This image released on June 26, 2026, features the globular cluster NGC 6723, sometimes called the Chandelier Cluster. Like its namesake, it sparkles with countless lights. However, each ‘lightbulb’ in this chandelier is an individual star 27,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius (the Archer). Globular clusters like NGC 6723 contain some of the oldest…
The European-Chinese Smile mission reached its designated science orbit on 20 June 2026. The team is now embarking on a two-month campaign to ‘commission’ the spacecraft, which involves switching on and testing out its toolbox of science instruments. Since launching into space on a European Vega-C rocket on 19 May 2026, Smile has fired its…
A master craftsman carved the likeness around 1600, possibly as a commission from the English monarch herself. A parrot on the back of the heart-shaped object symbolizes Elizabeth’s status as a “virgin queen” Meilan Solly | Senior Associate Digital Editor, History June 30, 2026 1:19 p.m. This amber pendant is expected to fetch £100,000 to…
Enabling & Support 24/06/2026 2546 views 53 likes At 15:24 CEST on 15 June 2026, a faint blue glow in space was switched off for the last time. After powering BepiColombo’s eight-year journey across the inner Solar System, the spacecraft’s solar electric propulsion (SEP) system completed its final thrust arc, marking the end of BepiColombo’s long cruise phase and the beginning of its arrival at Mercury. Since…
Update (June 22, 2026): The research discussed below is now published online in Nature. Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1, 2025. The Gemini South telescope in Chile captured this image of the comet on August 27, 2025. International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA et. al The visitors we know of from…
Star Fox 64 is the Nintendo game that refuses to fade away, and we’re not complaining, especially when the new Switch 2 remake — simply titled Star Fox — amplifies its replay value and expands the original vision with a bunch of new content. Roughly a decade ago, Star Fox Zero almost killed the franchise…
NASA is introducing a new funding opportunity to accelerate academic research and technology development. The Minority University Research and Education Project Space Technology Artemis Research (M‑STAR) application window opened Thursday and will remain open through 11:59 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Aug. 11. The research funded through this award supports the agency’s priorities for exploring the…
Back to Article List The 10-year census will scan the entire southern sky every few nights, generating millions of alerts each night and an unprecedented stream of astronomical data. This 1.7-gigapixel view of the constellation Lupus was captured by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The image showcases the telescope’s unmatched range, resolving individual stars and…
Hopefully, we’re about to travel back to the Moon relatively soon. And while the original “giant leap for mankind” was taken by a human, Neil Armstrong brought a plethora of other forms of life along with him. Humans themselves are essentially walking ecosystems, and understanding how our microbial companions survive in the harsh environments of…
Applications 30/06/2026 697 views 12 likes After 12 years of exceptional service, the pioneering Copernicus Sentinel-1A radar satellite has reached the end of its mission. Originally designed for a seven-year life in orbit, the satellite has exceeded expectations, not only by its longevity, but through the extraordinary impact of its data, which have deepened our…