• Movies: The 2025 Golden Raspberry Awards

    It is that time of year to look back at the science fiction movies of 2025 and determine which ones were really bad. We might as well go through this process because I cannot remember any that were really good, particularly in the area of space adventures. The 46th Golden Raspberry Award nominees for Worst…

  • A Day in Astronomy: The Last Word from Pioneer 10

    On this day in 2003, NASA heard its last message from Pioneer 10, the Jupiter space probe. Launched in 1972, it was the first spacecraft to cross the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter on its way to the outer planets. It is also one of only five spacecraft to leave our solar system. Both…

  • Pic of the Week: Preparing for the Artemis II Mission

    This week’s image shows NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft making its way from the Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B via the crawler-transporter. All of this is in preparation for the Artemis II mission, which will take four astronauts around the Moon. The flight could launch as early…

  • Study Findings: Electrical Conductivities of (Mg,Fe)O at Extreme Pressures and Implications for Planetary Magma Oceans

    Nature Astronomy abstract of study findings: During planet formation, planets undergo many impacts that can generate magma oceans. When these crystallize, part of the magma densifies via iron enrichment and migrates to the core–mantle boundary, forming an iron-rich basal magma ocean (BMO). The BMO could generate a dynamo in early Earth and super-Earths if the electrical…

  • Space Quote: NASA Astronaut Suni Williams Retires

    “It is hard to imagine people arguing down there, not to mention fighting. It looks so peaceful… so calm down on earth. From space, there are no borders that you can see. We are lucky to live on such a planet and we should not take it for granted. After my space experience, I am…

  • Space Stories: A Peruvian Solar Observatory, NASA Rocket Traffic, and a Reborn Back Hole

    Here are some recent space-related stories of interest. —Discover Magazine: “The Earliest-Known Astronomical Observatory in the Americas May Offer New Insights“ There was a time when Stonehenge was believed to be a kind of “Neolithic computer.” Archaeology has since corrected that misconception. Today, the evidence points strongly in another direction: to an arid hill in the…

  • Video: Brian Cox Talks About Alien Life – A 2026 Special

    If you have followed the career of English physicist Brian Cox, then you know he is a dynamic speaker who has hosted several series on astronomy, including Wonders of the Solar System and Wonders of the Universe. In this short video from Science Time channel, “Brian Cox Talks About Alien Life – A 2026 Special,”…

  • Astronomy Question: The Craters of Phobos

    Multiple Choice: The craters on the Martian moon Phobos were named after the works of what author? A. ErasmusB. Jonathan SwiftC. Jules VerneD. Voltaire Take a guess and then check your answer by going to the “Astronomy Question Answer Sheet” page.

  • Space Quote: Are We Ready for Extended Space Travel by Humans?

    “As an astronaut, I believe our current technology may not have solutions for critical situations we are bound to face moving away from low Earth orbit, and this incident illustrates exactly that. NASA needs to address some urgent and sometimes uncomfortable questions. For example, should a doctor always be on the crew? Should a spaceship…

  • Pic of the Week: The Safe Return of Crew-11

    This week’s image shows return of Crew-11 from the International Space Station (ISS). They landed safely on the morning of January 15th. As shown above, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke was the first member of the mission to exit the capsule. You can watch the entire video here. Earlier this week, Mr. Fincke posted a few…