Amateur astronomy need not be a race through an astronomical task list, but rather a kindling of joy.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Does the Milky Way's Supermassive Black Hole Have a Companion?
At the heart of our galaxy, there is a monster black hole. Known as Sagittarius A*, it has a mass of 4.2 million Suns, and it’s only about 27,000 light-years from Earth. Sag A* is the closest supermassive black hole, and one of only two that we’ve observed directly. It is so close that we can even see stars closely orbiting it. Some of those stars we’ve been observing for more than 20 years, which means we have a very good handle on their orbits. We’ve used those orbits to determine the mass of Sag A*, but a new study looks at a different question: does our galaxy’s black hole have a companion?
Counting wildfires across the globe
In recent weeks, devastating wildfires have spread in Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Algeria, Tunisia and Canada, causing human casualties as well as massive environmental and economic damage.
1st solar eruption to simultaneously impact Earth, moon and Mars shows dangers of space radiation
In 2021, a coronal mass ejection that erupted from the sun was seen across a staggering range of 155 million miles. It spit energetic particles toward Mars, the Earth and the moon.
Simulating Aeolus’s demise: a bird’s eye view
Video: 00:01:35
Aeolus’s mission is over, but weather forecasting is improved forever, and a new precedent has been set for safe satellite reentries. The trailblazing Earth Explorer returned through our atmosphere on 28 July, following the path it was guided on by ESA’s mission control over Earth’s most uninhabited regions, finally disintegrating over the Antarctic.
Recycling parts for life on the Moon
Image: Recycling parts for life on the Moon
Live Coverage: SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch Intelsat’s Galaxy 37 communications satellite
A Falcon 9 rocket stands on pad 40 poised to launch the Galaxy 37 satellite for Intelsat. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 is set to launch the Galaxy 37 communications satellite for Intelsat during the midnight hour Thursday. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is set for 12:15 a.m. EDT (0415 UTC).
Variable Stars can Tell us Where and When to Search for Extraterrestrials
The European Space Agency’s Gaia Observatory has been operating steadily at the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrange Point for almost a decade. As an astrometry mission, Gaia aims to gather data on the positions, proper motion, and velocity of stars, exoplanets, and objects in the Milky Way and tens of thousands of neighboring galaxies. By the end of its primary mission (scheduled to end in 2025), Gaia will have observed an estimated 1 billion astronomical objects, leading to the creation of the most precise 3D space catalog ever made.
NASA hears Voyager 2 'heartbeat' after losing touch with interstellar probe
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft had a communication breakdown with Earth, but it's still broadcasting signals to the agency's Deep Space Network antenna group.
The Perseid meteor shower peaks in August. Here's how to see it
The Perseid meteor shower, one of the most dependable annual showers, peaks on Aug. 12 and 13, and this year looks great for meteor watchers in North America.
James Webb Space Telescope unveils the gravitationally warped galaxies of 'El Gordo'
Thanks to a phenomenon predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity, scientists have learned important new information about an incredibly massive galaxy cluster nearly 10 billion light-years from Earth.
'Loki' Season 2 trailer reveals the god of mischief skipping through timelines
Marvel Studios released a thrilling new trailer for "Loki" Season 2, revealing the series' time-hopping plot.
'Starfield' animated anthology introduces gamers to its inhabited planets (videos)
Three new animated videos introduce gamers to the cultures and people of "Starfield," a massive new open-galaxy role-playing game from the minds behind "Fallout 4" and "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim."
The Greyhill Incident offers the most boring UFO invasion yet
A meandering plot, terrible graphics, and unremarkable aliens are the undoing of this indy space horror game.
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy delays Crew-7 astronaut launch for NASA to Aug. 23
SpaceX and NASA delayed the launch of the Crew-7 astronaut mission by five days to Aug. 23, to get the launch pad ready after a Falcon Heavy liftoff.
Watch a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch a communications satellite tonight
SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a communications satellite on Aug. 3 at 12:15 a.m. ET (0415 GMT), and you can watch it live.
What is the difference between science and pseudoscience?
Pseudoscience is a practice that, from the outside, looks like science, but upon closer inspection, is revealed to be nothing but. And what makes a practice look like science?
How to Measure Jupiter's Deflection of Starlight
Get involved in an extraordinary experiment to test Einstein's theory of General Relativity — and you can do it from your backyard.
Voyager 2 Lost Contact, but "Heartbeat" Signals It's Still Alive
NASA detected a faint "heartbeat" signal from Voyager 2, after an erroneous command caused the spacecraft to lose contact with Earth.
Euclid Reaches L2, Shares its First Test Image
For astronomers, the only thing better than new data is more new data. And we seem to be in a golden age of data gathering. We’ve gushed over the latest images from the James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble continues to make observations, but several new space telescopes are lesser known, such as Gaia, TESS, and Swift. And now a new space telescope enters the game, known as Euclid. Euclid is an infrared telescope launched last month by the European Space Agency (ESA). It took 11 years to design and build the telescope, and it has just taken test images with its two primary detectors.
James Webb Space Telescope captures vibrant details of the Milky Way's galactic neighbor (photo)
A stunning new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows the Milky Way's neighbor, NGC 6822, glowing green and gold while punctuated by bright red and blue stars, revealing its lack of metal.
