Venus could experience a dramatic meteor shower this summer, the result of the breaking apart of a nearby asteroid that has left a trail of dust in its wake.
The meteor shower is predicted to next take place on July 5, but observing it from Earth is going to be difficult. Only superbright fireballs, with a magnitude of around minus 12 to minus 15 — roughly the same brightness in our sky as the…
Moon landings could contaminate evidence about life's beginnings on Earth. Here's how
January 27, 2026
Emissions from spacecraft landings on the moon can drift freely across its surface and may settle in — and contaminate — some scientifically precious real estate, according to new research.
Many current and planned lunar landers rely on propellants that produce methane…
Watch SpaceX launch advanced GPS satellite for US Space Force on Jan. 27 after delay
January 27, 2026
SpaceX will launch an advanced GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force from Florida on Tuesday night (Jan. 27), and you can watch the action live.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the GPS III-SV09 spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Tuesday…
Scientists just got the clearest picture of the dark universe yet: 'Now the dream has come true'
January 27, 2026
Scientists have been gifted with a clearer picture of the expansion of the universe and dark energy, the mysterious force driving the acceleration of this expansion, than ever before. This comes courtesy of the analysis of six years’ worth of data collected by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter telescope.
The data analysed…
A colossal asteroid may have warped the moon from the inside out
January 26, 2026
An unusual ratio of potassium isotopes, found in samples of basaltic rock brought back to Earth from the moon’s South Pole–Aitken Basin by China’s Chang’e 6 sample-return mission, has provided further evidence for how the impact that formed this gigantic…
Why binoculars are best for beginner astronomers to stargaze
January 26, 2026
British amateur astronomer, Sir Patrick Moore, used to say that the best first telescope isn’t a telescope at all — it’s a pair of binoculars. Telescopes are wonderful — the things you can see through them can be jaw-dropping — but they can so easily extinguish…
Sinking ice on Jupiter's moon Europa may be slowly feeding its ocean the ingredients for life
January 26, 2026
Jupiter’s icy moon Europa may have a previously unrecognized way of delivering life-supporting chemicals to its vast subsurface ocean, according to new research.
Europa, one of the dozens of moons orbiting Jupiter, has long intrigued scientists as one of the most promising places in the solar system to search for extraterrestrial life, thanks to a hidden global ocean beneath its fractured…
Look toward the southwestern horizon at sunset on Jan. 22 to witness the slender crescent moon cozy up to the gas giant Saturn beneath the stars of the constellation Pisces.
The moon’s 22%-lit disk will appear roughly 30 degrees above the horizon — roughly the width…
iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope review
January 23, 2026
Although it is marketed as a white-light solar telescope, the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope is really a nighttime scope (which can be purchased on its own) alongside a detachable solar filter from Thousand Oaks. This may be a perk for users who don’t own a…
Wobbling exoplanet hints at a hidden exomoon so massive it could redefine the word 'moon' altogether
January 23, 2026
A gas giant planet beyond the solar that wobbles as it circles its star, hinting to astronomers that it is orbited by its own moon. To make this suspected discovery even more remarkable, if this moon exists it would be absolutely massive, comparable to around half the mass of Jupiter. That would make it thousands of times more massive than any moon orbiting a solar system plane — so massive…
