Nā ‘Uhane Māhoe Huki Pū i ke Ola is the Hawaiian name given to this image of NGC 7253 — a pair of spiral galaxies caught in each other’s gravity. This image was captured by the Gemini North telescope on Maunakea. (Image credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA)
It is nearly impossible to fathom the entirety of a single galaxy — these realms can span hundreds of…
The future of Earth observation: Private satellites and AI bring benefits but also pose risks
September 8, 2026
We are a planet-based species: With a few notable (astronaut) exceptions, everyone who has ever lived remained glued to our spinning Earth, which now houses 8.3 billion people.
That’s the gravity of the situation. But we’re also a world of floods, typhoons…
Cheaper than Prime Day, this super-portable, beginner-friendly telescope is my number one choice for skywatching
September 8, 2026
I’ve got three telescopes in my home, but the Celestron FirstScope is my first stop when it comes to stargazing. Now this super-portable, beginner-friendly tabletop scope is $60 at Amazon, even cheaper than Prime Day!
Save 20% on this moon-themed Celestron Firstscope…
Soon, the sky’s most glamorous evening performer will take its leave.
Since late March, Venus has been the unmistakable “Evening Star,” gleaming shortly after sunset and stealing attention from nearly everything else in the twilight. In June, it helped stage a striking three-planet lineup after sundown, outshining both Jupiter and Mercury.
Now the curtain is beginning to fall…
On this day in space! Sept. 6, 1947: The US Navy launches 1st V-2 rocket at sea in ballistic missile test
September 7, 2026
On Sept. 6, 1947, a rocket launched from an aircraft carrier for the first time. The V-2 rocket was captured from a German manufacturing site by the Allied forces at the end of World War II.
V-2s were the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. They were…
NASA’s long-distance spacecraft-calling network just got a boost.
The Deep Space Network (DSN), best known for communicating with distant spacecraft such as Voyager 1, Voyager 2 and New Horizons, added a 114-foot (34-meter) radio-frequency antenna in California…
No rocket had ever reached orbit from Western European soil — until today.
The German company Isar Aerospace launched its Spectrum rocket from Andøya Space Center in northern Norway today (Sept. 5) at 4:12 p.m. EDT (2012 GMT; 10:12 p.m. local time in Norway). A little over seven minutes later, it etched its name into the record books, settling into an elliptical path around our…
On this day in space! Sept. 5, 1977: NASA launches Voyager 1 on epic journey across the solar system
September 6, 2026
On Sept. 5, 1977, Voyager 1 began its epic journey through deep space with a glorious morning launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Voyager 1 initially launched on a mission to explore the outer planets. After flying by Jupiter and Saturn in 1979 and 1980, the spacecraft…
This NASA-funded 'Slingshot' spacecraft idea could map minerals on planets and moons across our solar system
September 6, 2026
Nearby Earth, an iconic series of orbiting U.S. government satellites called Landsat have collectively been charting minerals and climate change for more than 50 years.
What if we can do the same thing in space? A new NASA early-stage project, whimsically named…
On this day in space! Sept. 4, 1962: NASA's Mariner 2 spacecrafts performs the 1st-ever maneuver in deep space so it could reach Venus
September 5, 2026
On Sept. 4, 1962, NASA’s Mariner 2 spacecraft performed the first-ever rocket maneuver in deep space as it did a quick mid-course correction on its way to Venus. It had launched just eight days earlier and needed to burn its engines to ensure that its trajectory would take it to Venus.
The midcourse maneuver was necessary because the Atlas-Agena rocket that launched Mariner 2 didn’t…
