Planetary debris disks around white dwarfs appear to be more plentiful than thought. That's because some white dwarfs are magnetic, and those magnetic fields create patches of metallic debris near the stars' poles, where it's more difficult to detect. This leads to an underestimation of debris, something new research is trying to correct.
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The constellation ARA (pronounced AIR-uh) the Altar was one of the “original” constellations of the Greeks. It appeared in Phaenomena, a 3rd-century-b.c. work by the Greek poet Aratus. He based it on a work written a century earlier by Eudoxus of Cnidus. The constellation’s position is easy to locate directly beneath the tail of Scorpius. Continue reading "Observe the deep sky in Ara" The post Observe the deep sky in Ara appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .
1h ago
The constellation Auriga (pronounced or-EYE-guh) the Charioteer, a star pattern known by this name for several thousand years, is easy to recognize primarily because of its brightest star, Capella (Alpha [α] Aurigae). This luminary is the sixth-brightest nighttime star and shines with an intense yellow light. The constellation’s Beta star, magnitude 1.9 Menkalinan, is 40th Continue reading "Spend some time in Auriga" The post Spend some time in Auriga appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .
1h ago
Cassiopeia (pronounced kass ee oh pee’ uh) the Queen is one of the first constellations amateur astronomers come to recognize. That’s because its five brightest stars form an asterism that looks like a large letter W. Cassiopeia is observable in the autumn and winter throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It lies opposite the Sun in early Continue reading "Wander the Queen’s starry court" The post Wander the Queen’s starry court appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .
1h ago
If you can’t immediately conjure up the position of the constellation Lynx, I understand. It’s not an iconic star figure like Orion or Scorpius. A good, reasoned guess would place it in the winter sky (because this story is in the January issue). But, in fact, about half of Lynx lies directly north of Cancer the Continue reading "What’s lurking in Lynx?" The post What’s lurking in Lynx? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .
1h ago
The constellation Ophiuchus (pronounced off-ee-OO-cuss) the Serpent-bearer isn’t all that easy to pick out, primarily because of its large size and the relative dimness of its brightest star, Rasalhague (Alpha [α] Ophiuchi). This giant white star emits about 25 times the light of the Sun, but sits some 50 light-years away, so it glows at Continue reading "Discover deep-sky gems in Ophiuchus" The post Discover deep-sky gems in Ophiuchus appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .
1h ago
Lady Liberty The Statue of Liberty Nebula (NGC 3576) in Carina glows with intricate ribbons and pillars of gas and dust shaped by powerful stellar winds and radiation from young, massive stars. The imagers used a 6-inch f/7.3 refractor to take 26.5 hours of data in the Hubble palette. · Lloyd Smith/Warren Keller Fireworks and Continue reading "Reader Gallery July 2026" The post Reader Gallery July 2026 appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .
1h ago
Astronomers want to know how universal the initial mass fraction (IMF) of galaxies is. To do they that, they need to discern binary stars in other galaxies, a difficult task. Researchers used the JWST to study the Small Magellanic Cloud and determine how many binary stars are there, since they can confuse measurements of the IMF.
2h ago
Sometimes, you have embark on a journey to appreciate home. The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission recently gave us just such a view of our homeworld and our large natural satellite, as seen from the spacecrafts’ temporary orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point.
4h ago
SpaceX launched its Starship for the 13th time on July 24, sending a V3 Starship and Super Heavy booster through nearly every milestone the company had planned — deploying the first batch of next-generation Starlink satellites, relighting an engine in space, and bringing the upper stage down to the gentlest ocean splashdown SpaceX has ever Continue reading "SpaceX launches Starship test flight ‘lucky number 13’" The post SpaceX launches Starship test flight ‘lucky number 13’ appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .
5h ago
PERTH, Western Australia — LatConnect 60 (LC60) is executing on a multi-geography industrial plan to accelerate its SWIRSAT constellation, anchoring core technology development and payload manufacturing in Western Australia while […] The post LatConnect 60 Accelerates SWIRSAT Constellation Growth Anchored in Western Australia with Expansion into Malaysia and UAE appeared first on SpaceNews .
5h ago
SAN FRANCISCO – Fortastra, a Los Angeles startup focused on defending on-orbit infrastructure, is working with manufacturing specialist Hadrian to explore ways to apply precision machining and additive manufacturing to […] The post Fortastra and Hadrian join forces to streamline satellite production appeared first on SpaceNews .
6h ago
When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, the Space Race exploded as the U.S. and Soviet Union competed to show their dominance in the technology and military spheres. Sputnik 2 and then 3 followed, and real concerns about the U.S. falling behind were raised. Congressional hearings began in 1957, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower Continue reading "July 29, 1958: NASA is founded" The post July 29, 1958: NASA is founded appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .
6h ago
Japanese lunar lander developer ispace has selected the H3 rocket to launch its next mission in 2028, creating what the companies called Japan’s first private lunar transportation system. The post H3 to launch next ispace lunar lander mission appeared first on SpaceNews .
7h ago
NASA's Juno spacecraft has measured Jupiter's moon Io's subsurface temperature for the 1st time, providing new clues about the tidally-heated volcanic world. The post Juno measures fiery Io’s subsurface temperature for 1st time first appeared on EarthSky .
7h ago
Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. July 28: Mercury appearing Full Moon occurs this morning at 10:36 A.M. EDT. Also called the Buck Moon, the July Full Moon will rise this evening within 20 minutes of sunset. Dominating the constellation Capricornus, the Buck Moon’s bright light will make Continue reading "The Sky Today on Wednesday, July 29: July’s Full Buck Moon rises" The post The Sky Today on Wednesday, July 29: July’s Full Buck Moon rises appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .
11h ago
Boeing is still working with NASA to determine when to fly its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle on a cargo mission to the International Space Station. The post Boeing still working with NASA to schedule next Starliner flight appeared first on SpaceNews .
18h ago
SINGAPORE — A Beijing-based startup has secured around $14 million to build a satellite constellation for tracking orbital objects, adding to China’s growing SSA sector. Xingchen Daohe, also known as […] The post Chinese startup raises funds for space situational awareness constellation, joining commercial SSA rush appeared first on SpaceNews .
18h ago
What happens when a black hole and a star meet in the middle of nowhere in a galaxy? It sounds like it could be a dramatic science fiction backdrop, with some hapless starship caught in the crunch. Actually, such encounters in real life are pretty rare. They happen maybe once every 100,000 years. But, when they do occur, the immense gravity of the supermassive black hole tears the star apart. It's an eerie-looking process. The star gets "spaghettified" — that is, pulled on one side by the black hole. That rips out a stream of gas from the star which eventually forms a disk around the black hole.
18h ago
Based on a new analysis of the Chang'e-6 lunar samples, scientists are again questioning the timing and intensity of the Late Heavy Bombardment period.
19h ago
A spacecraft launched nearly a month ago in a high-risk bid to boost the orbit of a NASA astrophysics satellite is suffering attitude control problems that could jeopardize its mission. The post Swift reboost mission encounters attitude control problems appeared first on SpaceNews .
20h ago
The search for extrasolar rocky planets circling other stars is more than mere science. It offers researchers a chance to gain crucial insight into how our own planet functions.
20h ago
Tony Hallas from Foresthill, California IC 5070 is an emission region that forms the Pelican Nebula, lying around 2,000 light-years away in Cygnus. The region is filled with billowing gas clouds and finely woven strands of dust, all being sculpted and lit by radiation from nearby hot young stars. Double-lobed outflows — like the one Continue reading "The Pelican aglow" The post The Pelican aglow appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .
20h ago
JOHANNESBURG — The European Space Agency is moving ahead with plans to examine the feasibility of repurposing Lunar Link, a communications system developed for NASA’s now-paused Gateway space station, as […] The post ESA opens call to repurpose Gateway communications module appeared first on SpaceNews .
23h ago