Sky & Telescope

February Podcast: Winter’s Milky Way

J. Kelly Beatty — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 06:01:00 +0000

In this month’s episode, go on a tour of the stars and planets that you’ll see overhead during February. First we’ll keep tabs on the Moon; say good-bye to Saturn; trace out the Winter Milky Way; and explore some lesser-known constellations near Orion.

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This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 30 – February 8

Alan MacRobert — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:31:00 +0000

The dazzling Moon occults Regulus Monday night while Regulus is busy announcing February. Betelgeuse turns the Winter Hexagon into the Heavenly G.

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The Ring Nebula Has an “Iron Bar”

Jan Hattenbach — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:27:13 +0000

New observations reveal a strange structure in the iconic nebula that has evaded astronomers for centuries.

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The Dark Energy Survey Weighs in on Cosmic Tensions

Colin Stuart — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 20:51:15 +0000

The final release of data from the Dark Energy Survey widens tensions in our understanding of the cosmic evolution.

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What the Helix Nebula Has in Common with a Supernova Remnant

Monica Young — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Sculpted gases in the Helix Nebula, revealed in a new Webb image, look like the firework-like tendrils in a distant amateur-discovered supernova remnant — here's why.

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Scientists Measure Mars's Effect on Earth's Climate

Javier Barbuzano — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:36:00 +0000

Tiny Mars might have an outsize effect on Earth's climate over hundreds of thousands of years.

The post Scientists Measure Mars's Effect on Earth's Climate appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Martian Moon Deimos Might Have Reshaped Itself and Its Orbit

Abha Jain — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

A new study suggests that an early version of Mars’s smaller moon Deimos was pulverized by its own debris, explaining the moon's oddities.

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This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 23 - February 1

Alan MacRobert — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 09:57:00 +0000

The waxing Moon marches east across the evening sky. It says hello to binary Gamma Arietis on Saturday, then occults some of the Pleiades for Europe on Tuesday. But it's past them by nightfall in North America.

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Watch Stellar Explosions Near and Far (Videos)

Monica Young — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000

New videos from the Solar Orbiter and the Chandra X-ray Observatory capture magnetic avalanches on the Sun and the exploding remnants of a star 17,000 light-years away.

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Nights with Mira, a Most Wonderful Star

Bob King — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 21:10:27 +0000

Mira the Wonderful is back! Of course, it's always been there, but now it's near maximum brightness and easily visible with the unaided eye.

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