• No moonlight to interfere with 2016 Eta Aquarids

    The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will reach its maximum rate of activity this year on the night of May 5 and the morning of May 6. This is an above average shower, capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak, with most of the activity seen in the…

  • Night sky guide for May 2016

    May hosts an above average meteor shower – the Eta Aquarids – with its peak on the night of May 5 and the morning of May 6. This will also be the best time of the month to observe faint objects in the night sky because there is no moonlight to interfere. A rare…

  • Bright green fireball streaks across the skies of Southern California, US

    A bright green fireball was recorded streaking across the skies of Southern California at 04:40 UTC on April 27, 2016 (21:40 PDT on April 26). American Meteor Society received more than 65 reports and is investigating the case. According to witness reports, the…

  • The comet Venus – past and present

    The planet Venus presents many unresolved mysteries to planetary scientists. However, equally mysterious is Venus' extraordinary role in the world's ancient astronomies. In this Space News episode, we explore the remarkable electrical environment of Venus…

  • HERTS E-sail concept begins testing

    NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center began testing Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS) E-Sail, a concept for a potentially revolutionary propulsion system that could send spacecraft to the edge of our solar system, the heliopause, faster than…

  • Interstellar spacecraft within a human reach

    Yuri Milner, a billionaire from Russia, announced his proposal on developing a lightweight spacecraft capable of journeying about 40 trillion km through space toward Alpha Centauri, our nearest star and it's planets, at a conference held in New York City on…

  • ‘Once in a life time’ photo of neon green fireball over New Zealand

    Jono Matla, a photographer from Wellington, New Zealand, captured a bright green meteor flashing across the night sky around 21:00 local time on April 5, 2016. The event started as a ball of orange and turned into a neon green as it streaked the sky over Waikanae,…

  • Night sky guide for April 2016

    April hosts two meteor showers, but only one major. The first – Virginid meteor shower – will reach its maximum rate of activity on April 12. The Moon will be 5 days old and will present minimal interference. The maximum rate of meteors expected to be visible from a…

  • Small comet or asteroid impacts Jupiter

    Two astronomers have captured images of a small comet or asteroid as it impacted Jupiter at 00:18 UTC on March 17, 2016. The videos of the same event were captured from Austria and Ireland. The object is probably in the tens-of-meters wide range, according to Phil…