Today’s Astronomy News

Latest Astronomy News

You can find space and astronomy news sprinkled across the internet. But what the Night Sky Observer tries to do is to bring all of those disparate news items into one easy-to-access site. That way, those interested in what’s happening locally in the solar system or out in the wider universe can find all those stories in one place. Why not subscribe to our RSS or Twitter feed to be notified about the important happenings in astronomy.

Watch: Volcano in Japan spews ash, rock 200m into sky

29 Nov 2023 at 12:56am
An explosive eruption sends volcanic rock hurtling into the sea around Niijima Island, south of Tokyo. Read more...

England to get new national park as part of nature plan

29 Nov 2023 at 12:32am
Sites under consideration could include the Chilterns, the Cotswolds and Dorset. Read more...

Artemis II Crew Signs NASA Moon Rocket Hardware at Marshall

28 Nov 2023 at 8:52pm
Artemis II NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch of NASA, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen signed the Orion stage adapter for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Nov. 27. The hardware ... Read more...

A Miniature Mariner-C

28 Nov 2023 at 6:57pm
A model of the Mariner-C spacecraft seems to float in the darkness of space in this photo from a June 1964 Conference on New Technology at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Mariner-C and Mariner-D were identical spacecraft designed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to fly by Mars and p... Read more...

Aero Engineer Brings NASA into Hawaii’s Classrooms

28 Nov 2023 at 6:00pm
The field of aerial vehicle autonomy focuses on self-reliance, building the flight equivalent of puppets without puppeteers. Behind the scenes, however, is a rich network of people and systems that work together to develop frameworks, test new technologies, and inspire a pipeline of engineers to ... Read more...

NASA to Provide Live Coverage of Space Station Cargo Launch, Docking

28 Nov 2023 at 5:45pm
NASA will provide live launch and docking coverage of the Roscosmos Progress 86 cargo spacecraft carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station. The unpiloted spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 4:25 a.m. EST on Friday, Dec... Read more...

NASA Orbiter Snaps Stunning Views of Mars Horizon

28 Nov 2023 at 5:02pm
The Odyssey orbiter captured clouds and dust in the Red Planet’s skies, along with one of its two tiny moons. Astronauts often react with awe when they see the curvature of the Earth below the International Space Station. Now Mars scientists are getting a taste of what that’s like, thanks to NASA... Read more...

Mysterious, Saturn-Like Stars Steal Their Rings From Nearby Stars

28 Nov 2023 at 5:00pm
A new and more complex picture has emerged of how ringed stars form and change the galaxy around them. Read more...

NASA’s Dragonfly to Proceed with Final Mission Design Work

28 Nov 2023 at 4:15pm
NASA’s Dragonfly mission has been authorized to proceed with work on final mission design and fabrication – known as Phase C – during fiscal year (FY) 2024. The agency is postponing formal confirmation of the mission (including its total cost and schedule) until mid-2024, following the release of... Read more...

Warming ocean causing rapid glacier retreat

28 Nov 2023 at 4:00pm
Cadman Ice Shelf 2023 compared to 2017

With all eyes about to focus on the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, new scientific findings show, again, that the climate crisis is taking its toll on Antarctica – a continent, up to recently, thought better able to withstand the immediate effects of rising global temperatures.

Using satellit...

Where is Voyager 2 going? And when will it get there?

28 Nov 2023 at 3:41pm

Where is Voyager 2 going? It's not aimed for any particular star, but in 40,000 years it will pass within 1.65 light-years of the star Ross 248.

The post Where is Voyager 2 going? And when will it get there? first appeared on EarthSky.

40 Years Ago: STS-9, the First Spacelab Science Mission

28 Nov 2023 at 3:39pm
On Nov. 28, 1983, space shuttle Columbia took to the skies for its sixth trip into space on the first dedicated science mission using the Spacelab module provided by the European Space Agency (ESA). The longest shuttle mission at the time also included many other firsts. Aboard Columbia to conduc... Read more...

Webb Telescope: A prominent protostar in Perseus

28 Nov 2023 at 3:02pm
This new Picture of the Month from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope reveals intricate details of the Herbig Haro object 797 (HH 797). Herbig-Haro objects are luminous regions surrounding newborn stars (known as protostars), and are formed when stellar winds or jets of gas spewing from ... Read more...

NASA’s Fermi Mission Nets 300 Gamma-Ray Pulsars … and Counting

28 Nov 2023 at 2:32pm
A new catalog produced by a French-led international team of astronomers shows that NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has discovered 294 gamma-ray-emitting pulsars, while another 34 suspects await confirmation. This is 27 times the number known before the mission launched in 2008. “Pulsars t... Read more...