SpaceX launches its 32nd Dragon cargo to the ISS (video) | Space Quiz! Howl long is the journey to Jupiter for NASA's Lucy probe? | Lucy probe flies by asteroid Donaldjohanson on Easter
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SpaceX launched its 32nd cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) early Monday morning (April 21), carrying more than 3 tons of supplies and scientific hardware to the orbiting laboratory for NASA. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the uncrewed Cargo Dragon spacecraft lifted off Monday at 4:15 a.m. EDT (0815 GMT) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Easter Sunday certainly hasn't been a day of rest for the astronomy community. All eyes are on NASA's asteroid-studying Lucy spacecraft, which should have had a close space rock encounter at 1:51 p.m. EDT (1751 GMT) on April 20, 2025. Launched in 2021, Lucy is on a 12-year journey to the orbit of Jupiter, during which the probe will perform flybys of eight Trojan asteroids in a quest to learn about the origins of the solar system, searching for elements that could spark the rise of life. But before Lucy gets there, the spacecraft will have time for a few dress rehearsals.
The Lyrid meteor shower is active between April 16 and April 25, and peaks on April 22. During the peak, Earth passes through the densest part of the debris stream left behind by Comet Thatcher, which delivers the highest chance of a great shooting star show. This year, the best time to catch the Lyrid meteor shower will be in the predawn hours around 3 or 4 a.m. local time. That's when the sky is at its darkest, and the radiant -- the point in the sky from where the Lyrids appear to emanate -- has risen to the highest point in the sky. The higher the radiant climbs, the more meteors you're likely to see. But remember, don't look directly at the radiant; instead, look a little off to the side to catch the longest, brightest trails.
NASA's oldest active astronaut has redefined traveling "home" for your birthday, landing from the International Space Station on the same day that he turned 70. Don Pettit touched down on Saturday (April 19) with his Soyuz MS-26 crewmates, Aleksey Ovchinin, 53, and Ivan Vagner, 39. The U.S. astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts reached the ground in Kazakhstan at 9:20 p.m. EDT (0120 GMT or 6:20 a.m. local time April 20), seven months after they left Earth aboard the same spacecraft.
Dark matter may have contributed to the formation of giant black holes in the early universe, researchers propose in a new paper. More observations, especially with the James Webb Space Telescope, are revealing truly gigantic black holes that appeared in the relatively young universe. Just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, it would appear our cosmos was already home to black holes billions of times more massive than the sun.
SpaceX lofted yet another batch of next-gen spy satellites for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) this morning (April 20). A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from California's foggy Vandenberg Space Force Base today at 8:29 a.m. EDT (1229 GMT; 5:29 a.m. local California time), on a mission the NRO called NROL-145.
While slowly climbing the slopes of Mount Sharp -- a towering peak inside Mars' Gale Crater - NASA's Curiosity rover made a remarkable discovery: large deposits of carbon locked away in carbonate minerals. That may sound a little dry at first, but in reality this find could be a major piece of the puzzle in our search for ancient life on the Red Planet.
This week's sky offers a delightful mix of planetary pairings, meteor magic, and moon-free evenings for exploring the deep sky. The Lyrids shower Earth with streaks of comet dust, while Venus dazzles as it dances with Saturn and the slender crescent moon in the pre-dawn sky. With the new moon arriving Sunday, you'll have beautifully dark skies for galaxy hunting and deep-sky treasures.
Here's everything worth waking up early — or staying out late — for this week!
The Lyrid meteor shower reaches its peak overnight, with up to 15–20 meteors per hour radiating from near the bright star Vega. The waning crescent moon won't interfere much, so find a dark, open sky and look slightly away from the radiant for longer, more dramatic meteor trails.
Before dawn, look east to catch the waning crescent moon shining about 10 degrees to the right of brilliant Venus. Saturn appears fainter and below Venus, while Mercury hovers near the horizon. The group rises around 5:15 a.m. local time, making for a stunning pre-sunrise lineup and great photo opportunity.
Just before sunrise, the old crescent moon forms a beautiful triangle with three planets — Venus, Saturn, and Mercury. The moon sits below Venus and left of Saturn, while Mercury twinkles lower left near the horizon.
Venus blazes at its brightest this morning, reaching its greatest illuminated extent. It shows a slim, 26%-lit crescent through telescopes but appears dazzling to the naked eye at magnitude -4.75. Rising around 4:20 a.m., Venus gleams just above Saturn in Pisces, making it the true "morning star" of late April.
The moon reaches its new phase at 3:31 p.m. EDT (1931 GMT), vanishing from view as it passes between Earth and the sun. With no moonlight to interfere, the nights ahead are ideal for deep-sky observing. Look west after sunset later in the week for the young crescent moon's return.
While the new moon on Sunday, April 27, brings dark skies perfect for deep-sky observing, I'm especially excited about the thin crescent moon in the days leading up to it. On April 25, it will shine to the lower left of Venus and to the left of Saturn—a lovely pre-dawn trio for skywatchers.
Feeling inspired to take a more in-depth moonlit tour of our rocky companion? Our ultimate guide to observing the moon will help you plan your next skywatching venture, whether it be exploring the lunar seas, mountainous terrain, or the many craters that blanket the landscape. You can also see where astronauts, rovers and landers have ventured with our Apollo landing sites observing guide.
On April 16, a 'cannibal' coronal mass ejection triggered powerful geomagnetic storms, sparking auroras across the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In Tampere, Finland, Austin MacDonald captured jaw-dropping photos of the aurora show during the G4-level conditions.
"I was amazed and almost overwhelmed. Living in Finland, I see auroras pretty often, from small G1 storms to last year’s extreme G5 storm. But last night was something special." MacDonald told Space.com in an email on April 17.
MacDonald describes the activity ramping up considerably around 2345 EET (2045 UTC), at its peak, explosive, fast-moving auroras were visible overhead.
"It came on so fast, and it wasn’t just overhead, it was to the south, north, east, west... It felt like I was standing inside a 360-degree aurora sphere. It just made me feel incredibly small," Macdonald continued.
The best flashlights are an excellent light source for stargazers, so if you want to view the upcoming Eta Aquarid meteor shower, consider these products.
