The JWST has shown us some strange things about supermassive black holes (SMBH) in the early Universe. Many of them are far more massive than we think they should be. Now astronomers working with the JWST have found one that seems to have formed before its galaxy did.
Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev worked to install and retrieve science experiments while on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. Continue ReadingRussian cosmonauts install sun-watching telescope on ISS during 6-hour spacewalk
SpaceX has won a lucrative contract to provide the US military with a means of distributing space-based sensing and targeting data, forming the “backbone” of a rearchitected network after separate Pentagon initiatives stalled, officials announced Tuesday. Space Systems Command, the Space Force’s primary procurement and acquisition center, announced the $2.29 billion firm-fixed-price agreement, confirming long-simmering reports that the Pentagon was likely to tap SpaceX for a new communications network in low-Earth orbit. SpaceX’s selection for the Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone contract “accelerates the delivery of a resilient, high-speed communications network in space,” Space Systems Command said in a statement. Continue ReadingUS Space Force confirms SpaceX will build sensor-to-shooter targeting network
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was designed to give us the ability to look at one of the earliest periods in the evolution of the Universe, a time when some of the earliest stars were putting out enough light to ionize the hydrogen that accounted for almost all of the normal matter present at the time. There were lots of ideas about what we might see, but the Universe is full of surprises. One of the first surprises was the existence of what picked up the moniker “little red dots,” which are exactly what their name suggests. After some Continue Reading“Little red dot” in early Universe is a naked supermassive black hole
A closeup shot of SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster, tail number Booster 19, during the initial moments of ascent on the Starship Flight 12 mission on May 22, 2026. Image: SpaceX FAA requires SpaceX-led mishap investigation before resumption of Starship launches The Federal Aviation Administration made the determination after analyzing the results of Starship Flight 12, which took place on Friday, May 22. The Federal Aviation Administration said that SpaceX needs to complete a mishap investigation Continue ReadingFAA requires SpaceX-led mishap investigation before resumption of Starship launches
A study covering 76 countries has found that people who are more trusting, patient, altruistic and cooperative tend to report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction, suggesting that well-being depends on more than material prosperity alone. The work was published in the International Journal of Happiness and Development.
Complex organic molecules (COMS) are at the heart of life. They’re created where jets from protostars slam into the interstellar medium, environments that scientists call natural laboratories. In these intense environments, important carbon-bearing molecules are created. Recent research took a close look at one of these jets and found some COMS in them for the first time.
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features the dwarf irregular galaxy ESO 490-017, roughly 12,000 light-years in diameter and some 23 million light-years away in the constellation Canis Major. The galaxy’s low surface brightness makes it appear as a faint, starry swarm behind brighter foreground stars that are easily recognized by their diffraction spikes. Numerous red, orange, and beige dots are distant galaxies peppering the black background, many exhibiting distinct spiral structure.
Researchers have developed a novel virtual model for simulating how astronauts in future moon base operations might interact with each other and with their environment, with preliminary simulations revealing potential opportunities to boost the chances of a successful mission. Raymond Vera and colleagues at George Mason University in Virginia, U.S., present these findings in PLOS One.
China is melding its robotic Chang’e lunar probe activities with the country’s human spaceflight program in an effort to land astronauts on the moon by 2030. Continue ReadingChina shakes up its space programs to land astronauts on the moon by 2030: ‘We will spare no effort’
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has declared the debut flight of SpaceX’s Starship V3 vehicle a mishap and is requiring an investigation before the megarocket can fly again. Continue ReadingFAA grounds SpaceX’s Starship V3 megarocket after Flight 12 ‘mishap’
There’s nothing like a random celestial coincidence, turned good internet meme. In this case, the chance event is this weekend’s Full Moon, which also happens to be the second Full Moon of May, and is also the most distant and visually smallest Full Moon of the year.
A new statistical model reveals more details about the ringdown period of merging black holes.
Here’s everything you need to know about the forbidden city. Continue ReadingWhat is Star City, the secret Cold War cosmonaut training town in Apple TV’s new ‘For All Mankind’ spinoff?
A University of Texas at Austin-led team has reconstructed the most detailed map to date of the molecular machines that carried out the functions of life in an ancient ancestor that gave rise to all complex life on Earth, including us, shedding new light on genetic causes of human diseases.
Lego is going all out with Star Wars this year, from awesome mid-sided AT-AT through to a whole range of super-interactive Smart Brick-enabled models. Here are the sets I absolutely have to add to my Lego Star Wars collection. Continue ReadingEvery Lego Star Wars set released in 2026 that I wish I had
Don’t miss Jupiter, Venus and Mercury create a dazzling line in the western sky at sunset tonight. Continue Reading3 planets will line up in the night sky tonight: Here’s where to look for the mini planetary parade
On May 22, 2026, the Pentagon released a second batch of previously classified photos and videos showing what appear to be unexplained flying objects. These file dumps were the culmination of a process that was set in motion back in July 2023, when a group of government whistleblowers testified before Congress that the U.S. government was secretly in possession of extraterrestrial spacecraft and suspected alien body parts.
Fear not, these lasers are just doing science. Continue ReadingLaser beams blast through the cosmos | Space photo of the day for May 27, 2026
On June 9, NASA will reveal the astronauts who will fly on the Artemis 3 docking mission in Earth orbit next year. Continue ReadingNASA will reveal the Artemis 3 astronauts on June 9
