)
Photographer Miguel Marques (Marques Astronomy) captured this remarkable scene from Portugal at 40ºN on Jan. 19 around 10:30 p.m. local time.
The red aurora was visible to the naked eye, according to Marques.
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Vibrant red auroras captured in Portugal. (Image credit: Miquel Marques (Marques Photography) )
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Vibrant red auroras captured in Portugal. (Image credit: Miquel Marques (Marques Photography) )
Meanwhile, in Germany, the northern lights danced above the river Müggelspree. This stunning photo was captured by photographer Florian Gaertner.
Northern lights from Berlin, Germany. (Image credit: Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images)
In Romania, Sanda Buciuta braved the chilly temperatures to capture this delightful display on Jan. 19.
"For Romania, it is a rather rare phenomenon, especially the explosion of colors, red, green, including a tinge of purple," Buciuta told Space.com in an email.
"I was excited to observe this phenomenon. It was -9 degrees [Celsius] outside, quite cold, but it was well worth it," Buciuta added.
Auroras captured from Romania. (Image credit: Sanda Buciuta)
Auroras flooded the skies above the village of Abaujvar, Hungary, with vivid hues of red and green. The beautiful photograph was captured by photographer Robert Nemeti.
Aurora show from Hungary. (Image credit: Robert Nemeti/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In France, photographer Jerome Gilles captured this eerie scene as rich magenta auroras filled the sky above Morbihan, Brittany.
Northern lights above Brittany, France. (Image credit: Jerome Gilles/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Photographer Chi Shiyong had front row seats to an incredibly colorful display above Beiji Village, Mohe City, Heilongjiang Province, China.
Northern lights above Beiji Village, Mohe City, Heilongjiang Province of China. (Image credit: Chi Shiyong/VCG via Getty Images)
Rich magenta hues fill the sky as distinct pillars also start to take form.
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Northern lights above Beiji Village, Mohe City, Heilongjiang Province of China. (Image credit: Chi Shiyong/VCG via Getty Images)
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Northern lights above Beiji Village, Mohe City, Heilongjiang Province of China. (Image credit: Chi Shiyong/VCG via Getty Images)
Adri van den Berg snapped this beautiful northern lights show on Jan. 19 from Rouveen, Overijssel, in the Netherlands.
The northern lights captured from the Netherlands. (Image credit: Adri van den Berg)
Cloudy skies didn't stop photographer Lou Benoist from capturing this stunning image of the northern lights peaking through a gap in the clouds over the stunning cliffs of Etretat, France.
Auroras captured from Etretat, France. (Image credit: LOU BENOIST / AFP via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, in western France, photographer Oscar Chuberre captured this stunning image of the northern lights over Portsall.
Northern lights above Portsall, France. (Image credit: Oscar Chuberre / AFP via Getty Images)
In Germany, photographer Sascha Schuermann captured a dramatic scene unfolding in the skies above North Rhine-Westphalia.
The northern lights fill the sky above North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. (Image credit: SASCHA SCHUERMANN / AFP via Getty Images)
Many skywatchers took to X to share their impressive shots of the aurora show.
Photographer Mathieu Rivrin captured a stunning timelapse of the northern lights dancing above the Côte de Granit Rose (the Pink Granite Coast), Brittany, France.
Aurores boréales sur la côte de granit rose - 20 janvier 2026#auroresboreales #bretagne pic.twitter.com/xeOsws6MmFJanuary 20, 2026
Aurora chaser Alex Masse captured a stunning view of tall aurora pillars from Kerwood, Ontario, Canada, at 10:55 p.m. local time.
As good as it got.1055pmKerwood, ON 42.89N#aurora pic.twitter.com/eZZl883GT0January 20, 2026
Amateur astrophotographer Damian shared some remarkable photos captured from Munich, south Germany!
"It was absolutely amazing, really unbelievable and unforgettable," Damian wrote in a post on X.
A little best of todays stunning aurora-show over Munich, South Germany! 😍🤩It was absolutely amazing, really unbelievable and unforgettable.#aurora #Polarlichter #München pic.twitter.com/g2xYDaN4s4January 20, 2026
Storm chaser Wouter van Bernebeek shared a beautiful photo of the northern lights dancing above Nijmegen, Netherlands, at around 10:20 p.m. local time.
Genieten van een intense noorderlichtshow! De kleuren waren opvallend fel: een 'dansende' groene band hing zelfs helemaal richting het zuiden. Ook tof om te zien dat zoveel mensen het #noorderlicht nu een keer zelf konden spotten 🌌Mijn eerste foto rond 22.20u vlakbij Nijmegen: pic.twitter.com/wIU1JpkuzPJanuary 20, 2026
While geomagnetic activity is expected to gradually ease, space weather forecasters say conditions remain unsettled — meaning there's still a chance the northern lights could make another appearance tonight if solar wind conditions cooperate.
So keep those camera batteries charged and aurora alerts switched on, we may not be done just yet.
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- https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/severe-g4-geomagnetic-storm-sparks-jaw-dropping-northern-lights-worldwide-photos
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- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 10:33:21 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:23:44 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ An armada of 8,000+ Elite Dangerous players just embarked on a three-month expedition to explore the Milky Way, and there's still time to join them ]]>
- Humanity is still in the early stages of exploring the cosmos, with Artemis 2 preparing to take us back to the moon and then onwards to Mars. But if NASA's progress is a little pedestrian for you, then "Elite Dangerous" is the game for you.
"Elite Dangerous" is one of the best space exploration games out there, featuring a fully-realised — and intimidatingly large — Milky Way galaxy for players to explore. And that's exactly what they're doing, as over 8000 players have just embarked on Distant Worlds 3 — a community-led journey to the deepest reaches of the galaxy that is expected to last for around 3 to 4 months.
The previous two Distant Worlds events set out in 2016 and 2019, respectively, with 1300 players joining the first expedition, and nearly 14,000 pilots signing up for the second voyage. It's not just a rat race to the center of the galaxy, though — the organizers put together special player-run events that include "geology projects, mining goals, mapping surveys, and a science project".
Reddit user TicklesYourElmo posted a video of their flotilla launching off on the expedition, and damn does it look cool to see all those ships jumping to FTL in unison.
I love seeing this kind of immersive, community-led stuff in massively-multiplayer games. Players embracing more than just the cool "oh look, I'm flying a spaceship" side of the game and focusing on the spirit of exploration and discovery that drives real space missions. At the end of Distant Worlds 2, they'd built a whole space station called Explorer's Anchorage at the galactic center, near Sagittarius A*, so I can't wait to see what these brave souls accomplish this time.
For the uninitiated, "Elite Dangerous" is a massive online space game set in a 1:1 scale replica of our galaxy, where players pilot spaceships to explore, trade, and battle it out amongst the stars. The game launched all the way back in 2014 and has evolved significantly since then, with major updates overhauling core systems, adding the ability to land on planets, and even triggering an alien invasion.
"We're very excited to see Commanders from around the world embarking on Distant Worlds 3. It's an enormous player-led activity, and celebrates the incredible community around Elite Dangerous who remain active and passionate about the series," Gauthier Verquerre, Executive Producer on Elite Dangerous, told Space.com in an email.
(Image credit: Frontier Developments)
"As a studio, it's always a very special moment seeing a Distant World expedition depart, as you get such a fantastic mix of newer players and seasoned explorers, and the support which they lend each other is wonderful to see."
The expedition has already set off, but you can probably still catch them if you're quick. Head over to the Distant Worlds 3 website and sign up now. Or if you'd rather stay planetside, check out the time we took a guided tour of the solar system in "Elite Dangerous".
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- https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-games/an-armada-of-6-500-elite-dangerous-players-just-embarked-on-a-three-month-expedition-to-explore-the-milky-way-and-theres-still-time-to-join-them
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- RpLgrVe5TRJEohMctWiUfE
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- Mon, 19 Jan 2026 21:00:00 +0000Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:00:27 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ How astronomers plan to detect the signatures of alien life in the atmospheres of distant planets ]]>
- This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
We live in a very exciting time: answers to some of the oldest questions humanity has conceived are within our grasp. One of these is whether Earth is the only place that harbors life.
In the last 30 years, the question of whether the sun is unique in hosting a planetary system has been resoundingly answered: we now know of thousands of exoplanets orbiting other stars.
But can we use telescopes to detect whether any of these distant worlds also harbor life? A promising method is to analyze the gases present in the atmospheres of these planets.
We now know of more than 6,000 exoplanets. With so many now catalogued, there are a number of ways to narrow down which worlds are the most promising for biology. Using the planet's distance from its host star, for example, astronomers can work out its likely temperature.
Earth is the only planet in the solar system with liquid water oceans on its surface, so mild temperatures are a possible requirement for a habitable planet. Whether a planet has the correct temperature for liquid water is strongly influenced by the presence and nature of the planet's atmosphere.
Astonishingly, we can identify molecules present in the atmospheres of exoplanets. Quantum mechanics causes each atmospheric chemical to have its own distinct barcode-like pattern, which it leaves on the light passing through it. By collecting starlight that has been filtered through an exoplanet's atmosphere, telescopes can see the barcodes of the molecules making up that atmosphere.
To take advantage of this, the planet needs to transit – pass in front of – the star from our point of view. This means it only works for a small fraction of known exoplanets.
The strength of the signal depends on the abundance of the molecule in the atmosphere: stronger for the most abundant molecules and gradually weaker as the abundance decreases. This means it is generally easiest to detect the dominant molecules, though this is not always true. Some of the barcodes are intrinsically strong, while others are weak.
For example, Earth's atmosphere is dominated by diatomic nitrogen (N₂), but this molecule has a feeble barcode compared to the much less abundant diatomic oxygen (O₂), ozone (O₃), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O).
Detecting molecules
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large space telescope which collects light at infrared wavelengths. It has been used to probe the atmospheres of a variety of exoplanets.
The detection of molecular imprints in the atmosphere of an exoplanet is not completely straightforward. Different teams of workers can derive different results as a consequence of making slightly different choices in the way they handle the same data. But despite these difficulties, reproducible and robust detections of molecules have been made. Simple molecules with strong barcodes such as methane, carbon dioxide and water have been detected.
An artist's concept of NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory in space. (Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab)
Planets larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune – so called sub-Neptunes – are the most common type of known exoplanet. It was for one of these planets, K2-18b, that a bold claim of a detection of a biosignature was made in 2025. The analysis detected dimethyl sulphide, with a claimed less-than-once-chance-in-1,000 that this detection was spurious.
On Earth, dimethyl sulphide is produced by phytoplankton in the oceans, but is rapidly broken down in seawater illuminated by sunlight. As K2-18b may be a planet completely covered by a water ocean, the detection of dimethyl sulphide in its atmosphere could imply an ongoing supply of it from microbial marine life there.
Re-examination of the K2-18b dimethyl sulphide detection by other researchers casts doubt on this claim. Most significant was the 2025 demonstration by Arizona State University's Luis Welbanks and colleagues that the choice of molecular barcodes to include in the analysis radically affected the results.
They found that numerous alternatives, not explored in the original paper, provided equally good or better fits to the measured data.
For Earth-sized planets which are presumably rocky, it is quite challenging to detect an atmosphere at all with JWST. However, the future is promising, as a number of planned missions will allow us to learn a lot more about planets which may be similar to the Earth.
An illustration of exoplanet K2-18b with its host star in the distance. (Image credit: ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser)
Upcoming missions
With a planned launch in 2026, the European Space Agency's Plato telescope will identify planets far more similar to Earth and suitable for transmission spectroscopy than those we currently know of.
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman space telescope, which is set to launch in 2029, will pioneer coronagraphic techniques that allow starlight to be cancelled out so the very much dimmer planets orbiting nearby stars can be studied directly.
The European Space Agency's Ariel telescope, with a planned launch in 2029, is a dedicated transmission spectroscopy mission, designed to have the capabilities to determine the compositions of exoplanet atmospheres.
NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is currently in the planning stages. This mission will use a coronagraph to study around 25 Earth-like planets, looking for a variety of hallmarks of habitability.
HWO will have broad wavelength coverage from the ultraviolet out to the near-infrared. If a twin of the Earth were orbiting one of HWO's nearby target stars, the telescope would collect the starlight reflected from the planet. This reflected starlight would include the barcode signatures of diatomic oxygen (O₂) and other gases characteristic of our planet’s atmosphere. It would also reveal a signature of starlight being absorbed by photosynthesising plants: the so-called "vegetation red edge".
Earth's surface is divided into land and oceans, which reflect light differently. HWO would be able to reconstruct a low-resolution map of the surface from the changes in the reflected light as continents and oceans rotate in and out of view.
So the future looks very promising. With the spacecraft set to launch in coming years, we might close in on the question of whether Earth is unique in hosting life.
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- https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/how-astronomers-plan-to-detect-the-signatures-of-alien-life-in-the-atmospheres-of-distant-planets
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- iJk4ftb5pgYEtUiWvLBmwf
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- Mon, 19 Jan 2026 20:00:00 +0000Fri, 16 Jan 2026 22:08:56 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ What the first medical evacuation from the International Space Station tells us about healthcare in space ]]>
- This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
To protect the crewmember’s privacy, NASA hasn't yet disclosed details about what happened – and this article won't speculate. But the evacuation raises a question worth exploring: how do astronauts stay healthy in space, and why is this early evacuation so unusual?
Astronauts undergo rigorous medical screening before selection. They are assessed for conditions that might worsen in microgravity, evaluated for psychological resilience, and monitored throughout their careers.
Although modelling suggests a medical emergency could be expected roughly every three years on the ISS, serious issues are remarkably rare in practice.
Every ISS mission includes medical support both in space and on the ground. Each crew has a designated Crew Medical Officer – sometimes a qualified doctor, sometimes someone with extensive training in space medicine procedures. They can perform basic examinations, administer medications, and conduct telemedicine consultations with specialists on Earth.
What health issues do occur in space?
A 2015 study found that medication use on the ISS was relatively low, with roughly ten doses of over-the-counter medication taken per astronaut per week, most of which are for common, manageable conditions, such as:
Skin irritation is the most frequently reported medical issue in spaceflight. A recent systematic review found that space-related dermatoses including dry skin, rashes, hypersensitivity reactions, and impaired wound healing – occur at rates approximately 25 times higher than on Earth. The cold, dry, low-humidity spacecraft environment exacerbates these problems, and hygiene is limited to wet wipes and rinse-less products for months at a time.
Congestion and headaches affect most astronauts, particularly early in a mission. Without gravity pulling fluids downward, blood shifts toward the head, causing a puffy face and stuffy nose – what astronauts call "space sniffles." This can trigger headaches, reduced appetite, and poor sleep.
Sleep disruption is widespread. The ISS orbits Earth every 90 minutes, creating 16 sunrises and sunsets over 24 hours, which disrupts circadian rhythms. Combined with equipment noise, reduced personal space, and the stress of spaceflight, astronauts typically get one to two hours less sleep per night compared to on Earth.
Musculoskeletal injuries are surprisingly common. A NASA study catalogued 219 in-flight injuries across the US space programme, with an incidence of roughly 0.02 per flight day.
Hand injuries were most frequent, mostly small cuts from moving between modules or handling equipment. But exercise, ironically the leading countermeasure designed to protect astronauts' bones and muscles, is now the leading source of injuries on the ISS.
Yet this essential countermeasure carries its own risks. Spacewalks present additional hazards – the study found 0.26 injuries per extravehicular activity, often caused by spacesuit components.
Research continues to make these countermeasures safer and more effective. At Northumbria University, the Aerospace Medicine and Rehabilitation Laboratory works with European Space Agency, NASA, Canadian Space Agency and private spaceflight companies including SpaceX to develop exercise-based interventions to protect astronaut health. The research team are pioneering approaches to maintain physical function during longer missions and accelerate recovery on return to Earth.
Astronaut Sandra Magnus, Expedition 18 flight engineer, exercises on the advanced Resistive Exercise Device (aRED) in the Unity node of the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA)
Space-specific conditions
Some health issues are unique to spaceflight. Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) affects up to 70% of astronauts on long-duration missions. The headward fluid shift changes pressure in the eye, leading to optic nerve flattening and vision changes that can persist for years after returning to Earth.
Perhaps most striking was an incident reported in 2020, when a blood clot was discovered in an astronaut's jugular vein during a routine research ultrasound. The astronaut had no symptoms; the clot was found by chance. In what became the ultimate telemedicine case, doctors on Earth guided treatment over more than 90 days.
Blood thinners were administered, additional medication was sent on a resupply vessel, and the astronaut performed their own ultrasound scans with radiologists directing from hundreds of kilometers below. They completed their mission and returned safely at the end of their mission without any health consequences.
The Crew-11 evacuation demonstrates that space agencies prioritize crew safety above all else. As missions move beyond low Earth orbit into deep space, new approaches to medical care will be needed – referred to as Earth Independent Medical Operations, potentially using AI to assist crew medical officers alongside lessons from current missions.
That this is the first expedited medical evacuation in 25 years highlights how effectively space medicine has developed. But it's also a reminder that space remains inherently challenging for human biology, and sometimes there really is no place like home.
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- https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/what-the-first-medical-evacuation-from-the-international-space-station-tells-us-about-healthcare-in-space
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- Mon, 19 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000Fri, 16 Jan 2026 22:04:32 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ How to find 4 legendary spacecraft in January's night sky ]]>
- We live in the age of the spacefaring robot, wherein far-flung probes brave the harsh environment of interplanetary space to beam gorgeous images and invaluable scientific data back to Earth to broaden our understanding of the solar system that we live in.
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. For a more detailed look, you can check out our Celestron NexStar 8SE review.
The simple, if slightly sad, reality is that these intrepid explorers embark on a one-way trip upon leaving atop their gravity-defying rockets. We'll never again lay eyes on Voyager 1, now so far from home, or see the unique mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope once again catch the light in a scrupulously clean NASA testing facility. They're all consigned to forever reside in space, too small for even the most powerful of telescopes to detect.
What we can do is keep track of where spacecraft are in the night sky as they undertake missions millions, or sometimes billions of miles from Earth, sometimes in the far reaches of the solar system. Read on to discover where to find the patches of night sky containing four famous robotic explorers, each of which has been paired with a bonus skywatching target!
How to find 4 legendary spacecraft in January's night sky.
James Webb Space Telescope
Artist's impression of the James Webb Space Telescope. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Northrop Grumman)
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched on Christmas Day 2021. Its ambitious mission sees it gazing at ancient galaxies to shed light on the evolution of the universe, collecting data on the habitability of alien worlds and discovering how planets and exoplanets come to form.
The apparent trajectory of the James Webb Space Telescope is denoted by a yellow line. (Image credit: Created by Anthony Wood in Canva.)
The JWST tracks a path right-to-left across the eastern horizon in the hours following sunset in January. On Jan. 19 it will be located to the left of the star Nu Orionis in the raised right arm of the hunter represented in the constellation Orion.
Over the next two weeks, the spacecraft will slowly leave Orion and travel towards the bright point of light representing the gas giantJupiter. Along the way, the space telescope will pass close to the magnitude +1.9 star Alhena, which represents one of the feet of the twins portrayed by the constellation Gemini.
The Orion Nebula captured by astrophotographer Joel Martin. (Image credit: Joel Martin)
While you're stargazing, why not take the time to explore one of the JWST's many astronomy targets and one of the most recognizable deep sky objects? Look to the eastern sky after sundown to find the three stars of the Orion's Beltasterism shining in the winter sky. Locate the bottom star, Alnitak and scan the patch of sky 5 degrees. To its lower left — the approximate width of your three middle fingers held at arm's length — until you find three stars arrayed in a line suffused with a milky blur of light — the Orion Nebula.
Europa Clipper
Artist's impression of the Europa Clipper spacecraft. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft launched on Oct. 14, 2024 on a marathon journey that would see it travel 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers) before finally arriving in orbit around the gas giant Jupiter in April 2030. Once there, it will perform 49 close flybys of the planet's icy moon Europa to collect data on the alien world to unravel its secrets and shed light on its habitability.
How to find the Europa Clipper in the night sky. (Image credit: Created by Anthony Wood in Canva)
To find the patch of sky containing Europa Clipper, first locate the kite-like formation of stars of the constellation Libra, which rises above the southeastern horizon around 3 a.m. local time for viewers in the U.S. in mid-January. Remember: it's best to use a trusted website like TimeandDate or a stargazing app like Starry Night or Stellarium to discover exactly when a solar system object will rise and set from your location.
Europa Clipper will be close to the faint magnitude +4.0 star Gamma Librae in the early hours of Jan. 18, before travelling away from Libra towards the formation of stars that represent the claws of the great scorpion in the constellation Scorpius — Acrab, Dschubba and Pi Scorpii.
The gas giant Jupiter. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) and the OPAL team)
Turn to the west to find the bright light of Jupiter shining roughly 30 degrees — the width of three fists held at arm's length — above the horizon with the bright stars Castor and Pollux of the constellation Gemini shining above. Jupiter will appear particularly large and bright throughout January in the weeks after reaching its Jan. 10 opposition, when it appeared directly opposite the sun in Earth's sky.
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer
The ESA/NASA Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is slated to arrive at Jupiter one year after the Europa Clipper in July 2031, when it will set to work probing both the gas giant and its large moons Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. Scientists are hoping that the spacecraft's discoveries will shed light on the enigmatic natures of gas giants that are thought to have formed across the universe, while also collecting data on the oceans harbored by the Jovian moons, which will help reveal whether they could host microbial life.
Artist's impression of the JUpiter ICy moons Explorer spacecraft. (Image credit: ESA/AOES)
On Jan. 19, JUICE will pass through a patch of sky in the constellation Ophiuchus, roughly 10 degrees — the width of one outstretched fist — below the magnitude +2.4 star Sabik, which can be found low on the southeastern horizon in the hours before dawn. The following week will see it journey towards the famous "teapot" asterism in the constellation Sagittarius, which can be spotted peeking above the horizon as the sun rises in late January.
Finder chart showing the position of the JUICE spacecraft in January 2026 (Image credit: Created by Anthony Wood in Canva)
Around this time, you may spot a bright red star shining low on the southeastern horizon in the pre-dawn sky. That bright spec of light is Antares — a red supergiant star nearing the end of its stellar life cycle. The star — which represents the heart of the constellation Scorpius — will eventually consume the remainder of its dwindling fuel reserves, after which it will collapse in on itself in a magnificent supernova, whose brightness will rival that of the rest of our galaxy put together, according to astrophysicists Paul Butterworth and Mike Arida for NASA's "Imagine the Universe!"
Voyager 1
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is both a scientific legend and a robotic ambassador for humanity, having launched in Sept. 1977 carrying one of the two famous Golden Records— a repository of imagery, sounds, music and languages from Earth, with details on how to find us. Having executed successful flybys of Saturn and Jupiter, Voyager 1 entered interstellar space in August 2012 and is now the most distant human-made object from Earth, having travelled 15.75 billion miles (25.35 billion km) from our parent star.
An artist's impression of the Voyager 1 spacecraft. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
To find the region of the sky containing Voyager 1, first locate the constellation Ophiuchus, which rises above the eastern horizon in the hours before dawn in January, before rising to an altitude of around 50 degrees as the sun rises. Next, find the bright magnitude +2.0 and +3.0 stars Rasalhague, Kappa Ophiuchi and Rasalgethi, the latter of which belongs to the nearby constellation of Hercules. Voyager 1 is nestled in the space demarcated by that stellar pyramid.
The location of the Voyager spacecraft in January 2026 (Image credit: Created by Anthony Wood in Canva)
For a bonus target, trace a path 25 degrees above Rasalgethi to find the sideways crown-like shape of the constellation Corona Borealis. This unassuming constellation is comprised largely of faint stellar bodies, but also plays host to the dim magnitude +10.0 star T Croronae Borealis, which explodes in a dramatic nova explosion roughly once every 80 years, making it appear as if a new magnitude +2.0 star — approximately the brightness of the North Star Polaris — has been born in the night sky. T Coronae Borealis — also known as the "Blaze Star" — last went nova in 1946, so astronomers are watching and waiting for its next stellar outburst any day now.
Editor's Note: If you would like 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.
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- https://www.space.com/stargazing/how-to-find-4-legendary-spacecraft-in-januarys-night-sky
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- wzNx4kBY74YmRvfxSSoBmi
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- Mon, 19 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000Mon, 19 Jan 2026 17:17:36 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ DJI Mini 5 Pro drone review ]]>
-
Key specs
Camera: 50MP 1-inch sensor
Video resolution: Up to 4K
Frame rates: 4K up to 120 FPS, Full HD up to 240 FPS
Battery: 2788mAh / up to 36 minutes flight
Charger type: USB-C cable/battery charging hub
Modes: Cine, Normal, Sport
Video transmission range: 12.4 miles / 20km (FCC), 6.2 miles / 10km (CE/SRRC/MIC)
Dimensions: 6.18x3.74x2.68 in / 157×95×68 mm folded, 10.04x7.13x3.58 in / 255×181×91 mm unfolded
Weight: 8.81 oz / 249.9g
DJI's Mini Pro range of drones has been a huge hit since the launch of the Mini 3 Pro – the first model in the line-up. This was the first sub-250g drone with professional photo and video credentials.
After the 4 Pro, which was little more than an incremental upgrade, we now have the DJI Mini 5 Pro. Not only is this a serious upgrade, but it also sets a new bar for what's possible in the most popular drone category.
There are numerous impressive new features to shout about, not least the 50MP 1-inch sensor in the camera, which can rotate 225 degrees in addition to 90 degrees for portrait capture.
The DJI Mini 5 Pro is a compact folding sub-250 g drone. (Image credit: James Abbott)
There's also forward-facing LiDAR as part of the Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance system, and HDR video capture, to name a few notable features. It's safe to say that the Mini 5 Pro is one of the best drones and best DJI drones available, as well as being one of the best camera drones.
Image quality for photos and video is fantastic, thanks to the large sensor that's been magically added to the familiar Mini drone design. It is, however, slightly heavier than other sub-250 g drones at 8.81 oz / 249.9g. Plus, users have reported that some drones actually weigh in at up to 251 g, although aviation authorities seem to be overlooking this slight discrepancy.
One thing you can rely on is that DJI Mini drones look remarkably similar, so there's no mistaking them for any other model or manufacturer. The Mini 5 Pro follows this rigid style with its folding design, where Omnidirectional Collision Avoidance sensors are visible on the airframe. In terms of size, it's pretty much as you'd expect at 6.18x3.74x2.68 in / 157×95×68 mm folded and 10.04x7.13x3.58 in / 255×181×91 mm unfolded.
It's a sub-250g model, like previous versions, and the 5 Pro weighs in officially at 8.81 oz / 249.9g, although some users have reported that the drone weighs as much as 251g when they've weighed it themselves. This hasn't caused any issues with the drone's place in the sub-250g category according to aviation authorities, and the slight weight increase is remarkable given that DJI has managed to cram a 1-inch sensor into the rotating camera.
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The DJI Mini 5 Pro features a folding design. (Image credit: James Abbott)
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Despite the larger sensor, the DJI Mini 5 Pro remains compact. (Image credit: James Abbott)
In terms of overall design and aesthetics, the 5 Pro looks extremely similar to previous models but is differentiated by the darker grey of the airframe and, of course, the bulkier camera to accommodate that larger sensor.
Flight times are advertised as being up to 36 minutes per 2,788 mAh battery, but in real-world flying conditions, flight times are around 20 minutes before Return to Home is initiated when the battery reaches 20% capacity. This is often the case, and the 20-25 minute range is still impressive considering the small size and capacity of the batteries.
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The DJI RC 2 smart controller Fly More Bundle is great value. (Image credit: James Abbott)
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ND filters are essential for mainting correct shutter speeds when capturing video. (Image credit: James Abbott)
As always, there are two controller options: the budget DJI RC-N2, which requires attaching your phone, or you can opt for a smart controller. The DJI RC 2 smart controller features a built-in 5.5-inch FHD display and provides a much more convenient experience if your budget extends a little further. It's well worth it if you can afford it.
DJI Mini 5 Pro: Functionality
Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing with LiDAR
360° ActiveTrack subject tracking
Rotating camera
The Mini 5 Pro is an impressive performer in the sky, whether taking manual control yourself or using one of the automated flight modes and 360° ActiveTrack. Subject tracking is fantastic, and although this isn't a selfie drone like the DJI Neo 2 or HoverAir X1 Pro/ProMax, it still manages to successfully track people and cars, etc. In complex environments, it even manages to dodge trees and branches, which is thanks to its advanced collision avoidance system.
The Omnidirectional Vision Sensing system includes forward-facing LiDAR alongside fisheye lenses on the front and rear for sensing forward, backward, left, right, and upward. The bottom of the drone is fitted with binocular lenses and a 3D infrared sensor, enabling omnidirectional obstacle sensing. It's highly effective, and the LiDAR is designed to improve obstacle sensing and Return to Home in low-light conditions and at night.
The camera is extremely impressive, and although we'll go into more detail in the next section, the camera can rotate up to 225 degrees and it opens up many creative possibilities for capturing video. The camera also rotates 90 degrees, allowing for both landscape and portrait format capture, with the latter being ideal for social media.
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Omnidirectional collision avoidance uses sensors all over the drone. (Image credit: James Abbott)
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The Fly More Bundles include this useful carry bag. (Image credit: James Abbott)
There are automated flight patterns that allow you to capture cinematic video at the touch of a button, and these include MasterShots and Quickshots. There's also Free Panorama, which offers more manual control over how panoramas are captured. The new 2x 48mm equivalent zoom is claimed to be a vast improvement over older digital zooms, and image quality is certainly good when zooming in.
Advanced Return to Home utilizes Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance and LiDAR for a safer and more reliable Return to Home by calculating the most efficient route back to the take-off point. There's even Non-GNSS RTH, where the 5 Pro memorizes the path home when light levels are high enough, so you can get the drone safety home without satellite signals. This wasn't specifically tested, but RTH was always reliable when initiated during flight testing.
With all these features, the Mini 5 Pro takes a little of what the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and DJI Air 3 S have to offer, making it an incredibly advanced sub-250 g model able to take on professional work where a smaller and lighter drone is required.
DJI Mini 5 Pro: Performance
50MP 1-inch sensor
24mm f/1.8 camera
Excellent image quality
A 1-inch sensor in such a small drone is an impressive feat. (Image credit: James Abbott)
The camera offers a 24mm equivalent focal length and has a fixed f/1.8 aperture with focusing from 50cm to infinity. The camera houses a 50MP 1-inch CMOS sensor, and you choose between 12MP and 50MP modes. Shutter speeds available are between 1/8000 and two seconds, while in 12MP mode, you also get two and a half to eight seconds for simulated long exposure.
The image quality produced is excellent when capturing photos and videos, although photos taken in the 50MP mode are on the soft side. You can capture photos in Raw and JPEG when shooting in both 12MP and 50MP modes, although you can achieve better results using Adobe Lightroom's Super Resolution feature to increase the size of Raw files.
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Image quality overall is excellent. (Image credit: James Abbott)
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You can capture photos in Raw and JPEG formats. (Image credit: James Abbott)
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Photos taken in brighter conditions look best. (Image credit: James Abbott)
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The 1-inch sensor is great for photo and video capture. (Image credit: James Abbott)
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12MP photo mode produces sharper images than the 50MP mode. (Image credit: James Abbott)
Video can be captured in Standard (for straight-out-of-camera use), the D-Log M flat color profile for color grading, and HLG for HDR capture with up to 14 stops of dynamic range. This makes it ideal for beginner and professional video capture. And with that fast f/1.8 fixed aperture, ND filters are extremely useful for maintaining a correct shutter speed during video capture.
Video can be captured up to 4K at 120 FPS and 1080p at up to 240 FPS for slow motion capture. 8-bit video is captured in H.264 while 10-bit HLG/D-Log M is captured in H.265 with a maximum bitrate of 130 Mbps. Photos and videos can be saved either on the 42GB of internal storage or on a microSD card inserted into the rear of the drone.
Please note the footage below was shot in 4K, but our video player only plays in HD.
Off-State QuickTransfer allows for remote wake-up via the DJI Fly app within Bluetooth range. The Mini 5 Pro or the controller doesn't need to be switched on, and you can transfer files to your smartphone at up to 100 MB/s via Wi-Fi 6. It's pretty handy if you want to share photos and videos quickly and easily.
DJI Mini 5 Pro: Price
With the ongoing issues with the availability of DJI products in the US, the Mini 5 Pro isn't available in the US, and therefore, no pricing is available. For UK-based drone pilots, several kits are available, with the basic option costing £689. With this kit, you get the DJI RC-N3 controller and a single battery alongside the drone and accessories.
To get the most out of the drone and increase flight times, one of the Fly More Bundles makes sense as they offer three batteries, a battery charging hub and useful ND filters for controlling shutter speeds when capturing video.
The Fly More Bundle, which includes the budget DJI RC-N3 controller, costs £869, while the DJI RC 2 smart controller Fly More Bundle costs just £979. Considering the smart controller kit is only marginally more expensive, this kit represents fantastic value for money.
Should you buy the DJI Mini 5 Pro?
If you're looking for a sub-250g drone and have the budget available, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is worth getting. And as previously mentioned, if you can stretch to the DJI RC 2 Fly More Bundle, you will enjoy fantastic functionality and value for money. The features on offer, including Omnidirectional Vision Sensing, 225-degree camera rotation, 360° ActiveTrack and more, are fantastic.
The 1-inch sensor produces excellent image quality for both photos and videos, although shooting in the high-resolution 50MP mode can produce softer images than 12MP shooting. It's no big deal and you can use Adobe's Super Resolution in Lightroom to increase resolution more effectively if necessary.
If this drone isn't for you
If you'd prefer a larger and more powerful drone with similar features, but two cameras instead of one, look no further than the DJI Air 3S. This drone also has a 1-inch sensor in the main camera and a second telephoto camera with a 70mm equivalent focal length.
The Potensic Atom 2 is an incredibly cost-effective sub-250g drone that is much less expensive than the Mini 5 Pro. Image quality is excellent, and it has all the features most beginners and intermediate pilots will need, but it’s not as feature-heavy as the Mini 5 Pro.
The DJI Mavic 4 Pro is the flagship prosumer model and is the most advanced drone of this type to date. Image quality is exceptional, and the innovative new gimbal design allows for full rotation of the three cameras alongside landscape and portrait format shooting.
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- https://www.space.com/technology/drones/dji-mini-5-pro-drone-review
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- Mon, 19 Jan 2026 17:56:10 +0000Mon, 19 Jan 2026 17:56:10 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Reborn black hole seen erupting across 1 million light-years of space like a cosmic volcano ]]>
- Astronomers have discovered a once-dormant supermassive black hole springing back to life in a very dramatic and spectacular fashion, acting as a "cosmic volcano" blasting out an eruption that stretched out for 1 million light-years. The supermassive black hole in question sits at the heart of the galaxy J1007+3540 and has lain dormant for around 100 million years.
The team of scientists behind these observations used the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) in the Netherlands and India's upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) to create radio images of J1007+3540 and its incumbent supermassive black hole. These images revealed this vast black hole jet is in a tug-of-war for dominance with the gravitational force of the rest of the galaxy.
'It's like watching a cosmic volcano erupt again after ages of calm — except this one is big enough to carve out structures stretching nearly a million light-years across space," team leader Shobha Kumari, of Midnapore City College, India, said in a statement.
Supermassive black holes are found at the hearts of all large galaxies, but they are far from all the same. They range in mass from millions to billions of times that of the sun, some are quiet and peaceful, like Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) at the heart of the Milky Way, and others are actively feeding and violent.
These latter supermassive black holes are surrounded by matter in a flattened swirling cloud called an accretion disk that gradually feeds them. The immense gravity of the black hole at the center of such a disk creates powerful tidal forces in this accretion disk, which generate friction, heating it and causing it to glow brightly.
Not all of the matter in accretion disks is destined to become a black hole snack, however. Intense magnetic fields channel charged particles, or plasma, to the poles of active supermassive black holes from where it is blasted out as jets at speeds approaching that of light. These jets also glow brightly, making these central galactic regions, or Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs), stand out from vast cosmic distances.
Even among these incredible galactic engines, scientists say J1007+3540 stands out. That is because it shows evidence of turning on and off, restarting after vast quiet periods of time, to begin once again erupting with powerful jets.
Supermassive black hole jet structure
The images collected by the researchers show the structure of the jet from this supermassive black hole, consisting of a bright inner jet and a fainter outer "cocoon" of cooler faded plasma. That indicates to the team a history of repeated eruptive episodes, with the outer sleeve of faint plasma representing the fossil remains of prior blasts.
"This dramatic layering of young jets inside older, exhausted lobes is the signature of an episodic AGN – a galaxy whose central engine keeps turning on and off over cosmic timescales," Kumari said.
This jet debris seems to have been squashed and distorted by its surroundings due to the fact that J1007+3540 sits within a massive galaxy cluster filled with extremely hot gas. The result is an external pressure far greater than is typically experienced by galaxies of this type, known as radio galaxies due to their brightness in the radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
"J1007+3540 is one of the clearest and most spectacular examples of episodic AGN with jet-cluster interaction, where the surrounding hot gas bends, compresses, and distorts the jets," team member Sabyasachi Pal, also of Midnapore City College, said in the statement.
The LOFAR image of J1007+3540 annotated with labels indicating its structure (Image credit: LOFAR/Pan-STARRS/S. Kumari et al)
The image of J1007+3540 from LOFAR shows a significantly compressed and distorted lobe to the north of the structure, which represents plasma being shunted sideways by the gas the jet is trying to force its way through. The uGMRT image reveals that the compressed region consists of older particles that have lost much of their energy. That is another clear sign of the influence the cluster is having on this jet.
Further evidence of the way the harsh environment of J1007+3540 is sculpting these jets comes from a long, faint tail stretching out to the southwest of the structure. This tail consists of plasma that has been dragged through the cluster, creating a wispy trail that is millions of years old.
This galaxy and its supermassive black hole are a demonstration of just how AGNs can turn on and off and how the jets they blast out can change over the course of millions of years. Additionally, J1007+3540 is a lesson for astronomers regarding the influence galactic clusters can have on jet structures.
This could ultimately provide scientists with a clearer picture of how galaxies grow and evolve.
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- https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/reborn-black-hole-seen-erupting-across-1-million-light-years-of-space-like-a-cosmic-volcano
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- HkobRTqZf4yYQ265chxoFk
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- Mon, 19 Jan 2026 17:00:00 +0000Fri, 16 Jan 2026 22:10:49 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ China previews how powerful its new Xuntian space telescope will be ahead of 2027 launch (video) ]]>
- China is getting close to launching a large space telescope to orbit along with its Tiangong space station, and scientists have just completed a full observation simulation in preparation.
The bus-sized Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) — also known as Xuntian, or "surveying the heavens" — is being readied for a launch as soon as early 2027. It features a 6.6-foot-wide (2 meters) primary mirror, slightly smaller than that of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Xuntian will, however, be a much more capable sky survey instrument, according to Chinese space officials. It carries a 2.5-billion-pixel camera and boasts a field of view around 300 times larger than the venerable Hubble, surveying the sky from near-ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths and delivering high spatial resolution imagery.
As preparations for launch enter the final stages, a collaborative Chinese research team built an end-to-end simulation suite to provide mock observations for both the telescope's optical and other observation systems to replicate expected instrumental and observational conditions and evaluate the telescope's overall performance. The results were published in the journal Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics in early January.
The Chinese Space Station Telescope is expected to make major contributions to a range of fields, including cosmology, the study of galaxies, the evolution of the Milky Way and stars and planets. It could also provide insights into dark matter and dark energy, according to the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), which led the mock observation study.
After launch on a Long March 5B rocket, Xuntian will fly independently in low Earth orbit, but it will co-orbit with the Tiangong space station. As shown in a video published by China Central Television (CCTV), the spacecraft will be able to dock with Tiangong. Astronauts will then be able to conduct extravehicular activities, or spacewalks, to maintain, repair or even upgrade the observatory, as NASA astronauts did with Hubble five times between 1993 and 2009.
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- https://www.space.com/astronomy/china-previews-how-powerful-its-new-xuntian-space-telescope-will-be-ahead-of-2027-launch-video
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- Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000Fri, 16 Jan 2026 21:08:01 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ Northern lights may be visible in 24 states Jan. 19 as a massive CME slams into Earth ]]>
- Editor's note: Wow, the anticipated geomagnetic storm didn't disappoint last night, with northern lights reported far beyond their usual polar limits. You can see some of the best scenes from that show in our aurora photo roundup. While geomagnetic activity is expected to ease, conditions remain unsettled, and there's still a chance the northern lights could make another appearance tonight, Jan. 20, though likely less intense.
A colossal coronal mass ejection (CME) has struck Earth, triggering severe (G4) geomagnetic storm conditions that could push the northern lights much farther south than usual tonight (Jan. 19–20). The impact, confirmed by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, is already stirring Earth's magnetic field — setting the stage for a potentially spectacular aurora display across the northern U.S. and possibly beyond.
NOAA confirmed that G4 (severe) geomagnetic storm levels were first reached at 2:38 p.m. EST (1938 GMT) on Jan. 19 following the shock arrival. The storm is ongoing, and NOAA says CMEpassage is expected to continue through the evening, with G4 conditions still possible. That means tonight's aurora prospects are even more promising — if skies are clear and the magnetic field orientation remains favorable.
The CME was launched during a powerful X-class solar flare on Jan. 18 and raced toward Earth at speeds of 620–870 miles per second (1,000–1,400 km/s). Aurora chasers, get those camera batteries charged and your alerts switched on — tonight could be quite the night.
Where can I see the northern lights tonight?
Aurora view line map for tonight courtesy of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. (Image credit: Inset map: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, graphic created in Canva Pro)
States that could see auroras tonight
Based on the latest NOAA aurora forecast map, the following 24 U.S. states appear fully or partially above the aurora view line:
Alaska
Washington
Oregon
Idaho
Montana
North Dakota
Minnesota
South Dakota
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Michigan
New York
Vermont
Maine
New Hampshire
Massachusetts
Nebraska
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Missouri
Colorado
But remember, auroras can be very fickle. The list is based on current forecast data at the time of publication, but if conditions strengthen, northern lights could reach much farther south than expected. Equally, if conditions don't align, we could end up twiddling our thumbs, with no auroras at all.
The CME was released on Jan. 18 and is currently on its way toward Earth. (Image credit: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
Whether tonight's CME delivers a dazzling aurora show or ends in disappointment depends largely on its magnetic orientation when it hits Earth.
If the CME's magnetic field is aligned southward — a component known as Bz — it can link up with Earth's magnetic field, allowing solar energy to stream into our atmosphere and fuel geomagnetic storms. But if it's oriented northward, Earth's magnetic field deflects much of that energy, and the show may never materialize.
Some CMEs contain both north- and south-facing fields, which can lead to patchy or fluctuating activity — keeping forecasters and aurora chasers on their toes. We won't know the CME’s true magnetic orientation until it's sampled directly by solar wind satellites like DSCOVR and ACE, positioned about a million miles from Earth.
Northern Hemisphere aurora forecast courtesy of the U.K. Met Office
When is the best time to look for the northern lights tonight?
If 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 today's CME. While the official forecast still shows the strongest (G4) storming between 1 and 4 a.m. EST (0600–0900 GMT) on Jan. 20, severe conditions have already been observed much earlier than anticipated.
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:
EST
GMT
Activity
7 p.m. - 10 p.m. (Jan. 19)
0000-0300 (Jan. 20)
Minor (G1) geomagnetic storming possible)
10 p.m. - 1 a.m. (Jan. 20)
0300-0600 (Jan. 20)
Moderate (G2) geomagnetic storming possible
1 a.m. - 4 a.m. (Jan. 20)
0600-0900 (Jan. 20)
Severe (G4) geomagnetic storming possible
4 a.m. - 7 a.m. (Jan. 20)
0900-1200 (Jan. 20)
Moderate (G2) geomagnetic storming possible
7 a.m. - 10 a.m. (Jan. 20)
1200-1500 (Jan. 20)
Strong (G3) geomagnetic storming possible
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Jan. 20)
1500-1800 (Jan. 20)
Moderate (G2) geomagnetic storming possible
1 p.m. - 1 a.m. (Jan 21)
1800-0600 (Jan. 21)
Minor (G1) geomagnetic storming possible
How can I see the northern lights from where I live?
If you're in one of the 24 U.S. states where auroras might make an appearance tonight, a little preparation can go a long way toward improving your odds of seeing them.
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.
Start scanning the sky with your phone's camera as they 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
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. Want to capture the perfect northern lights photo? Our how to photograph auroras guide can help.
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.
This article was updated at 4:14 p.m. EST (2115 GMT) on Jan. 19 to reflect the confirmed arrival of the CME and the onset of G4 geomagnetic storm conditions, as reported by NOAA.
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- https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/northern-lights-may-be-visible-in-24-states-tonight-as-massive-cme-races-toward-earth
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- Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:06:11 +0000Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:05:39 +0000
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- <![CDATA[ NASA rolls Artemis 2 moon rocket to launch pad | Space photo of the day for Jan. 19, 2025 ]]>
- Since the end of the Apollo program in 1972, NASA has been looking for ways to return back to the moon. In 2022, the space agency launched the Artemis 1 moon mission, an uncrewed spacecraft that laid the foundations for the missions coming after it.
Now, three years later, Artemis 2 is slated for launch as the first crewed mission to return to our moon. But to get there, the rocket has to be moved from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to its designated launch pad.
What is it?
The four-person Artemis 2 crew will fly on the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. Instead of landing, the team will head on a roughly 10-day trip that loops around the moon and returns to Earth, an intentionally conservative "test flight" designed to validate that Orion and its support systems can keep the astronauts safe and productive in deep space.
The Artemis 2 team iincludes NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen, all of whom will help the mission act as a proving ground for the human factors that can't be fully simulated on Earth, from life support performance to emergency procedures.
According to NASA, the launch of Artemis 2 could be as early as sometime in February, if all goes according to plan.
Where is it?
The VAB is located at Kennedy Space Center, with the launchpad located at Cape, Canaveral.
The stacked Artemis 2 vehicle includes the Orion spacecraft and SLS. (Image credit: Josh Dinner/Space.com)
Why is it amazing?
Rollout is a key inflection point where the momentum shifts from "assembly" to "launch campaign." Once at the pad, the teams begin connecting Orion and SLS to pad infrastructure, from electrical to propellant systems, and then power up and check that the fully integrated vehicle is ready. It's the first time the whole system is exercised end-to-end in the environment and configuration it must survive in on launch day.
A mission's rollout also sets up the wet dress rehearsal, where the teams will load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants, run through countdown operations and practice draining the vehicle, without the astronauts onboard. Wet dress rehearsals are designed to uncover the real-world fueling and timing issues that only show up when you chill miles of plumbing down to super-cold temperatures and try to operate like it's launch day. NASA plans to hold their wet dress rehearsal on February 2nd, if nothing goes awry.
If Artemis 2 performs as intended, it will mark humanity's first crewed voyage into the moon's neighborhood since Apollo, and just as crucially, it will turn Artemis from a successful uncrewed demonstration into a validated system for carrying people back toward lunar exploration.
