Astronomy Essentials
Tonight
Visible planets and night sky guide for October
Visible planets and night sky guide. The Orionid meteor shower is just beginning to ramp up! Ready to catch some shooting stars? Here's when and where to look!
Earth
New dinosaur species identified from fossil stashed in drawer for a century
Researchers identified a new dinosaur species from a fossil on Isle of Wight in the UK. The carnivorous dino would have been as tall as a human.
Astronomy Essentials

Comet Halley is parent of 2 meteor showers

The famous comet Halley spawns both the October Orionid meteor shower and the May Eta Aquariid meteor shower. It'll return to the inner solar system in 2061.
Space

The MMX mission launches to Mars’ moons on Monday

The MMX mission launches October 19 to Mars’ moons Phobos and Deimos. It will collect a sample from Phobos and return it to Earth in 2031.
Astronomy Essentials

Inferior conjunction — Venus! October 23-24, 2026

Venus reaches inferior conjunction soon. It'll pass between Earth and the sun at 4 UTC on October 24. Then Venus emerges in the morning sky.
Space

Caves on the moon are target of new NASA mission

NASA wants to search for caves on the moon. A new mission named GIMLI will land and examine a volcanic pit — the Marius Hills Pit — in the vast, dark lunar lava plain known as Oceanus Procellarum.
Human World

No more leap seconds! Timekeeping is officially changing

The world’s timekeepers announced on Thursday that leap seconds will no longer be added to clocks starting in May 2027.
Earth

US winter weather outlook: What will El Niño bring?

NOAA's winter winter outlook says El Niño will bring a warm and wet winter for much of the U.S.
Space

2nd-generation planet: Was this world born around a dead star?

Astronomers might have found a new 2nd-generation planet orbiting a white dwarf star. It could also help answer a "cold case" mystery about the white dwarf.
Space

Space is getting crowded. Here’s the latest satellite report

ESA reports on the state of low-Earth orbit. The number of satellites in orbit is skyrocketing, along with the chance for collisions and on-ground casualties.