Oh, would it not be absurd if there was no objective state?
What if the unobserved always waits, insubstantial,
till our eyes give it shape?

— Peter Hammill

Astronomy

Summer Begins in Northern Hemisphere

NASA Image of the Day - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 12:18pm
This full-disk image from NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite shows the Americas at the start of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere on June 21, 2012.
Categories: Astronomy, NASA

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APOD - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 12:00pm

What are all those streaks in the sky?


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Lego Star Wars Acclamator-Class Assault Ship review

Space.com - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 12:00pm
Its name might be a bit of a mouthful, but this Lego Star Wars ship is wonderfully pocket-sized while still packing in a lot of detail.
Categories: Astronomy

Summer solstice 2025 is here! Today marks the longest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere

Space.com - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 12:00pm
The 2025 summer solstice takes place on June 20, heralding the onset of astronomical summer and the longest day of the year.
Categories: Astronomy

Satellite streaks block out the Arctic sky | Space photo of the day for June 20, 2025

Space.com - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 11:00am
Researchers created a satellite tracking system to track satellite streaks across the Arctic for the first time ever.
Categories: Astronomy

Blue Origin launch of 6 people to suborbital space delayed again due to weather

Space.com - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 10:00am
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin plans to launch six people to suborbital space on the NS-33 mission are on hold due to local weather conditions in West Texas.
Categories: Astronomy

President of France Emmanuel Macron visits the Paris Space Hub

ESO Top News - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 9:18am
Image:

Marking the first public day of this year’s International Paris Air Show, the President of France Emmanuel Macron visited the Paris Space Hub.  

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander welcomed President Macron, introducing him to the assembled French astronauts and a group of young space professionals in attendance.  

French ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot joined by video link from the United States, where she is training for her upcoming mission to the International Space Station. Sophie detailed some of her training, explaining that no two days are alike. Fellow astronauts Thomas Pesquet, Jean-François Clervoy and Claudie Haignéré also addressed Sophie and offered their advice for her time in space. Together President Macron and Sophie announced that her mission will be named εpsilon, and revealed her mission patch.

Speaking about the development of the space industry, President Macron said Europe must increase investment in commercial space, and emphasised the importance of complementarity of public and private investment – particularly with the upcoming ESA Council at Ministerial level and ongoing discussions for the next EU multiannual financial framework. He also mentioned the developing need for dual-use space capacity including surveillance. President Macron highlighted the importance of research and of making Europe a destination for researchers in line with the EU Choose Europe for Science initiative. He also called on Europe to improve its competitiveness in space. Watch a replay of the visit.  

A new Letter of Intent between the European Space Agency and Dassault Aviation was also announced, signalling the common interest of the organisations in working on low Earth orbit exploration, in particular orbital vehicles. 

Categories: Astronomy

Week in images: 16-20 June 2025

ESO Top News - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 9:10am

Week in images: 16-20 June 2025

Discover our week through the lens

Categories: Astronomy

Space law doesn't protect historical sites, mining operations and bases on the moon – a space lawyer describes a framework that could

Space.com - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 9:00am
The moon is a key step in the journey of space exploration, but making it habitable brings up lots of questions around space law and policy
Categories: Astronomy

President Macron calls Sophie Adenot from Paris Air Show 2025

ESO Top News - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 8:30am
Video: 00:10:59

At Le Bourget Paris Air Show, French President Emmanuel Macron talks with ESA Astronaut Sophie Adenot about her mission 'εpsilon'.

Categories: Astronomy

Your passwords have probably been stolen and sold on the dark web

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 8:00am
Technology reporter Matthew Sparkes thought his passwords and personal data were safe, but a tour of the murkier sides of the internet revealed otherwise
Categories: Astronomy

Your passwords have probably been stolen and sold on the dark web

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 8:00am
Technology reporter Matthew Sparkes thought his passwords and personal data were safe, but a tour of the murkier sides of the internet revealed otherwise
Categories: Astronomy

εpsilon: Sophie Adenot’s first mission name and patch unveiled

ESO Top News - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 8:00am
Image:

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot’s first mission to the International Space Station now has a name: εpsilon. The mission name and patch were announced today at the Paris Air Show by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Sophie Adenot, who joined remotely from the United States, where she is training for her spaceflight.

Sophie Adenot is one of the five astronauts selected from ESA’s most recent astronaut class of 2022. Following the successful completion of their basic training in spring 2024, Josef Aschbacher announced during the Space Council in Brussels that Sophie and fellow graduate Raphaël Liégois had been assigned their first missions to the International Space Station, currently planned for 2026.

The εpsilon name and patch reflect the power of small, yet impactful contributions and how multiple parts unite to create a whole.

In mathematics, “ε” represents something small. In the extensive collaborative effort of space exploration, involving thousands of participants, all roles, including the astronaut's role, stay small yet meaningful.

The hummingbird, central to the patch, embodies this idea; though one of Earth’s smallest birds, it plays a crucial role in the jungle’s ecosystem, pollinating numerous plants.

Encircling the patch is a ring of small dots, symbolising the many small contributions that together make great achievements possible. All these little actions that can be coordinated to form a circle and close the loop. At the top, three of these dots are coloured – blue, white, and red – representing Sophie’s home country, France, and ESA’s exploration destinations: Earth, the Moon, and Mars.

The name εpsilon, being the fifth Greek letter and the fifth brightest star of the Leo constellation, also follows the French tradition to name human spaceflight missions after celestial bodies. It also pays tribute to the five career astronauts of ESA’s 2022 class. 

Three lines emerge from the “i” of the εpsilon, shaping the tail of a shooting star, a poetic reminder that dreams keep us alive.

At the base of the patch lies a rounded blue shape, representing Earth’s surface and its natural beauty: mountains, forests and landscapes that Sophie enjoys exploring. It serves as a reminder of our motivation for spaceflight: to explore, learn, and return with this knowledge to benefit life on Earth.

From an emotional perspective, the same message is conveyed. In life's intricate tapestry, small threads contribute to create the most beautiful patterns. A kind word, a gentle smile, a moment of patience - these seemingly insignificant actions can transform lives and shape destinies. This patch invites each of us to embrace the potential of our smallest actions as they ripple outward, touching hearts and inspiring souls.

During her εpsilon mission, Sophie will perform numerous scientific experiments, many of them European, conduct medical research, support Earth observation and contribute to operations and maintenance aboard the International Space Station.

Categories: Astronomy

Powerful X-class solar flare erupts from sun, knocking out radio signals across the Pacific (video)

Space.com - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 7:51am
Sunspot region 4114 has done it again! This time unleashing a colossal X1.9 solar flare.
Categories: Astronomy

To understand sunburn, you need to know how UV provokes inflammation

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 7:38am
We’ve known for nearly a century that UV radiation is linked to skin cancer, but modern advice about sunburn can be confusing. To understand what works, you need to know what UV really does to your skin
Categories: Astronomy

To understand sunburn, you need to know how UV provokes inflammation

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 7:38am
We’ve known for nearly a century that UV radiation is linked to skin cancer, but modern advice about sunburn can be confusing. To understand what works, you need to know what UV really does to your skin
Categories: Astronomy

Dead NASA satellite unexpectedly emits powerful radio pulse

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 7:00am
Astronomers are puzzled by a strong burst of radio waves traced back to a NASA satellite that had been inactive since the 1960s
Categories: Astronomy

Dead NASA satellite unexpectedly emits powerful radio pulse

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 7:00am
Astronomers are puzzled by a strong burst of radio waves traced back to a NASA satellite that had been inactive since the 1960s
Categories: Astronomy

How Does a Gravitational Slingshot Work?

Scientific American.com - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 6:45am

Spacecraft can get a significant boost by stealing energy from planets

Categories: Astronomy

Webb Shows That Young Stars Inherit Their Water From the Cosmos

Universe Today - Fri, 06/20/2025 - 6:21am

The early Solar System was filled with both hydrogen and oxygen that can chemically bond into water. But did we create all the water, or was some of it inherited from the earlier times, already present in the protostellar nebula? Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to study a newly-forming protoplanetary system called L1527 IRS, which will eventually become a star like our Sun. They found evidence that water from interstellar space is preserved when it becomes part of a new star system.

Categories: Astronomy