SUNSET: 
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 3 – 12
Regulus creeps up to Venus in twilight this week. Vega and Arcturus balance across the zenith. And this being July, Scorpius decorates the south.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Mission Launches to Rescue Swift Observatory
A daring mission will attempt to reach and save a key astrophysics observatory in low Earth orbit.
Cotton-Candy Exoplanets: Two for the Price of One!
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has found two “super-puff” planets in the same system, each one as light as cotton candy.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
NASA Announces Four New Lunar Lander Missions for 2028
NASA has awarded contracts to three aerospace companies for four lunar landers to launch in 2028.
July Podcast: Spotlight on Spica
This month’s episode highlights the bright star Spica, now prominent high in the southwest after evening twilight. It’s leading the parade of constellations, along with the brilliant planet Venus, that will grace the Northern Hemisphere’s summer skies. You'll also get to know other brights stars in Spica’s vicinity, along with excellent tips on how to be a better stargazer. So grab curiosity and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.
Vera C. Rubin Observatory Begins Its Long-Awaited All-Sky Survey
The telescope should spot billions of astronomical objects in the next 10 years.
Radio Astronomers Measure a Brighter Sky Than They Expected
Astronomers have underestimated just how bright the low-frequency radio sky is, new measurements show.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 26 – July 5
The almost-full Moon steps past orange Antares between Friday and Saturday evenings, June 26th and 27th.
Into the Void: Investigating the Heart of a Giant Elliptical Galaxy
The core of the brightest galaxy in the cluster Abell 402 contains a curious void. New observations suggest that an ultra-massive black hole could have excavated this feature.
Exploding Stars Sprinkled Ancient Earth With Radioactive Iron and Plutonium
Exploding stars have left their radioactive mark on our planet. Now scientists have found more evidence of a particularly violent event in Earth’s more ancient past.
Double Whammy: Binary Supernova in Gemini
New analysis reveals a tight relationship between two supernova remnants in the outer Milky Way.
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Has Cold, Ancient Origins
The most recent interstellar visitor was crisscrossing our galaxy for some 10 to 12 billion years before it came near the Sun.
Lucy's First Asteroid Flyby Sheds Light on a Double-lobed Asteroid
The main-belt asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson, as captured by NASA’s Lucy spacecraft during a close flyby on April 20, 2025.The spacecraft snapped images every 2 seconds, a total of 37 in this time-lapse animation, until 40 seconds before the spacecraft passed by at a distance of 960 km (600 miles).NASA-Goddard /…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 19 – 28
The Moon as it will appear in an amateur telescope at 10 p.m. EDT Friday the 19th. This week Venus and Jupiter continue moving apart low in the western twilight. Vega and Arcturus shine equally high after dark. And watch Beta Lyrae self-eclipse.
“Shadow Blaster” Galaxy Might Have Sent High-Energy Neutrino to Earth
A star-forming galaxy in the early universe might have sent a ghostly particle known as a neutrino crashing into the ice at Earth’s South Pole, after an 11 billion-year journey through space.
See Venus Disappear in Broad Daylight on June 17th
On June 17th, much of North America can watch the Moon occult Venus in the daytime sky. All you need are binoculars.
"Little Red Dot" Is a Cocooned Black Hole
A deep spectrum of a mysterious "little red dot" reveals a supermassive black hole cocooned in gas so dense it's opaque — but glowing in the infrared.
Did A Moon-Size Planet Grow Fast and Die Young in the Early Solar System?
A rare meteorite recovered from the Sahara Desert could be a fragment of a Moon-size body that met a violent end in the earliest days of the solar system.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 12 – 21
The three planets in the western twilight are pulling away from each other now. On Wednesday, the Moon will occult Venus in daylight.
Revival of Australia’s Molonglo Radio Telescope
Australia's Molonglo Observatory was saved from retirement; now, it holds the promise of future radio observations.
