Astronomy News - Space Science - Articles and Images

Satellites zoom in on cities' hottest neighborhoods to help combat the urban heat island effect

By Daniel P. Johnson published 27 June 22

Landsat satellites have been pinpointing risks of extreme heat within cities.

The James Webb Space Telescope is completing commissioning in deep space.

James Webb Space Telescope team clears 1st instrument for science observations

By Elizabeth Howell published 27 June 22

An exoplanet hunter and first-light detector on the James Webb Space Telescope is ready to do science, six months after the observatory launched to space.

Mercury's crater-covered surface in an image captured by the BepiColombo spacecraft during its second flyby at the planet.

Watch Mercury roll by as BepiColombo probe makes superclose flyby (video)

By Tereza Pultarova published 27 June 22

A new video shows the crater-riddled surface of the solar system's smallest planet Mercury as captured during a super close flyby of the BepiColombo spacecraft.

The nest European heavy-lift Ariane 6 rocket assembled before crucial tests.

Pictures from space! Our image of the day

By Space.com Staff published 27 June 22

The core of Europe's new heavy-lift Ariane 6 rocket has been assembled at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana ahead of crucial tests that will pave the way for the rocket's debut flight next year.

Celebrate Asteroid Day 2022 with free online broadcast this week

By Samantha Mathewson published 27 June 22

Asteroid research and planetary defense is of great interest to scientists around the world, which is why June 30 marks international Asteroid Day.

Alien super-Earths may get a habitability boost from hydrogen-rich atmospheres

By Charles Q. Choi published 27 June 22

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 53 Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 14, 2022.

Coming increase in rocket launches will damage ozone, alter climate, study finds

By Tereza Pultarova published 27 June 22

The projected growth in the number of rocket launches will have a detrimental impact on Earth's climate and its protective ozone layer, a new study has found.

Artist's illustration of the James Webb Space Telescope.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope: The ultimate guide

By Elizabeth Howell, Daisy Dobrijevic published 27 June 22

Reference Everything you need to know about the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA's Big Bang-probing space observatory.

Reference

A golden ring representing Sagittarius A*

James Webb Space Telescope will study Milky Way's monster black hole

By Meghan Bartels published 27 June 22

Next time the Event Horizon Telescope turns to study the monster black hole at the center of the Milky Way, it will have help from the James Webb Space Telescope.

Did a giant radio telescope in China just discover aliens? Not so FAST…

By Danny C Price published 27 June 22

We should be intrigued, but not too excited (yet). Any interesting signal has to go through a lot of tests to check whether it truly carries the signature of extraterrestrial technology.

The Large Hadron Collider occupies a circular underground tunnel nearly 17 miles (27 kilometers) in circumference.

The Large Hadron Collider: Inside CERN's atom smasher

By Andrew May, Daisy Dobrijevic published 27 June 22

Reference The Large Hadron Collider is the world's biggest particle accelerator. It's located at the European particle physics laboratory CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland.

Reference

A Rocket Lab Electron booster on the launch pad with the CAPSTONE mission and purple clouds.

NASA's CAPSTONE cubesat launch to the moon delayed again for systems checks

By Tariq Malik published 26 June 22

NASA has called off plans to launch a small cubesat to the moon on Monday (June 27) to allow more time to check its Rocket Lab booster for flight.

Watch NASA's CAPSTONE cubesat launch to the moon Tuesday to test unique lunar orbit

By Tariq Malik published 26 June 22

Rocket Lab will launch NASA's CAPSTONE cubesat to the moon from New Zealand atop an Electron booster, and you can watch it live online.

Marvel at the majestic galaxies in this classic Hubble telescope photo

By Jeff Spry published 26 June 22

NASA revisits a spectacular Hubble Space Telescope shot of the dwarf galaxy ESO 318-13 in this stunning photo.

Flashes from neutron star tidal waves may signal impending mergers

By Paul Sutter published 26 June 22

Researchers have found a new way to detect some of the most cataclysmic mergers in the universe before they happen.

Gaia mission: 5 revealing insights from its latest data

By Andrew Norton, Adam McMaster published 26 June 22

The Gaia star-mapping mission gives us brand new information about star formation and moons around asteroids, as well as secrets about the Milky Way's origins and possible future.

NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket — carried atop the crawler-transporter 2 vehicle — as it approaches Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA will roll SLS and Orion back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy next week to prepare the rocket and spacecraft for launch.

The top space stories of the week!

By Elizabeth Howell published 25 June 22

Artemis 1 rehearsal declared a success, the International Space Station dodges Russian space debris, and NASA's InSight lander favors science over energy at its mission end.

Extreme microbes in salty Arctic water could aid search for life on Mars

By Keith Cooper published 25 June 22

Never-before-seen microbes living deep beneath the permafrost at one of the coldest and saltiest water springs on Earth could provide a blueprint for life on Mars.

Stunning Mars photos by the Curiosity rover show ancient climate shift