This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
Beyond the race for scientific, commercial and military purposes, there is another space race of a more curious sort. A race to be the first to send various objects up there. But why?
In December 2024, Buddhist monks from Japan attempted…
NASA stacks Artemis 2 moon mission's Orion capsule atop SLS rocket ahead of 2026 launch
October 22, 2025
The towering rocket tasked with launching NASA’s next moon astronauts on their historic lunar journey has come together.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket being stacked for the Artemis 2 mission has its final piece. Integrity, the Orion spacecraft that will fly…
This company's plan to launch 4,000 massive space mirrors has scientists alarmed: 'From an astronomical perspective, that's pretty catastrophic'
October 22, 2025
California-based start-up Reflect Orbital has applied for a government license to launch a giant mirror to space next year. The mission is meant to be the first step in the company’s ambitious plan to operate a constellation of more than 4,000 solar reflectors to boost…
Space-based shenanigans are increasing in Earth’s orbit.
Anti-satellite technologies (ASATs) are becoming the new military “must-have” for spacefaring nations — like China, Russia, India, as well as the United States. U.S. military leaders have openly stated that the nation needs space-based weaponry “to deter a space conflict and to be successful if we end up in such a…
The new moon will see dark skies for the peak of the Orionid meteor shower, while three days later the young moon will pass in front of the red star Antares for observers in South America and the Falklands.
A new moon phase happens when the sun and moon are on the same line…
Don't miss the Orionid meteor shower peak begin overnight tonight under a moonless sky
October 21, 2025
Get ready stargazers! The Orionid meteor shower peak begins tonight, welcoming a spectacular natural light show that could see a flurry of shooting stars spawned by Halley’s Comet brighten the dark, moonless sky.
The 2025 Orionid meteor shower peak begins overnight on…
The Orionid meteor shower peaks under dark, moonless skies next week. Here's how to see it
October 20, 2025
If you happen to glimpse a “shooting star” before dawn during the next several days, there’s a good chance that what you saw was a fragment left behind in space by the famous Halley’s Comet. For it is during the third week of October that a meteor display spawned by the debris shed by Halley reaches its peak: the Orionid meteor shower.
The Orionids aren’t one of the…
How to see Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) shine in the October sky
October 20, 2025
A bright new solar system comet could put on a show in the October night sky as it zooms past Earth.
Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) was discovered on Sept. 10 by Ukrainian amateur astronomer Vladimir Bezugly. It has brightened significantly since then, raising hopes that it could…
With 41% off, Celestron's lightweight and versatile TrailSeeker 8x42 binoculars are an absolute bargain in this deal
October 20, 2025
If you’re looking for a lightweight pair of binoculars that are ideal for skywatching on the move and a wide range of other pursuits, Celestron’s TrailSeeker 8×42 are a brilliant option. They are great binos at full price, but right now they come with a huge…
Europe’s next planet-hunting spacecraft just spread its “wings” in preparation for launch.
PLATO’s twin solar panels, which will power the Planetary Transits and Oscillations of Stars spacecraft’s search for Earth-like exoplanets, spread out successfully during engineering tests last month in a European Space Agency (ESA) clean lab.
That’s a big deal, as…
