On Aug. 8 and Aug. 23, 1991, scientists from CalTech and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory turned the 70-meter dish antenna at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex on Mercury. The goal was to produce a radar map of the portions of Mercury not photographed by Mariner 10 during its 1974-75 flybys. But to the researchers’Continue reading “Aug. 23, 1991: Water on Mercury”
The post Aug. 23, 1991: Water on Mercury appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read MoreOn Aug. 20, 1977, Voyager 2 launched from Cape Canaveral and began its epic journey to the outer planets – and beyond. Twelve years later, the spacecraft photographed Neptune as it approached the ice giant. Two days after that, on Aug. 22, 1989, NASA announced that Neptune had a ring system; the images had revealedContinue reading “Aug. 22, 1989: Voyager 2 reveals Neptune”
The post Aug. 22, 1989: Voyager 2 reveals Neptune appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
This NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month takes us to a fantastical realm within our home galaxy, where piercing starlight and billowing winds sculpt dust clouds into inventive shapes. This scene is from the Carina Nebula, which lies just 7500 light-years away in the constellation Carina (the Keel).
Read MoreOn Aug. 12, a total solar eclipse crossed Iceland and Spain — the first time totality has touched European soil since 1999, and the first time it’s crossed Iceland since 1954. Clouds spoiled the view for many in Iceland, but skies cleared for eclipse chasers in Spain. There, totality fell almost at sunset: some viewersContinue reading “Our favorite reader images of the 2026 total eclipse”
The post Our favorite reader images of the 2026 total eclipse appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
A NASA jacket containing Artemis I and II mission patches, along with other NASA patches hangs on the back of a chair on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, inside Firing Room 1 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a terminal countdown simulation for the Artemis III mission.
Read MoreMarco Meniero, taken from Pisa, Italy A total solar eclipse crossed Greenland, Iceland, and Spain on Aug. 12, 2026; from Pisa, Italy, only a partial eclipse was visible, reaching about 94 percent obscuration as the Sun set behind the domes of the city’s cathedral complex in Piazza dei Miracoli. The photographer shot the single 0.3-secondContinue reading “A leaning tower with a view”
The post A leaning tower with a view appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
About 12 billion years ago, a dwarf galaxy known as LKH collided with a young Milky Way and merged with it. This artist’s concept portrays that collision. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope uncovered definitive evidence of this collision by studying globular star clusters.
Read MoreOn Aug. 19, 1646, John Flamsteed was born in Derbyshire, England. Though he left school early due to illness and family obligations, he studied astronomy independently and eventually attended Cambridge University. European maritime trade was rapidly expanding during his lifetime, yet sailors still struggled with the longitude problem – north-south distance was easy to calculateContinue reading “Aug. 19, 1646: The birth of John Flamsteed”
The post Aug. 19, 1646: The birth of John Flamsteed appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
NASA’s Boeing 777 returns to the agency’s Langley Research Center after receiving a new paint scheme.
Read MoreAlessandro Carrozzi, taken near Palencia, Spain The Sun’s corona glows in all its glory in this high-dynamic range image taken during totality on Aug. 12. Bright prominences are visible at the Sun’s limb, as well as faint outer structures formed by the solar wind streaming out along magnetic field lines. Earthshine is also apparent, dimlyContinue reading “The corona from Spain”
The post The corona from Spain appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
Like a collage made of layered sheets of colored cellophane, a vibrant new image layers observations of a famous star-forming nebula from NASA space telescopes. The resulting cosmic “craft” reveals new details about the star formation region known as 30 Doradus, or the Tarantula Nebula.
Read MoreRocket launches this week On Tuesday, Aug. 18, Chinese aerospace firm LandSpace is targeting 7:35 p.m. EDT for the second flight of its Zhuque-3 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China, according to tracking from Next Spaceflight. The launch was scrubbed last week after a Long March 7A rocket exploded hours before Zhuque-3’sContinue reading “More Starlink satellites and two big launches for China”
The post More Starlink satellites and two big launches for China appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read MoreIn March of 1899, William Pickering discovered Phoebe, a moon of Saturn, on photographic plates taken on Aug. 16, 1898, by DeLisle Stewart. It was the first moon to be discovered photographically, rather than observationally, and over a hundred years later, it would be the first target of the Cassini spacecraft. Phoebe orbits at aContinue reading “Aug. 16, 1898: Phoebe makes an appearance”
The post Aug. 16, 1898: Phoebe makes an appearance appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
A total solar eclipse is seen from San Millán de los Caballeros, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026.
Read MoreOn Aug. 15, 1977, a narrowband radio signal was detected by the Big Ear Radio Telescope at Ohio State. The signal was powerful, lasted for 72 seconds, and was picked up on only 1 of 50 possible channels. It also showed a distinct pattern – starting low, growing, and then decreasing again – suggesting itContinue reading “Aug. 15, 1977: The Wow! Signal arrives”
The post Aug. 15, 1977: The Wow! Signal arrives appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
This composite image shows the progression of a total solar eclipse over San Millán de los Caballeros, Spain on, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026.
Read MoreNASA’s Explorer 6 satellite was launched Aug. 7, 1959, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft’s mission was to study Earth’s magnetic fields and radiation, as well as cosmic rays, geomagnetism, and micrometeorites. It also carried a photocell scanner, an instrument intended to photograph Earth’s cloud cover. A complication with one of its solar cells leftContinue reading “Aug. 14, 1959: Explorer 6 images Earth”
The post Aug. 14, 1959: Explorer 6 images Earth appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
The constellation Orion is framed by two Perseid meteors on Aug. 12, 2018, in Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah.
Read MoreLikely the best-known meteor shower of the year, the Perseids occur from late July through late August annually, typically peaking around Aug. 12-13. Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through the debris field left behind as a comet orbits the Sun. In the case of the Perseids, that comet is Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, discovered inContinue reading “Aug. 13, 2011: Perseids from space”
The post Aug. 13, 2011: Perseids from space appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read MoreAI’s appetite for power and water is growing as fast as its role in daily life. In 2024, artificial intelligence data centers accounted for roughly 4% of the U.S.’s electricity consumption. This figure is expected to more than double by 2030. To meet those increasing demands, several of Silicon Valley’s biggest names have turned theirContinue reading “AI outgrows Earth”
The post AI outgrows Earth appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope imaged the planetary nebula NGC 2392, the Lion Nebula, using the observatory’s NIRCam and MIRI instruments. The central star’s remains are responsible for the nebula’s structure, including a lion face-shaped bubble of ionized gas and dust “mane.”
Read More
NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 commander Jessica Meir wears a set of virtual reality goggles, also called the Nevada Screening Vision System, for a test that measures visual function using a series of vision screening apps testing visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and more.
Read MoreGreg Meyer, taken from Starfront Observatory, near Brady, Texas Two faint planetary nebulae glow in Cassiopeia — Abell 6 (lower left), about 3,750 light-years away, and HFG1 (upper right), roughly 2,300 light-years distant. These objects are dying, Sun-like stars shedding their outer layers as they run out of nuclear fuel. HFG1 displays a prominent bowContinue reading “Dying lights”
The post Dying lights appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read MoreSome 1.3 billion years ago, when multicellular organisms were just emerging on Earth and life was still confined to the ocean, two behemoth black holes smashed together in a far-flung galaxy. The collision was so powerful that it jolted the universe, creating a ripple in the fabric of space-time that traveled across the cosmos atContinue reading “How gravitational waves transformed our universe”
The post How gravitational waves transformed our universe appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read MoreThe Soviet Luna program, designed for lunar research and mission planning, ran from 1959 to 1976. On Aug. 9, 1976, Luna 24, the final mission of the program, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in present-day Kazakhstan. The probe landed on the Moon’s surface nine days later, in the Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises), a previouslyContinue reading “Aug. 9, 1976: Luna 24 blasts off”
The post Aug. 9, 1976: Luna 24 blasts off appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read MoreA pioneer mission in astrometry – the measurement of the position, distance, motion, brightness, and color of stars – the European Space Agency’s (ESA) High Precision Parallax Collecting Satellite, or Hipparcos, launched on Aug. 8, 1989. There were immediately problems when a rocket-engine failure kept Hipparcos from reaching its planned orbit. However, the satellite wasContinue reading “Aug. 8, 1989: The Hipparcos satellite launches”
The post Aug. 8, 1989: The Hipparcos satellite launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
A first of its kind measurement of a magnetar may have captured empty space behaving in a way physicists have predicted for 90 years, but never directly observed. The results published Wednesday in Nature.
Read MoreOn August 12, the New Moon’s shadow will fall over a portion of Earth’s surface. When that happens, the Sun will temporarily disappear from the sky in a total solar eclipse. These breathtaking events are spectacular and ethereal, as the sky falls dark during the day, leaving only the soft glow of our star’s outerContinue reading “How to see the August 12 total solar eclipse”
The post How to see the August 12 total solar eclipse appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
NASA astronaut candidate Adam Fuhrmann prepares for a training flight aboard NASA’s WB-57 aircraft.
Read MoreNASA launched its Mars rover Curiosity inside the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) on Nov. 26, 2011. Complete with 10 science instruments and 17 cameras, the robot can analyze mineral types, search for signs of microbial life, and take color panoramas of the Red Planet’s surface. Curiosity’s landing on Mars was a new process, nicknamed theContinue reading “Aug. 6, 2012: Curiosity lands on Mars”
The post Aug. 6, 2012: Curiosity lands on Mars appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
Engineers connect the Orion crew and service modules for the Artemis III mission inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Read MoreNeil Alden Armstrong was born on Aug. 5, 1930, in Ohio. A naval pilot from 1949 to 1952, Armstrong flew 78 missions in Korea. After leaving active duty, he enrolled at Purdue University and earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering in 1955, and then joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). During hisContinue reading “Aug 5, 1930: The birth of Neil Armstrong”
The post Aug 5, 1930: The birth of Neil Armstrong appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
Technicians inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center complete installation of a commemorative plaque on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, as photographed on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
Read MoreLooking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. August 3: A solar system trio Rising around sunset and standing highest around midnight, asteroid 324 Bamberga is visible in a small scope this evening, moving against the background stars of Capricornus. Look for it in the south around local midnight, aboutContinue reading “The Sky Today on Tuesday, August 4: Asteroid Bamberga on the move”
The post The Sky Today on Tuesday, August 4: Asteroid Bamberga on the move appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
Relatively low tidal waters expose sandflats and mudflats in the Bijagós Archipelago of Guinea-Bissau in this image acquired on November 28, 2025, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8. These coastal landforms support an array of invertebrates, making the archipelago a popular stopover for migratory shorebirds.
Read MoreDamian Peach from Hampshire, U.K. Favorable libration briefly tilts the Moon’s southwestern limb into view in this image, exposing three heavily foreshortened craters: Bailly (center left) at roughly 180 miles (300 kilometers) across; the well-preserved Hausen (upper left); and 149-kilometer Drygalski (upper right), so close to the limb it is normally hidden entirely, and liesContinue reading “The Moon’s hidden southwest corner”
The post The Moon’s hidden southwest corner appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read MoreLooking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. August 1: Open cluster NGC 6709 Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation at 4 A.M. EDT, standing 19° from the Sun. The tiny planet reaches an altitude of almost 5° above the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise, glowing at magnitude 0.2.Continue reading “The Sky Today on Sunday, August 2: Mercury at greatest western elongation”
The post The Sky Today on Sunday, August 2: Mercury at greatest western elongation appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
NASA opened its newest wind tunnel, the Flight Dynamics Research Facility at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, on Friday, providing a critical resource for the agency and its partners to test the safety and performance of future generations of aircraft, rockets, and space exploration vehicles.
Read MoreLooking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. July 31: Mercury brightening With the Moon rising later each night as it wanes, there’s a slightly longer dark window tonight for deep-sky observing. Let’s use it to track down NGC 6709, a lovely open cluster in the constellation Aquila the Eagle. Continue reading “The Sky Today on Saturday, August 1: Open cluster NGC 6709”
The post The Sky Today on Saturday, August 1: Open cluster NGC 6709 appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
This illustration depicts charged particles from a solar storm stripping away charged particles of Mars’ atmosphere, one of the processes of Martian atmosphere loss studied by NASA’s MAVEN mission.
Read MoreLooking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. July 30: Meteors may shine Mercury has now brightened to magnitude 0.5 in the early-morning sky and should be even easier to see than it was earlier in the week. It is now just a few days from greatest western elongation. IfContinue reading “The Sky Today on Friday, July 31: Mercury brightening”
The post The Sky Today on Friday, July 31: Mercury brightening appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) reveals the nearby galaxy Centaurus A, exposing the dusty structures and hidden activity that shape this unusual system.
Read MoreThe one-off spacecraft built to save a struggling NASA space telescope is now in trouble of its own. Over the weekend, Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft lost two of its three reaction wheels, sending it into an uncontrolled spin and interrupting its communications link with the ground. What is LINK? The Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocketContinue reading “Is NASA’s Swift Boost Mission spinning away?”
The post Is NASA’s Swift Boost Mission spinning away? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read MoreTony 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 oneContinue reading “The Pelican aglow”
The post The Pelican aglow appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
NASA astronaut Chris Williams is seen outside the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft after he landed with Expedition 74 Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Sunday, July 26, 2026. The trio returned to Earth after logging 241 days in space as a members of Expeditions 73 and 74 aboard the International Space Station.
Read MoreRocket launches this week On Wednesday, July 29, at 7:50 a.m. EDT, the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is planning to launch a Long March 7A from Wenchang Space Launch Site on the coast of Hainan Island in the South China Sea, according to tracking from Next Spaceflight. The payload is undisclosed.Continue reading “A classified NRO launch and a Chinese triple-header set to launch this week”
The post A classified NRO launch and a Chinese triple-header set to launch this week appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read MoreIn September 1999, the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) project discovered a comet – Comet C/1999 S4, or Comet LINEAR – on a course for the Sun. Its unusual behavior drew attention: By July 5-7 of the following year, the Hubble Space Telescope had watched a piece of its crust blow off as ifContinue reading “July 26, 2000: Comet LINEAR disintegrates”
The post July 26, 2000: Comet LINEAR disintegrates appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
The aurora australis arcs over Earth during an active solar event in this photograph taken at approximately 11:32 p.m. local time from the International Space Station as it orbited 271 miles above the Indian Ocean southwest of Perth, Australia on June 5.
Read MoreBorn on July 25, 1920, Chushiro Hayashi graduated from the University of Tokyo with a degree in physics in 1942. After World War II service in the navy, he returned to school, finishing his doctorate in 1954 and becoming a professor at Kyoto University in 1957. An innovator, he applied fundamental physics to astronomy andContinue reading “July 25, 1920: The birth of Chushiro Hayashi”
The post July 25, 1920: The birth of Chushiro Hayashi appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
From left, Expedition 74 flight engineers Anna Kikina and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos, and Anil Menon of NASA pose for a portrait while holding a cake celebrating their recent arrival aboard the International Space Station.
Read More