Cosmic Dispatch
Space
Eyes on the void.

Look for NASA+ Now Streaming on Amazon Fire TV
Continuing agency efforts to bring space closer to home, NASA+ is heading to more streaming platforms. On Thursday, NASA announced its programming is on Fire TV Channels. Fire TV customers can easi…
Hawai'i serves as model for Western researchers studying the moon's volcanic history
The moon is 384,000 kilometers (239,000 miles) away from Earth, but one of the best places to study its surface is much closer to home. Western planetary scientist Catherine Neish and PhD candidate…

How much better is the Canon EOS R6 III than previous models for astrophotography?
The latest edition of the Canon EOS R6 III adds 8 MP in resolution compared to the EOS R6 II, a CFexpress card slot and improved low-light autofocusing capability but do these upgrades actually ben…

NASA's retired astronauts are hitting the road to get young people to vote: 'one small step for you, and one giant leap for our country.'
"We have to do what we can to ensure that the country makes it through the challenges that we're dealing with here, and that is the message that we're going to be taking to colleges and universities."
Most powerful Northern Lights in a generation expose weaknesses in UK infrastructure
Millions of people across the UK marveled at the spectacular northern lights that lit up the night sky in May 2024. But while the display captivated skywatchers, the geomagnetic storm behind it als…

Crews Move Artemis IV Liquid Hydrogen Tank
Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans transport the 130-foot-tall Artemis IV liquid hydrogen tank out of a production cell inside the main factory building into a detached test b…
NASA’s MAVEN Illuminates New Understanding of Auroras at Mars
NASA MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) mission scientists have uncovered a key puzzle piece in understanding certain types of auroras on Mars, finding that they form in a similar way t…

BCU and HadleyFRAME Show How Automation Is Reinventing Structural Engineering
BCU and HadleyFRAME Show How Automation Is Reinventing Structural Engineering A research project costing a fraction of an enterprise software licence has just demonstrated something the constructio…

Deep Connections Drive Psychedelic Research
Astronomers rarely attempt space travel. Marine biologists are not necessarily certified SCUBA divers. Yet Alex Kwan is often asked if he takes
ADAS Market to Reach 582.6 Million Units by 2033 | Software-Driven Innovation Accelerates ADAS Growth
Ultrasonic sensors are expected to lead the market, while battery electric vehicles will hold the largest share. Europe will remain a key region, supported by EU safety mandates. Leading ADAS compa…
Nasa’s new space telescope will tackle some of the universe’s biggest mysteries - The Conversation
Nasa’s new space telescope will tackle some of the universe’s biggest mysteries The Conversation NASA to Host Media Briefing on Roman Telescope, Launching Next Month NASA (.gov) NASA's Roman Space …
NASA’s Webb telescope detects a third giant planet orbiting Beta Pictoris - The Brighter Side of News
NASA’s Webb telescope detects a third giant planet orbiting Beta Pictoris The Brighter Side of News NASA’s Webb Discovers Hidden Planet in Famous Star System NASA Science (.gov) Webb telescope disc…

The End Of Culture
For years now, I’ve collected ideas for fixing cultural drift, and tried to judge which seem more promising.

Strategic Market Research LLP: Indoor Farming Market Expands as Greenhouse Capacity and High-Value Crop Production Scale, Says Strategic Market Research
Global Indoor Farming Market projected to rise from USD 42.0 billion in 2025 to nearly USD 86.0 billion by 2032 as commercial growers expand hydroponic capacity, retailers strengthen regional prod...

How did a captured German rocket, launched from a New Mexico desert in 1946, produce the first photograph of Earth from space using a 35mm camera bolted into its nose cone?
The first photograph of Earth from space wasn't taken by an astronaut or a satellite, but by a camera strapped to a weapon of war, surviving the very machine that carried it skyward. The post How d…
How did a captured German rocket, launched from a New Mexico desert in 1946, produce the first photograph of Earth from space using a 35mm camera bolted into its nose cone? - Space Daily
How did a captured German rocket, launched from a New Mexico desert in 1946, produce the first photograph of Earth from space using a 35mm camera bolted into its nose cone? Space Daily

Satellite spots a 'hummingbird' in Antarctica | Space photo of the day for July 23, 2026
A hummingbird shape in satellite data from NISAR is actually a mountaintop spotted in Antarctica.

NASA Astronaut Chris Williams Closes Out Space Station Mission
After eight months aboard the International Space Station for his first mission, NASA astronaut Chris Williams is preparing to return to Earth. During his assignment, Williams contributed to resear…
Satellite spots a 'hummingbird' in Antarctica | Space photo of the day for July 23, 2026
A hummingbird shape in satellite data from NISAR is actually a mountaintop spotted in Antarctica.

'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'' season 4 opener is a pulpy sci-fi joy packed with dinosaurs, martians, and a 5th planet where the asteroid belt should be
Dinosaurs, Martians, and the fate of the human race? This could be more than your standard day at the office for the Enterprise crew.

Should Artemis IV astronauts actually land near the moon's south pole? Artemis II pilot says the lunar equator might be better
NASA has long eyed the moon's south pole for its first crewed Artemis landing. But Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover says the agency should target an easier and safer place to touch down.
JWST captures rare glimpse of early black hole growing inside network of young galaxies
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have captured one of the clearest views yet of how an early supermassive black hole may grow within a network of young galaxies. The compact active …

The James Webb Space Telescope's disappearing 'Little Red Dots' may lead to another cosmic puzzle
Just as the dinosaurs didn't disappear but rather evolved into birds, cosmic dinosaurs in the form of the JWST's Little Red Dots may fade away completely.

Watch the total solar eclipse with ESA in León
Discover the science behind one of nature's most extraordinary phenomena and experience a total solar eclipse with the European Space Agency (ESA), the City of León and the University of León.

Olympic Mountain Glory
Snow-capped mountains carved by deep river valleys preside over northwestern Washington state.

China's record-breaking Gravity-1 rocket launches 9 satellites from a ship at sea (video)
Orienspace's Gravity-1, the world's most powerful solid rocket, aced its third-ever mission on Tuesday (July 21), launching nine satellites to orbit from a ship at sea.

5 disturbing things we saw after digging into the recent 'Dune: Part 3' trailer
Let's explore this latest look at Denis Villeneuve's epic close-out to his 'Dune' magnum opus

After nearly 30 years, NASA realized this near-Earth asteroid is actually a comet. The discovery may help us defend the planet some day
Astronomers discovered that a near-Earth asteroid is actually a comet that could help scientists identify more hidden comets and improve planetary defense.

NASA to Showcase Agency’s Newest Wind Tunnel in Virginia
Media are invited to NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, on Friday, July 31, to attend a media tour and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Flight Dynamics Research Facility, the agenc…

Robotic Servicing Mission Launches with NASA Support
Following its liftoff from Cape Canaveral on July 21 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) hosting the NASA-supported Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RS…

NASA's Roman Space Telescope could reveal black holes ripping up stars. It's set to launch Aug. 30
NASA's next super telescope, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, may leave nowhere to hide for black holes that violently murder and devour stars, not even cosmic noon.
Rescuing satellites is harder than it looks. A growing space junk problem will make doing so more important
A commercial robotic spacecraft called LINK launched on an emergency mission to save NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which has been slowly falling toward Earth, on July 3, 2026. Over the com…

NASA Sets Coverage for Astronaut Chris Williams, Crewmates Return
Editor’s Note: This advisory was updated on July 23, 2026, to reflect changes to the mission timeline. NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev …
Juno takes temperature of Jupiter's fiery moon Io
NASA's Juno mission has provided the first measurements of the temperature below the surface of Jupiter's moon Io, revealing significant heating within the shallow subsurface of the most volcanical…

If space war erupts, 'none of us will be able to avoid the war zone,' warns outgoing Space Force chief in final public speech
The outgoing head of the U.S. Space Force had some stark words in his last public speech, stating that "none of us will be able to avoid the war zone" should conflict extend to space.

A New Look – and Sound – for Messier 94
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory unveiled this new look at the galaxy NGC 4736, also known as Messier 94, on June 30, 2026. Messier 94 is a spiral galaxy with a bright inner ring around it, called …

'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' is time-travelling back into theaters next month for a 35th anniversary re-release
Grab your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle because it's time to party like it’s the summer of 1991.
Jupiter-mass 'exomoon' orbiting brown dwarf challenges cosmic labels
Observations made with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) have revealed evidence for a moon-like object in the CD-35 2722 system. Unlike moons in our solar system,…

Astronomers may have discovered the 1st moon outside of our solar system — or is it something weirder?
Have astronomers observed the first exomoon, or have they spotted a weird object that could challenge the very concept of planets and moons?
Astronomers are still trying to understand how a galaxy's spiral arms form
The Whirlpool galaxy (M51) is a classic grand spiral galaxy. It was the first object identified as a spiral, way back in 1845. At the time, it and other galaxies were considered spiral nebulae, sin…

Our 1st-ever up-close look at the Martian surface | Space photo of the day for July 22, 2026
What might seem like a simple black-and-white picture of some rocks is actually the first photograph ever taken on the surface of Mars.

'The court has to intervene now': Indigenous groups and conservationists condemn SpaceX's South Texas land swap
A coalition of environmental and tribal groups filed an emergency injunction to stop a land swap between SpaceX and the federal government, saying courts should rule on its legality.

Improved reporting needed on forest carbon emissions
More analysis is needed to ensure that tropical forest degeneration and regeneration are consistently reported in carbon cycle models and in national reporting, according to a study funded in part …

New timelapse video shows NASA's Psyche spacecraft zooming by Mars
"We didn't anticipate big discoveries, given how extensively the planet has been studied, but we did complement Mars science with the data we collected through Psyche's unique perspective."
Scientists turn radio telescopes into space scanners—sharpening view of hidden orbital threats
Scientists have successfully demonstrated a breakthrough in how sensitive radio telescopes can be used to significantly improve the world's ability to detect, track and characterize satellites and …

Metal spheres found in Australia show how little we still know about falling space debris, experts say
The latest space debris incident in Australia shows just how much we still don't know about what happens to rockets and other debris when it falls from space.
Private mission launches to extend life of out-of-gas communication satellites
A two-armed space robot blasted off on a private salvage operation Tuesday to slap life-extending jetpacks on old satellites running low on fuel thousands of miles up.
Electyrolyzer experiment designated ready-to-fly by NASA
A Southwest Research Institute and University of Texas at San Antonio experiment has passed a critical NASA review, designating it ready for parabolic flight testing. The two institutions will eval…
Does dark energy really exist? Our work identifies cracks in the foundations of today's cosmological model
According to current understanding, the universe is expanding—and is doing so at an accelerating rate. This is believed to be caused by something called the cosmological constant, which was first p…
Mysterious gas 'bullets' race from Milky Way's only known helium nova at up to 20 million mph
Mysterious high-speed "bullets"—clumps of possibly oxygen-rich gas traveling at up to 20 million miles per hour—have been discovered shooting out of the rarest stellar explosion in our galaxy.
New technique enables LIGO to peer farther into the distant universe
Scientists at the University of California, Riverside, have developed a new way to help gravitational-wave observatories see farther into the universe by solving one of their biggest challenges: ti…
Black hole jet may be stirring gas cloud containing early 'red potato' galaxy
A black hole may be stirring a "pot" of gas containing a neighboring galaxy in the early universe, according to a new study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics that used observations from NASA's …
US-India satellite delivers data, reveals 'hummingbird' in Antarctica
As of July 20, the public can access data from the two powerful radar instruments aboard the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite. Teams in the United States and India will release …

