For most of the history of astronomy, all we could see were stars. We could see them individually, in clusters, in nebulae, and in fuzzy blobs that we thought were clumps of stars but were actually galaxies. The thing is, most of what’s out there is much harder to see than stars and galaxies. It’s gas.
Space News & Blog Articles
China's new wide-field survey telescope scopes out Andromeda galaxy
A new high-resolution, wide-field telescope situated in China offers its first stunning view.
SpaceX rocket poised to launch on record-breaking 17th flight tonight
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch for a record-setting 17th time tonight (Sept. 19), and you can watch the action live.
Stoke Space gets closer to 100% reusable rocket with successful 'Hopper' test flight (video)
Stoke Space successfully tested its Hopper vehicle, showcasing innovative designs for its second stage rocket while aiming for full rocket reusability.
India to launch test of Gaganyaan crew capsule's emergency escape system this year
In the next month or two, India plans to launch a test mission to validate the crew escape system for its Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter breaks altitude record on 59th Mars flight
NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter soared higher than ever before over the weekend, getting 66 feet (20 meters) above the ground on its 59th Red Planet flight.
World's 1st mountaintop impact crater discovered in northeastern China
A two-peaked mountain in northeastern China is the site of the world's first confirmed mountaintop crater.
Asteroid hit by NASA's DART spacecraft is behaving unexpectedly, high school class discovers
Asteroid Dimorphos, which NASA intentionally hit with a rocket during its DART mission in September 2022, is behaving in unpredicted ways.
The complete series of 'Babylon 5' will be available on Blu-ray in December
The complete series of 'Babylon 5' will be available on Blu-ray in December, welcome news at a time when actually owning the physical media of your favorite shows is more important than ever.
Polaris Spaceplanes wraps up MIRA-Light prototype flight tests
German company Polaris Spaceplanes completed the flight campaign for its MIRA-Light prototype vehicle, and now plans to use that data on a scaled-up version with a linear aerospike engine.
NASA launches Spanish-language podcast 'Universo Curioso' for Hispanic Heritage Month
NASA released its first season of "Universo curioso de la NASA," a Spanish-language podcast centered around a selection of the agency's major missions.
Polar Ring Galaxies Are Bizarre and Rare. Astronomers Just Found Two More
Galaxies come in a range of shapes, from elegant spirals to egg-shaped ellipticals. We often categorize galaxies by their shape, which was traditionally done based on what we could observe in the visual spectrum. But as we expanded astronomy into radio, infrared, ultraviolet, and x-ray light, learned that often galaxies have structures invisible to our eyes. Take, for example, an odd type of galaxy known as polar ring galaxies (PRGs).
Spacecraft Could be Equipped With Tiny Thrusters That Use Water for Propellant
Engineers working with the European Space Agency have developed a new thruster design smaller than the tip of your finger. Despite its small size, this mini-thruster designed for CubeSats appears to be highly efficient without the use of toxic chemicals.
Incredible new moon photo shows Artemis 3 landing sites near the lunar south pole (photos)
The lunar south pole looks haunting in a new mosaic image that uses photography from two different NASA cameras in orbit around the moon and shows potential Artemis 3 landing sites.
NASA astronaut assigned to International Space Station mission with Russia, Belarus
U.S. astronaut Tracy Dyson will fly to the International Space Station for the third time in March 2024 alongside crew members from Russia and Belarus, NASA announced on Sept. 15.
See distant Neptune at its brightest in the night sky tonight
The distant ice giant Neptune will be in opposition to the sun with the planet making a close approach to Earth on Tuesday (Sept. 19).
What if OSIRIS-REx's asteroid-sample capsule crashes this weekend?
The descent capsule of NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid-sampling mission is supposed to touch down softly under parachutes on Sept. 24. If it crashes, however, the agency has a backup plan.
How much asteroid material is NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe delivering to Earth this weekend?
NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission is delivering a precious haul of asteroid dirt and gravel to Earth this weekend. How much of this space-rock stuff will there be?
Moon crew visits European powerhouse
Image: From left: the Artemis II astronauts, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman, visited the European Service Module (ESM) assembly hall at Airbus in Bremen, Germany, last week.
Radar-imaging satellite lost as Rocket Lab Electron rocket suffers launch failure
A shower of sparks at the point the Electron rocket’s second stage engine was supposed to ignite. Image: Rocket Lab.
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket, carrying a radar-imaging satellite for Capella Space, failed on Tuesday after a problem occurred two and half minutes into flight. It was the fourth failure in 41 flights for the small satellite launcher.