Reading the Galaxy’s Past

Every galaxy you’ve ever seen in a photograph is hiding something. Beyond the glowing disc of stars and gas that the camera captures lies a vast, ghostly outer region called a halo, too faint to see easily but packed with clues about how that galaxy came to be. ESA has just formally committed to a mission designed to reveal those hidden haloes in unprecedented detail, and in doing so, finally answer one of the most fundamental questions in astronomy: how did galaxies like our own Milky Way form?

‘As terrible and harrowing as things were, people just had to get on with it’: ‘Star City’s’ Ruby Ashbourne Serkis and Adam Nagaitis on learning to love the Motherland in Apple TV’s soviet space race spin-off (interview)

‘I think it’s a really interesting environment to delve into. Ultimately, it’s a culture of survival.’ Continue Reading‘As terrible and harrowing as things were, people just had to get on with it’: ‘Star City’s’ Ruby Ashbourne Serkis and Adam Nagaitis on learning to love the Motherland in Apple TV’s soviet space race spin-off (interview)

SpaceX launches Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral as stock trades on the Nasdaq for first time

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 12, 2026, on the Starlink 10-54 mission. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now Update June 12, 9:53 a.m. EDT (1353 UTC): SpaceX confirmed satellite deployment. SpaceX marked its historic launch on the stock market Friday morning with a Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This was the 650th flight of SpaceX’s Continue ReadingSpaceX launches Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral as stock trades on the Nasdaq for first time

Hubble captures galaxy swarm with lensed arcs from early universe

Looking somewhat like a swarm of bees returning to their hive, this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features the galaxy cluster MACS0329-0211. Galaxy clusters like MACS0329-0211 are important signposts in the story of how the structure of the universe evolved, and are the ultimate telescopic lenses, placing gravitationally lensed galaxies from the earliest stages of the universe into our view.

Verizon sent man a refurbished phone with MDM, then deleted his data remotely

Verizon sent one of its customers a “refurbished” phone equipped with a Mobile Device Management (MDM) profile that gave the company remote control over the device. The serious mistake raises questions about Verizon’s process for preparing refurbished phones to be sent to customers. Tom Collery, the unlucky Verizon customer, called Verizon in February after having network problems, including dropped calls. Verizon responded by sending him a replacement for his phone, a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7. But instead of a brand-new device or a properly functioning refurbished one, Verizon sent Collery a device managed with the same kind of software used Continue ReadingVerizon sent man a refurbished phone with MDM, then deleted his data remotely

The Sky Today on Friday, June 12: The Moon meets Mars

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  June 11: Point to the Polarissima Cluster We’re interested in the early-morning sky today as the waning crescent Moon joins up with Mars in Aries. Now just 11% lit, the Moon sits almost directly above the Red Planet as they rise. AboveContinue reading “The Sky Today on Friday, June 12: The Moon meets Mars” The post The Sky Today on Friday, June Continue ReadingThe Sky Today on Friday, June 12: The Moon meets Mars

The Sky This Week from June 12 to 19: A daytime occultation of Venus

Friday, June 12The Moon passes 6° north of Mars at 5 P.M. EDT. You can catch the pair in the early-morning sky today (see The Sky Today on Friday, June 12) or tomorrow (June 13) before dawn, when they will stand about 8° above the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise, with the Moon toContinue reading “The Sky This Week from June 12 to 19: A daytime occultation of Venus” The post The Sky This Continue ReadingThe Sky This Week from June 12 to 19: A daytime occultation of Venus