Why NASA's ESCAPADE Mars Twins Are Swinging Back Past Earth This Week
NASA's twin ESCAPADE probes return to Earth Nov. 7 and 9 for a slingshot engine burn that sends them to Mars. Here's how it works and how to spot them.
November 3, 2026 · 5 min read
Today in Space History, Nov. 3: Mariner 10 Heads for Mercury by Way of a Venus Slingshot
On Nov. 3, 1973, NASA launched Mariner 10, the first probe to visit Mercury and the first to use one planet's gravity to reach another.
November 3, 2026 · 3 min read
Why Hubble Couldn't See Beta Pictoris' Cosmic 'Cat's Tail' Until Now
Hubble finally spots the Beta Pictoris 'cat's tail' Webb found: ultra-dark carbon dust from a crash between two Ceres-sized worlds.
November 2, 2026 · 5 min read
Today in Space History, Nov. 2: NASA's Stardust Buzzes Asteroid Annefrank in a Comet Dress Rehearsal
On Nov. 2, 2002, NASA's Stardust flew past asteroid Annefrank to practice for Comet Wild 2, and found the asteroid was twice as big as expected.
November 2, 2026 · 3 min read
What's Up in the Sky This Week: Nov. 2–8 (Moon Meets Mars and Jupiter, Venus and Spica, Southern Taurids)
Nov. 2–8 stargazing: the Moon joins Mars, Jupiter and Regulus at dawn, a thin crescent meets Venus and Spica, and the Southern Taurids peak.
November 1, 2026 · 4 min read
What Would Happen If You Fell Into Jupiter? The Trip, Layer by Layer
What happens if you fall into Jupiter? There's no surface. Ride down through the clouds, helium rain and metallic hydrogen to its fuzzy core.
November 1, 2026 · 5 min read
Two Rings Around a Dead Star: White Dwarf WD J1328−1450 May Hide a Moon-Sized Survivor
The VLT found a white dwarf with two debris rings, not one, likely shaped by two surviving planetary bodies. A preview of our Solar System's end?
November 1, 2026 · 5 min read
Today in Space History, Nov. 1: Chiron, the First Centaur, Is Found Between Saturn and Uranus
On Nov. 1, 1977, Charles Kowal found Chiron, a strange icy world between Saturn and Uranus that is part asteroid, part comet and may even have rings.
November 1, 2026 · 3 min read
Today in Space History, Oct. 31: Expedition 1 Launches the ISS's First Crew
On Oct. 31, 2000, Expedition 1 launched the first crew to live on the International Space Station, starting 26 years of people in space every day.
October 31, 2026 · 3 min read
Algol, the 'Demon Star,' Fades on Halloween Night. Here's When to Watch
Algol, the Demon Star in Perseus, dims on Halloween night 2026. What makes it fade, why it's named for a demon, and exactly when to look.
October 31, 2026 · 5 min read
Hera Finally Spots Dimorphos: First Look at the Asteroid NASA's DART Knocked Off Course
ESA's Hera has seen Didymos and Dimorphos as two separate asteroids for the first time, weeks before it arrives to inspect DART's crash site.
October 31, 2026 · 5 min read
Meet the Cat's Head Nebula: Hubble and Webb Spot a Cosmic Cat Just in Time for Halloween
Just in time for Halloween, Hubble and Webb reveal the Cat's Head Nebula, a cat-shaped dust pillar in the Carina Nebula with a mysterious glowing eye.
October 30, 2026 · 5 min read
Your Name Can Fly to Titan on NASA's Dragonfly Drone. Here's How to Sign Up
Send your name to Titan on NASA's Dragonfly rotorcraft. How to sign up before the Jan. 15, 2027 deadline, and why this drone mission is so wild.
October 29, 2026 · 4 min read
A Possible New Dwarf Planet Just Turned Up Beyond Pluto. Meet 2026 ED138
The Rubin Observatory's first dwarf planet candidate was hiding in front of the Milky Way. Here's what we know about 2026 ED138, and what's still hype.
October 28, 2026 · 3 min read
Japan's MMX Launches to Bring Home a Piece of Phobos, Mars's Doomed Moon
JAXA's MMX is headed for Phobos, the Martian moon that's slowly falling. If it works, it'll be the first sample ever returned from the Mars system.
October 28, 2026 · 3 min read
Artemis I's Test Dummies Flew Around the Moon. Their Radiation Results Surprised Scientists
Crystals that rode inside Artemis I's test dummies show radiation near the Moon is higher than in Earth orbit, but by far less than expected.
October 28, 2026 · 4 min read
NASA's Swift Telescope Is Falling Out of the Sky, and a $30 Million Rescue Couldn't Save It
After 22 years catching the universe's biggest explosions, NASA's Swift has ended its mission. Here's how the first rescue of its kind fell short.
October 28, 2026 · 4 min read
The Mistake That Left 2 Astronauts Stranded in Space for 9 Months
A one-week test flight turned into 286 days in orbit. Here's what really went wrong with Boeing's Starliner, why the astronauts couldn't just fly home, and what NASA's own investigation called the real mistake.
October 24, 2026 · 9 min read
Could We Survive in a Parallel Universe?
"Parallel universe" isn't one idea, it's four. In most of them you'd be dead before your back foot left the floor. In one, you'd be completely fine, and you can never get there.
October 18, 2026 · 11 min read