Pocket-sized, affordable and now available with large objective lenses, the best monoculars have increasing astro value.
Space News & Blog Articles
Chinese astronauts celebrate lunar new year on Tiangong space station, a first
The Shenzhou 13 astronauts are the first to celebrate the holiday in orbit on the Tiangong space station.
Albert Einstein: His life, theories and impact on science
Albert Einstein profoundly changed physics and ideas about space and time. Learn his theories, find facts and quotes from the man with an IQ of 160.
Hubble Space Telescope spots an 'oddball' starburst
The Hubble Space Telescope snapped a stellar look at a strange cosmic starburst.
The first life on Earth depended on a deadly poisonous gas, study suggests
Toxic hydrogen cyanide gas, used in chemical weapons today, may have been involved in the early stages of life's evolution, a new study suggests.
February: Orion’s Neighborhood
Our monthly Sky Tour astronomy podcast provides an informative and entertaining 12-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Download February’s episode to explore the colorful constellations that surround Orion, the Hunter.
Italian radar satellite rides SpaceX rocket into polar orbit
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket takes off just after sunset Monday with Italy’s sixth COSMO-SkyMed satellite. Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX gave an Italian radar satellite a picture-perfect ride into orbit with a memorable Monday evening launch from Cape Canaveral on top of a Falcon 9 rocket. A clear sunset sky offered spectators dazzling views of the reusable booster’s fiery climb into space and pyrotechnic plunge back to Earth.
Exoplanet Hunter Racks up 5,000 “Objects of Interest”
Since its 2018 launch, the unassuming TESS satellite has found 175 confirmed exoplanets (so far) among 5,000 “objects of interest.”
During a Solar Flare, Dark Voids Move Down Towards the Sun. Now We Know Why
Solar flares are complex phenomena. They involve plasma, electromagnetic radiation across all wavelengths, activity in the Sun’s atmosphere layers, and particles travelling at near light speed. Spacecraft like NASA’s Solar and Heliophysics Observatory (SOHO) and the Parker Solar Probe shed new light on the Sun’s solar flares.
The Big Spaceflight Stories You Should be Watching in 2022
The year 2021 was a big one as far as stories from space are concerned! From start to finish, 2021 witnessed innumerable milestones and groundbreaking missions mounted by space agencies and the commercial space industry. Among them, the long-awaited launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the arrival of the Perseverance mission, the launch of Double-Asteroid Redirect Test (DART), multiple test flights with the Starship, and the inauguration of space tourism. There was something for everyone!
North Korean missile test captures photos of Earth from space: report
North Korea launched its biggest missile test since 2017 on Sunday (Jan. 30) and apparently captured photos of Earth from space during the flight.
It Turns out, We Have a Very Well-Behaved Star
Should we thank our well-behaved Sun for our comfy home on Earth?
Binary Black Holes can Unlock Another of Einstein’s Predictions
In the grand scheme of things, the structure of a black hole is pretty simple. All you need to know is its mass, electric charge, and rotation, and you know what the structure of space and time around the black hole must be. But if you have two black holes orbiting each other, then things get really complicated. Unlike a single black hole, for which there is an exact solution to Einstein’s equations, there is no exact solution for two black holes. It’s similar to the three-body problem in Newtonian gravity. But that doesn’t mean astronomers can’t figure things out, as a couple of recent studies show.
SpaceX double vision: These photos show two Falcon 9 rockets on their pads for back-to-back launches
SpaceX has two Falcon 9 rockets on nearby Florida launch pads at the same time and the photos are amazing.
SpaceX preps for launch of spy satellite payload from California this week
The official patch for the NROL-87 mission. Credit: NRO
The first launch of the year from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, set for Wednesday afternoon, will send a payload into orbit for the U.S. government’s spy satellite agency aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Best flashlights 2022: essential for stargazing and night trekking
Pick up one of the best flashlights and use it for stargazing, trekking, hunting, or just taking the dog for a walk
Ancient solar storm smashed Earth at the wrong part of the sun's cycle — and scientists are concerned
An extremely powerful solar storm pummeled our planet 9,200 years ago, leaving permanent scars on the ice buried deep below Greenland and Antarctica.
What is the temperature on Mars?
The temperature on Mars doesn't get much above 70 degrees F and it drop down to nearly minus 200 degrees F, making it a relatively cold planet.
The greatest spaceships of science fiction
What are the greatest spaceships of science fiction? From the Millennium Falcon to Dr Who's Tardis, here's the rundown of our favorites.
China prepares its Long March 8 rocket for second mission
A Long March 8 rocket has arrived at the coastal Wenchang spaceport for the second mission of what is planned to be China's first reusable launch vehicle.