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Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins its Legacy Survey of Space and Time

Robotic Spaceflight

NASA’s Swift Boost mission readies for launch

Deep-Sky Objects

Summer observing targets for small telescopes

A black and white photograph of a total solar eclipse. The Moon appears as a dark circular disk at center, surrounded by the Sun's glowing white corona extending outward in streaks and rays — most prominently upward and to the lower left. The background is nearly black, emphasizing the dramatic contrast of the corona's light.

Science, Solar System

Why is the Moon exactly the same apparent size from Earth as the Sun?

Picture of the Day

A large glowing amber disk — the Sun — fills the frame against a black sky, with a few small dark spots scattered across its left side. The dark silhouette of a tall, intricate broadcast antenna tower runs vertically down the center, crossing the face of the Sun.

Sunspots beside the spire

Chirag Upreti from New York City

Active region AR 4475, a cluster of sunspots that emerged June 22, drifts beside the broadcast mast of the Empire State Building. Sunspots are patches of intense magnetism on that Sun’s surface that are slightly cooler — and therefore not as bright — than their surroundings. Upreti shot a single 1/400-second exposure at f/14 and ISO 640 with a Sony mirrorless camera and zoom lens at 600mm, plus a 2x teleconverter for an effective 1200mm focal length.

In the Sky

A simulated evening sky looking west on July 1, 2026, one hour after sunset. Venus blazes brilliantly near the center of the frame, with the blue-white star Regulus visible to its upper left. The silhouettes of trees line the horizon beneath a deep blue twilight sky fading to orange near the ground.

The Sky Today on Wednesday, July 1: Venus in Leo

What’s Launching This Week

Technicians in white cleanroom suits and hairnets guide a large satellite spacecraft as it is lifted by overhead rigging inside a high-bay cleanroom facility. The spacecraft's dense exterior — packed with wiring, electronics, and gold-foil-covered components — fills the upper half of the frame, while five workers standing around a metal work stand below steady and observe it.

What’s Launching This Week

Swift Boost mission to launch on Tuesday

Today in the History of Astronomy

A large, tan- and cream-banded planet is shown from a high angle, floating against a solid black background. A wide, flat system of concentric grey and white rings encircles the planet horizontally, casting a long, dark, curved shadow onto the left side of the planet's surface. The sphere itself is brightly lit on its right side, creating a stark contrast with the deep shadows and the dark void of space around it.

Robotic Spaceflight, Today in the History of Astronomy

July 1, 2004: The Cassini-Huygens mission makes it to Saturn

More News

Photograph showing the close conjunction of bright Venus with the star Regulus in Leo at dawn on October 3, 2020.

July 2026: What’s in the sky this month? Venus and Jupiter are visible in the evening, plus a conjunction of Mars and Uranus before dawn

Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins its Legacy Survey of Space and Time

Features, Science

Our planet’s electronic vulnerability

Human Spaceflight

Cracks in the International Space Station are causing air leaks – how much longer can it remain habitable?

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