Io is a world of extremes. It is by far the most volcanically active world in our solar system. Being continually squeezed in the never-ending tug-of-war between Jupiter and its larger satellites will do that to a moon. As a result, Io has over 400 “paterae” - volcanic depressions that spew lava up onto its surface. And, according to a new paper available in pre-print on arXiv and utilizing data from Juno’s Jupiter InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) tool, we have been massively underestimating the power output of those paterae for decades.
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Will the moon ruin the Eta Aquarid meteor shower this week? Here's what to know
A bright waning gibbous moon may wash out this week's Eta Aquarid meteor shower peak — but early risers could still catch a few shooting stars.
The Nature of the Manifold
The concept of a spacetime manifold serves as the foundational geometric model for the universe in modern physics. It is a four-dimensional coordinate system that intrinsically links the three dimensions of space with the single dimension of time. This union allows for a comprehensive description of all events and physical phenomena.
Astronomers Find Atmosphere Around a Pluto-like World
Observations — including from an amateur astronomer — show that the Plutino 2002 XV93 has a thin wisp of air around it.
Our Milky Way's 'Zone of Avoidance' holds a galaxy supercluster with 30,000 trillion times the sun's mass
The Vela Supercluster, in our Milky Way's Zone of Avoidance, is competing gravitationally with other superclusters for the attention of local galaxies.
Lasers take aim at a galaxy far, far away | Space photo of the day for May 4, 2026
Looking like a scene out of "Star Wars," this image shows the ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) beaming four separate lasers into the sky towards the Tarantula Nebula.
What's the best time to see Eta Aquarid meteors in 2026?
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks this week, but will you be able to see it?
A YouTuber just recreated the original Star Wars with cardboard, and it's awesome (video)
Star Wars superfan and YouTube sensation Zach King recreates the seminal 1977 sci-fi film using cardboard.
13 International 'Star Wars' Posters You've Likely Never Seen
From Japan to Turkey, celebrate Star Wars Day with this global collection of original trilogy posters.
Why were galaxies so active in the early universe? We may be getting close to the answer
Early galaxies were star-forming machines, gobbling up gas and spitting out stars with a furious intensity. A new model helps explain why things were so different back then.
Launch boosts European Earth monitoring and connectivity
Thirteen European satellites on the same rideshare launcher have successfully reached orbit, bringing capabilities to Italian and Greek monitoring programmes as well as CubeSats that will test satellite connectivity.
The Paranal solar ESPRESSO Telescope, a New Tool for Finding Exoplanets
The exoplanet census continues to grow at a prodigious rate, with 6,273 confirmed planets to date and close to 20,000 candidates awaiting confirmation. What's more, the rate of discovery is accelerating, having passed 5,000 in early 2023 and 6,000 in September 2025. With such a large exoplanet census, along with improvements in instrumentation and data analysis, scientists are now focused on "exoplanet characterization" in addition to discovery. As always, the goal is to find planets that could be habitable for life as we know it (or "Earth-like").
'It was quite a light show!' NASA astronaut spies dramatic fireball from the International Space Station (photos)
NASA astronaut Chris Williams photographed a fireball from above recently, capturing the stunning site from aboard the International Space Station.
Spaceflight is hard on the heart, yet artificial ones grow better in space than on Earth
The human heart shrivels away in space, but researchers have found that mini-hearts grown from human stem cells sprout in space significantly faster than in labs on Earth.
New this month, this Lego Star Wars Yoda bust would terrify Darth Vader and I have to have it
Lego's larger Yoda models do not have a great track record, but this Lego Star Wars Yoda bust is such astonishing spectacle I have to own it. Or several.
7 things nobody tells you about stargazing (that make a huge difference)
From chasing the Milky Way to using your eyes as nature intended, here are some often-overlooked truths that make all the difference under the night sky.
Why do some stars become 'supernova impostors'? Astronomers still don't quite know
Astronomers call this "eruptive mass loss," and it's a stellar drama we're still trying to fully grasp.
SpaceX launches South Korean Earth observation satellite, plus 44 more payloads on midnight Falcon 9 rideshare mission
A streak shot of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during the CAS500-2 mission, which launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on May 3, 2026. Image: SpaceX
Update May 3, 6:17 a.m. EDT (1017 UTC): SpaceX confirmed deployment of all payloads.
SpaceX sends 45 satellites to orbit in nighttime launch from California (video)
SpaceX launched 45 satellites to orbit from California early Sunday morning (May 3), including a South Korean spacecraft that was originally supposed to fly in 2022.
New for Star Wars Day, grab this Lego Star Wars model of The Mandalorian's coolest ship and get the Darksaber for free
Finally, Mando's sleek N-1 starfighter gets the Lego Star Wars UCS set it deserves and, if you're fast, you can claim a free Lego model of the fabled Darksaber.
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 208 — Lander, Lander, Who's Got a Lander
On Episode 208 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Space.com's Mike Wall about the risks and realities of the new space race to the moon.
