Our universe is full of mysteries, but few are as perplexing as the dark, tiny galaxies that hover around larger ones like the Milky Way.
Small, dim, and almost invisible, dwarf spheroidal galaxies are packed to the brim with something we can’t see: dark matter. They’re like cosmic icebergs, with most of their mass hidden from plain sight, making them some of the most exotic objects…
Last week, Artemis 2 astronauts witnessed a total solar eclipse from space, as the Orion spacecraft spent nearly an hour in the moon’s shadow. But, as a remote team at the French-Italian Concordia Research Station recently experienced, you don’t need to travel…
Stargazing in the city: what you can (and can't) see at night
January 29, 2026
Light pollution has become an unavoidable facet of modern life. Artificial light shines from homes, streetlamps and countless other sources, illuminating our cities and towns before inevitably bleeding into the skies above, where it dramatically reduces our ability to…
NASA research jet makes fiery 'wheels-up landing' after experiencing mechanical issue (video)
January 29, 2026
A NASA research aircraft crashed in a fiery landing accident, but luckily none of the crew aboard the jet were harmed.
One of NASA’s high-altitude WB-57 research jets skidded across the runway trailing fire and smoke behind it at Houston’s Ellington Field on Tuesday (Jan. 27) after landing with its wheels up due to a mechanical issue. Video posted to social media by Houston Air Watch…
40 years after the space shuttle Challenger disaster, spaceflight remains far from routine
January 29, 2026
Editor’s note: This story contains discussion of astronaut fatalities and dangerous moments in human spaceflight.
It was 40 years ago today (Jan. 28) that the space shuttle Challenger blasted off on its 10th mission to space. Sadly, the vehicle never made it…
NASA’s next moon rocket is on the launch pad for testing, and you can follow its progress live.
The agency has a 24/7 livestream showing its Artemis 2 Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at Launch Complex-39B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. You can check out the…
Are mysterious 'Little Red Dots' discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope actually nurseries for direct-collapse black holes?
January 28, 2026
Little Red Dots, mysterious objects discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), could be nurseries for massive black holes that didn’t form from collapsing stars, but instead emerged directly from vast gas clouds.
If this is the case, then it could solve not only the puzzle of the nature of Little Red Dots, but also another mystery uncovered by the JWST since it began operations in…
Venus could experience a dramatic meteor shower this summer, the result of the breaking apart of a nearby asteroid that has left a trail of dust in its wake.
The meteor shower is predicted to next take place on July 5, but observing it from Earth is going to be difficult.
Moon landings could contaminate evidence about life's beginnings on Earth. Here's how
January 27, 2026
Emissions from spacecraft landings on the moon can drift freely across its surface and may settle in — and contaminate — some scientifically precious real estate, according to new research.
Many current and planned lunar landers rely on propellants that produce methane…
Watch SpaceX launch advanced GPS satellite for US Space Force on Jan. 27 after delay
January 27, 2026
SpaceX will launch an advanced GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force from Florida on Tuesday night (Jan. 27), and you can watch the action live.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the GPS III-SV09 spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Tuesday, during a 15-minute window that opens at 11:38 p.m. EST (0438 GMT on Jan. 28). SpaceX and the Space Force had been targeting…
