Launch Preview: Swift rescue mission, final Atlas satellite launch
Hot Jupiters are some of the most extreme planets in the universe, blazing gas giants like Jupiter or Saturn that exist so close to their stars that they complete orbits in a matter of days. Now, new research may rewrite the definition of these planets that make the solar system look a little bit mundane….
The Artemis 2 mission patch. Credit: NASA/Gregory Manchess. Most missions to space, whether they be human or robotic, are long-term endeavors. Even diminutive CubeSats require multiple years of concerted effort to reach the launch pad. These preparations can feel like a marathon from the perspective of the people who design and build a spacecraft, but there are…
The first full moon of summer, June’s Strawberry Moon, wowed skywatchers worldwide with a spectacular display. June’s full moon was the lowest-hanging full moon of the year for observers in the Northern Hemisphere. That’s because a full moon always sits opposite the sun in the sky. During the summer solstice that just passed on June…
Science & Exploration 01/07/2026 446 views 5 likes Five explorers from three space agencies have successfully completed ESA’s CAVES training course in Italy. For two intense weeks, deep below the Apennine Mountains, caves became their training laboratory. Trainees had to adapt to an alien underworld that shares many analogies with a space mission: isolation,…
An image of the 2024 total solar eclipse Allexxandar/Alamy On 12 August, a total solar eclipse will sweep across parts of Europe and the Atlantic ocean as the moon passes between Earth and the sun, blocking out sunlight. Parts of the US and Africa, along with the entire UK and much of Europe and Canada,…
Some of the most massive galaxies in the Universe appear to be missing a lot of stars. That seems unusual, since birthing stars is one of a galaxy’s main tasks as it grows. According to Xin “Cindy” Xiang of the University of Michigan, something is suppressing or quenching the births of stars in these galaxies,…