The kilometer-wide, potentially hazardous asteroid 1994 PC1 will fly past Earth on January 18th. Good news on two counts: It won't hit us, and it's bright enough to see in a 4-inch telescope.
Space News & Blog Articles
Plato exoplanet mission gets green light for next phase
Plato, ESA’s next-generation planet hunting mission, has been given the green light to continue with its development after the critical milestone review concluded successfully on 11 January 2022.
The spaceships and vehicles of Avatar
James Cameron’s space adventure Avatar was largely about hyper-realistic aliens, but the spaceships and vehicles used by the human invaders were very impressive too.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket spotted from space before and after epic 105-satellite launch (images)
SpaceX has some nice before-and-after photos to mark the 10th launch of one of its Falcon 9 rockets, thanks to a satisfied customer.
2021 saw record temperatures and deaths from natural disasters, NASA, NOAA reveal
2021 was another record-setting year, ranking as the sixth hottest year on record. Following a trend, these past eight years have also been the eight hottest years on record.
What will the James Webb Space Telescope look at first?
As the James Webb Space Telescope begins the lengthy process of aligning its 18 primary mirror segments, astronomers wonder: What will the huge observatory look at first?
Get set for 'Resident Alien' Season 2 with this sidesplitting new trailer
The alien with the unpronounceable name is back for a second season of more mischief, more mayhem
Rolling stones on Mars
Image: Rolling stones on Mars
This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 14 – 22
Jupiter stands alone at dusk. The Moon dances with Castor and Pollux while Iris creeps in the background. And you can't keep Venus down for long; its tiny crescent reappears at dawn.
Artemis 1: Going back to the moon
Here's everything you need to now of NASA's Artemis-1 mission to the moon.
Earth from Space: Kangerlussuaq Glacier
The Kangerlussuaq Glacier, one of Greenland’s largest tidewater outlet glaciers, is pictured in this false-colour image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission. Meaning ‘large fjord’ in Greenlandic, the Kangerlussuaq Glacier flows into the head of the Kangerlussuaq Fjord, the second largest fjord in east Greenland.
Virgin Orbit sends 7 satellites to orbit in fourth mid-air launch
Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket lofted seven small satellites for three different customers today (Jan. 13), marking the third straight successful mission for the California-based company.
Virgin Orbit celebrates third successful launch in a row
Virgin Orbit’s 70-foot-long (21-meter) LauncherOne rocket ignites its liquid-fueled engine after release from the company’s Boeing 747 carrier aircraft. Credit: Virgin Orbit
Virgin Orbit delivered seven small CubeSats for NASA, the U.S. military, Spire, and the Polish company SatRevolution into orbit Thursday with its air-launched rocket after release from a jumbo jet off the coast of California.
Astronomy in Pictures: Largest 3D Map of Our Universe and a Stellar Intruder
This week astronomers have announced the completion of the largest 3D map of galaxies across the cosmos, plus exquisite radio observations show what happens when a stellar intruder interrupts planet formation.
Astronomy Jargon 101: Globular Clusters
In globular clusters you will find a lot of older, redder stars packed closely together. In many ways, they’re the retirement homes for the galaxy.
Halley's Comet: Facts about history's most famous comet
The comet's frequent recurrence has played a part in historical events for millennia.
SpaceX launches 105 customer satellites on third Transporter rideshare mission
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to begin the Transporter 3 small satellite rideshare mission. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photography
SpaceX launched 105 small satellites from Cape Canaveral on the company’s third Transporter rideshare mission Thursday, deploying payloads for commercial remote sensing companies, communications and data relay startups, and foreign governments.
Exoplanet Found With a Highly Eccentric Orbit
The study of extrasolar planets has revealed some interesting things in recent decades. Not only have astronomers discovered entirely new types of planets – Super Jupiters, Hot Jupiters, Super-Earths, Mini-Neptunes, etc. – it has also revealed new things about solar system architecture and planetary dynamics. For example, astronomers have seen multiple systems of planets where the orbits of the planets did not conform to our Solar System.
China's Shenzhou 13 astronauts manually fly cargo ship for emergency docking test
China's Shenzhou 13 astronauts conducted a manual rendezvous and docking test over the weekend to test emergency procedures for spacecraft visiting the Chinese space station.
Infamous Mars meteorite contains organic molecules, but they aren't proof of life
Organic molecules found in a Mars meteorite that crash-landed on Earth are not signs of life, but instead formed in chemical reactions between water and rock on the Red Planet about 4 billion years ago.