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Space
Voyager 2 confirms Neptune’s rings on August 22 in 1989
NASA's Voyager 2 confirmed the discovery of Neptune's rings on August 22, 1989, when it took images of a faint, continuous ring system around the planet.
August 21, 2026
Sun
Sun news: Almost-X flare from new powerhouse region
Sun news August 21, 2026: AR4513 struck again with an M8.1 flare. With an impressive magnetic complexity, this region could soon provide even bigger flares.
Astronomy Essentials
Tonight
Visible planets and night sky guide for August
Visible planets and night sky guide: Tonight, the moon hangs near the middle of the J-shaped constellation Scorpius, with the red star Antares shining close by.
August 21, 2026
Favorite Star Patterns
Teapot of Sagittarius points to the Milky Way’s center
As you gaze toward the famous Teapot asterism in the constellation Sagittarius, you are looking toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
August 21, 2026
Earth
Pyrocumulonimbus clouds are fire-generated thunderstorms
This summer, NASA is studying pyrocumulonimbus clouds, or fire-driven thunderstorms. Researchers are flying planes right into the smoke plumes for samples.
August 20, 2026
Space
Astronomers discover a black hole star, a new type of object
Astronomers believe the little red dots we see in the early universe are a newly discovered type of object called a black hole star.
August 20, 2026
Space
Detecting whispers from the early universe … from the moon
A tiny UK satellite called CosmoCube is to listen for signals from the early universe. It will use the dark side of the moon to block out noise from Earth.
August 20, 2026
Space
Voyager 2 spacecraft launched 49 years ago today
Voyager 2 realized the vision of what was originally called a Grand Tour of the outer solar system. It is the only craft that has visited all 4 outer planets.
August 20, 2026
Constellations
Sagitta the Arrow lies inside the Summer Triangle
Sagitta the Arrow is a dim constellation that lies inside the Summer Triangle. It contains one Messier object, a small globular cluster.
August 20, 2026
Space
Mission to save Swift spacecraft fails, will crash back to Earth
NASA said on August 19, 2026, the mission to save the Swift spacecraft will not work after attitude control issues. Swift will crash back to Earth this year.
August 19, 2026
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