A new treasure trove of images from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope showcases near- and mid-infrared portraits of 19 face-on spiral galaxies. This new set of exquisite images show stars, gas, and dust on the smallest scales ever observed beyond our own galaxy.
Space News & Blog Articles
Second Falcon 9 of the night carries Starlink satellites from West Coast
A Falcon 9 liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California carrying 22 Starlink satellites. Image: SpaceX.
SpaceX launched its second Falcon 9 launch of the night with the Starlink 7-12 mission soaring skyward from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) on Sunday, Jan. 28, at 9:57 p.m. PST (12:57 a.m. EST, 0557 UTC).
SpaceX launches first of planned back-to-back Falcon 9 Starlink missions
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center carrying 23 Starlink satellites into space. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now.
Update 8:40 p.m.: The first Falcon 9 of the night lifted off at 8:10 p.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center.
Asteroid 2024 BX1: From a Dot of Light to Fireball to Rocks on the Ground
The asteroid 2024 BX1 went from a moving dot of light to rocks on the ground in mere hours — and amateur astronomers were critical to both discovery and recovery.
Despite engine malfunction, powered-down Japanese moon lander achieves major goals
A camera aboard a small micro rover deployed from Japan’s SLIM lunar lander captured an image of the probe resting on one side a few feet away after an engine malfunction during the final stages of descent Jan. 19. Image: JAXA.
One of two engines powering a Japanese moon lander during its descent to the surface Jan. 19 suffered a malfunction of some sort just 160 feet above the lunar surface that sharply reduced its power, the Japanese space agency said Thursday.
U.S. Government awards NOAA millions for wildfire response research
Millions of dollars invested in NOAA's Fire Weather research efforts will support wildfire preparedness and response across the United States.
What Could the Extremely Large Telescope See at Proxima Centauri's Planet?
Proxima Centauri B is the closest exoplanet to Earth. It is an Earth-mass world right in the habitable zone of a red dwarf star just 4 light-years from Earth. It receives about 65% of the energy Earth gets from the Sun, and depending on its evolutionary history could have oceans of water and an atmosphere rich with oxygen. Our closest neighbor could harbor life, or it could be a dry rock, but is an excellent target in the search for alien life. There’s just one catch. Our usual methods for detecting biosignatures won’t work with Proxima Centauri B.
Virgin Galactic may launch 6th commercial spaceflight this week
Virgin Galactic's sixth commercial spaceflight may be just around the corner. The launch window for the Galactic 06 mission opens on Friday (Jan. 26).
NASA finally opens OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample canister after freeing stuck lid
After months of anticipation, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission team has successfully accessed the treasure trove of asteroid material the probe collected during its billion-mile journey.
Mystery Objects Uncovered in Globular Clusters
Astronomers have found two different star clusters with an enigmatic source inside. Are these objects neutron stars or black holes?
You can pay to have your ashes buried on the moon. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
The question of sending your ashes to the moon is less a "can I?" one and more of a "should I?"
Futuristic vertical-takeoff air taxi could fly by 2028
The aircraft can cruise at 120 mph at an altitude of up to 1,500 feet — and it's much quieter than a helicopter.
Blue Origin joins 2 stages of New Glenn rocket for the 1st time (photo)
Blue Origin mated the two stages of its powerful New Glenn rocket for the first time recently, in preparation for the heavy lifter's debut later this year.
A massive cluster is born
Image:
This image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope features an H II region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. This nebula, known as N79, is a region of interstellar atomic hydrogen that is ionised, captured here by Webb’s Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI).
Watch balloon-like space station module explode (on purpose) during 1st full-scale burst test
Sierra Space's latest deliberate explosion saw a futuristic space module prototype blow to pieces. The burst test is meant to assure safety for a space station that may fly in 2030.
NASA's IMAP probe will launch in 2025 to capture interstellar dust
In the spring of 2024, NASA plans to launch a spacecraft to capture minuscule dust particles streaming into our solar system from interstellar space.
Giant geomagnetic storm to slam into Earth, fueling auroras across northern US
The sun's magnetic field could soon slam into Earth's, triggering stunning light displays.
Scientists discover near-Earth asteroid hours before it exploded over Berlin
For only the eighth time in history, scientists detected an asteroid before it made its fiery appearance over Earth. The tiny fireball exploded near Berlin early on Jan. 21.
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 94 — Space in 2024
On Episode 94 of This Week In Space, Tariq and Rod preview the global plans for spaceflight this year.
Marcus and Muninn are flying
Video: 00:03:52
ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt took off on 18 January 2024 as part of the Axiom-3 crew for a 14-day mission to the International Space Station. After 36 hours catching up to the Space Station, the Dragon docked to the Space Station, the seal between the two tested and finally Marcus started his Muninn mission as he entered the International Space Station. ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen along with the rest of the crew of Expedition 70 was waiting to welcome them to space!
World-renowned spaceflight museum set for renovation at Cosmosphere
The home of a sunken Mercury capsule and the spacecraft that brought the Apollo 13 crew back to Earth is getting an upgrade. The Cosmosphere announced it is ready to renovate its Hall of Space.