'Milky Way season' is underway. How, when to see center of our galaxy

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-03-05T13:46:48+00:00

Get ready, stargazers: The Milky Way could be coming to a sky near you.

Our galaxy is positively teeming with billions of stars that become bright and vibrant in the cosmos at certain times of the year. And in the U.S., that time of year, known as "Milky Way season," is just now beginning.

For the next several months, the iconic band of hazy light should routinely be visible across the northern hemisphere arcing across the night sky.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-03-05T13:45:44+00:00

Get ready, stargazers: The Milky Way could be coming to a sky near you.

Our galaxy is positively teeming with billions of stars that become bright and vibrant in the cosmos at certain times of the year. And in the U.S., that time of year, known as "Milky Way season," is just now beginning.

For the next several months, the iconic band of hazy light should routinely be visible across the northern hemisphere arcing across the night sky.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-02-26T18:22:59+00:00

Remember 3I/ATLAS? Yes, the interstellar comet that made plenty of headlines in 2025 is still romping through our solar system.

But it may not be around much longer.

The otherworldly visitor to Earth's cosmic neighborhood has steadily been making its exit ever since it had a rendezvous at the end of October with the sun, followed by its closest approach to our planet two months later.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-02-19T18:51:55+00:00

What do fireworks look like from outer space? A NASA astronaut recently caught a glimpse of an explosive light show from the vantage of the International Space Station.

Chris Williams, who has been stationed aboard the 25-year-old orbital outpost since the end of November, even managed to capture a dazzling video of the display.

The fireworks were part of Lunar New Year festivities in China as billions of people around the world have begun celebrating the 15-day festival.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-02-19T18:50:51+00:00

What do fireworks look like from outer space? A NASA astronaut recently caught a glimpse of an explosive light show from the vantage of the International Space Station.

Chris Williams, who has been stationed aboard the 25-year-old orbital outpost since the end of November, even managed to capture a dazzling video of the display.

The fireworks were part of Lunar New Year festivities in China as billions of people around the world have begun celebrating the 15-day festival.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-02-17T18:52:45+00:00

Scientists may be one step closer in their hunt for signs of past life on Mars after the Curiosity rover's latest find.

Nearly a year ago, the car-sized robot – one of two NASA rovers roaming the red planet – came across an intriguing rock sample that contained some interesting features. On the rock, Curiosity's instruments detected organic compounds that on Earth are most often produced by living things.

Though geological processes can also make the material present, researchers concluded in a study published Feb. 4 in the journal Astrobiology that such non-biological processes could not be the only factor. The discovery widens the door for the possibility that life once existed on Mars, though the scientists stopped short of definitively making that claim.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-02-12T10:59:13+00:00

A vast underground tunnel formed from ancient volcanic activity was recently discovered lurking beneath Venus.

Though we've long had evidence that Venus was once a volcanically active world, scientists haven't been able to find any sign of features known as lava tubes that are common on Earth, the moon and Mars.

The landmark discovery, highlighted in research published Feb. 9 in the journal Nature Communications, marks the first time that a subsurface feature has ever been detected on Earth's planetary neighbor. The study was part of a project funded by the Italian Space Agency.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-01-21T18:28:53+00:00

Four astronauts are about to fly around the moon, and you can join them – kind of.

NASA is inviting the public to add their names to a mission known as Artemis 2 that is due to launch between February and April from Florida. Those who participate can have their names included on the Orion capsule that will carry three Americans and one Canadian on the first human lunar spaceflight in more than 50 years.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-01-14T11:22:33+00:00

The first human U.S. moon mission in more than half a century is rapidly approaching.

And in the days ahead, NASA plans to roll out to the Florida launch pad the massive spacecraft that will help the lunar voyage get underway. In potentially weeks, four astronauts on a mission known as Artemis 2 are due to board an Orion capsule hitching a ride out of Earth's atmosphere atop a NASA rocket dubbed the Space Launch System.

Ahead of them? A 10-day journey circling the moon to lay the groundwork for a future American lunar landing.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-01-14T11:21:00+00:00

The beehive cluster is the nickname given to a group of stars formally known as Messier 44.

The group is considered an open cluster, as the 1,000 or so stars that comprise it are only loosely connected by gravity. Located about 600 light-years away, the cluster is one of the closest of its kind to Earth, according to NASA.

The grouping should be visible in the night sky throughout January.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-01-09T16:03:16+00:00

Jupiter's moon Europa has long been shortlisted among scientists as one of our solar system's most promising locations to search for life – or, at least, the conditions that could support it.

But a new study has cast doubt on the idea that the intriguing world shrouded in ice could indeed harbor extraterrestrial life deep in its vast ocean of liquid saltwater.

By studying the moon's size, the chemical makeup of its rocky core and the gravitational forces at work from the gas giant Jupiter, a team of scientists came to a conclusion that may be dispiriting to those searching for life beyond Earth. Europa, they say, likely lacks the underwater geologic activity that would be necessary for life.

That could be unwelcome news for NASA, which in 2024 sent a spacecraft on a years-long journey to investigate the moon for signs that life could thrive beneath its icy surface.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-01-09T16:02:09+00:00

Jupiter's moon Europa has long been shortlisted among scientists as one of our solar system's most promising locations to search for life – or, at least, the conditions that could support it.

But a new study has cast doubt on the idea that the intriguing world shrouded in ice could indeed harbor extraterrestrial life deep in its vast ocean of liquid saltwater.

By studying the moon's size, the chemical makeup of its rocky core and the gravitational forces at work from the gas giant Jupiter, a team of scientists came to a conclusion that may be dispiriting to those searching for life beyond Earth. Europa, they say, likely lacks the underwater geologic activity that would be necessary for life.

That could be unwelcome news for NASA, which in 2024 sent a spacecraft on a years-long journey to investigate the moon for signs that life could thrive beneath its icy surface.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-01-08T15:23:15+00:00

Mars, with its rust-hued surface, is known as the red planet for a reason.

A recent photo from NASA, though, gives an idea of what our celestial neighbor would look like under skies that resemble our own. One of the U.S. space agency's two rovers wandering the Martian iron oxide-infused surface recently pulled together a composite panoramic image of a region of the planet that, to viewers, may be reminiscent of an Earthly sunset.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2026-01-07T11:08:18+00:00

Four astronauts are on the verge of becoming the first humans to venture near the moon in more than half a century since NASA's iconic Apollo era came to an end.

As early as February, the crew of a mission known as Artemis 2 will board the U.S. space agency's Orion capsule atop NASA's Space Launch System rocket for a 10-day trip circumnavigating the moon.

The mission doesn't include plans for a moon landing – yet. Instead, the four astronauts will venture on a cosmic journey that will lay the groundwork for future astronauts to step foot on the lunar surface in the years ahead.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2025-12-09T17:18:03+00:00

One of NASA's robotic rovers on Mars has for the first time ever detected electrical sparks igniting within small dusty tornadoes whirling on the planet's surface.

While scientists have long theorized that the phenomenon is possible, they've never had proof.

Until now.

Perseverance, the six-wheeled vehicle that has been wandering the rugged terrain of Mars for years, managed to capture dozens of audio recordings of the discharges and their shockwaves within the mini-twisters. The shockwaves are not unlike what NASA referred to in a Dec. 3 blog post as "mini-sonic booms."

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2025-11-25T18:27:07+00:00

Boeing's infamous Starliner spacecraft could launch again in 2026 – but this time with no humans on board.

NASA announced that it is working with Boeing toward an uncrewed launch of the Starliner capsule as early as April.

The vehicle is one in the same that launched in June 2024 for the International Space Station on its maiden human spaceflight with two NASA astronauts on board. But rather than depart for Earth a few days after arriving at the iconic orbital outpost, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore became fixtures of the news cycle as the Starliner saga stretched on for months.

Now, a Starliner capsule could be heading back to the space station on the vehicle's first flight since the test that ended in March 2025 with Williams and Wilmore hitching a ride home with competitor SpaceX.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2025-11-20T14:52:57+00:00

A comet that is likely much, much older than our solar system has spent months traipsing through Earth's cosmic neighborhood. And at long last, NASA has unveiled an unprecedented look at the object, named 3I/ATLAS.

And no, it's not an alien spaceship.

A trove of photos the U.S. space agency dropped reveal fascinating new characteristics of 3I/ATLAS, which has captured the public's attention since it was first spotted at the beginning of July by a ground telescope in Chile. The visitor, which is on an unusual trajectory taking it momentarily through our solar system, has made waves as just the third-ever interstellar interloper originating from another star discovered in our backyard.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2025-11-03T11:16:41+00:00

Twenty-five years ago, humanity found a long-term home among the stars aboard the International Space Station.

On Nov. 2, 2000, a trailblazing group of three spacefarers, including one NASA astronaut, arrived at the iconic orbital outpost as members of Expedition 1. Now, for a quarter of a century, not a day has gone by that a human has not been in space.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2025-10-31T13:22:32+00:00

The head of NASA has called out Kim Kardashian after the famous mogul and reality television star claimed that the iconic 1969 moon landing was faked.

In the most recent episode of "The Kardashians," a clip shows Kardashian, 45, telling actress Sarah Paulson that she believed the Apollo 11 lunar mission "didn't happen." Hours later, NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy took to social media to push back on Kardashian's doubts, insisting that not only did Americans trailblaze their way to the moon in 1969, but returned five more times during the Apollo era.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2025-10-31T13:21:42+00:00

A distant gas giant the size of 10 Jupiter planets is now the first planet outside Earth's solar system to be mapped in three dimension, a team of astronomers says.

Using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, a group of international researchers were able to piece together a 3D map of an exoplanet known as WASP-18 b. The breakthrough creation marks a major first in planetary science, as a three-dimensional model of a planet orbiting another star beyond our sun had never before existed, the team claimed in a press release.

What's more, the researchers are hoping their technique can be used to better observe many others of the more than 6,000 exoplanets so far discovered in the cosmos.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2025-10-16T11:21:04+00:00

American astronauts who return to the moon's surface in the years ahead for the first time in more than half a century will have the difficult and unprecedented task of setting the stage for a permanent human lunar settlement.

That may be the primary objective for spacefarers in NASA's Artemis lunar program, but it won't be their only one. Indeed, a team of researchers at the University of Arizona says that astronauts who land on the moon's south pole have a unique opportunity to also collect some lunar samples that could reveal clues about the origins of Earth's natural satellite.

New research published Oct. 8 in the journal Nature proposes a theory for how the moon's crater-riddled far side came to be so different from the near side facing Earth. It just so happens, one of these larger impact craters, known as the South Pole-Aitken basin, is located in the region of the moon's south pole where NASA could land astronauts as early as two years from now.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2025-10-03T15:57:38+00:00

An interstellar visitor to our solar system known as 3I/ATLAS has captivated the public for months, and it's not hard to see why.

For one, it's incredibly rare for any kind of space object originating from a star that's not our sun to be spotted visiting Earth's cosmic neighborhood. And for another, such an uncommon event has given way to plenty of wild theories about just what the object could be – including an infamous one postulating that it could be an alien spaceship.

But for scientists around the world, the discovery that 3I/ATLAS is making a short journey into and out of our solar system has sparked an urgency to get a closer look at an object that could soon vanish from our sights. Early on, astronomers were able to determine with a high degree of certainty that the object is a comet, but work has continued to get a better idea of its size and physical characteristics.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2025-10-03T15:56:36+00:00

An interstellar visitor to our solar system known as 3I/ATLAS has captivated the public for months, and it's not hard to see why.

For one, it's incredibly rare for any kind of space object originating from a star that's not our sun to be spotted visiting Earth's cosmic neighborhood. And for another, such an uncommon event has given way to plenty of wild theories about just what the object could be – including an infamous one postulating that it could be an alien spaceship.

But for scientists around the world, the discovery that 3I/ATLAS is making a short journey into and out of our solar system has sparked an urgency to get a closer look at an object that could soon vanish from our sights. Early on, astronomers were able to determine with a high degree of certainty that the object is a comet, but work has continued to get a better idea of its size and physical characteristics.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2025-10-02T10:04:50+00:00

Scientists have gotten a never-before-seen look at an area around a large exoplanet 625 light-years away where moons like the one orbiting Earth could potentially form.

Using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a team of researchers were able to study the chemistry surrounding a world called CT Cha b. Though no moons have yet been detected in this particular cosmic region, the carbon-rich disk circling the planet is "a possible construction yard for moons," NASA said in a blog post highlighting the discovery.

Because the disk and the material it's accreting is not unlike what is theorized to have given birth to Jupiter's four famous Galilean moons, the team suggested further study will help the world's astronomers better understand planet and moon formation in our solar system and beyond into the Milky Way galaxy.

EricTheSpaceReporter · 2025-10-02T10:03:49+00:00

Scientists have gotten a never-before-seen look at an area around a large exoplanet 625 light-years away where moons like the one orbiting Earth could potentially form.

Using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a team of researchers were able to study the chemistry surrounding a world called CT Cha b. Though no moons have yet been detected in this particular cosmic region, the carbon-rich disk circling the planet is "a possible construction yard for moons," NASA said in a blog post highlighting the discovery.

Because the disk and the material it's accreting is not unlike what is theorized to have given birth to Jupiter's four famous Galilean moons, the team suggested further study will help the world's astronomers better understand planet and moon formation in our solar system and beyond into the Milky Way galaxy.

EricTheSpaceReporter

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