A Senate Commerce Committee hearing sounded the alarm over the U.S.-China space race, emphasizing American dominance off Earth as the backdrop for NASA’s next funding authorization.
Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) opened the Sept. 3 hearing, titled “There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise,” by warning that the United States risks losing the moon to China if NASA’s Artemis…
It may not be as dramatic as a total solar eclipse, but there’s something equally epic about watching Earth’s shadow gradually engulfing and coloring the moon during a total lunar eclipse. The next total lunar eclipse — colloquially called a “blood…
Which is the best home planetarium? We pit three of our favorites against one other
September 4, 2025
If you’re considering a home planetarium, you’ll want to check this out. We’ve tested and compared three of the best on the market so you can see what’s different, what makes them stand out and more importantly, which one is right for you.
You may…
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will fly by Mars 1 month from now — and Europe's Red Planet orbiters will be ready
September 4, 2025
The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing for a unique opportunity to study the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas from what could be the best vantage point in the solar system.
Astronomers made the rare and extraordinary discovery of an interstellar object in our own solar system on July 1, 2025, sparking a scramble to study the mysterious visitor. The object has since been named comet 3I/ATLAS…
Nikon Stabilized 12x25 S binocular review
September 3, 2025
The Nikon Stabilized 12×25 S binoculars are my top recommendation for a compact binocular with image stabilization built in, all for under $650. It was back about three years ago in a previous review of the Nikon Monarch HG 10×42 binoculars that I yearned for Nikon…
Cannibal solar storm sparks dazzling northern lights across Europe and North America (photos)
September 3, 2025
A cannibal solar storm slammed into Earth’s magnetic field around 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) on Sept. 1, sparking a geomagnetic storm that lit up skies across Europe and North America overnight.
The storm reached G2 (moderate) levels according to both the U.K. Met Office…
1st Indian astronaut to visit ISS welcomed home as a hero
September 3, 2025
Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently became the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS), received a grand welcome in his hometown of Lucknow in northern India earlier this week.
Shukla returned to India from the U.S. on Aug. 17, following an 18-day mission in space as part of the Axiom-4 crew. Thousands of residents, students and officials lined the streets and the airport to…
Official death count of 2023 Hawaii wildfires doesn’t capture true toll, study suggests
September 2, 2025
In August 2023, the deadliest fires the U.S. had seen in a century tore through Lāhainā, Maui, devastating the town and taking the lives of between 100 and 102 people, according to an official death count at the time — and, as the planet warms and the climate changes…
Scientists discover explosive origins of superspeed electrons streaming from the sun
September 2, 2025
The joint European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has tracked electrons traveling at nearly the speed of light back to the sun, finding they originated in different types of solar outbursts.
Solar Orbiter detected these so-called Solar Energetic…
To resolve nearby Earth-like exoplanets, a new telescope design that is rectangular rather than circular may be necessary, according to a new study that explores what the next great space telescope might look like.
“We show that it is possible to find nearby, Earth-like planets orbiting sun-like stars with a telescope that is about the same size as the James Webb Space Telescope[(JWST]…
