https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/astronomy/RSS feed for AstronomyenThu, 28 May 2026 19:40:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-smaller-than-usual-blue-moon-will-end-the-month-with-a-lunar-spectacle-heres-what-to-know-about-the-full-micromoon-180988854/The blue moon will be the second of two full moons in the same month, a coincidence that only takes place about every two and a half years. It will also appear to be slightly smaller and dimmer than the average full moonThu, 28 May 2026 19:40:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-smaller-than-usual-blue-moon-will-end-the-month-with-a-lunar-spectacle-heres-what-to-know-about-the-full-micromoon-180988854/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-nasas-stunning-new-images-of-mars-captured-during-an-asteroid-bound-spacecrafts-strategic-flyby-180988788/The Psyche mission, on its way to study an asteroid of the same name, approached within 2,864 miles of the red planet on May 15Fri, 22 May 2026 20:14:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-nasas-stunning-new-images-of-mars-captured-during-an-asteroid-bound-spacecrafts-strategic-flyby-180988788/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neptunes-moon-nereid-might-be-the-sole-intact-survivor-of-an-ancient-lunar-collision-180988785/A study suggests that the ice giant's largest moon, Triton, made a dramatic entrance to the Neptunian system long ago, kicking Nereid outward and destroying the planet's other original lunar companionsThu, 21 May 2026 20:16:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neptunes-moon-nereid-might-be-the-sole-intact-survivor-of-an-ancient-lunar-collision-180988785/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nasa-just-uploaded-more-than-12000-stunning-photos-from-the-artemis-2-mission-here-are-a-few-of-our-favorites-180988697/Although the mission's four astronauts sent a few photos to Earth while in space, most needed to be delivered via physical memory cards once they returned to the planetTue, 12 May 2026 20:32:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nasa-just-uploaded-more-than-12000-stunning-photos-from-the-artemis-2-mission-here-are-a-few-of-our-favorites-180988697/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tiny-celestial-body-past-pluto-shouldnt-have-an-atmosphere-but-astronomers-say-they-may-have-detected-one-180988690/Worlds this small and distant are thought to be too cold and have too little surface gravity to hold onto gases. But the findings suggest that icy, rocky objects in the solar system's outer reaches are more dynamic than we thoughtFri, 08 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tiny-celestial-body-past-pluto-shouldnt-have-an-atmosphere-but-astronomers-say-they-may-have-detected-one-180988690/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/could-pluto-once-again-be-considered-a-planet-new-remarks-from-nasas-administrator-highlight-an-enduring-debate-among-scientists-180988671/Two decades ago, the International Astronomical Union—which defines and names celestial bodies—redefined the criteria for being a planet, putting Pluto into the new category of dwarf planetTue, 05 May 2026 15:56:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/could-pluto-once-again-be-considered-a-planet-new-remarks-from-nasas-administrator-highlight-an-enduring-debate-among-scientists-180988671/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-eta-aquarid-meteor-shower-peaks-this-week-but-a-bright-moon-might-spoil-the-show-180988669/This annual event, which peaks on the night of May 5 into the next morning, comes from the trail of debris left by Halley's comet. It's best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, but skywatchers in the north can catch a glimpseMon, 04 May 2026 20:48:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-eta-aquarid-meteor-shower-peaks-this-week-but-a-bright-moon-might-spoil-the-show-180988669/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronomers-discover-27-potential-planets-each-orbiting-two-stars-just-like-the-fictional-tatooine-in-star-wars-180988667/The findings could more than double our current database of worlds that loop around binary star systems. But researchers need to analyze more data before they can officially celebrate a new trove of far, far away exoplanetsMon, 04 May 2026 19:24:48 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronomers-discover-27-potential-planets-each-orbiting-two-stars-just-like-the-fictional-tatooine-in-star-wars-180988667/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-giant-400-year-old-astrolabe-made-for-royalty-by-mughal-master-craftsmen-and-owned-by-royalty-fetched-millions-at-auction-180988638/Ancient Greek astronomers and early Islamic scientists used astrolabes as mechanical computers to calculate time, determine height and navigate by the starsWed, 29 Apr 2026 14:07:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-giant-400-year-old-astrolabe-made-for-royalty-by-mughal-master-craftsmen-and-owned-by-royalty-fetched-millions-at-auction-180988638/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-came-from-an-extremely-cold-lonely-region-of-the-milky-way-galaxy-new-research-suggests-180988625/Astronomers analyzed the vapors coming off the comet when it neared the sun and found it had a lot of "heavy" water. That hints it grew up in a frigid planetary system, possibly before its home star formedMon, 27 Apr 2026 19:26:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-came-from-an-extremely-cold-lonely-region-of-the-milky-way-galaxy-new-research-suggests-180988625/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/look-up-this-week-to-see-the-peak-of-the-lyrid-meteor-shower-humans-have-documented-this-dazzling-display-for-2700-years-180988578/During the wee hours of April 22, moonset times will give stargazers in much of the United States a solid stretch of dark sky before sunriseMon, 20 Apr 2026 19:48:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/look-up-this-week-to-see-the-peak-of-the-lyrid-meteor-shower-humans-have-documented-this-dazzling-display-for-2700-years-180988578/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/newly-discovered-stone-tools-made-from-geodes-and-fossils-hint-at-homo-erectus-connection-with-the-cosmos-180988565/Archaeologists in Israel unearthed prehistoric hand axes that Homo erectus crafted from stones including fossils and crystals, perhaps a sign that they wanted to connect with the cosmosMon, 20 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/newly-discovered-stone-tools-made-from-geodes-and-fossils-hint-at-homo-erectus-connection-with-the-cosmos-180988565/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/medieval-writings-and-tree-rings-helped-researchers-track-a-solar-storm-from-800-years-ago-and-reconstruct-past-solar-cycles-180988546/Diary entries by the Japanese poet Fujiwara no Teika, along with other historical sources from across Asia and Europe, played pivotal roles in a new studyThu, 16 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/medieval-writings-and-tree-rings-helped-researchers-track-a-solar-storm-from-800-years-ago-and-reconstruct-past-solar-cycles-180988546/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-an-astronomer-may-have-witnessed-a-comet-stop-its-spin-then-reverse-its-rotation-180988469/Archival images snapped by the Hubble Space Telescope revealed the unusual eventThu, 02 Apr 2026 16:56:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-an-astronomer-may-have-witnessed-a-comet-stop-its-spin-then-reverse-its-rotation-180988469/