These earthly godfathers of Heaven's lights, that give a name to every fixed star, have no more profit of their shining nights than those that walk and know not what they are.

— William Shakespeare

Astronomy

Why GLP-1 drugs might reduce cancer risk

Scientific American.com - Mon, 06/08/2026 - 7:00am

A new wave of research links GLP-1 drugs to reduced cancer spread and better survival, and the mechanism may go beyond just weight loss

Categories: Astronomy

World Cup begins under health watch as new AI rules spark debate and ancient Rome’s road network expands

Scientific American.com - Mon, 06/08/2026 - 6:00am

World Cup crowds spark outbreak tracking as AI tensions rise and ancient Rome’s roads get a stunning reboot

Categories: Astronomy

ESA at ILA Berlin International Airshow 2026

ESO Top News - Mon, 06/08/2026 - 4:18am

Under the theme 'Space4Future', the European Space Agency (ESA) will welcome visitors to the Space Pavilion at ILA Berlin International Airshow, Hall B, from 10 to 14 June. From Moon exploration to climate monitoring, from navigation and telecommunication to European launchers, visitors to the pavilion will discover how space is shaping our future.

Categories: Astronomy

ESA and EBRD to advance Earth observation for development and impact finance

ESO Top News - Mon, 06/08/2026 - 3:15am

The European Space Agency (ESA) signed an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), hailing a new era of cooperation with the aim of advancing the use of Earth observation data and services for development and impact finance initiatives.

Categories: Astronomy

Can AI detect smuggled sea cucumbers?

Scientific American.com - Sun, 06/07/2026 - 7:05pm

In a new study, an AI tool identified images of seahorse, shark fin and sea cucumber samples in luggage

Categories: Astronomy

Student Astronomer Identifies Source of Mysterious Cosmic Signals

Universe Today - Sun, 06/07/2026 - 3:17pm

An international team led by astronomers at the University of Sydney has uncovered the clearest evidence yet for the origin of an unusual class of cosmic signals. In doing so, they have identified a rare stellar system that is providing scientists with a natural laboratory to study extreme physics.

Categories: Astronomy

Why Can't the Universe Be Cyclic? Part 2: The Awkward Triumph of Inflation

Universe Today - Sun, 06/07/2026 - 3:05pm

Inflation is awkward, possibly not even a proper theory, and it has reigned over cosmology for forty years anyway. Here is what it claims, the flatness, horizon, and monopole problems it solves, the structure-formation prediction it nailed, and the deep problems it still cannot escape.

Categories: Astronomy

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APOD - Sun, 06/07/2026 - 8:00am

Telescopic views of Saturn and its beautiful rings


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

How math can help you decide what to order for dinner

Scientific American.com - Sun, 06/07/2026 - 8:00am

An experiment with 2,520 participants backs Richard Feynman’s answer to every diner’s dilemma: do I want to try something new?

Categories: Astronomy

The SETI Institute Releases Technosignature Report on 3I/ATLAS

Universe Today - Sat, 06/06/2026 - 5:55pm

Scientists at the SETI Institute searched for technological signals from 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object observed in our Solar System. Using the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory in Northern California, the team scanned a wide range of radio frequencies for signs of extraterrestrial technology and found none, as expected based on other astronomical observations showing that the object exhibits natural comet-like composition and behavior. “Eventually, our own Voyager spacecraft will be extraterrestrial artifacts in other stellar systems,” said Dr. Sofia Sheikh, lead author on the paper. “Given that, it is important that we understand the natural distribution of interstellar objects so that we will be able to identify any anomalies that could one day be signs of an artificial interstellar object.” The team observed 3I/ATLAS for more than seven hours with the ATA, covering 1 to 9 gigahertz. This broad range allows scientists to search for narrowband radio signals, which are not produced by in nature and would be evidence of technology.

Categories: Astronomy

Why Can't the Universe Be Cyclic? Part 1: The Lure of the Eternal Universe

Universe Today - Sat, 06/06/2026 - 3:05pm

A look at why a cyclic, eternally repeating universe is such an appealing idea, and why the first serious attempt to build one, Richard Tolman's 1930s model of endless big bangs and big crunches, collapsed under the weight of entropy. The Big Bang keeps demanding a beginning.

Categories: Astronomy

NASA’s X-59 plane goes supersonic for the first time

Scientific American.com - Sat, 06/06/2026 - 12:50pm

This experimental plane, which reached supersonic speeds yesterday, is designed to travel faster than the speed of sound without creating bothersome sonic booms

Categories: Astronomy

A “Green” Dual-Mode Engine is About to Give CubeSats the Best of Both Worlds

Universe Today - Sat, 06/06/2026 - 8:07am

Rocket scientists have always faced a trade-off in propulsion technologies. Chemical rockets can provide lots of oomph, but burn through fuel so quickly they can only do so for a few minutes. Electric propulsion, on the other hand, can run for days, but the pushing power they provide is miniscule compared to their chemical cousins. A new paper in the Journal of Propulsion and Power from researchers at MIT describes a system that might be the best of both worlds - a propulsion system that includes an electrospray thruster that uses a chemical rocket propellant, and can seamlessly switch to a chemical rocket when needed.

Categories: Astronomy

How prediction markets could forecast the future of science

Scientific American.com - Sat, 06/06/2026 - 8:00am

Online prediction markets are taking bets on everything from climate change to quantum computing. But researchers question their accuracy

Categories: Astronomy

Aquanauts experience awe-inspiring ‘underview effect’

Scientific American.com - Sat, 06/06/2026 - 7:00am

Like astronauts’ “overview effect,” a dramatic feeling of awe takes hold on extended seafloor stays

Categories: Astronomy

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APOD - Sat, 06/06/2026 - 4:00am

Newborn stars are forming in the Eagle Nebula.


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

SETI Panel Revises Recommendations for Dealing With 'Disclosure Day'

Universe Today - Fri, 06/05/2026 - 9:43pm

An international committee of experts says it has updated its rules for evaluating and revealing the detection of extraterrestrial intelligence. The revisions to the decades-old Declaration of Principles, created and maintained by the International Academy of Astronautics' SETI Committee, come just days before the release of "Disclosure Day," a movie about alien visitation directed by Steven Spielberg.

Categories: Astronomy

NASA Bids Farewell to MAVEN Mars Mission in Public Teleconference

Universe Today - Fri, 06/05/2026 - 6:39pm

The first mission devoted to observing the Martian atmosphere and its evolution, NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution), has ended after more than 11 years in orbit at Mars and a decade beyond its primary, one-year mission.

Categories: Astronomy