Noticeable change on Mars often takes millions of years—but the European Space Agency’s Mars Express has captured a blanket of dark ash creeping across the planet in just decades.
The head of the U.S. Space Force said the United States’ ongoing war in Iran shows the service has become a fully “combat credible” force. Continue ReadingSpace combat was ‘critical to mission success’ in US war in Iran, Space Force chief says
For the last five years, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has been systematically scanning the night sky. Today marks the completion of its first map, which is the largest high-resolution 3D map of the universe ever made.
From “The Matrix” to “Tron: Legacy,” these sweet sci-fi soundtracks are perfect for serious audio aficionados. Continue ReadingThe 7 best sci-fi movie soundtracks of all time
Astronomers at The University of New Mexico have published new research confirming three bodies orbiting the dynamic exoplanet system TOI-201. They include a super-Earth (TOI-201 d), a warm Jupiter (TOI-201 b), and a brown dwarf (TOI-201 c).
SN 2025mkn is a Type II supernova and it wasn’t supposed to be visible at all. The violent death of a massive star that had exhausted its nuclear fuel and collapsed under its own gravity sits at a redshift of 1.371. That places it roughly 9 billion light years away. At that distance, an ordinary stellar explosion simply doesn’t produce enough light to study in any useful detail. Yet astronomers can see this one with extraordinary clarity and we have gravity to thank.
European researchers tested four-legged semi-autonomous rovers that carry only two instruments. These capable and agile robots could be part of the future exploration of Mars and the Moon. Their autonomy means they can do more with fewer instructions.
The lunar south pole looks chaotic from orbit. Craters heaped upon craters, ancient basins, scarps and slopes tumbling in every direction, it is without doubt, one of the most geologically complicated terrains in the inner solar system. That aside, it’s exactly where we intend to send people, since understanding what lies beneath that battered surface isn’t just scientific curiosity. It’s the essential groundwork for everything that follows.
Two NASA astronauts had some fun during the ISS’ capture of a robotic cargo spacecraft on April 13, pretending to hold onto it from into the station. Continue ReadingNASA astronauts joke around with an optical illusion on the ISS | Space photo of the day for April 15, 2026
Want to make the most of the long spring and summer days? Take to the air with 25% off this Potensic Atom 2 drone, complete with three batteries for an hour-and-a-half of flight time. Continue ReadingFly higher and longer for less with $120 off this sub-9-ounce Potensic Atom 2 drone
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument has completed its five-year mission to build the most comprehensive 3D map of the universe to date — but its exploration of the universe continues. Continue ReadingA dark energy tool just created the most comprehensive 3D map of our universe ever: ‘This is a major paradigm shift’
The Jupiter-bound spacecraft JUICE spotted the interstellar invader comet 3I/ATLAS spraying enough water into space to fill 70 swimming pools a day. Continue ReadingInterstellar invader 3I/ATLAS is spraying tons of water into space every second. Jupiter-bound spacecraft JUICE discovers
Visualization shows how DESI built its 3D map of the Universe. Earth is at the center of the wedges, and every point is a galaxy. Credit: DESI/KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. Proctor In a significant milestone, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has completed its 3D map of the Universe—the highest resolution of any such map yet achieved—on schedule and with more data than expected, the collaboration announced today. Analyses of DESI data from earlier runs Continue ReadingDESI completes its 3D map of Universe right on schedule
The new Artemis 2 NOVA documentary “Return to the Moon” will air on PBS Wednesday (April 15) to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the moon mission. Continue ReadingGo behind the scenes of NASA’s Artemis 2 moon mission with NOVA’s ‘Return to the Moon’ documentary tonight (interview)
April flowers mean one thing to springtime sky-watchers: it’s time for the Lyrid meteor shower. The Lyrids are always a good bet, and always make the top ten list for annual meteor showers. And to top it off, 2026 is a favorable year for the Lyrids, with the waxing crescent Moon mostly out of the way.
Using observations gathered by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of astronomers have revealed that one supermassive black hole in the early universe must have formed before a galaxy developed around it. Publishing their results in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, a team led by Roberto Maiolino at the University of Cambridge hope their results could lead to a better understanding of the origins of these immense objects.
“In the inner corona, a region very difficult to observe, we saw slow solar wind gusts moving three to four times faster than expected.” Continue ReadingSolar wind travels up to 4 times faster than expected, eclipse spacecraft reveals
A special class of sensors leverages quantum properties to measure tiny signals at levels that would be impossible using classical sensors alone. Such quantum sensors are currently being used to study the inner workings of cells and the outer depths of our universe.
The comet is already visible to the naked eye ahead of its perihelion passage on April 19. Continue ReadingSee Comet PanSTARRS glow above a false dawn in stunning new photo
Venus has been hiding a secret for fifty years. Just below its main cloud deck sits a mysterious layer of haze that spacecraft first detected in the 1970s and nobody could explain where it came from. Now a research team in Japan has finally cracked it, and the answer comes from the last place most people would think to look!
