Cascade Volcanoes Shrouded in Smoke
From the International Space Station, astronauts photographed Mount Hood and Mount Rainier as wildfire smoke spread across the Pacific Northwest in summer 2026.
Space travel doesn't affect the strength of heart muscle cells, study finds
It's common to see images of astronauts on the International Space Station exercising, running on special treadmills and pedaling cycles designed for tight quarters.
A dying star offers a rare glimpse of how the universe recycles its raw materials
Astronomers have captured an unprecedented image of a cosmic recycling project in progress—fragments of a dying star being busted up, stripped and absorbed into interstellar space.
First supernovae may have seeded rocky planet building blocks 100 million years after the Big Bang
The building blocks of rocky planets may have begun forming just 100 million years after the Big Bang—long before the first galaxies even existed—according to new research from th…
This year's 'Masters of the Universe' movie wasn't Hollywood's first attempt at capturing the power of He-Man; they tried back in 1987, and failed then too
How bad timing, a studio in financial turmoil, and a movie that looked nothing like the cartoon conspired to defeat the most powerful man in the universe.
NASA Data Helps Commercial Space Plan Living Off Our Moon
The barren lunar landscape has some important resources, such as water and minerals like iron and titanium, but extracting and processing them will require special equipment. Wher…
Stellar stream beyond Milky Way offers new tool to map dark matter
In the image above, a faint trail of stars can be seen stretching across the galaxy. These structures, known as globular cluster stellar streams, are coherent stellar structures t…
2026 Total Solar Eclipse in Spain
A total solar eclipse is seen from San Millán de los Caballeros, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. A total solar eclipse – the Moon passing between the Sun and Earth, completely bl…
Total solar eclipse 2026 thrills millions with a stunning cosmic spectacle (photos, video)
A total solar eclipse wowed skywatchers on Aug. 12, 2026 as it arced across Greenland, Iceland and Spain. Here are our favorite photos and videos from the event.
Satellite constellations could create spiraling space debris
To date, close to 30,000 satellites have been launched into Earth's orbit, leading to mounting concerns over the debris created when they collide. In a new analysis posted to the …
Skies darken as solar eclipse heads south from Arctic to Spain
One of nature's greatest spectacles—a rare total solar eclipse—cast its shadow on Wednesday, briefly turning day into night in Russia's remote Arctic north and western Iceland bef…
Chemical fingerprints reveal hidden binary pasts of massive stars
More than 70% of massive stars are born in close binary systems, where gravitational tugs and mass transfer between companions dramatically alter their evolution. Yet once the int…
Radiation vest tested on NASA moonshot can cut astronauts' exposure in solar storms, study suggests
A new study suggests a protective vest tested on a manikin during NASA's first Artemis moonshot could drastically cut the radiation exposure of lunar astronauts during severe sola…
Total solar eclipse 2026 has begun. Here are the first views of totality
The first breathtaking photos of totality for the total solar eclipse 2026 are pouring in, revealing incredible views of the sun's atmosphere radiating out from behind the moon's …
What if there's a star inside a black hole?
There is a question that often comes up at every public talk I do, and I have never had a good answer to it—well, not an entirely confident one. What's inside a black hole? The te…
Radiation-shielding vest aced Artemis I lunar test, could protect astronauts on moon and Mars missions
A radiation-shielding vest aced its Artemis I lunar test in 2022, suggesting that it could protect astronauts on long-duration missions to the moon or Mars.
NASA Upgrades Vertical Motion Simulator for Modern Mission Needs
Imagine stepping into a machine that can make you feel like you’re flying a spacecraft, piloting a next generation air taxi, or landing on the Moon, all without leaving the ground…
Famous oddball quasar isn't X-ray weak after all, astronomers say
For more than two decades, the quasar PHL 1811 has been considered the prototype of a rare class of "intrinsically X-ray weak" quasars, thought to produce unusually little X-ray r…
NASA Astronaut Mike Fincke Leaves NASA, Career Includes 4 Spaceflights
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is departing the agency on Wednesday after 30 years of service. Throughout his career, he flew four missions, spent 549 days in space, and completed nin…
How to enjoy the solar eclipse safely
Most people underestimate how much light a pair of sunglasses blocks out. A typical dark pair removes around 80% to 90% of the visible light reaching the eye.
Pursuing a Dream of Working for NASA
As a young girl raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, Lindsey Waitt dreamed of working for NASA. Her dream is now a reality as she embarks on her role as a NASA test project enginee…
Farthest 'black hole star' ever found could help solve the James Webb Space Telescope's little red dot mystery
A distant black hole star is providing strong evidence that these objects lie at the hearts of the mysterious little red dots found shortly after the Big Bang by the James Webb Sp…
Mirage or miracle? JWST finds earliest known 'black hole star' at cosmic dawn
Little red dots have puzzled astronomers since their discovery in James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) data from the universe's deep past. Their "powering engines" might resemble a n…
APOD: 2026 August 12 – Perseids over a Little Planet
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 12 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmo…