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A vivid outback sunset over a flat, arid Australian landscape. The sky is dramatic with layered clouds lit in shades of deep red, pink, orange, and gold above the horizon. The foreground shows red-brown earth, sparse scrubby vegetation, and a fallen dead tree with exposed roots. Silhouettes of eucalyptus trees line the middle distance.

A meteorite impact may have once rained gold on Western Australia – new study

Astrophotography

Astronomy magazine launches 2026 astrophotography contest presented by Celestron

Vera C. Rubin Observatory days away from launching decade-long sky survey

A screenshot of the July 2026 issue landing page. The hero image features a bright deep-space scene with a glowing blue core of a nebula, wrapped in thick, textured clouds of amber and brown gas and dust. Sharp white stars fill the outer regions of the frame, with a few brighter stars showing cross-shaped spikes.

How to read the July digital issue of Astronomy magazine

Picture of the Day

Virgo vertigo

John Vermette, taken from Starfront Observatory, Texas

The famous galaxy group Markarian’s Chain in the heart of the Virgo cluster of galaxies dominates this wide-field vista as a line of eight galaxies stretching from upper left. But there are many more galaxies in this image: Every dot of light is a galaxy, as the photographer digitally removed all of the stars to highlight the galaxies. This image comprises 16⅔ hours of exposure with a 4-inch scope and one-shot color camera.

In the Sky

Astrophotograph of NGC 5897, a loose globular cluster appearing as a diffuse, sparkling ball of hundreds of stars — predominantly blue-white — against a black sky background.

The Sky Today on Saturday, June 20: Libra’s Ghost Cluster

What’s Launching This Week

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rises from its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, surrounded by a billowing cloud of white exhaust and a bright orange flame at the base. The rocket climbs vertically against a hazy blue-gray sky, flanked by four lightning rod towers. Launch infrastructure, including a yellow crane arm and concrete support structures, is visible at the bottom of the frame.

What’s Launching This Week

SpaceX and Rocket Lab set for liftoff this week

Today in the History of Astronomy

An aerial color photograph shows a vast, textured landscape of brownish-purple terrain crisscrossed by numerous small, dark blue lakes and winding rivers. In the upper-left section of the frame, a distinct, perfectly circular deep blue lake stands out from the surrounding irregular waterways. The entire scene is evenly lit, emphasizing the intricate, patterned network of water pockets scattered across the dry land.

Today in the History of Astronomy

June 20, 1955: Pingualuit Crater is discovered

More News

A misty summer forest scene with golden sunlight streaming through the canopy of large oak trees, illuminating a mossy, rocky streambank beside a shallow, gently flowing river. A lens flare is visible in the lower center of the image.

Sky This Week, The Sky This Week

The Sky This Week from June June 19 to 26: The summer solstice

Hubble Space Telescope image of an irregular dwarf galaxy showing bright blue star clusters, pink star-forming regions, and a dusty golden core against a black starfield.

Exotic Objects, Galaxies

Active black holes are more common than we thought

A daytime photograph of a crescent Moon visible against a clear blue sky. A bright point of light — a planet being occulted — is caught just above the Moon's illuminated limb moments before disappearing behind it, with the ghostly outline of the Moon's full disk faintly visible through earthshine.

Sky This Week, The Sky This Week

The Sky This Week from June 12 to 19: A daytime occultation of Venus

A large radio antenna dish dominates the left side of the frame, pointing upward against a deep purple night sky dense with stars. A brilliant blue-white star flares brightly in the upper right, surrounded by a soft purple nebular glow. The horizon is dark and flat beneath the antenna.

The real disclosure day: The protocols for announcing extraterrestrial intelligence

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