The space of night is infinite,
The blackness and emptiness
Crossed only by thin bright fences
Of logic

— Kenneth Rexroth
"Theory of Numbers"

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Watch live: Ignis launches into space

ESO Top News - Mon, 06/09/2025 - 2:26am
Categories: Astronomy

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APOD - Mon, 06/09/2025 - 12:00am

Why would the sky glow like a giant repeating rainbow?


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

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APOD - Mon, 06/09/2025 - 12:00am

Wisps like this are all that remain visible of a Milky Way star.


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Did the Hubble Just Cancel the Milky Way-Andromeda Collision?

Universe Today - Sun, 06/08/2025 - 6:36pm

The idea that the Milky Way (MW) and Andromeda (M31) will collide emerged after decades of observations by a host of astronomers. The Hubble played a decisive role in the determination during the early 2000s. It was a triumph of precision astronomy and space telescopes. Now, the Hubble has played an equally important role in cancelling the collision.

Categories: Astronomy

The Next Moon Landing Will Be in High-Definition

Universe Today - Sun, 06/08/2025 - 6:36pm

The grainy videos from the Apollo Moon landings are treasured historical artifacts. For many of us, that footage will be lodged in our minds until our final synaptic spark sputters out. But like all technology since the space race days, video technology has advanced enormously, and the next Moon landings will be captured in high-definition video. The ESA is so focused on getting it right that they're practicing filming lunar landings in a special studio that mimics the conditions on the lunar surface.

Categories: Astronomy

Traveling to Mars and Ceres Using Lunar Gateway as a Springboard

Universe Today - Sun, 06/08/2025 - 6:36pm

How can humanity use the developing Lunar Gateway as an appropriate starting point for advancing human space exploration beyond the Moon? This is what a recent study presented at the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) hopes to address as a team of researchers evaluated a myriad of ways that Lunar Gateway could be used as a testbed for future technologies involving sending humans to Mars and Ceres. This study has the potential to help scientists, engineers, astronauts, and mission planners develop novel strategies for advancing long-term human space exploration.

Categories: Astronomy

Finding a Better Way to Distinguish Life from Non-Life

Universe Today - Sun, 06/08/2025 - 6:36pm

The search for life on other worlds needs a way to sift through the chemistry of their atmospheres. If another species observed Earth to search for life, they'd look for "smoking gun" chemistry in the atmosphere. That includes looking for oxygen, since it is created through photosynthesis by plants and some bacteria. So, the key is to look for life-dependent chemical "signals" at exoplanets.

Categories: Astronomy

Advanced Orbital Constellations for Solar Storm Defense

Universe Today - Sun, 06/08/2025 - 6:36pm

Solar storms have the potential to cause catastrophic damage. One that occurred around the end of October 2003 (now called the 2003 Halloween Storm) caused an estimated $27B in damages. That number will only increase as humanity has become more reliant on space-based and electrical infrastructure. However, if we could predict when storms would hit with some accuracy and adjust our use of the technologies that could be affected, we could avoid the worst damage. But, as of now, we don't have such a system that could help predict the types of events that could cause that damage accurately enough. That is where a new Sun activity monitoring system, described in a recent paper by Leonidas Askianakis of the Technical University of Munich, would help.

Categories: Astronomy

Advancing Deep Space Travel with Nuclear Propulsion

Universe Today - Sun, 06/08/2025 - 6:36pm

How can fission-powered propulsion help advance deep space exploration, specifically to the outer planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune? This is what a recent study presented at the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) hopes to address as a pair of researchers from India investigated the financial, logistical, and reliability of using fission power for future deep space missions. This study has the potential to help scientists, engineers, and future astronauts develop next-generation technologies as humanity continues to expand its presence in space.

Categories: Astronomy

Astronauts track huge dust clouds over Canada and US | On the ISS this week June 2-6, 2025

Space.com - Sun, 06/08/2025 - 10:00am
Preparations for the arrival of a visiting crew, the continued study of how humans adapt to microgravity and more highlight the sixth week of Expedition 73 on the International Space Station.
Categories: Astronomy

See the moon shine with famous red star Antares in the southern sky on June 9

Space.com - Sun, 06/08/2025 - 9:00am
Antares is a red supergiant star located 400 light-years from Earth.
Categories: Astronomy

China's Tianwen 2 spacecraft sends home 1st photo as it heads for mysterious 'quasi-moon' asteroid

Space.com - Sun, 06/08/2025 - 6:00am
China has revealed the first image from its Tianwen 2 asteroid sample return mission, which is now more than 3 million kilometers (1.9 million miles) from Earth.
Categories: Astronomy

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APOD - Sat, 06/07/2025 - 8:00pm

What's happening to this spiral galaxy?


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Sega Toys Homestar Classic star projector review

Space.com - Sat, 06/07/2025 - 3:00pm
If it's realism you're looking for, the Sega Toys Homestar Classic is the gold standard of star projectors.
Categories: Astronomy

Best space & sci-fi games on Nintendo Switch 2025: Metroid Prime, Citizen Sleeper, No Man's Sky, & more

Space.com - Sat, 06/07/2025 - 11:00am
You don't have to stay at home to enjoy great games. Game on the go with the best space and sci-fi games on the Nintendo Switch.
Categories: Astronomy

SpaceX fires up Super Heavy booster ahead of Starship's 10th test flight (video)

Space.com - Sat, 06/07/2025 - 10:00am
SpaceX conducted a static-fire test with one of its Super Heavy boosters today (June 6), part of the prep work for the next test flight of the Starship megarocket.
Categories: Astronomy

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 164 — Goodbye NASA?

Space.com - Sat, 06/07/2025 - 9:43am
On Episode 164 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss these concerning times for NASA with Casey Dreier, the Chief of Space Policy for The Planetary Society.
Categories: Astronomy

It's been nearly a century since Chicago saw a powerful dust storm like this (photos)

Space.com - Sat, 06/07/2025 - 9:00am
A historic dust storm hit Chicago last month, and a weather satellite gave us a bird's-eye view of the dramatic event.
Categories: Astronomy

June's full 'Strawberry Moon' illuminates the night sky this week: Here's how to see it

Space.com - Sat, 06/07/2025 - 6:00am
Don't miss the 2025 full "Strawberry Moon" when it rises above the southeastern horizon on June 10.
Categories: Astronomy