Images of the week
Fresh views of the universe.
Astronomy worldwide
The latest discoveries.
Releases and pictures from NASA, ESA/Webb, ESA/Hubble, ESO, and NSF NOIRLab. Each story opens on the original institution’s site.
NASA’s Chandra Breaks Down ‘Treble Clef’s’ Galaxy Cluster Collision
Astronomers have used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to break down the cause of a remarkable formation of radio waves they have nicknamed the “Treble Clef” because its distinct shape strongly resembles the mu…
Read at NASA (opens in a new tab)
Pandora
NASA's Pandora is designed to study the atmospheres of exoplanets and the activity of their host stars.
Read at NASA (opens in a new tab)
EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope)
NASA's EXCITE is designed to study atmospheres around exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system.
Read at NASA (opens in a new tab)
NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory Welcomes Local Community to Tohono O’odham Nation Open Night
More than 90 NSF NOIRLab volunteers welcomed visitors from the Tohono O’odham Nation to NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory to enjoy an evening of cultural performances and educational activities.
Read at NSF NOIRLab (opens in a new tab)
Gemini North Reveals Pearl-Like Knots in the Remnant of a Supernova Witnessed in the Year 1181
The Gemini North telescope located on Maunakea in Hawai‘i has revealed the most detailed view yet of Pa 30, the likely remnant of the historic supernova seen in the year 1181. The new observations reveal that i…
Read at NSF NOIRLab (opens in a new tab)
Webb provides crash course on planet-shattering collisions
In the early history of our Solar System, a Mars-sized object called Theia smashed into the infant Earth, vapourising massive amounts of rock and blasting it into space. Some of that material coalesced into the…
Read at ESA/Webb (opens in a new tab)
Webb reveals stunning panorama of star formation
This starry view of the nearby star-forming region IC 348 is one of the largest images from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope released to the public so far. Using Webb, astronomers searched IC 348 for…
Read at ESA/Webb (opens in a new tab)
Extremely Massive Galaxy Proto-Supercluster Smashes Distance Records
An international team of astronomers has discovered the most distant progenitor to a galaxy supercluster ever. The discovery supports existing theories of how galaxy clusters evolve, and reveals how they are co…
Read at NSF NOIRLab (opens in a new tab)
Hubble tracks new decagon encircling Saturn’s south pole
Recent observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have revealed a giant, evolving 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn’s south pole. This discovery marks the first time a large regular-sided j…
Read at ESA/Hubble (opens in a new tab)
Milky Way's fastest star orbits our supermassive black hole so closely it feels its spin
Astronomers have discovered the fastest known star in our galaxy, the Milky Way, orbiting the black hole at its centre. The star, named S301, was detected with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Tel…
Read at ESO (opens in a new tab)
Hubble solves merger mystery from Milky Way’s early years
Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, grew to its current size in part by consuming smaller galaxies. Now, new data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show definitive evidence of a dwarf galaxy merging with the…
Read at ESA/Hubble (opens in a new tab)
Webb reveals dust and water surviving in the extreme environment around the Milky Way’s central black hole
Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to the supermassive black hole at the centre o…
Read at ESA/Webb (opens in a new tab)Spaceflight
Next launches.
Rockets leaving for orbit and beyond in the coming days, from launch sites around the world. Launch times are “no earlier than” estimates and often slip.
USSF-481 (opens in a new tab)
Falcon 9 Block 5
Go for launch
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
A classified mission for the United States Space Force.
File photo of Falcon 9: U.S. Space Force / Gwendolyn Kurzen, public domain.
Bandwagon 5 (Dedicated Mid-Inclination Rideshare) (opens in a new tab)
Falcon 9 Block 5
Go for launch
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
File photo of Falcon 9: U.S. Space Force / Gwendolyn Kurzen, public domain.
Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) (opens in a new tab)
H3-24
Go for launch
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
File photo of H3: nvs-live.com, CC BY 4.0.
Starlink Group 15-15 (opens in a new tab)
Falcon 9 Block 5
Go for launch
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Photo: SpaceX, CC BY-NC 2.0.
Sky and space this week
What to watch for.
Space station passes
Visible from Rockville, MD
- Working out the next passes…
A pass is visible when the station is lit by the Sun and the sky is dark. Times are local time in Rockville.
See every satellite on the globeAurora and space weather
Below storm level
- Thu, Oct 15 (UTC)Kp 3.3Below storm level
- Fri, Oct 16 (UTC)Kp 2.7Below storm level
- Sat, Oct 17 (UTC)Kp 1.7Below storm level
EXTENDED WARNING: Geomagnetic K-index of 4 expected Oct 13 (UTC)
EXTENDED WARNING: Geomagnetic K-index of 4 expected Oct 13 (UTC)
WARNING: Geomagnetic K-index of 4 expected Oct 13 (UTC)
Kp 5 or higher is a geomagnetic storm on NOAA’s G1–G5 scale. Fairbanks sits under the auroral oval, so even Kp 1–3 nights can bring aurora when the sky is dark and clear; around Washington, D.C. it usually takes a strong storm near Kp 7 or more.
NOAA aurora dashboard (opens in a new tab)Moon and night sky
- First QuarterSun, Oct 18 · 4:12 pm UTC
- Full MoonMon, Oct 26 · 4:12 am UTC
- Last QuarterSun, Nov 1 · 8:28 pm UTC
- New MoonMon, Nov 9 · 7:02 am UTC
Skywatching guides from NASA
Asteroid close approaches
- Wed, Oct 14 (UTC) 2026 TG9 (opens in a new tab) 0.6 lunar distances · about 9–21 m wide · 11.7 km/s
- Wed, Oct 14 (UTC) 2026 TO69 (opens in a new tab) 4.5 lunar distances · about 17–38 m wide · 12.1 km/s
- Thu, Oct 15 (UTC) 2026 TP6 (opens in a new tab) 0.6 lunar distances · about 9–21 m wide · 10.3 km/s
- Thu, Oct 15 (UTC) 2026 TF4 (opens in a new tab) 7.0 lunar distances · about 9–19 m wide · 4.9 km/s
- Thu, Oct 15 (UTC) 2022 UP6 (opens in a new tab) 2.6 lunar distances · about 6–14 m wide · 9.0 km/s
Objects passing within 0.05 au (about 19 lunar distances) of Earth in the next 60 days. Sizes are estimated from brightness.
Sources and image credits Updated hourly · last update 58 minutes ago
- Fresh views of the universe.
- NASA Image of the Day · ESO Picture of the Week · ESA/Webb Picture of the MonthNASA images are generally public domain; ESO and ESA/Webb images are CC BY 4.0. Full credits appear on each original page.
- The latest discoveries.
- NASA (United States) · ESA (Europe) · ESA/Webb (Europe) · ESA/Hubble (Europe) · ESO (Europe and Chile) · NSF NOIRLab (United States and Chile) · ALMA (Chile) · NAOJ (Japan) · Keck Observatory (Hawaiʻi) · NSF NRAO (United States) · SETI Institute (United States)Headlines and summaries come from each institution’s public news feed; full image credits appear on the original release.
- Next launches.
- The Space Devs Launch LibraryEach name opens the launch on Space Launch Now. Mission photos are credited on each card; when a mission has no openly licensed photo, a file photo of the same rocket from Wikimedia Commons is shown.
- What to watch for.
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center · U.S. Naval Observatory · NASA · NASA/JPL CNEOS · CelesTrakTimes are shown in the site’s time zone, except station passes, which use local time in Rockville, MD.