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How Roman will unlock the universe

Astrophotography, Telescopes and Equipment

ZWO unveils the Seestar S50 Pro

STARMUS Festival cofounders Sir Brian May and Garik Israelian presented Sir Ridley Scott with the 2026 Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication

Why does the Moon turn red during a lunar eclipse?

Picture of the Day

A diagonal sequence of Moon images against a black, starry sky. On the left and right the Moon appears as bright white crescent and gibbous phases; in the middle, several overlapping discs glow a dusky orange-red where the Moon sits deep within Earth's shadow.

The progress of a Blood Moon

Philippe Moussette from Saint-Agapit, Quebec

During the night of Aug. 27/28, 2026, the Moon passed nearly fully through Earth’s umbra in a partial lunar eclipse, turning a coppery red. This photographer combined a range of exposures — from 1/250 to ¼ of a second at f/4 and ISO 800 — with a Canon mirrorless camera and 600mm lens, capturing the event in a composite image.

In the Sky

A sky chart showing the eastern sky on August 28, 2026, at midnight. The asteroid Vesta is highlighted with a red crosshair marker near the center of the image, labeled "(4) Vesta," with the star Alrescha labeled just to its left. Saturn glows as a bright point in the upper right, and the stars Hamal and Menkar are labeled in the upper and lower left respectively. The sky fades from deep blue-black above to a subtle twilight glow near the dark horizon silhouette.

The Sky Today on Friday, August 28: Vesta stands still

What’s Launching This Week

What’s Launching This Week

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope takes flight and Starlink endures

Today in the History of Astronomy

A monochrome photograph shows an elongated, heavily cratered grey asteroid floating in the left center of a solid black background. Bright, direct sunlight illuminates its pitted, irregular surface, while deep shadows cover its lower edge and back side. To the far right, a tiny, round grey object appears isolated against the dark space, echoing the texture of the larger main body.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Aug. 28, 1993: An asteroid harbors a surprise

More News

Human Spaceflight

Cast your vote to name Virgin Galactic’s next spaceplane

A panoramic twilight photograph taken along the rocky shore of the Salish Sea, looking west across calm water that mirrors the vivid sunset colors. Venus and Spica are visible as two close points of light in the deep blue sky above the center of the scene. The horizon glows in brilliant bands of orange and yellow, fading upward through purple to deep blue, with silhouetted clouds stretched across the middle sky. A silhouetted house is visible on the left, dark rocky outcroppings frame the foreground, and a distant mountain range is outlined against the orange glow on the right.

Sky This Week, The Sky This Week

The Sky This Week from August 28 to September 4: Venus and Spica meet

A golden Full Moon in a dark blue sky seen through the branches of a foreground tree.

Observing, The Moon

2026 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases

A detailed telescopic photograph of a total lunar eclipse, showing the Moon glowing in rich shades of deep red, orange, and brown — a blood moon. The Moon's surface features are clearly visible, including craters, ray systems, and dark maria regions. A sliver of brighter white-gray light is visible along the upper edge, indicating the Moon is partially outside Earth's umbral shadow.

Observing, The Moon, Upcoming Events

How to see Thursday’s lunar eclipse

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