90-plus-day spaceflights linked to higher rates of hip fractures in astronauts
New research has found that the rate of hip fractures among astronauts after spaceflights lasting more than 90 days was higher than after shorter spaceflights or among people who …
APOD: 2026 October 1 – Harvest Moon with Erupting Mount Etna
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 1 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmo…
An Agricultural “Island” in the Saskatchewan River Delta
Surrounded by wetlands, Manitoba’s northernmost farmland near The Pas turns from green to brown over the 2026 growing season.
Curiosity Blog, Sols 5016–5021: Fantastic Minerals and How To Detect Them
Written by Lucy Lim, Planetary Scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Earth planning date: Friday, Sept. 18, 2026 Curiosity surprised us at the beginning of the week with a…
Catch a rare lunar occultation of Jupiter plus Saturn at opposition in early October
It's a busy skywatching month ahead. The first full week of October sees two top-notch skywatching events, with Saturn reaching opposition and the moon occulting Jupiter for North…
Help Overlap Zoo Reveal Cosmic Dust
Galaxies, vast collections of billions of stars, gas, and dust held together by gravity, are scattered across the immensity of space. But every so often, a coincidence occurs: Two…
NASA Adds New Science Investigations for Moon Base
Editor’s note: This release was updated on Sept. 30, 2026, to correct the name of the DISCO payload. NASA selected three new scientific investigations and their payload suites to …
NASA Awards Contract to Develop 5G Communications for Moon
NASA has awarded Modulate Space Corporation a contract to develop key elements of a 5G communications system for use on the lunar surface with built-in Wi-Fi 6, for NASA’s Glenn R…
Stratospheric observatory Sunrise-III reveals intricate solar magnetic structures
A team of researchers led by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan discovered unexpectedly intricate magnetic structures above quiet-sun regions by observing the sun with…
Astronomers link mysterious cosmic flashes to collisions of dead stars
For decades, astronomers have identified collisions between two neutron stars through bursts of gamma rays that can disappear in less than two seconds. But some of these violent e…
NASA, International Partners Advance Work on Space Crops
NASA, CSA (Canadian Space Agency), and the German Aerospace Center signed a joint statement of intent to begin coordinated, preparatory work toward an Earth-based demonstrator to …
Star Trails
This long-duration image shows star trails above Earth and the blue lights of fishing boats and the yellow lights of Indonesian cities stretching below the International Space Sta…
Hidden star cluster discovered in Milky Way's crowded disk defies easy classification
Astronomers have discovered a stellar cluster hidden in the crowded disk of the Milky Way. The object, named Garro 04, was first identified as an unusual collection of stars in ob…
Sugar found in meteorites may have helped secure its own survival on early Earth
Is there life elsewhere, or is Earth unique in the universe? This is one of humanity's great unanswered questions. One way to approach this mystery is to investigate how life bega…
Earth and Mars: Built from different cosmic recipes
Four and a half billion years ago, Earth and Mars were born in the rotating cloud of gas and dust that would eventually become our solar system. Yet exactly how the planets formed…
The north pole of Mars is less dusty than scientists thought
Although Mars may have once resembled Earth, the rocky red planet now appears far from hospitable. Still, certain details—such as ice-bound water—pique researchers' curiosity. As …
Starship's first orbital flight put its heat shield to the test
SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, reached Earth orbit for the first time on Sept. 28, 2026. This mission, the rocket's 14th test flight, also mar…
New simulations connect the first stars to cosmic fingerprints still visible today
Researchers have used some of the most detailed simulations yet of the early universe to investigate how the first stars and galaxies formed. Led by researchers at the University …
APOD: 2026 September 30 – Arp 78: Peculiar Galaxy in Aries
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 30 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the co…
Powerful Storms Continue to Prowl the Pacific
Hurricanes Polo and Nolo sent destructive effects ashore amid an active season in the northeastern and central Pacific.
Alien life? Why the possibility of exoplanet LHS 1140b emitting helium gas is so exciting
This summer, exoplanet science—the study of planets orbiting stars beyond our sun—took a big step forward. Reports of helium gas escaping from the atmosphere of LHS 1140b propelle…
NASA Opens 2027 Human Lander Challenge for Lunar Communications
NASA’s 2027 Human Lander Challenge is seeking ideas from college and university students to help address one of the most critical needs for sustained lunar exploration: reliable c…
NASA Awards Orbital Safety Analysis Support Services Contract
NASA has awarded a contract to Omitron Inc. for the acquisition of orbital safety analysis services, which provide for critical protection of NASA spaceflight assets and astronaut…
NASA Features Exploration, Science at International Space Conference
NASA will participate in the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, Türkiye, from Monday, Oct. 5, to Friday, Oct. 9, highlighting America’s leadership in huma…