DART visited the asteroid system Didymos and attempted to alter the orbit of its moonlet, Dimorphos, by directly impacting the moonlet. Continue ReadingDART: The Day Humanity Moved an Asteroid
They are always overhead, and they are part of your everyday life in more ways than one! Continue ReadingSpace Satellites Infographic
Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. May 9: Look the croc in the eye Although still best for experienced observers with larger scopes, Comet 10P/Tempel (also called Tempel 2) is quickly brightening. Glowing at roughly magnitude 15, Tempel 2 is currently in Aquila the Eagle, rising late inContinue reading “The Sky Today on Sunday, May 10: Can you catch Comet Tempel 2?” The post The Sky Today on Continue ReadingThe Sky Today on Sunday, May 10: Can you catch Comet Tempel 2?
On May 9, 2003, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched Hayabusa, its mission to asteroid 25143 Itokawa. The journey was a demonstration of new technology engineered for returning samples from asteroids: ion engines, autonomous navigation, an asteroid sampler, and a reentry capsule. After a gravity assist from Earth, Hayabusa arrived at Itokawa in SeptemberContinue reading “May 9, 2003: Hayabusa launches” The post May 9, 2003: Hayabusa launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine. Continue ReadingMay 9, 2003: Hayabusa launches
On Dr. Jane Goodall’s birthday, April 3, the STARMUS Festival proudly unveiled the design of the Jane Goodall Earth Medal, a new international award dedicated to recognizing individuals whose work helps protect life on Earth and inspire global responsibility for our planet’s future. The medal will be presented during STARMUS VIII — The Search forContinue reading “Starmus unveils the design of the Jane Goodall Earth Medal” The post Starmus unveils the design of the Jane Continue ReadingStarmus unveils the design of the Jane Goodall Earth Medal
Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. May 8: Face-on spiral face-off Last Quarter Moon occurs at 5:10 P.M. EDT. With no Moon in the evening sky, deep-sky treasures are well within reach. High in the east by 10 P.M. local daylight time is the two-star constellation Canes VenaticiContinue reading “The Sky Today on Saturday, May 9: Look the croc in the eye” The post The Sky Today on Continue ReadingThe Sky Today on Saturday, May 9: Look the croc in the eye
We already knew interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS came from somewhere far beyond our solar system. Now scientists have more information on how alien that somewhere really is — a corner of the universe colder than, less irradiated than, and chemically distinct from the conditions that shaped our home. A study published April 23 in Nature AstronomyContinue reading “3I/ATLAS came from a strange, cold world” The post 3I/ATLAS came from a strange, cold world appeared first on Continue Reading3I/ATLAS came from a strange, cold world
We must fight the Lylat Wars… again. Continue Reading‘Star Fox’ is returning this summer with a shiny ‘Star Fox 64’ remake for Nintendo Switch 2 full of unique features
NASA’s Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft rests after its flight around the moon, charred from the return to Earth. Continue ReadingThe charred hull of Artemis 2’s Orion | Space photo of the day for May 8, 2026
When an asteroid as big as Mount Everest struck Earth 66 million years ago, it wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs and roughly a third of life on the planet. But many plants survived the devastation. In a new study published in Cell, researchers reveal that the accidental duplications of genomes—a natural phenomenon—might have helped many flowering plants survive some of the most extreme environmental upheavals in Earth’s history.
Forget apps — May’s bright stars and classic spring constellations make this the perfect time to learn the sky the old-fashioned way, one star-hop at a time. Continue ReadingLearn the night sky without an app: May’s easiest star-hops for beginners
NASA’s Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft rests after its flight around the moon, charred from the return to Earth. Continue ReadingThe charred hull of Artemis 2’s Orion | Space photo of the day for May 8, 2026
Aerospace engineers have to consider numerous factors when designing a spacecraft, but one that comes up more and more often is the need to design against Micro-Meteoroids and Orbital Debris (MMOD). While most designers understand the threat, designing structural solutions capable of withstanding the hypervelocity impacts these undercontrolled pieces of material can cause can take a significant bite out of a mission’s mass budget. A new paper from Binkal Kumar Sharma of the University of Bremen and Harshitha Baskar, an independent researcher, provides a detailed review of cutting-edge options for defending against those deadly particles.
The phenomenon of a Full Moon arises when our planet, Earth, is precisely sandwiched between the Sun and the Moon. This alignment ensures the entire side of the Moon that faces us gleams under sunlight. Thanks to the Moon’s orbit around Earth, the angle of sunlight hitting the lunar surface and being reflected back toContinue reading “2026 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases” The post 2026 Full Moon calendar: When Continue Reading2026 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases
In September 2012, Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok discovered Comet C/2012 S1; as they were using a telescope from the International Scientific Optical Network, the comet was named ISON. Comet ISON was a new visitor from the Oort Cloud, making its first trip to the inner solar system. With the typical build ofContinue reading “May 8, 2013: The promise of Comet ISON” The post May 8, 2013: The promise of Comet ISON appeared Continue ReadingMay 8, 2013: The promise of Comet ISON
It would appear we now have 10,091 candidate exoplanets to go through and confirm. Continue ReadingScientists found 10,000 possible exoplanets hiding in NASA data
Forget apps — May’s bright stars and classic spring constellations make this the perfect time to learn the sky the old-fashioned way, one star-hop at a time. Continue ReadingLearn the night sky without an app: May’s easiest star-hops for beginners
SpaceX just took a big step toward its next Starship test flight, firing up all 33 engines of the vehicle’s Super Heavy on the pad in Texas. Continue ReadingSpaceX just fired up its 33-engine Starship ‘V3’ Super Heavy rocket booster. When could it fly? (video)
It would appear we now have 10,091 candidate exoplanets to go through and confirm. Continue ReadingScientists found 10,000 possible exoplanets hiding in NASA data
In September 2012, Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok discovered Comet C/2012 S1; as they were using a telescope from the International Scientific Optical Network, the comet was named ISON. Comet ISON was a new visitor from the Oort Cloud, making its first trip to the inner solar system. With the typical build ofContinue reading “May 8, 2013: The promise of Comet ISON” The post May 8, 2013: The promise of Comet ISON appeared Continue ReadingMay 8, 2013: The promise of Comet ISON
NASA’s home for experimental flight is welcoming more flyers to its already high-performing fleet as it continues to support science and aeronautics test missions—continuing the legacy of pioneers like Neil Armstrong.
New research reveals that Dante Alighieri’s Inferno wasn’t just a masterpiece of literature: it was a gedankenexperiment in impact physics. From multi-ring craters to shockwaves that reshaped the globe, discover how a 14th-century poet modeled a planetary impact 500 years before the birth of modern meteoritics.
