The forces of rotation caused red hot masses of stones to be torn away from the Earth and to be thrown into the ether, and this is the origin of the stars.

— Anaxagoras 428 BC

Astronomy

Ancient Moon Rock Reveals Missing Chapter in Lunar History

Universe Today - 14 hours 11 min ago

A 2.35 billion year old rock that fell from the sky in Africa is rewriting our understanding of the Moon's past. This ancient meteorite, blasted off the lunar surface has revealed that our closest neighbor remained volcanically active for nearly a billion years longer than scientists previously knew. With its unique chemical fingerprint pointing to deep lunar origins, this rare space rock proves that sometimes the most extraordinary discoveries don't require billion dollar missions, they literally drop into our laps, carrying secrets from space.

Categories: Astronomy

A Small Satellite Could See a Perfect Solar Eclipse Every Month

Universe Today - 14 hours 11 min ago

Why wait for rare solar eclipses? ESA's Proba mission can now create an artificial solar eclipse once a day. Now, a UK-led mission could do the same trick, but using the Moon's shadow to provide a 48-minute total eclipse once every lunar orbit (29.6 days). Named the Moon-Enabled Sun Occultation Mission (MESOM), the small spacecraft would align its orbit with the Moon, blocking the Sun perfectly, allowing observations of the solar atmosphere.

Categories: Astronomy

The Roman Space Telescope is Coming Together as Engineers Install its Solar Panels

Universe Today - 14 hours 11 min ago

On June 14 and 16, technicians installed solar panels onto NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, one of the final steps in assembling the observatory. Collectively called the Solar Array Sun Shield, these panels will power and shade the observatory, enabling all the mission’s observations and helping keep the instruments cool. “At this point, the […]

Categories: Astronomy

Celebrate the JWST's Third Anniversary With This Stunning Image

Universe Today - 14 hours 11 min ago

It's crazy to think that the JWST has already been working for three years. It's repeatedly impressed us not only with its powerful science observations, but also with stunning images that capture our interest even if we didn't know what we were seeing. Now, the telescope is celebrating its third anniversary with a glorious image of the Cat's Paw Nebula.

Categories: Astronomy

Observing the Dark Ages of the Universe from the Far Side of the Moon

Universe Today - 14 hours 11 min ago

Shortly after the Big Bang, after the CMB was released, there was a time that's tricky to observe called Cosmic Dark Ages. Clouds of hydrogen could be detected at that time using a specific frequency of radio waves, but Earth's radiation introduces too much noise. Researchers are proposing a CubeSat called Cosmo Cube that could orbit the Moon, observing when it's in the quiet radio shadow cast by the Moon. It could help detect the first structures coming together, leading to the formation of the first galaxies.

Categories: Astronomy

Most warming this century may be due to air pollution cuts

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - 14 hours 46 min ago
Satellite data suggests cloud darkening is responsible for much of the warming since 2001, and the good news is that it is a temporary effect due to a drop in sulphate pollution
Categories: Astronomy

Most warming this century may be due to air pollution cuts

Satellite data suggests cloud darkening is responsible for much of the warming since 2001, and the good news is that it is a temporary effect due to a drop in sulphate pollution
Categories: Astronomy

Gravitational waves reveal most massive black hole merger ever detected — one 'forbidden' by current models

Space.com - 14 hours 46 min ago
Gravitational wave detectors have "heard" the ripples in space caused by the most massive black hole merger yet. One "forbidden" by current theoretical models.
Categories: Astronomy

LIGO has spotted the most massive black hole collision ever detected

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Sun, 07/13/2025 - 8:01pm
A puzzling gravitational wave was detected, and astronomers have determined that it comes from a record-breaking black hole merger
Categories: Astronomy

LIGO has spotted the most massive black hole collision ever detected

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Sun, 07/13/2025 - 8:01pm
A puzzling gravitational wave was detected, and astronomers have determined that it comes from a record-breaking black hole merger
Categories: Astronomy

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APOD - Sun, 07/13/2025 - 4:00pm

It came from outer space.


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Private Ax-4 astronauts heading back to Earth early July 14: Watch it live

Space.com - Sun, 07/13/2025 - 11:00am
The private Ax-4 astronaut mission will undock from the International Space Station on Monday morning (July 14), and you can watch the action live.
Categories: Astronomy

'Pebble' beaches around young stars join together to form planets

Space.com - Sun, 07/13/2025 - 10:00am
Planetary construction sites around other stars are filled with pebbles, and for the first time radio telescopes have detected these tiny chunks of rock that stick together to form planets.
Categories: Astronomy

Experts ask where the center of the universe is

Space.com - Sun, 07/13/2025 - 9:00am
With the universe constantly expanding, scientists have a hard time finding where its center is.
Categories: Astronomy

Feast your eyes on the shortlisted pics for the 2025 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards (photos)

Space.com - Sun, 07/13/2025 - 8:00am
The winners will be announced during a ceremony in September.
Categories: Astronomy

Earth may have at least 6 'minimoons' at any given time. Where do they come from?

Space.com - Sun, 07/13/2025 - 6:00am
"It is incredible that modern telescopic surveys have the ability to detect such small objects up to millions of kilometers away."
Categories: Astronomy

SpaceX launches mystery satellite to geostationary transfer orbit (video)

Space.com - Sun, 07/13/2025 - 1:21am
SpaceX launched a mystery satellite to geostationary transfer orbit from Florida's Space Coast early Sunday morning (July 13).
Categories: Astronomy

Binary Stars Out of Sync: One Hosts a Giant Planet, While its Companion is Still Forming Planet

Universe Today - Sat, 07/12/2025 - 5:41pm

A team of international researchers led by Tomas Stolker in the Netherlands has imaged a young gas giant exoplanet near a 12-million-year-old star. The planet is orbiting a star whose planet formation has finished, while a same-aged companion star in this double star system still has a planet-forming disk.

Categories: Astronomy

Breakthrough Listen Releases Results for 27 Eclipsing Exoplanets

Universe Today - Sat, 07/12/2025 - 5:41pm

In a recent study, a team of astronomers examined 27 confirmed and candidate exoplanets identified by TESS for signs of radio transmissions during star-planet occultations. The purpose was to see if radio signals from these targets of interest (TOIs) were interrupted as they passed behind their stars, thereby indicating that they were artificial in origin.

Categories: Astronomy