Sky and Solar

Returning the first samples from a Martian moon: Inside the science of Japan's bold MMX mission to Mars
18 October 2026

Japan's mission to Mars' moons could answer a decades old question dividing the origins of Phobos and Deimos between two conflicting theories, and make history as the first spacecraft to return to Earth from orbit of the Red Planet.
Computer scientist Margaret Hamilton was a problem-solver for the ages (op-ed)
18 October 2026

The world will miss Margaret Hamilton, the pioneering programmer who helped NASA land Apollo astronauts on the moon. But we will always have her example to inspire us.
On this day in space! Oct. 18, 1963: France's Félicette Becomes the 1st Cat in Space! >^..^
18 October 2026

On Oct. 18, 1963, a cat went to space! Félicette was a French "catstronaut" who became the first and only feline to fly to space. Here's why it mattered.
Astronomers want your help finding 'missing' black holes in the Milky Way
18 October 2026

A citizen science project is seeking volunteers to comb through NASA telescope data for telltale signs of the galaxy's hidden black holes.
10 best places to see the 2027 total solar eclipse in Spain
18 October 2026

From the Costa del Sol to whitewashed mountain villages, here are 10 of the best places in southern Spain to experience the Aug. 2, 2027 total solar eclipse.

Happy New Year, Mars! The Red Planet is turning 39
29 September 2026

On 30 September the Red Planet officially begins Mars Year 39. Which is quite an achievement for a world that is actually more than 4.5 billion years old.
3I/ATLAS was born in the deep freeze
08 September 2026

Another piece of evidence suggests that this visitor formed in the bitterly cold outer reaches of a distant planetary system.
Roman Space Telescope launches on mission to survey the Universe
30 August 2026

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has begun its journey into space, starting a mission that will survey the Universe on an unprecedented scale in search of clues to dark energy, dark matter and worlds beyond our Solar System.
JWST’s ‘impossible’ early galaxies may be even more massive than we thought
24 August 2026

Faint, low-mass stars could be hiding much of the mass in distant galaxies, making the surprisingly large galaxies discovered by JWST in the early Universe even harder to explain.
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.