Space
Astronomers spot 1st giant stream of stars between galaxies
Astronomers have found the 1st giant stream of stars outside a galaxy. It lies among the galaxies in the Coma cluster, and it may shed light on dark matter.
Today's Image
Exoplanet art lets you visualize alien worlds
Enjoy the exoplanet art of Martin Vargic. Martin illustrated more than 1,000 exoplanets based on astronomers' discoveries of alien worlds around other stars.
Brightest Stars
Sun

Sun news: Small new region brings big action

Sun news for December 6, 2023. New active region AR3513 is the origin of a large increase in activity including 3 M flares.
Astronomy Essentials

Visible planets and night sky for December

Visible planets: Venus dominates the morning sky. Bright Jupiter is visible in the night. Saturn shines after sunset. Mercury is low in the evening twilight.
Space

1st planet-forming disk found in another galaxy

For the first time, astronomers have discovered a planet-forming disk around a young star in another galaxy outside our own Milky Way galaxy.
Brightest Stars

Aldebaran is Taurus the Bull’s bloodshot eye

Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus the Bull, is at one tip of a V-shaped cluster. If placed where our sun is, its surface would pass the orbit of Mercury.
Moon Phases

2023’s most-illuminated quarter moon is tonight

Some quarter moons are fuller than others! The most-illuminated quarter moon of 2023 is on December 5. Learn more unique moon dates for 2024.
Astronomy Essentials

What’s a red dwarf? Only the most abundant Milky Way star

A red dwarf star is smallest and coolest type of star known. They're also extremely common, making up around 60 to 70% of the stars in the Milky Way.
Space

What the Chinese Zhurong rover found beneath Mars’ surface

China's Zhurong rover has found polygonal wedges below the surface in Utopia Planitia on Mars. Freeze-thaw cycles of water and ice likely created the polygons.
Earth

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds look like ocean waves

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds - aka billow clouds or shear-gravity clouds - can sometimes look like ocean waves. Check out these photos of them!