Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter NASA’s Swift space telescope is expected to crash back to Earth in the next few days. The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory will reenter Earth’s atmosphere in an uncontrolled fashion, after a robotic rescue mission failed to boost the scope to a higher orbit. Swift launched to Earth orbit back in November 2004. Over the next two decades, it studied gamma-ray bursts — the most powerful explosions in the universe…
Read More5 bright planets to spot in November — when and where to see them
Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter This is a great month for planet watching, either in the evenings or mornings. During convenient evening hours, the planet of choice is Saturn, visible well up in the southern sky during mid-to-late evening hours. Telescopically, the southern side of its famous ring system is currently tilted about 6½ degrees to our line of sight. Around the middle of the night, Mars and Jupiter come into view above the…
Read MoreAPOD: 2026 November 1 – Colors of the Moon
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 November 1 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Colors of the Moon Explanation: What color is the Moon? It depends on the night — and the time. Outside of the Earth’s atmosphere, the dark Moon, which shines by reflected sunlight, appears a magnificently brown-tinged gray. The…
Read More9 nightmarish sci-fi spaceships to crawl aboard for Halloween if you dare
Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Abandoned, possessed, or infested spaceships in sci-fi films, books, and video games are usually not a welcoming place to hang your helmet and kick back inside. Many are distinctly marked as DO NOT APPROACH zones and equipped with clearly articulated warning messages to keep your distance, but that doesn’t ever seem to stop scavengers, space pirates, or evil industrial mega corporations from waving off these dangerous signs to board…
Read MoreOn this day in space! Oct. 31, 2015: Creepy skull-shaped Halloween asteroid flies by Earth, NASA names it the ‘Great Pumpkin’
Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter On October 31, 2015, an asteroid shaped like a human skull flew by Earth. It arrived with excellent timing on Halloween, which made the already-creepy asteroid even creepier. During its closest approach, the creepy asteroid was about 300,000 miles from Earth, or 1.3 times the average distance between Earth and the moon. So, it didn’t pose a threat to our planet. It was discovered by astronomers at Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS…
Read MoreThe moon, Mars, and Jupiter shine in the heart of the Lion overnight on Nov. 1-2
Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The moon dives towards the glowing heart of the constellation Leo for a spectacular rendezvous with Mars and Jupiter overnight on Nov. 1-2, as the glittering stars of the Beehive Cluster shine nearby. Here’s what you need to know. Look to the eastern horizon an hour after midnight to see the 45%-lit waning moon shining less than 5 degrees from the red light of Mars — roughly the width…
Read MoreAPOD: 2026 October 31 – Night on a Spooky Planet
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 31 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Night on a Spooky Planet Explanation: What spooky planet is this? Planet Earth on a dark and stormy night, of course. The ghostly scene was photographed at Hverir, a geothermally active area found along northeastern Iceland’s volcanic landscape.…
Read MoreNASA Releases MAX POWER Key Events for Media, Participants
NASA’s Freedom 250 F-5 team, including NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, performs a flyover during the national anthem at an NFL game between the Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers at Huntington Bank Field, Sept. 27, 2026, in Cleveland. Credit: NASA/Jordan Cochran America’s newest aerospace expo and air show – MAX POWER – is fast approaching, and NASA has announced key events beginning Friday, Nov. 6, and running through Sunday, Nov. 8, hosted on and near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Through multiple park experiences at MAX POWER, NASA…
Read MoreNASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Captures Eerie Cat’s Head
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI) Intricate structures within the Cat’s Head Nebula are illuminated in this mid-infrared view from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released on Oct. 29, 2026. The distinctive “cat’s head” shape of the nebula was likely sculpted over time by the intense ultraviolet radiation and winds from massive stars in the Carina Nebula. As this stellar feedback erodes the surrounding gas and dust, denser material within the feline-shaped pillar resists erosion, at least for now. Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing:…
Read MoreNASA Explores Potential Commercial Servicing for Hubble Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope returns to orbit as an improved telescope after its second servicing mission in February 1997. NASA NASA issued a Request for Information Oct. 29 to learn more about industry capabilities for in-space servicing to support the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope. “Hubble still has important science ahead of it, and we should be looking at every reasonable opportunity to keep it delivering for as long as possible,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “If there are innovative and cost-effective ways to extend the life of an asset already…
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