• Happy Autumn Equinox!

    Day in AutumnRainer Maria Rilke (1875 –1926) After the summer’s yield, Lord, it is timeto let your shadow lengthen on the sundialsand in the pastures let the rough winds fly. As for the final fruits, coax them to roundness.Direct on them two days of warmer lightto hale them golden toward their term, and harrythe last…

  • Russia Has One Less Space Asset

    The Urania newspaper Euromaiden Press recently noted the success of its navy in taking out Russian assets, including: One of those items is not like the others, that being the Yevpatoria RT-70 radio telescope. This Soviet-era radio telescope was one of the largest in the world, assisted with the study of Mars and Venus, and…

  • Space Quote: SpaceX Delays May Sink Efforts to Beat China to the Moon

    “The HLS schedule is significantly challenged and, in our estimation, could be years late for a 2027 Artemis 3 moon landing.” -Statement by Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) member Paul Sean Hill, as quoted by Space News. NASA contracted with SpaceX to develop the Human Landing System (HLS) for the astronauts landing on the Moon…

  • The VIPER Lives!

    It was only last year that NASA gave up on its $450 million Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) project, but things have changed for the better. Blue Origin has been selected by NASA to bring the rover to the Moon as part of a $190 million task order under the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload…

  • Pic of the Week: Stellar Eruption Sharpless 2-284

    This week’s image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shows a stellar eruption called Sharpless 2-284 (or Sh2-284), which is located about 15,000 light-years away. The image provides a beautiful and delicate combination of colors. As noted in Universe Today, Reseacher Yu Cheng stated: We didn’t really know there was a massive star with…

  • Astronomy Question: Viewing Galaxies

    Multiple Choice: How many galaxies can be viewed with the naked eye from the Northern Hemisphere? A. OneB. TwoC. FiveD. Eight Take a guess and then check your answer by going to the “Astronomy Question Answer Sheet” page.

  • NASA Delivery to the ISS Delayed

    The Russian’s cargo spaceship arrived without incident at the International Space Station (ISS) over the weekend, but the NASA cargo spaceship has not been as smooth. The Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL cargo ship has experienced engine issues, which will delay its arrival. It was originally supposed to unload its cargo tomorrow morning (September 17). This…

  • Space Stories: Black Hole Stars, Globe-Trotting Student Astronomers, and Verifying Hawking’s Theorem

    Here are some recent space-related stories of interest. —HotHardware: “Astronomers Baffled, Universe Weirder Than Ever Imagined On Strange Red Dot Discovery“ A team of Pennsylvania State University researchers has a unique take on mysterious red dots first observed by the James Webb Space Telescope. Initially thought to be tiny, crimson galaxies, the red dots are now…

  • NASA’s 2026 Student Launch Challenge is Underway

    If you are a student looking for an opportunity to be part of the space program, you have until September 22nd to provide NASA with plans to design, build, and launch high-powered rockets containing a scientific or engineering payload. This is part of the 2026 Student Launch challenge. The challenge is open to students from…

  • Sci-Fi Quote: Shaking the Foundation

    “Audiences are sophisticated these days, and you have to tell a good story — you don’t do this merely to surprise the audience — but one of the reasons why “Breaking Bad” or “Game of Thrones” is so exciting is they broke some of the conventions of storytelling by killing off lead characters. So I…