NATIONAL MOON DAY

"National Moon Day on July 20 commemorates the day man first walked on the moon in 1969."

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/celebrations/national-moon-day-july-20

Beta Pictoris

"Beta Pictoris (β Pictoris) is located about 63 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Pictor."

https://www.sci.news/astronomy/third-planet-beta-pictoris-system-14920.html#google_vignette

SpaceX and Artemis III

"NASA has awarded SpaceX a contract to deliver laser communications capabilities for its Artemis III mission using Starlink, which could give Earthbound viewers a better view of the ship-to-ship transfer in LEO set for 2027."

https://payloadspace.com/nasa-selects-starlink-for-artemis-iii-mission/

Why do Spiral Galaxies have two arms?

"For generations, astronomers have been puzzled by a deceptively simple question: Why do some spiral galaxies have two arms while others have many?"https://news.etsu.edu/articles/why-do-galaxies-have-spirals

Artemis 2 Documentary

"As our planet revels in the recent achievements of this spring’s Artemis 2 mission and its four astronaut crew members, a new four-part PBS documentary series takes a scrutinizing look at space exploration and its inherent perils and promises."

https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/once-upon-a-time-in-space-how-to-watch-pbss-out-of-this-world-astronaut-documentary

New SpaceX Rocket

"On the same day that SpaceX could launch its massive Starship rocket from Texas, Elon Musk's spaceflight company may also launch its Falcon 9 rocket in California."

https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/california/2026/07/16/spacex-rocket-launch-today-vandenberg/90926420007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z118885p119850l003850c119850e008000v118885&gca-ft=53&gca-ds=sophi

White Dwarf Surveys

"Astronomers have performed detailed surveys of the local neighborhood of stars for decades, but white dwarfs like these have been notoriously hard to find."

https://www.sci.news/astronomy/four-white-dwarfs-solar-neighborhood-14915.html#google_vignette

Speed of Light

 

"Imagine you were traveling at the speed of light, racing alongside a single photon, the fastest possible thing in the universe. What would you see?"

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/whats-it-like-to-travel-near-the-speed-of-light-part-1-the-broken-view

Space Enthusiasm

"Lots of excitement for space bubbled up in spring 2026."

https://theconversation.com/building-a-long-term-base-on-the-moon-will-require-extensive-planning-a-planetary-geologist-describes-the-considerations-that-go-into-it-285899

Strange Honeycomb

"NASA's Curiosity rover has spotted a strange honeycomb texture on the surface of Mars. But what is it?"

https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/honeycomb-structures-spotted-on-mars-space-photo-of-the-day-for-july-14-2026

Sugar Interstellar Dust

"Astronomers have detected a natural sugar found in raspberries in clouds of interstellar dust and gas near the center of the Milky Way galaxy."

https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/14/science/sugar-detected-interstellar-space

NASA astronaut

"A NASA astronaut blasted off from a launch site in Kazakhstan Tuesday along with two Russian cosmonauts as part of a mission to the International Space Station."

https://abcnews.com/International/nasa-astronaut-joins-russian-cosmonauts-launch-international-space/story?id=134745320

First XRay in space

"A miniature X-ray machine is set to transform astronauts' health prospects following a successful test in orbit."

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/1st-ever-x-rays-in-space-offer-hope-for-possible-patients-headed-to-the-moon?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4c92f5d78644b3ac5d5b4

Cosmic Sugar

"The latest discovery in the galactic center strengthens the Milky Way's resemblance to a mouth-watering treat."

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-find-the-first-true-sugar-ever-detected-in-interstellar-space?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4c92f5d78644b3ac5d5b4

Falcon 9

"The world's first commercially built nuclear-powered satellite has reached orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket."https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-just-launched-the-1st-ever-nuclear-powered-commercial-satellite?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4c92f5d78644b3ac5d5b4

Artemis III mission

"It is full steam ahead at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as teams process and assemble flight hardware in preparation for the upcoming crewed Artemis III mission."

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/07/13/nasas-artemis-iii-flight-hardware-stacks-up-at-kennedy/

Eärendil-1

"Reflect Orbital, a California startup that markets itself as “The Sunlight Company” and aims to make “clean, abundant energy available on demand,” has just received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch the Eärendil-1."

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/fcc-approves-orbital-space-mirrors-first-test-satellites-will-launch-this-year-large-spacecraft-reflects-sunlight-to-earths-surface-for-construction-sites-search-and-rescue-lighting-and-more

Meteors

"Here comes a classic crescent moon-and-meteors week."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2026/07/13/perseid-meteor-shower-returns-this-week-under-an-earthshine-moon/

Tianwen-2

"The China National Space Administration’s asteroid probe Tianwen-2 successfully reached the asteroid Kamo’oalewa, which orbits the sun in a path nearly identical to Earth’s."

https://www.wired.com/story/chinas-tianwen-2-space-probe-earth-quasi-moon/

Up close to different asteroids

"Within just three days of each other, Chinese and Japanese spacecraft got up close and personal with two different asteroids."

https://mashable.com/science/jaxa-hayabusa2-torifune-china-tianwen-2-kamooalewa-images

Tianguan

"In July 1054, court astronomers in China recorded a new “guest star” near Tianguan, the star we now call Zeta Tauri. It was bright enough to be seen in daylight."

https://spacedaily.com/t-nearly-a-millennium-ago-sky-watchers-recorded-a-new-star-so-bright-it-was-visible-in-daylight-for-weeks-and-hubble-has-now-traced-how-far-its-remnant-the-crab-nebula-has-expanded-since-a/

Orion Nebullla

"Orion Nebula is a diffuse nebula located 1,350 light-years away in the constellation of Orion."https://www.sci.news/astronomy/hidden-structures-orion-nebula-14907.html

New Images of JWST

"In new images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to celebrate its fourth science anniversary, a familiar galaxy transforms into something far richer, and far more complex, than ever seen before."

https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasa-webb-uncovers-unusual-galaxy-shaped-by-cosmic-collision/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nn202627

Vantor

"Vantor, the American Earth-observation company formerly known as Maxar, is now rebuilding chosen stretches of the planet as three-dimensional models and delivering them within a day of imaging — a commercial first, the company says, and one aimed as much at autonomous machines as at the analysts and militaries who have always been its customers."

https://spacedaily.com/sd-on-july-1-2026-the-company-once-known-as-maxar-began-selling-3d-maps-of-earth-it-can-refresh-within-a-day-or-sharpen-to-15-centimeters-built-less-for-people-to-study-than-for-the-autonomous-dron/

Horizon Probe

"NASA's New Horizons probe has awakened after hibernating for nearly a year billions of miles into deep space."

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/07/08/nasa-new-horizons-pluto/3281783529518/

James Webb Space Telescope further inights

"NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is giving us new insight into the far-future of solar systems like our own, as the agency continues to reveal the secrets of the universe and our place in it."

https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-studies-how-planet-survived-death-of-its-star/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4c92f5d78644b3ac5d5b4

Nancy Grace launches August 30, 2026

"NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is now listed by NASA for launch on August 30, 2026, a little earlier than the September 2026 timing that has appeared in some recent coverage."

https://spacedaily.com/t-nasas-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-due-to-launch-in-september-2026-is-expected-to-discover-around-100000-exoplanets-in-a-single-mission-more-than-every-telescope-in-the-history-of-a/

Mars was once like Earth

"Mars once had a global magnetic field, generated deep inside the planet, strong enough to deflect the solar wind much as Earth’s does today."https://spacedaily.com/t-mars-once-had-a-magnetic-field-strong-enough-to-deflect-solar-wind-just-as-earths-does-now-when-it-collapsed-the-planet-lost-its-atmosphere-and-its-oceans-within-a-geologically-brief-peri/

Interstellar Space Begin

"Where does the Solar System end and interstellar space begin?"

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-horizons-watches-the-solar-wind-as-it-slows-down

Jupiters Closest Flyby

"On October 24, 2017, NASA's Juno spacecraft made its 8th close flyby of Jupiter."

https://www.ba-bamail.com/science-and-technology/amazing-new-images-of-jupiter/

Old Quasers

"The Euclid space telescope has spotted the oldest quasars — the brightest objects in the universe — ever discovered, deepening a cosmic mystery that has been puzzling scientists."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oldest-quasars-ever-discovered-euclid-telescope/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4c92f5d78644b3ac5d5b4

Katalyst

"NASA and Arizona-based startup Katalyst launched a robotic spacecraft over the Pacific on Thursday on a mission to rescue an aging NASA satellite observatory while ​demonstrating a new orbital grappling technology at the center of the U.S.-China space race."

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/space-startup-katalyst-launches-orbital-rescue-mission-aging-nasa-observatory-2026-07-03/

Late 2023, Voyager 1

"In late 2023, one of the most distant machines humanity has ever built started talking nonsense."

https://spacedaily.com/t-in-2024-engineers-rescued-voyager-1-after-it-spent-months-transmitting-gibberish-remotely-rewriting-and-relocating-pieces-of-46-year-old-code-around-a-failed-memory-chip-from-more-than-24-billion-ki/

CHANDRA and the European Space Agency

"The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton and NASA's Chandra X-ray space telescopes have spotted the aftermath of three bright explosions echoing through the outer spiral arms of our galaxy, the Milky Way. By measuring the distance to these echoes, they found the outer arms to be up to 10% farther away than previously thought."

https://phys.org/news/2026-07-xmm-newton-chandra-distance-milky.html#google_vignette

Commercial Crew Program

"NASA’s inspector general released an audit Tuesday of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, and it looks increasingly likely that Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule won’t be certified for operational flights to the International Space Station until next year."

https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/nasa-inspector-general-suggests-boeings-starliner-will-now-be-a-decade-late/

High Stakes Mission

"A high-stakes mission is on the cusp of launching an uncrewed spacecraft on a bold journey to save a NASA telescope from certain doom as it plummets back to Earth."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/space/2026/06/28/nasa-swift-observatory-boost-rescue-mission-launch/90689507007/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4c92f5d78644b3ac5d5b4

Swift launch Mission Delay

"NASA is delaying the launch of the Swift Boost mission until July 1."

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/nasa-to-launch-ambitious-mission-to-save-a-space-telescope-from-burning-up-in-earths-atmosphere

Fluffiest Planets

"Astronomers have identified two of the fluffiest giant planets ever discovered, with densities so low they are actually less dense than cotton candy."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260626124659.htm

Quantum Particles

"The study demonstrates how a new critical phase of matter can emerge when quantum particles are pushed far from their normal equilibrium conditions. Using ultracold cesium atoms confined to one dimension, the researchers repeatedly altered how strongly the particles interacted with one another."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260619101330.htm#google_vignette

Cotton Candy Planets

"Astronomers have uncovered a pair of giant planets that are lighter than cotton candy — super-puffs the size of Jupiter."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/super-puff-planets-lighter-than-cotton-candy-found/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4c92f5d78644b3ac5d5b4

Spaceplane

 

"China’s secretive spaceplane has released an object into orbit during its ongoing fourth mission, according to space surveillance firm LeoLabs."

https://spacenews.com/chinese-spaceplane-releases-object-into-orbit-according-to-commercial-space-surveillance/

Action Packed Sky

"The cosmos is sparkling, and the sky is action-packed with activity!"https://people.com/how-to-see-mars-and-the-seven-sisters-stars-for-the-last-time-until-2034-12005222

SpaceX Starpipe

"SpaceX (SPCX.O), opens new tab plans to begin next month building an eight‑mile (13-km) natural gas pipeline called "Starpipe" to its Texas launch facilities, according to county filings, as Elon ​Musk’s company seeks to ramp up launches of its next‑generation Starship rocket."https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/spacex-plans-build-starpipe-natural-gas-pipeline-fuel-starship-rockets-2026-06-25/

Bow and Arrow shaped Radio Galaxy

"Astronomers have discovered a "remarkable" bow-and-arrow-shaped radio galaxy with an enormous arc-like structure extending nearly 1.8 million light-years across."

https://phys.org/news/2026-06-arrow-radio-galaxy-citizen-scientist.html#google_vignette

SpaceX

"SpaceX (SPCX.O), opens new tab plans to begin next month building an eight‑mile (13-km) natural gas pipeline called "Starpipe" to its Texas launch facilities, according to county filings, as Elon ​Musk’s company seeks to ramp up launches of its next‑generation Starship rocket."https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/spacex-plans-build-starpipe-natural-gas-pipeline-fuel-starship-rockets-2026-06-25/