Latest observations, tips, and discoveries from the cosmos
Vesta is at opposition — its closest and brightest of 2026. At magnitude 5.7 it's right at the naked-eye limit from dark skies, and an easy binocular target from anywhere. Here's exactly how to find it in Libra tonight, and why Vesta is one of the most extraordinary objects in the solar system.
Ian Clayton
2 May 2026
Eta Aquariid meteors peak before dawn on 5–6 May — fragments of Halley's Comet hitting the atmosphere at 150,000 mph. Here's your complete UK guide to where, when and how to watch, including tips for beating the moonlight.
Ian Clayton
1 May 2026
For three years, astronomers have been baffled by hundreds of mysterious red objects in JWST's images. Now Chandra has detected X-rays from one — and the explanation is unlike anything in the known universe.
Ian Clayton
1 May 2026
NASA's moon astronauts stood in the Oval Office as the agency confirmed Artemis III for late 2027 and a crewed lunar landing in 2028 — with the SLS rocket already at Kennedy Space Center.
Ian Clayton
30 April 2026
Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has personally reviewed classified materials of 'nonhuman origin' and is promising a public press conference once declassification completes. Here's exactly what she claimed — and what it means for UAP disclosure.
Ian Clayton
30 April 2026
Kacey Musgraves watched three glowing orbs trail her flight from Texas to Nashville, changing colour, forming triangle patterns and keeping pace for 45 minutes. When she landed, both pilots told her: 'We see these every single night.'
Ian Clayton
29 April 2026
Two independent research teams have found the strongest evidence yet for Population III stars — the very first generation of stars to form after the Big Bang — hiding in a tiny clump of gas 13.4 billion light-years away.
Ian Clayton
28 April 2026
SpaceX's triple-core beast roars back to life today, hurling a 6.6-ton satellite toward geostationary orbit and sticking a double booster landing at Cape Canaveral.
Ian Clayton
27 April 2026
The Full Flower Moon rises on May 1, Venus blazes through Taurus, Jupiter dominates Gemini, and the Eta Aquariid meteors start building toward their peak — your UK stargazing guide for April 27 to May 3.
Ian Clayton
27 April 2026
Blue Origin reused a New Glenn booster for the first time on 19 April — but an upper-stage engine failure put the customer's satellite in a useless orbit. The FAA has grounded the rocket.
Ian Clayton
25 April 2026
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the first detailed image of the planetary nebula where cosmic buckyballs — hollow spheres of 60 carbon atoms — were originally discovered. The structures are breathtaking.
Ian Clayton
25 April 2026
NASA celebrated Hubble's 36th anniversary by revisiting the Trifid Nebula — and by comparing the new image with one taken 29 years ago, astronomers can see a stellar nursery evolving on human timescales.
Ian Clayton
24 April 2026
A chemistry experiment never before performed beyond Earth has revealed 21 organic molecules in 3.5-billion-year-old Martian rock — seven of them detected on Mars for the first time, including a DNA precursor.
Ian Clayton
23 April 2026
The Lyrid meteor shower peaks tonight under near-perfect conditions. The Moon sets early, the skies are dark, and fireballs are on the menu. Here's your hour-by-hour BST guide for the night of April 22/23.
Ian Clayton
22 April 2026
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is fully assembled and ready for its journey to space. With 200 times Hubble's field of view, it will map billions of galaxies, discover thousands of exoplanets, and probe the mystery of dark energy.
Ian Clayton
21 April 2026
Astronomers have captured a supermassive black hole reawakening after 100 million years of silence, blasting plasma jets nearly a million light-years across space in one of the most dramatic 'reborn' black hole events ever recorded.
Ian Clayton
20 April 2026
Blue Origin launched a previously-flown New Glenn booster for the first time today — a milestone that closes the gap with SpaceX and could reshape how we think about the cost of getting to space.
Ian Clayton
19 April 2026
The Lyrid meteor shower peaks on the night of April 22–23 with dark skies guaranteed, Venus snuggles up to Uranus and the Pleiades, and a crescent Moon puts on a three-way show with Venus and Jupiter — here's your UK guide for April 20–26.
Ian Clayton
19 April 2026
NASA has formally greenlighted its support for ESA's Rosalind Franklin Mars rover, confirming a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch no earlier than late 2028 — and making it SpaceX's first-ever mission to Mars.
Ian Clayton
18 April 2026
Speaking at a public event in Phoenix on April 18, President Trump confirmed the Pentagon's UFO file review has turned up 'many very interesting documents' — and promised the first batch will be released 'very, very soon'.
Ian Clayton
18 April 2026
The Lyrids are the oldest meteor shower on record, watched by humans for 2,700 years. They return every April with bright, fast meteors and the occasional fireball. Here's how, when and where to watch them from the UK.
Ian Clayton
17 April 2026
The April 14 deadline for 46 classified UAP videos has passed with nothing released. Rep. Luna says 'nobody passed the letter to the appropriate authorities — how convenient.' The Pentagon says it's working on it. The pattern continues.
Ian Clayton
16 April 2026
Comet PanSTARRS is now visible to the naked eye and approaching perihelion. A razor-thin Moon meets Venus and the Pleiades on Friday. The Lyrids are building. And the darkest skies of the month start tonight. Here's your complete guide to the best week of stargazing in 2026 so far.
Ian Clayton
14 April 2026
Rep. Tim Burchett has introduced a bill to permanently abolish AARO — while Rep. Anna Paulina Luna's demand for 46 classified UAP videos expires tomorrow. Two colliding congressional actions are putting the Pentagon's UFO programme under the most pressure it has ever faced.
Ian Clayton
13 April 2026