Astronomy Essentials
Tonight
Visible planets and night sky guide for November
Visible planets and night sky guide. Mars and Jupiter are getting closer together! Watch them this week. Saturn will be visible all month in the evening sky.
Space
Active volcanoes on Mars? Noxious gas discovery says — maybe
Are there still active volcanoes on Mars? New detections of hydrogen chloride from below the surface suggest flowing magma.
Earth

Traces of dinosaur blood found for the 1st time?

For the 1st time, scientists say they've found traces of dinosaur blood. It comes from a 115-million-year-old fossil dinosaur bone from Brazil.
Constellations

The constellation Andromeda the Chained Lady

The constellation Andromeda the Chained Lady is most famous for containing M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, the closest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way.
Space

Hera mission begins asteroid defense investigation: 1st close-up views!

The Hera mission just got its 1st closeup view of Didymos and its little moonlet Dimorphos. Soon it will begin investigating the aftermath of the DART impact.
Space

Swift spacecraft fell back to Earth in a fiery blaze

The Swift spacecraft fell back to Earth as a fiery streak of light on November 4. See videos here of its blazing reentry into Earth's atmosphere.
Space
Spaceflight

ESCAPADE mission to fly past Earth twice in 2 days

On November 7 and 9, 2026, the twin probes of the ESCAPADE mission — first Blue and then Gold — will perform flybys of Earth on the way to Mars.
Today's Image

The moon and Jupiter play hide-and-seek. More pics here!

The moon and Jupiter played hide-and-seek on November 3, 2026. And they'll pair up again at the end of the month! Find out more.
Astronomy Essentials

Dark nebulae are star-obscuring clouds of gas and dust

Dark nebulae are clouds of gas and dust in space. They block the light of stars shining behind them. Often, they're locations where new stars are forming.
Space

A new mini-moon for Earth! Meet 2026 QQ8

Earth has another new mini-moon! The little space rock 2026 QQ8 began orbiting Earth in April and will stay through 2026.