Sky and Solar

Exploring 'very low Earth orbit': The world's 1st air-breathing satellite thruster could soon get a test run
09 August 2026

Air-breathing electric propulsion could help satellites explore a new frontier, one that lies quite close to our planet.
On this day in space! Aug. 9, 1976: Soviet Luna 24 sample return probe launches to the moon
09 August 2026

On Aug. 9, 1976, the Soviet space program launched its last moon mission. Luna 24 was a robotic sample return mission and the third of its kind.
The total solar eclipse on Aug. 12 will reveal something nobody has ever seen before
09 August 2026

A naked-eye view of the sun's outer atmosphere is the reason eclipse chasers travel the world. Here's what it may look like on Aug. 12.
Here's what to expect from 5 stages of the total solar eclipse 2026
09 August 2026

From first contact to totality and beyond, this is what will happen during each stage of the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse.
SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites to orbit from California (video)
08 August 2026

SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit today (Aug. 8) from California's scenic central coast.

How to observe the 12 August 2026 solar eclipse
07 August 2026

On the evening of 12 August 2026, the Moon will pass between Earth and the Sun, producing a striking solar eclipse. Find out how, when and where to observe it safely.
Falcon 9 lunar impact: More than a new crater
05 August 2026

Today’s impact of a spent Falcon 9 rocket stage on the Moon may sound dramatic, but it is neither the first human-made object to strike our natural satellite nor the largest.
Euclid opens a new window on the first billion years of cosmic history
25 July 2026

One of the biggest mysteries in modern astronomy is how the Universe managed to grow enormous black holes so quickly.
Caught in the act: the wind that could kill a galaxy
10 June 2026

A powerful wind in the early Universe may explain why some massive galaxies lived fast and died young by stopping forming stars far sooner than expected.
Europe’s Mars rover may land in the remains of a vast ancient water system
04 June 2026

New orbital mapping suggests Rosalind Franklin’s Oxia Planum landing site is part of a clay-rich region hundreds of kilometres wide, raising the possibility that it records a much larger watery episode in Mars’s early history.
Moon dust preserves record of life’s building blocks
14 April 2026

The Moon may preserve a record of the raw ingredients that helped life begin on Earth. New analysis of lunar samples returned by China’s Chang’e missions has revealed a diverse suite of organic compounds embedded within the soil.