The Aug. 12 total solar eclipse didn’t only plunge millions of people across Greenland, Iceland and Spain into a false twilight — a fleet of spacecraft orbiting our planet managed to capture the magic, too.
August’s total solar eclipse occurred as the moon passed directly between the sun and Earth during its monthly new moon phase. Those lucky enough to be in the path of totality…
A 'river' of cosmic gas 1 trillion miles long sent planets in the Orion constellation into tilted orbits
August 18, 2026
A rare planet-forming disk around a young triple-star system in the Orion constellation has been tipped over by a river of gas over 1 trillion miles (1.6 trillion kilometers) long. The discovery, made at radio wavelengths with ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter…
'This is unprecedented': Why the Pentagon's recent UFO file releases are so important
August 18, 2026
As “The X Files” famously told us, “the truth is out there.” But at the same time, inquiring minds are immersed today in finding out whether or not the proof is out there — specifically, proof that at least some unidentified anomalous phenomena…
Blue Origin adding second pad to Cape Canaveral launch complex amid rocket explosion repairs
August 18, 2026
Blue Origin plans to return its Florida launch site to a dual-pad facility to support its bigger, more powerful New Glenn “9×4” rocket, which is still under development.
As facility repairs continue following the explosion of one of Blue Origin’s New Glenn “7×2” rockets during tests at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex-36 in May, the…
NASA has formally invited India to participate in its effort to build a permanent base near the moon’s south pole, adding a new dimension to the deep-space cooperation between the two countries.
The invitation was extended last week at the Indian space agency…
SpaceX rocket's moon crash highlights 'a tangible operational risk' of lunar settlement
August 17, 2026
The moon dust has settled after a 4.5-ton SpaceX rocket body slammed into terrain near Einstein Crater on Aug. 5.
That impact site was imaged by South Korea’s moon-orbiting Danuri spacecraft, as well as by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Reportedly, a…
Our expert thinks this portable Celestron telescope will delight beginners and younger stargazers
August 17, 2026
Small telescopes have really come on leaps and bounds in recent years. There was a time when refractors with apertures smaller than 4 inches were seldom to be recommended, but manufacturers have been pushing the capabilities of smaller apertures ever further, with optical coatings and high quality, mass-produced optics helping to eke out every little bit of capability from these pocket-sized…
The Perseid meteor shower peaked last night in spectacular fashion, dazzling stargazers as countless shooting stars blazed overhead mere hours after a total solar eclipse saw the lunar disk hide the sun over Greenland, Iceland and Spain.
Perseid shooting stars appear as…
When is the next solar eclipse? Mark your calendar for an upcoming 'ring of fire' and the 'eclipse of the century'
August 14, 2026
Yesterday (Aug.12), millions of people enjoyed a total solar eclipse as it swept across parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain, while a partial solar eclipse was visible across much of Europe and northwest Africa.
If all that eclipse excitement has you eager for more, the…
Satellites high above Earth may soon have fewer places to hide.
San Francisco-based company Astranis announced today (Aug. 13) that it’s developing a line of spacecraft called Perceptor, which will keep an eye on satellite activity in geostationary orbit (GEO).
GEO lies 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth, an altitude at which orbital speed matches our planet’s rotational…
