View larger. | Artist’s illustration of Pioneer Venus 2 approaching Venus in 1978. The mission consisted of a main spacecraft, 1 large probe and 3 small probes. A new analysis of archived data from the mission shows much more water in Venus’ clouds and less sulfuric acid than scientists previously thought. Image via NASA/ Paul Hudson.| EarthSky
View larger. | Prototype of a Tumbleweed rover nicknamed Pink Lady, in the Negev desert in Israel. Swarms of Tumbleweed rovers could explore large areas of Mars, using only the wind to move around, just like tumbleweeds. Image via OEWF/ AMADEE20/ Kingsnorth et al./ Europlanet (CC BY 4.0).| EarthSky
View larger. | Artist’s concept of a collision between 2 rocky bodies in the early solar system. Scientists previously thought this was how Mercury became the planet we know today. But new evidence suggests the collision that formed Mercury was actually a grazing impact between 2 much more similarly sized bodies. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ Wikimedia Commons.| EarthSky
View larger. | Enhanced color image from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter showing part of Jezero crater. In the middle of this image is an ancient delta formed by a river billions of years ago. New research shows that Jezero crater, the location of NASA’s Perseverance rover, experienced multiple periods of water and habitability. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ MSSS/ JHUAPL.| EarthSky
View larger. | Artist’s concept of the white dwarf star WD 1647+375 surrounded by a disk of rocky and dusty debris. This hungry white dwarf is tearing apart and consuming a Pluto-like object with its immense gravity. Image via NASA/ Tim Pyle (NASA/JPL-Caltech).| EarthSky
A new meteor shower — the Chi Cygnids — appears to be producing an increasing number of meteors. It might be headed toward a peak in mid-September. Will you catch one of the slow, rare and mysterious Chi Cygnids? Join EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd live at 12:15 p.m. CDT (17:15 UTC) on Monday, September 8, to find out when, where, and how to try. Watch in the player above, or on YouTube.| EarthSky
Mike Olason took this image of the new Comet SWAN on April 17, 2025. Mike said the tail disappeared, with just a little fan tail remaining. Thank you, Mike! Used with permission.Looking up has never felt more important.| EarthSky
Comet expert Michael Mattiazzo captured this image of the new comet R2 SWAN this past week using a 200mm lens. Note the circle around a faint object at upper right. That’s the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS! Used with permission.If you like Comet SWAN, you’ll love Comet Lemmon, which is forecast to become even brighter than SWAN! Read about Comet Lemmon here. And don’t forget about our interstellar comet, 3I/ATLAS. October 2025 is a great month for comets! | EarthSky
This is a replica of the Kosmos 482 Soviet spacecraft, once bound for Venus. An error in a timer caused an engine to fail to fire, and the craft was stuck in Earth orbit for 53 years. See how tough it looks? It was built to withstand the high temperatures and high atmospheric pressures on Venus. Image via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).Your support = more science, more stars, more wonder. Donate to EarthSky and be part of something bigger.| EarthSky
Here’s an illustration showing the path of asteroid 2025 OS that safely passed Earth on July 18. Image via NASA/ JPL. Used with permission.Asteroid 2025 OS passed Earth this weekend| EarthSky
An asteroid with the name 2025 TF passed Earth not far above Antarctica at 7:49 p.m. CDT on September 30, 2025. Then, around 2:02 p.m. CDT on October 2, 2025, an asteroid passed just over northern Canada. (See 2nd chart below.) These 2 asteroids were small and did not pose a threat to Earth. Image via NASA/ JPL/ CNEOS.2 asteroids safely buzzed by Earth this week| EarthSky
On 3 October, ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) turned its eyes toward interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passed close to Mars. Comet 3I/ATLAS is the slightly fuzzy white dot moving downward near the middle of the image. Despite not being designed to capture something so far away, ExoMars TGO revealed the coma of gas and dust surrounding the icy-rocky nucleus. Image via ESA/ TGO/ CaSSIS.| EarthSky
Astronomers discovered the 1st planet orbiting a sunlike star in 1995. Here is a comparison showing an artists’ concept of 51 Pegasi b to Jupiter and 51 Pegasi to our sun. Image via NASA Exoplanet Exploration.51 Pegasi b: 1st planet found orbiting a sunlike star| EarthSky
Our sun’s closest neighbors among the stars, including Proxima Centauri. Image via NASA PhotoJournal.Discovery of Proxima Centauri announced in 1915| EarthSky
A new study says light passing through dark matter could pick up a tell-tale red or blue tint. It could help scientists distinguish between dark matter models. The post Dark matter might leave a colorful ‘fingerprint’ on light first appeared on EarthSky.| Space | EarthSky
Saturn's rings are a glorious highlight of our solar system. But how long have they existed? And what will happen to them? Find out all that and more. The post Saturn’s rings are weird and wonderful: 10 facts here first appeared on EarthSky.| Space | EarthSky
Astronomers have made a surprising discovery of phosphine on brown dwarf Wolf 1130C. It had been predicted but not seen in brown dwarf atmospheres until now. The post Phosphine on brown dwarf is 1st found in surprise discovery first appeared on EarthSky.| Space | EarthSky
Researchers have discovered further evidence for an ancient ocean on Mars, in the form of backwater deposits and ridges left by rivers billions of years ago. The post New evidence for ocean on Mars found in ancient rivers first appeared on EarthSky.| Space | EarthSky
For the 1st time, scientists have traced how magnetic fields in star-forming clouds interact with gravity to control the birth of new stars. The post Gravity vs magnetism: Star-forming interaction revealed first appeared on EarthSky.| Space | EarthSky
A new analysis of data from the Cassini mission has found more complex organics in Enceladus' ocean. They hint at complex chemistry and potential habitability. The post Do the organics in Enceladus’ ocean point to habitability? first appeared on EarthSky.| Space | EarthSky
Using data from several Mars missions, scientists have put together a catalog of dust devils on Mars that help track winds and troublesome dust. The post Dancing dust devils on Mars trace raging winds first appeared on EarthSky.| Space | EarthSky
A new study has discovered more about Betelgeuse's little companion, Betelbuddy. The star is younger and larger than predicted. The post New details about Betelbuddy, Betelgeuse’s companion star first appeared on EarthSky.| Space | EarthSky
This image shows a combined James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope view of the spiral galaxy NGC 1637. It is located some 40 million light-years away. The box in the lower right (enlarged in the upper right) shows the doomed star, a supernova known as SN2025pht. Image via Northwestern/ NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ STScI/ Charles Kilpatrick and Aswin Suresh (Northwestern).The article below is taken from a release by Northwestern University on October 8, 2025. Edits by EarthSky.| EarthSky
NASA has said the International Space Station will cease operations at the end of 2030. What will replace it? Image via NASA/ Roscosmos.| EarthSky
World Space Week dates back to 1999 and runs every year from October 4 to 10. This year, the theme is living in space. Find events near you here. The post World Space Week is October 4 to 10. Find events here first appeared on EarthSky.| Space | EarthSky
Comet Lemmon might be the brightest comet of 2025. It could become bright enough to see with your eye alone in late October and early November. The post Comet Lemmon might be the best comet of 2025 first appeared on EarthSky.| Space | EarthSky
Here’s an image from a brand-new simulation of our universe. It’s the largest universe simulation ever created. Blue dots mark galaxies at the centers of dark matter clumps, while red dots mark galaxies orbiting these central galaxies. Together, they trace the cosmic web: the large-scale structure of the universe. Image via Jorge Carretero & Pau Tallada (Port d’Informació Científica/ Euclid Consortium).Scientists have unveiled the largest simulation of our universe ever created. The E...| EarthSky
View larger. | Graphic representation of deep space communications in our solar system. A new study proposes how to find aliens, or at least their communications. It found that human transmissions are most frequently directed toward spacecrafts near Mars (lower left), as well as the sun and other planets. An alien civilization could most easily detect such transmissions when Mars and Earth are in alignment, from their perspective. And we could use the same principle to search for alien signal...| EarthSky
View larger. | Artist’s concept of Mars being hit by a large asteroid impact. Mars’ interior is lumpy, but why? New research indicates that rocky debris in the planet’s mantle came from large impacts about 4.5 billion years ago. Scientists found the evidence in marsquake seismic data from the now-defunct InSight lander. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech.| EarthSky
Artist’s concept of a supermassive black hole shredding and devouring a star in what’s known as a tidal disruption event. Astronomers have spotted a star that suffered this fate but survived to battle the black hole again. Image via ESO/ M. Kornmesser.Star versus black hole| EarthSky
Michael Jaeger captured this recent image of Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon. Used with permission. Comet Lemmon is one of 5 bright comets headed toward Earth. Read more about them below.5 bright comets approaching Earth| EarthSky
During its flyby of Mars in March 2025, the Europa Clipper spacecraft tested its radar instrument. This is a small section of the image it successfully produced of Mars’ surface. See the full radargram. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ UT-Austin.| EarthSky
The world watched on television as Neil Armstrong from Apollo 11 was the 1st human to leave footsteps on the moon on July 20, 1969. It was the 1st time humans walked on another world as he stepped onto the lunar surface, Armstrong said: “That is one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” Still image via NASA video.Read all about the 1st footsteps on the moon – 56 years ago – and celebrate International Moon Day.| EarthSky
ESA has unveiled the 1st images from Proba-3, an ambitious mission using 2 satellites to reveal the sun's outer atmosphere through artificial solar eclipses. The post First images from Proba-3, the 2-part sun observer first appeared on EarthSky.| Sun | EarthSky
View larger. | Aomawa Shields, UC Irvine associate professor of physics and astronomy, led the new white dwarf study. Scientists have thought that planets around white dwarfs would be uninhabitable, but this new study shows how some some white dwarf planets might be able to support life. Image via Steve Zylius/ UC Irvine.| EarthSky
View larger. | Artist’s illustration of Cassini spacecraft flying through the water vapor plumes of Enceladus. A new study from researchers in the UK has found that Enceladus’ subsurface ocean might have layers that make it difficult to find traces of life on Enceladus. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ Space Science Institute.| EarthSky
Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re sharing the love by celebrating some of the many heart-shaped objects you can find from way out in the depths of space to closer to our neighborhood in the solar system to right here on Earth.| EarthSky
Artist’s concept shows NASA’s Parker Solar Probe touching the sun. Parker Solar Probe was closest to the sun at 11:53:48 UTC (5:53:48 a.m. CST) December 24, 2024. It came within 3.86 million miles (6.2 million km) of our star. That was an exciting day for humanity! Image via NASA.The 2025 EarthSky Lunar Calendar is now available! A unique and beautiful poster-sized calendar. Makes a great New Year’s gift. Get yours today!| EarthSky
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Newport, Oregon, captured this telescopic view of the Andromeda galaxy on July 9, 2024. Jeremy wrote: “It’s a galaxy so near it could be interacting with our stars. It’s so big and bright that you can photograph it with an ordinary camera. The Andromeda galaxy, named for the constellation it hangs out in, is located just off the edge of the distinct ‘W’ of Cassiopeia. I used a hydrogen-alpha filter to find the red emissions hang...| EarthSky
In this 1-minute video, EarthSky’s Kelly Kizer Whitt tells you about the UFO-spotting camera that’s being planned for the surface of Mars.| EarthSky
Here’s how Asteroid RW1 looks like from Gonzaga, Cagayan, Philippines. Best shot so far!! ? pic.twitter.com/eYgQsHqxFP| EarthSky
View larger. | This is an artist’s concept of a Dyson sphere, showing a massive structure of independently orbiting arched panels. All that’s missing is a ravaged planet or moon … the source of the raw materials for this giant structure. Image via Kevin Gill/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0 DEED).Earth’s biggest construction project| EarthSky
What’s the Bad Astronomer, Phil Plait, thinking about today? He’s thinking about the wealth of knowledge about our home galaxy, the Milky Way, provided by ESA’s awesome GAIA space observatory.| EarthSky
As seen in this artist’s concept, the Blue and Gold orbiters in the Mars mission ESCAPADE will launch in 2025. Scientists and engineers built the probes on a shoestring budget, to see if it could be done. The probes will take 11 months to reach the red planet and are designed to study Mars’ magnetosphere. Image via Rocket Lab/ UC Berkeley.Mars mission to study magnetosphere on the cheap| EarthSky
Mars probably had liquid water on its surface billions of years ago. But Mars’ water disappeared over time, leaving the planet cold and dry. Where did Mars’ water go?| EarthSky
This incredible video from September 26, 2022, shows the perspective of the DART spacecraft as it approached and then struck the asteroid Dimorphos. The final 5 1/2 minutes are condensed into the shortened video. Via NASA/ Johns Hopkins APL/ YouTube.| EarthSky
The sun has passed from one of its 11-year activity cycles into another. Scientists predict the new cycle will be about as calm as the previous one.| EarthSky | Updates on your cosmos and world
This is one example of seeing SpaceX’s Starlink in your sky. This artist’s concept shows a trail of Starlink satellites, each an individual dot reflecting sunlight. They would move across the sky in a line like a train.. Image via Star Walk: How to track SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Peter Forister in Gordonsville, Virginia, took this image at 7:38 p.m. on September 24, 2022. Peter wrote: “Spectacular sunset colors with the SpaceX Starlink rocket la...| EarthSky
