A new ion engine has been tested in a lab, proving itself to be 25 times more powerful than NASA’s current state-of-the-art one. This advanced technology could one day assist humans in reaching Mars.
Ion engines are very different to the usual sort of thrusters that burn chemical propellant. Using electromagnetic fields, they accelerate ions — charged atoms — out through a nozzle to provide…
Don't miss the Eta Aquarid meteor shower 2026 peak tonight! Viewing times, locations and tips
May 6, 2026
Heads up, skywatchers! Don’t miss the Eta Aquarid meteor shower tonight, as activity peaks in the predawn hours of May 6.
Under ideal conditions, it’s possible to see up to 60 meteors per hour when viewing from the Southern Hemisphere, but viewers in the Northern…
With the Artemis 2 crew back home after their historic circumlunar voyage, attention now turns to getting astronauts back on the surface of the moon. But how are the landers that will make such an ambitious endeavor possible progressing?
NASA recently outlined a revised…
An enormous supercluster made up from over 20 individual galaxy clusters hiding behind our dusty Milky Way is even larger than astronomers had thought, affecting the motion through space of all the galaxies and galaxy clusters in our corner of the cosmos.
The Vela Supercluster was discovered in 2016 thanks to a team led by Renée C. Kraan-Korteweg of the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
The peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower is almost here! Read on to discover the best time to spot the fast-moving shooting stars as Earth barrels through the debris trail shed by Halley’s Comet.
When are the Eta Aquarids most active?
In 2026, the Eta Aquarids are active…
In its infancy, the universe had a bit of an identity crisis.
For the first few hundred million years, the vast cosmic gas between galaxies was primarily a chilly, dense affair. But then, it seemed to wake up, deciding to get all warm and fuzzy.
This strange shift in the…
The June full moon occurs at 7:57 p.m. EDT (2357 GMT) on June 29. That’s when the lunar disk will pass opposite the sun in Earth’s sky, appearing fully lit by the sun’s rays.
This month’s full moon is also known as the “Strawberry Moon,” reflecting the time of year when Native American tribes harvest the ripened fruit. It is also the first full moon of summer, following soon after the…
NASA has released a pair of sweeping new panoramas from its two active Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance, offering a vivid look at how dramatically different regions of the Red Planet can be — and how each mission is uncovering a distinct chapter of Martian…
The May full moon rises at sunset tonight! Here’s what you need to know as the full “Flower Moon” takes to the spring sky on May 1 and when to look out for a rare “Blue Moon” later in the month.
The moon will be 100% illuminated at 1:23 p.m. EDT (1723 GMT) on May 1…
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — Asteroid Apophis is set to whisk by Earth in 2029 and serve as a wake-up call for getting our planetary defense act together.
Astronomers have shown that the huge chunk of extraterrestrial real estate will not hit Earth in 2029, but will come closer to Earth than our geostationary communications satellites. Radar measurements estimate Apophis is roughly 1,500 feet…
