Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope reflects the stars at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. (Image credit: J. Rodrigues/ESO) Stars shine in the vast aluminum dish of the Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope (SEST) in this photograph captured by astronomer and astrophotographer José Rodrigues during a recent visit to the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. What is it? Rodrigues’ image captures “airglow” infusing the night sky over La Silla…
Read MoreSpaceX fires up Starship upper stage ahead of landmark Flight 15 test launch (video)
Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter SpaceX just checked another big box on the path to its 15th Starship test flight, which promises to be pretty epic. The company conducted static-fire tests with Starship‘s Ship upper stage on Monday (Oct. 26) and Tuesday (Oct. 27), igniting its Raptor engines while the vehicle, known as Ship 42, remained anchored to the ground. “Ship 42 static fires complete. The Starship preparing for Flight 15 performed a full…
Read MoreStunning solar eclipse photos reveal giant hole and mysterious ‘smoke rings’ in the sun’s atmosphere
Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Newly released photographs of the sun captured during the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse reveal the sun’s outer atmosphere in unprecedented detail. The images, released by researchers working as part of the Solar Wind Sherpas project coordinated by the University of Hawaii, also show rare structures in the solar wind known as smoke rings. Named for their resemblance to the circles blown by smokers, these vortices were first identified…
Read MoreAPOD: 29 October 2026 – The Horns of Venus
APOD Science APOD APOD: 29 October 2026 – The… 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. The Horns of Venus Explanation: That’s no moon. But you could be forgiven for thinking it was a crescent Moon in the sky. It is a lesser known fact that Venus also has phases. (What about other…
Read MoreArnab Strikes India
Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Arnab Strikes India Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search The first named storm of the 2026 North Indian Ocean cyclone season—Arnab (pronounced Or-nab)—emerged in the Bay of Bengal on…
Read MoreCaltech Names Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman as NASA JPL Deputy
4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Former NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman joins Caltech and NASA JPL as Caltech associate vice president and JPL deputy director on Nov. 30. Photo Credit: NASA Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman has been named Caltech associate vice president and deputy director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The emeritus astronaut and retired U.S. Navy captain begins his new role at NASA’s center of excellence for robotics and deep space exploration and at Caltech, which…
Read MoreWebb Sees Turbulent Star Nursery
In this Picture of the Month from the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope, we visit a turbulent cauldron of star formation to see what is brewing inside dense clumps of gas.
Read MoreSatellites watch an escaping Antarctic iceberg | Space photo of the day for Oct. 28, 2026
Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Iceberg A-81 escaping the Weddell Sea and drifting near the edge of South Georgia’s underwater shelf. The image was captured on Oct. 20, 2026. (Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison) An iceberg has quickly escaped from the Weddell Sea in Antarctica, on its way to an icy new destination. What is it? As captured by a satellite in orbit, the Antarctic iceberg A-81 has quite quickly (for an iceberg)…
Read MoreCuriosity Blog, Sols 5043-5049: Preparing to Drill at ‘Nazca’
Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 4 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 5043-5049: Preparing to Drill at ‘Nazca’ NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this close-up image using its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), showing the abundance of roughly disc-shaped potential crystal forms on our next drill target, informally…
Read MoreAPOD: 2026 October 28 – The Mutual Occultation of Ganymede and Io
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 28 – The… 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. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Michael Wong The Mutual Occultation of Ganymede and Io Explanation: Jupiter is one of the least lonely planets in…
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