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Challenger disaster: 40 years ago today
January 28, 1986. On today's date 40 years ago, the Space Shuttle Challenger (mission STS-51-L) exploded and broke apart 73 seconds into its flight.
January 28, 2026
Iconic Ring Nebula holds a mysterious iron bar, study finds
Scientists have discovered a mysterious bar of iron hidden within the iconic Ring Nebula. It's not yet clear what created it.
January 27, 2026
Quantum computers and exoplanets: New view of distant worlds
Quantum computers and exoplanets: Distant planets around other stars are difficult to image. But quantum computers could help astronomers see them better.
January 27, 2026
New evidence for ancient Mars ocean found in giant canyon
Evidence for an ancient Mars ocean keeps growing. Deltas in the Valles Marineris canyon along the former shoreline show that the ocean covered half the planet.
January 27, 2026
This galaxy cluster provides a lens on distant space
The Webb space telescope has imaged the stunning galaxy cluster MACS J1149, putting a spotlight on its prominent gravitational lensing.
January 25, 2026
Voyager 2 met Uranus 40 years ago
Voyager 2 met Uranus on January 24, 1986. The spacecraft sent data that revealed 2 new rings, 10 new moons, radiation belts, and a very unusual magnetic field.
January 23, 2026
Giant gas cloud holds mysterious object, astronomers say
Astronomers witnessed a giant gas cloud pass in front of its star. A mysterious object is hidden in the gas cloud: likely a planet, brown dwarf or small star.
January 23, 2026
Milky Way’s central black hole erupted surprisingly recently
New observations of “light echoes” reflecting through the Milky Way suggest our galaxy’s supermassive black hole erupted violently in the recent past.
January 22, 2026
Powerful magnetic fields on super-Earths could boost chances of life
A new study said powerful magnetic fields on super-Earths could help shield them from radiation from their stars, making them potentially more friendly to life.
January 21, 2026
New survey of nearest stars reveals best spots for life
A new survey of nearest stars to the sun - more than 2,000 of them - is helping astronomers determine which ones are the most likely to have habitable planets.
January 20, 2026
