Space

At a double observatory atop Mount Teide on the Spanish island of Tenerife, a powerful laser is being deployed to track fragments of space debris in orbit and warn when these fragments threaten satellites. Soon, it could even be used to push space debris away from a collision course with a satellite. The Izaña-1 and Izaña-2 laser-ranging stations are operated by the European Space Agency (ESA)…

A colossal butterfly-shaped coronal hole has opened in the sun’s atmosphere and is currently spewing a fast-moving stream of solar wind toward Earth that could trigger a moderate geomagnetic storm and dazzling auroras this weekend. The high-speed solar wind from this striking feature, spanning some 310,000 miles (500,000 kilometers) across, is expected to reach Earth around Sept. 14. Space…

Stargazing is a wonderful pursuit that appeals to both the casual and dedicated observer, but views outside of cities are often much clearer and brighter thanks to different levels of light pollution. Excessive and misdirected use of artificial light is more common in cities and can have a huge effect on the visibility of the night sky, particularly for those stargazers who are looking to observe…

On March 2-4, 2026, a total lunar eclipse will be visible from Western North America, Australia, New Zealand and East Asia, with a “blood moon” appearing for 58 minutes. Lunar eclipses happen when Earth is between the sun and a full moon. During the event, the moon moves through Earth’s umbra, the dark center of its shadow. Where will the March 2026 total lunar eclipse be…