Hubble Space Telescope captures the stunning final breaths of a dying star

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured stunning images of the Egg Nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 1,000 light-years away, showcasing the dramatic final stage of a dying star. The nebula features twin beams of light piercing rippling arcs of dust and gas, with the star itself illuminating the surrounding shell rather than the gas glowing on its own. As a pre-planetary nebula—the first, youngest, … Continue reading Hubble Space Telescope captures the stunning final breaths of a dying star

The Sun Turns Black and the Moon Blood Red in Stunning Upcoming Eclipse

A rare total lunar eclipse, or “blood moon,” will occur on March 3, turning the moon a striking red as Earth’s shadow filters sunlight across its surface. The event will last over five and a half hours, with totality—the full red phase—lasting about 58 minutes, visible safely to the naked eye. Best viewing will be on the West Coast and in Hawaii, while eastern cities … Continue reading The Sun Turns Black and the Moon Blood Red in Stunning Upcoming Eclipse

Venus may have an underground tunnel carved by volcano eruptions

Scientists analyzing radar data from NASA’s 1990–1992 Magellan mission say they’ve identified a possible underground lava tube on Venus, a discovery that would be only the second such structure found on the planet. The feature, located on the western flank of Nyx Mons, appears to extend for several dozen kilometers and may have formed through volcanic activity. This finding challenges the long-held belief that Venus … Continue reading Venus may have an underground tunnel carved by volcano eruptions

In a reversal, SpaceX prioritizes ‘city’ on the moon over Mars project, Musk says

Elon Musk announced that SpaceX is now prioritizing a “self-growing city” on the Moon, aiming to achieve it within 10 years, while Mars missions remain a longer-term goal. The company plans an uncrewed lunar landing by March 2027, marking a shift from Musk’s previous focus on Mars as the primary destination. The move also positions SpaceX in competition with China, as humans have not returned … Continue reading In a reversal, SpaceX prioritizes ‘city’ on the moon over Mars project, Musk says

James Webb Space Telescope finds precursors to ‘building blocks of life’ in nearby galaxy

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have discovered a rich array of small organic molecules in the galaxy IRAS 07251–0248, a nearby, ultra-luminous infrared galaxy. The JWST’s infrared instruments, NIRSpec and MIRI, allowed researchers to peer through dense dust and gas that normally obscure the galaxy’s core. They detected molecules including benzene, methane, acetylene, and the reactive methyl radical—never before seen beyond the Milky … Continue reading James Webb Space Telescope finds precursors to ‘building blocks of life’ in nearby galaxy

China sends fourth ‘Shenlong’ reusable spacecraft mission into orbit

China on Saturday launched its latest reusable experimental spacecraft, potentially rivaling the U.S. Space Force’s X-37B. This marks China’s fourth such mission since 2020, all flown from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre using Long March-2F rockets, with the spacecraft unofficially nicknamed Shenlong (“Divine Dragon”). Previous missions demonstrated long-duration orbits, improved thermal shielding, power management, and capabilities like releasing small objects and performing rendezvous and proximity … Continue reading China sends fourth ‘Shenlong’ reusable spacecraft mission into orbit

SpaceX resumes Falcon 9 flights with Starlink satellite launch from California

SpaceX successfully launched 25 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit on February 7, just five days after pausing operations due to an anomaly on its previous mission. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and deployed the satellites (Group 17-33) about an hour later. The rocket’s first stage, Booster 1088, completed its 13th flight, landing safely on the drone … Continue reading SpaceX resumes Falcon 9 flights with Starlink satellite launch from California

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover completes its 1st drive planned by AI

NASA’s Perseverance rover has completed its first Mars drive fully planned by artificial intelligence, demonstrating that generative AI can autonomously map safe routes across the planet’s rugged terrain. Conducted in December 2025, the AI analyzed images and terrain data, identified hazards like rocks and slopes, and set navigation waypoints—tasks normally done by human planners on Earth. During the two test drives, Perseverance traveled nearly 1,500 … Continue reading NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover completes its 1st drive planned by AI

NASA begins mission to map the boundaries of our heliosphere

NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) has launched a two-year mission to map the heliosphere, the protective bubble around our solar system formed by the sun. The probe studies high-energy solar particles, interplanetary magnetic fields, and cosmic dust from distant stars to better understand the sun’s activity and its interaction with interstellar space. Scientists hope IMAP will shed light on how charged particles are … Continue reading NASA begins mission to map the boundaries of our heliosphere

Sun releases 4 strong solar flares

The sun has recently emitted several strong solar flares, prompting experts to watch for northern lights and potential satellite disruptions. On Sunday and Monday, NASA recorded four X-class flares—the most intense type—with one reaching X8.1, the strongest in several years. These flares can briefly disrupt high-frequency communications on the sunlit side of Earth and may precede Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). When interacting with Earth’s atmosphere, … Continue reading Sun releases 4 strong solar flares

Blue Origin pauses space tourism flights to focus on lunar lander

Blue Origin is pausing flights of its New Shepard suborbital spacecraft, which has carried 98 people, including paying customers and celebrities, to the edge of space since its first human launch in July 2021. Each roughly ten-minute mission reaches the Kármán line about 62 miles above Earth before returning safely to West Texas. The company says the suspension, lasting at least two years, will allow … Continue reading Blue Origin pauses space tourism flights to focus on lunar lander

Sun unleashes extraordinary solar flare barrage as new volatile sunspot turns toward Earth

The sun has unleashed an intense burst of activity over the past 24 hours, producing at least 18 M-class flares and three X-class flares, including an X8.3—the strongest solar flare of 2026 so far. The eruptions originated from rapidly growing sunspot region AR4366, described by scientists as a “solar flare factory.” The X8.3 flare caused strong radio blackouts across parts of the South Pacific, affecting … Continue reading Sun unleashes extraordinary solar flare barrage as new volatile sunspot turns toward Earth

Strange Bright Lines on Mercury Suggest It’s Not ‘Dead’ After All

Mercury may be more geologically active than previously thought. Bright streaks on its surface, called lineae, suggest ongoing activity rather than ancient formations. A survey of 402 lineae shows they often appear on sun-facing crater slopes and near bright depressions called hollows. These features likely form from heat and volatile materials, like sulfur, rising from beneath the surface, Science Alert has reported. Future ESA and … Continue reading Strange Bright Lines on Mercury Suggest It’s Not ‘Dead’ After All

Rocket Lab launches Korean disaster-monitoring satellite after long delay

Rocket Lab successfully launched South Korea’s disaster-monitoring satellite, NEONSAT-1A, on Thursday, January 29, from its New Zealand site. The 59-foot Electron rocket lifted off at 8:21 p.m. EST (2:21 p.m. local time, Jan. 30), following a previous aborted attempt on December 15. NEONSAT-1A, part of the “Bridging the Swarm” mission for KAIST’s Satellite Technology Research Center (SaTReC), is an advanced Earth-observation satellite with a high-resolution … Continue reading Rocket Lab launches Korean disaster-monitoring satellite after long delay

SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from two coasts in two days

SpaceX launched two batches of Starlink satellites over consecutive days from both U.S. coasts. On January 29, a Falcon 9 lifted 25 satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, while on January 30, another Falcon 9 deployed 29 more satellites from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Thursday’s booster (B1082) completed its 19th flight, landing on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You, and Friday’s … Continue reading SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from two coasts in two days

NASA exoplanet probe tracks interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS to gauge its spin

NASA’s TESS spacecraft recently captured observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it left the solar system, recording it as a bright, fast-moving dot with a faint tail across a crowded starfield. A 28-hour video compiled from the data shows the comet’s trajectory, though a spacecraft “safe mode” caused a gap in the observations. Scientists hope the dataset will reveal the comet’s activity, dust and gas … Continue reading NASA exoplanet probe tracks interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS to gauge its spin

A potentially habitable new planet has been discovered 146 light-years away

Astronomers have identified a potentially habitable, Earth-sized planet named HD 137010 b about 146 light-years away, orbiting a sun-like star with a 355-day year. The planet is estimated to be 6% larger than Earth and may lie within the star’s habitable zone, though its cooler, dimmer star could make surface temperatures similar to Mars, possibly below –70°C. The discovery, made using 2017 data from NASA’s Kepler … Continue reading A potentially habitable new planet has been discovered 146 light-years away

AI Unlocks Hundreds of Cosmic Anomalies in Hubble Archive

Astronomers used an AI-assisted tool called AnomalyMatch to analyze nearly 100 million images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, identifying over 1,300 rare or unusual objects in just two and a half days, more than 800 of which had never been documented. The anomalies included merging galaxies, gravitational lenses, star-forming clumps, jellyfish-like galaxies, and edge-on planet-forming disks, with some objects defying existing classification schemes. Developed by … Continue reading AI Unlocks Hundreds of Cosmic Anomalies in Hubble Archive

SpaceX launches advanced GPS satellite for US Space Force

SpaceX launched a jam-resistant GPS III-SV09 satellite for the U.S. Space Force from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday night, Jan. 27, after a one-day weather delay. Built by Lockheed Martin, the satellite features M-Code technology for improved resistance to jamming and is the ninth of 10 GPS III satellites, with the final launch expected later this year. Originally scheduled for a Vulcan Centaur rocket, the mission … Continue reading SpaceX launches advanced GPS satellite for US Space Force

Space Force’s Newest Reconnaissance Satellites Could Come Online by 2030

The Space Force plans to award initial contracts as soon as next month for RG-XX, a new fleet of small, maneuverable satellites to monitor activity in geosynchronous orbit, potentially operational by 2030. The program aims to supplement or replace the current GSSAP constellation with lower-cost, off-the-shelf satellites that can be updated or replaced as threats evolve. Early contracts will establish a pool of vendors, with … Continue reading Space Force’s Newest Reconnaissance Satellites Could Come Online by 2030

Mysterious dark matter seen in new high-resolution map of distant galaxies

Scientists have created the most detailed high-resolution map of distant galaxies to date, helping them study dark matter, the invisible substance that makes up over a quarter of the universe. Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the map identified nearly 800,000 galaxies, including some seen for the first time, and captures structures spanning the past 10 billion years. By observing how dark matter’s gravity bends … Continue reading Mysterious dark matter seen in new high-resolution map of distant galaxies

SpaceX launches 25 Starlink satellites into orbit from California

SpaceX launched 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base, expanding its broadband megaconstellation. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off early Jan. 22 and deployed the satellites about an hour later. Its first stage, Booster 1093, completed its 13th flight and successfully landed on a drone ship, Space.com has reported. The new satellites join the 9,500 already in orbit, supporting internet access in underserved … Continue reading SpaceX launches 25 Starlink satellites into orbit from California

SPHEREx Detects Dramatic Ice Activity on Interstellar Visitor 3I/Atlas

NASA’s SPHEREx mission has detected a dramatic surge in sublimation on the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas following its close approach to the Sun. Observations show carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and water vapor emissions spiked as previously insulated ices beneath the comet’s surface became active inside the solar system’s ice line. Earlier in 2025, the comet’s activity was dominated by large icy grains releasing mainly carbon dioxide, … Continue reading SPHEREx Detects Dramatic Ice Activity on Interstellar Visitor 3I/Atlas

NASA astronaut Suni Williams, who stayed in space for 9 months after spacecraft problem, retires

NASA astronaut Suni Williams has retired after 27 years, concluding a career that included three missions to the International Space Station and a total of 608 days in space—the second-longest cumulative time in NASA history. Williams, a former Navy pilot, joined NASA in 1998 and logged 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalks, the most by any female astronaut and fourth-most overall. Her final mission … Continue reading NASA astronaut Suni Williams, who stayed in space for 9 months after spacecraft problem, retires

Blue Origin to deploy thousands of satellites for new communications network

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin announced plans Wednesday to deploy 5,408 satellites for a high-speed communications network called TeraWave, targeting data centers, governments, and businesses. Deployment is set to begin in late 2027, with the network aiming to deliver data speeds up to 6 Tbps and serve about 100,000 customers. The constellation will use optical communications and is designed to support large-scale AI data processing, which … Continue reading Blue Origin to deploy thousands of satellites for new communications network