It turns out that living in space can have a lasting impact on how your brain works, researchers have found.
In space, astronauts have to learn to live without gravity — whether they’re aboard the International Space Station (ISS) or on a journey to the moon, such as with NASA’s Artemis 2 mission. While space adventurers do experience microgravity conditions beyond Earth, that…
The Lyrid meteor shower is currently active and peaks tonight, during predawn hours on April 22 — but if cloudy skies, light pollution, or a busy schedule are getting in your way of the show, you don’t have to miss out.
A large number of high-quality night sky…
What's the best time to see Lyrid meteors in 2026?
April 21, 2026
The Lyrid meteor shower is nearing peak activity! Here’s the best time to hunt for shooting stars as well as a guide on where to find them in the spring sky so you can maximize your chances of spotting these fast-moving meteors.
When are the Lyrids most active?
In…
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…
