Space

It came from outer space, exploding high above the South Atlantic off the coast of Argentina. That April 1 event — an incoming meteor, also termed a bolide — was observed by both U.S. space-based military and civil sensors. Hush-hush U.S. government satellite sensors detected the speedy fireball cutting through our atmosphere. The object’s brightness peaked at an altitude of nearly 60…

The moon dives towards the glowing heart of the constellation Leo for a spectacular rendezvous with Mars and Jupiter overnight on Nov. 1-2, as the glittering stars of the Beehive Cluster shine nearby. Here’s what you need to know. Look to the eastern horizon an hour after midnight to see the 45%-lit waning moon shining less than 5 degrees from the red light of Mars — roughly the width of…

Virgin Galactic’s first “Delta-class” space plane just made its maiden voyage. The next-gen suborbital vehicle, named Apeiron (Greek for “Boundless”), lifted off for the first time ever on Thursday (Oct. 28). Flying beneath the wings of its carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, Apeiron traveled from Virgin’s manufacturing site in Mesa, Arizona, to its launch site…

SpaceX just checked another big box on the path to its 15th Starship test flight, which promises to be pretty epic. The company conducted static-fire tests with Starship’s Ship upper stage on Monday (Oct. 26) and Tuesday (Oct. 27), igniting its Raptor engines while the vehicle, known as Ship 42, remained anchored to the ground. “Ship 42 static fires complete. The Starship preparing…