Sky & Telescope

An innovative new mission will probe the mystery of how the Earth’s magnetosphere interacts with the solar wind. The post SMILE: European Space Weather Mission Launches appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A new model explains how Ganymede got its molten core — which in turn has given Jupiter's largest moon its magnetic field. The post How Jupiter’s Moon Ganymede Melted Its Core appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Astronomers have identified the likely source of gas that flows into the maw of the Milky Way’s central black hole, Sagittarius A*. The post What's Feeding Our Supermassive Black Hole? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter — the three brightest celestial objects after the Sun — will form up beautifully in twilight this Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 15 – 24 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A planetary odd couple — a mini-Neptune and a hot Jupiter — probably formed much farther away from their star before migrating closer in. The post How Did This Peculiar Planet Pair Form? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Two objects that appeared to be galaxies residing in a universe about 150 million years old turn out to be brown dwarfs in the Milky Way. The post Webb Telescope Reveals Brown Dwarfs Masquerading as Early Galaxies appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Watch the crescent Moon dance with the planets when it returns next week. The post Moon and Planets to Gather in Twilight Spectacle on May 18–20 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

In 2019, a supermassive black hole in a galaxy 300 million light-years away woke up. Now, it’s puzzling astronomers with an unexpected slowdown in its X-ray bursts. The post A Black Hole’s Puzzling X-Ray Bursts appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Jupiter, shining high the western dusk, inches down day toward brighter Venus. Venus, meanwhile, creeps toward the horntip stars of Taurus and stands between them on May 13th. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 8 – 17 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The imminent lunar impact of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster highlights the growing amount of space debris near the Moon. The post SpaceX Booster Will Hit the Moon This August appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Astronomers may have found the missing link required to understand one of the James Webb Space Telescope’s most puzzling discoveries. The post Astronomers Spot Possible Missing Link to Webb’s Little Red Dots appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The James Webb Space Telescope has observed the surface of a bare rocky exoplanet, revealing old, dark rock akin to that on our Moon. The post Nearby Super-Earth Has No Atmosphere and a Dark, Moon-like Surface appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The manufacturer of the highly coveted Questar telescope has closed its shutters after 76 years of serving the astronomy community. The post Questar Ceases Operations appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Some celestial events are sure things; it's just a question of when. We're still waiting for T Corona Borealis to go nova — any month now. The post Waiting for the Blaze Star appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Leo, the Lion, is one of the most recognizable of the spring constellations, with its large size, distinctive shape, and plentiful bright stars. The post Meet the Constellations: Leo, the Lion appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Observations — including from an amateur astronomer — show that the Plutino 2002 XV93 has a thin wisp of air around it. The post Astronomers Find Atmosphere Around a Pluto-like World appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Venus hangs in place in the western twilight while Aldebaran and the Pleiades continue their downward slide behind it. And if Venus is the Evening Star, then bright Jupiter, high to its upper left, counts as the False Evening Star. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 1 – 9 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The most recent interstellar visitor was crisscrossing our galaxy for some 10 to 12 billion years before it came near the Sun. The post Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Has Cold, Ancient Origins appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

This month’s episode showcases the Big and Little Dippers, now placed high in the northern evening sky. We'll also track down all five bright planets and watch for meteors from Halley's Comet. So grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour. The post May Podcast: The Delightful Dippers appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Here's a quick guide to tell meteors from machines in your wide-field images of the night sky. The post Satellite or Meteor? Dissecting Light Trails in Your Sky Photos appeared first on Sky & Telescope.