Space debris: Are we on track for true sustainability? (op-ed)
Space is a critical infrastructure layer, underpinning nearly all systems that enable modern life as we know it. It’s therefore critical to maintain a safe and clean orbital envir…
A mineral from the inside of planets reveals a surprising lesson: How you push matters
In the deepest region of the Earth's mantle, just above the core, much of the material consists of crystals of magnesium oxide. In larger rocky exoplanets called super-Earths, the…
APOD: 2026 October 23 – Andromeda in Southern Spring
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 23 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosm…
El Niño Then and Now
A 35-year satellite altimetry record lets scientists hold this year’s El Niño up against its strongest predecessors.
Autonomous triangular modules could build tomorrow's mega-observatories
Private companies are getting better at launching more mass into space with larger rockets. But there is still a major constraint on the size of objects we can get into orbit—fair…
Europe's Space Rider vehicle comes crashing down during drop test
The full-scale prototype of Europe's Space Rider orbiter failed to deploy its parachute during a drop test earlier this month, but ESA officials hope the setback won't delay progr…
NASA Invites Media to 2026 von Braun Space Exploration Symposium
Members of the media are invited to join NASA at the 2026 von Braun Space Exploration Symposium from Monday, Oct. 26, to Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the University of Alabama in Huntsv…
Spiral’s Edge
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image released on Oct. 16, 2026, features the edge-on, intermediate spiral galaxy NGC 1827, located roughly 37 million light-years away in the con…
On this day in space! Oct. 22, 1992: Ashes of 'Star Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry launch into space on NASA shuttle
On Oct. 22, 1992, the space shuttle Columbia launched into space with the ashes of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of "Star Trek." Here's why it mattered.
After Starshield interruption, Ukraine wants to build its own satellite communication network with ICEYE and Nokia
Ukraine's military just signed a letter of intent with Nokia and the Finnish satellite maker ICEYE to look into developing a sovereign satellite-communication system for the war-t…
The 2027 total solar eclipse will plunge these 10 ancient Egyptian temples and monuments into darkness
The "eclipse of the century" will plunge some of ancient Egypt's most spectacular sites into darkness on Aug. 2, 2027. These temples, tombs and monuments are inside the path of to…
Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night' depicts the sky on July 22, 1889, researchers find
Researchers think they might have pinpointed the exact night sky that we see depicted in Vincent van Gogh's iconic painting "The Starry Night."
Webb captures stars in the early stages of life in a nearby stellar nursery
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope continues to reveal hidden parts of the cosmos with its advanced suite of infrared instruments. In a newly released image, Webb reveale…
Webb image reveals young stars brewing in a nebulous cauldron
In this Picture of the Month from the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope, we visit a turbulent cauldron of star formation to see what is brewing inside dense clumps of gas. This …
NASA’s Hubble Charts Path for Roman with Gravitational Lenses
This observation is one of many gravitational lensing images taken by Hubble in preparation for science with the new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
Supermassive black holes ejected from galactic centers? Quasar survey supports decade-old prediction
By analyzing data on around 100,000 quasars, or extremely luminous galactic nuclei, researchers at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) have found statistical evidence that some superm…
'Cabin leak suspected': Artemis II astronaut reveals how a warning nearly derailed NASA's epic moon mission
Victor Glover recalls how a suspected cabin leak warning came just 15 minutes before a crucial engine burn — and why receiving it just five minutes later could have changed everyt…
Black hole observations uncover evidence of solar storm–like magnetic eruptions
Technion researchers have presented evidence for the existence of solar-storm-like outbursts near supermassive black holes, which can be a million times larger than the sun or mor…
The sky in Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' matches the predawn sky around July 22, 1889
New research published in Scientific Reports finds that the sky in Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night" (1889) matches, in both observation and shape, the predawn sky over Saint-Rémy…
There should be black holes in our neighborhood. Can we find them?
Scientific estimates show that there should be between about 100 million and 1 billion stellar-mass black holes in the Milky Way. But they aren't easy to locate. They're not like …
Curtain-like plasma structures explain solar jets' apparent spinning in simulations
An international team of scientists from the University of Sheffield and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, led by a postdoctoral research fellow from the University of Newcast…
Australia's bizarre 'Spider Crater' seen from orbit | Space photo of the day for Oct. 22, 2026
A satellite image of "Spider Crater" in Western Australia.
Are 'mega-Earths' real? Stellar activity may explain these oversized rocky worlds
A new study suggests that some of the heaviest rocky planets ever reported may not be as heavy as they look. These so-called 'mega-Earths,' rocky planets weighing more than about …
Next Mass Effect game cancelled as EA shuts down legendary sci-fi RPG studio BioWare
The legendary RPG studio behind classics such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age is no more.