"The large-scale homogeneity of the universe makes it very difficult to believe that the structure of the universe is determined by anything so peripheral as some complicated molecular structure on a minor planet orbiting a very average star in the outer suburbs of a fairly typical galaxy."

— Steven Hawking

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SpaceX launches 26 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from California

Space.com - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 10:18pm
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 26 Starlink internet broadband satellites into low Earth orbit after lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 15, 2025.
Categories: Astronomy

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APOD - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 8:00pm

What is going on with this galaxy?


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

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APOD - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 8:00pm

Why isn't this ant a big sphere?


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

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APOD - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 8:00pm

As the Sun set, a bright Full Moon rose on July 10.


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

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APOD - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 8:00pm


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

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APOD - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 8:00pm

Stars are forming in Lynds Dark Nebula


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

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APOD - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 8:00pm


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

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APOD - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 8:00pm

What's happened in Hebes Chasma on Mars?


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

The precursors of life could form in the lakes of Saturn's moon Titan

Space.com - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 6:00pm
New research indicates that cellular "pockets" that are the first step toward protocells, the precursors of life, could form in the methane seas of Saturn's moon Titan.
Categories: Astronomy

Watch SpaceX launch the 3rd batch of satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper megaconstellation early on July 16

Space.com - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 4:00pm
SpaceX plans to launch 24 of Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband satellites early Wednesday morning (July 16), the 56th anniversary of the Apollo 11 liftoff.
Categories: Astronomy

Revenge of the Savage Planet is an 'upbeat, optimistic dystopia' that pulls no punches on our corporate overlords (interview)

Space.com - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 3:00pm
'We had an idea for a meat planet' — Revenge of the Savage Planet game director Alex Hutchinson talks strange new worlds and mocking corporate spaceflight.
Categories: Astronomy

Astronomers Use the Colours of Trans-Neptunian Objects' to Track an Ancient Stellar Flyby

Universe Today - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 2:38pm

Trans-Neptunian Objects reside in the distant Solar System as remnants of the System's early days. They follow unusual orbits and range in colour from reds to greys. New research uses their colours and orbits to show how a stellar flyby can account for their modern-day orbits.

Categories: Astronomy

Newly-Discovered Interstellar Comet is Billions of Years Older Than the Solar System

Universe Today - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 2:38pm

All eyes are on the newly discovered interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, currently inbound to the inner solar system. Initial observations have revealed that it's rich in water ice, and it's believed that it originated from the Milky Way's thick disk, ancient stars that orbit above and below the galactic plane. This could mean that 3I/ATLAS is billions of years older than the Solar System, the oldest comet ever discovered. It should reveal more as it heats up and outgasses as it gets closer to the Sun.

Categories: Astronomy

Synthetic Biology Could Support Future Outposts on the Moon and Mars

Universe Today - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 2:38pm

When we leave Earth, we have to bring everything with us, from the air we breathe to the food we eat. For example, a 6-person, 1000-day mission might require 108 tonnes of food. In a new paper, researchers suggest ways that synthetic biology could allow us to convert local resources, regenerate resources in closed-loop environments, protect explorers from radiation, and create custom medicine on demand to support long-term space exploration.

Categories: Astronomy

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Could Find More Very Massive Stars

Universe Today - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 2:38pm

Very massive stars (VMSs)have had a massive impact on the formation of our universe. However, there aren’t very many of them, with only around 20 known specimens in the Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud. Even observing those is difficult for the current generation of telescopes, which is where an unexpected technological champion might play a role. According to a new paper by Fabrice Martins of CNRS and a group of European and American researchers, the upcoming Habitable World Observatory (HWO) might be our most useful tool when it comes to finding these elusive giants.

Categories: Astronomy

Satellite Constellations Are Too Bright, Threatening Astronomy and Our Night Sky

Universe Today - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 2:38pm

Our quest for universal internet is stealing the stars. Thousands of satellites now travelling across the night sky are far brighter than international safety limits, turning what was once humanity's window to the cosmos into a highway of artificial lights. New research reveals that major constellations like Starlink and OneWeb are breaking the brightness rules designed to protect both cutting edge astronomy and the simple joy of stargazing potentially robbing future generations of the dark skies that have inspired wonder for centuries.

Categories: Astronomy

Scientists Solve 400 Year Old Solar Mystery

Universe Today - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 2:38pm

For over four centuries, the dark blemishes on our Sun's surface have puzzled astronomers. Now, German scientists have cracked the code behind sunspot stability, revealing how these Earth sized magnetic monsters, each powerful enough to rival an MRI machine yet spanning areas larger than our entire planet, maintain their grip on the solar surface for weeks or months at a time. This breakthrough not only solves one of astronomy's oldest mysteries but could revolutionize our ability to predict the explosive solar storms that threaten our satellite dependent world.

Categories: Astronomy

Earth Was Born With Water; No Delivery Needed

Universe Today - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 2:38pm

The source of Earth's water is one of the most compelling questions facing scientists. Earth's habitability depends on multiple factors, but water is the basis for life, and it had to come from somewhere. Did comets and meteorites deliver it after Earth formed? Or did water become part of our planet as it formed?

Categories: Astronomy

A Lunar Base Could Start with a Dome over a Crater Made of Regolith

Universe Today - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 2:38pm

When astronauts live on the Moon permanently, they're going to need a safe habitat, ideally made out of local construction material. A new paper suggests that lunar astronauts could cover a 17-meter crater with a dome made from a lunar regolith-based geopolymer. A 3D printer would extrude a paste made of lunar regolith that would be sintered together into the shape of the dome. This would provide protection from radiation and could even maintain a pressurized habitat.

Categories: Astronomy

This Earth-sized Exoplanet is On a Death Spiral

Universe Today - Tue, 07/15/2025 - 2:38pm

An international team of astronomers have discovered an Earth-size exoplanet on a very tight orbit around its star. It completes an orbit in only 5 hours and 22 minutes. Unfortunately, the planet will either be torn to pieces or crash into its star in about 31 million years.

Categories: Astronomy