Astronomy

The ice giants remain some of the most interesting places to explore in the solar system. Uranus in particular has drawn a lot of interest lately, especially after the 2022 Decadal Survey from the National Academies named it as the highest priority destination. But as of now, we still don’t have a fully fleshed out and planned mission ready to go for the multiple launch windows in the 2030s. That might actually be an advantage, though, as a new system coming online might change the overall mission design fundamentally. Starship recently continued its recent string of successful tests, and a new paper presented at the IEEE Aerospace Conference by researchers at MIT looked at how this new, much more capable launch system, could impact the development of the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) that the Decadal Survey suggested.

After checking out the two binocular comets right after dark this week, catch a double shadow transit on Jupiter and the late-night Orionid meteors.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 17 – 26 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The FDA wants to reevaluate the use of aluminum adjuvants despite a long record of safe use in vaccines

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can be life-threatening, but there are new treatments to prevent and treat the disease.

Quantum computers hold great potential for solving many problems more quickly or efficiently than conventional computers, but researchers are starting to identify where they could falter

Quantum computers hold great potential for solving many problems more quickly or efficiently than conventional computers, but researchers are starting to identify where they could falter

One of the longest trials of artificial sweeteners to date found that they may increase beneficial gut bacteria, though the boost may also be related to weight loss

One of the longest trials of artificial sweeteners to date found that they may increase beneficial gut bacteria, though the boost may also be related to weight loss

Physicists have tried so many different ways to find dark matter, but none has been successful. Now an unexpected contender has entered the arena - ordinary table sugar.

Physicists have tried so many different ways to find dark matter, but none has been successful. Now an unexpected contender has entered the arena - ordinary table sugar.

Alien civilizations may evolve so quickly that they are only detectable for a blink of cosmic time, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence.

The longest-duration burst of gamma rays on record might mark the moment a black hole tunneled through a star and blew it up from within.

The post Black Hole Eats through Star, Explodes it from Within appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Earth is a dynamic place, both on its surface and down to its very core. The European Space Agency (ESA) recently released findings from its Swarm constellation of Earth-observing satellites highlighting this fact, documenting activity in the planet’s magnetic field during its decade plus of extended operations. One key finding shows the well-known Southern Atlantic Anomaly is expanding in size.

Week in images: 13-17 October 2025

Discover our week through the lens

Experiencing severe hardship in childhood can have a lasting impact. Understanding this better could open the door to more effective treatments

Experiencing severe hardship in childhood can have a lasting impact. Understanding this better could open the door to more effective treatments

School closures and hospitalizations from an unexpected early spike in flu cases in Japan has experts concerned about what lies ahead for other countries

A comet visible to the naked eye will make its closest approach to Earth on October 21

Voracious supermassive black holes light up the cores of “active” galaxies across the universe. How we see them, however, is a matter of perspective

A new chip design includes 41 vertical layers of semiconductor and insulator materials, which allow it to outrun the limits of miniaturisation