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Astronomy
January 9, 2026
Jan. 9, 1848: The death of Caroline Herschel
Today in the history of astronomy, the first female professional astronomer passes away.
Astronomy
January 8, 2026
Jan. 8, 1942: The birth of Stephen Hawking
Today in the history of astronomy, one of the brightest and most famous scientific minds of the modern era is born.
Astronomy
January 7, 2026
Jan. 7, 1610: Galileo sees four moons of Jupiter
Today in the history of astronomy, the Galilean moons are observed for the first time.
Astronomy
January 6, 2026
Jan. 6, 1998: Lunar Prospector launches
Today in the history of astronomy, the mission that will confirm ice on the Moon begins.
Astronomy
January 5, 2026
Jan. 5, 2005: Eris is discovered
Today in the history of astronomy, a new dwarf planet leads to Pluto's demotion.
Astronomy
January 5, 2026
Jan. 5, 2005: Eris is discovered
Today in the history of astronomy, a new dwarf planet leads to Pluto's demotion.
Astronomy
January 4, 2026
Jan. 4, 1797: The birth of Wilhelm Beer
Today in the history of astronomy, a mapper of the Moon and Mars is born.
Astronomy
January 4, 2026
Jan. 4, 1797: The birth of Wilhelm Beer
Today in the history of astronomy, a mapper of the Moon and Mars is born.
Astronomy
January 4, 2026
Today in the History of Astronomy
Today in the History of Astronomy
Astronomy
January 3, 2026
Jan. 3, 2004: Spirit lands on Mars
Today in the history of astronomy, a long-lived rover begins its mission on the Red Planet’s surface.
Astronomy
January 3, 2026
Jan. 3, 2004: Spirit lands on Mars
Today in the history of astronomy, a long-lived rover begins its mission on the Red Planet’s surface.
Astronomy
January 2, 2026
Jan. 2, 1959: Luna 1 launches
categories:Today in the History of Astronomy | tags:News
Astronomy
January 2, 2026
Jan. 2, 1959: Luna 1 launches
categories:Today in the History of Astronomy | tags:News
Astronomy
January 1, 2026
Jan. 1, 2019: New Horizons flies by Arrokoth
Today in the history of astronomy, we get a close-up look at a distant Kuiper Belt Object.
Astronomy
January 1, 2026
Jan. 1, 2019: New Horizons flies by Arrokoth
Today in the history of astronomy, we get a close-up look at a distant Kuiper Belt Object.
Astronomy
December 31, 2025
Dec. 31, 1864: The birth of Robert Aitken
Today in the history of astronomy, the great discoverer of binary stars is born.
Astronomy
December 31, 2025
Dec. 31, 1864: The birth of Robert Aitken
Today in the history of astronomy, the great discoverer of binary stars is born.
Astronomy
December 30, 2025
Dec. 30, 2000: Cassini flies past Jupiter
Today in the history of astronomy, Cassini tests out its tools at Jupiter.
Astronomy
December 30, 2025
Dec. 30, 2000: Cassini flies past Jupiter
Today in the history of astronomy, Cassini tests out its tools at Jupiter.
Astronomy
December 29, 2025
Dec. 29, 1888: The Andromeda Galaxy is photographed
Today in the history of astronomy, Isaac Roberts captures the first photo of the 'Andromeda Nebula.'
Astronomy
December 28, 2025
Dec. 28, 1882: The birth of Arthur Eddington
Today in the history of astronomy, a pioneering astrophysicist is born.
Astronomy
December 27, 2025
Dec. 27, 1571: The birth of Johannes Kepler
Today in the history of astronomy, the astronomer responsible for the laws of planetary motion is born.
Astronomy
December 26, 2025
Dec. 26, 1995: Comet C/1955 Y1 is discovered
Today in the history of astronomy, Yuji Hyakutake finds a comet – but not his most famous one.
Astronomy
December 25, 2025
Dec. 25, 1642: The birth of Isaac Newton
Dec. 25, 1642: The birth of Isaac Newton
Astronomy
December 25, 2025
Dec. 25, 1642: The birth of Isaac Newton
Today in the history of astronomy, a complicated genius is born.
Astronomy
December 24, 2025
Dec. 24, 1968: Apollo 8 broadcasts from the Moon
Today in the history of astronomy, the crew of Apollo 8 makes a Christmas Eve broadcast from the Moon's orbit.
Astronomy
December 23, 2025
Dec. 23, 1672: Saturn’s moon Rhea is discovered
Today in the history of astronomy, Giovanni Cassini spots the second of the four moons of Saturn he’ll discover.
Astronomy
December 22, 2025
Dec. 22, 2015: Falcon 9 launches
Today in the history of astronomy, after a series of failures, SpaceX demonstrates its reusable rocket.
Astronomy
December 21, 2025
Dec. 21, 2021: JWST sees its final delay
Today in the history of astronomy, the launch date for the James Webb Space Telescope is pushed back again. After years of delays, this will...
Astronomy
December 20, 2025
Dec. 20, 1900: The discovery of 21P/Giacobini-Zinner
Today in the history of astronomy, the comet responsible for the Draconids is found.
Astronomy
December 19, 2025
DECam captures the dark heart of Circinus the Compasses
Appearing as an inky stain on a blanket of stars, the Circinus West molecular cloud conceals a dusty nursery 2,500 light-years away from Ear...
Astronomy
December 19, 2025
Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Bubble Nebula
This difficult catch visually will reward the time you spend observing it.
Astronomy
December 19, 2025
Dec. 19, 1714: The birth of John Winthrop
Today in the history of astronomy, one of the earliest American astronomers is born.
Astronomy
December 19, 2025
The Sky This Week from Dec. 19 to 26: The winter solstice
Winter begins as the Ursids peak, Titan makes a last transit of Saturn, and Comet Schaumasse enters the Virgo Cluster in the sky this week.
Astronomy
December 18, 2025
Can game theory help declutter space?
Hundreds of millions of debris fragments zip around Earth at speeds exceeding 15,000 mph, posing a constant threat to astronauts and spacecr...
Astronomy
December 18, 2025
2025 in 16 astronomical images
As the Sun reached its peak and a rare interstellar comet streaked by, 2025 provided a front-row seat to some dramatic displays in our solar...
Astronomy
December 18, 2025
“Monster Stars” existed in the early universe
Astronomers analyzing data from Webb have discovered evidence of gigantic stars that formed right after the Big Bang.
Astronomy
December 18, 2025
Dec. 18, 1958: The U.S. scores in the Space Race
Today in the history of astronomy, the launch of the world’s first communications satellite, SCORE, proves the U.S. can compete with the Sov...
Astronomy
December 17, 2025
Senate confirms Isaacman as NASA administrator
In a 67-30 vote, the US Senate has confirmed Jared Isaacman as the new administrator of NASA.
Astronomy
December 17, 2025
Does Titan have an ocean or not?
New data has astronomers rethinking the inside of Saturn’s largest moon.
Astronomy
December 17, 2025
Dec. 17, 2017: Arecibo images a Near-Earth asteroid
Today in the history of astronomy, Arecibo comes back online just in time to observe 3200 Phaethon.
Astronomy
December 16, 2025
Can you 3D-print a telescope?
Contributing Editor Molly Wakeling built a working 8-inch Newtonian telescope using a home 3D printer. Here's the breakdown on the cost, eff...
Astronomy
December 16, 2025
Dec. 16, 1857: The birth of Edward E. Barnard
Today in the history of astronomy, one of the field's great observers is born.
Astronomy
December 15, 2025
Stars lost to history
There’s a long list of celestial lights that have gone missing.
Astronomy
December 15, 2025
Did solar radiation ground 6,000 planes?
Experts say it remains unclear exactly what sort of glitch Airbus uncovered that prompted it to ground the A320 fleet, but radiation in spac...
Astronomy
December 15, 2025
Why does the same side of the Moon always face Earth?
Earth's gravity pulling on the Moon's tidal bulges created a force called torque, which slowed the Moon's rotation over time.
Astronomy
December 15, 2025
Dec. 15, 1970: Venera 7 lands on Venus
Today in the history of astronomy, the Soviets accomplish the first transmission from another planet’s surface.
Astronomy
December 14, 2025
Dec. 14, 1961: Mariner 2 flies by Venus
Today in the history of astronomy, the first interplanetary mission reveals our inhospitable sister planet.
Astronomy
December 13, 2025
JWST captures the earliest supernova yet
This star exploded when the universe was only 5 percent of its current age. The observation shattered JWST’s previous record.
Astronomy
December 13, 2025