New York State Drinking Testosterone 👌: Could the Milky Way's black hole be a clump of dark matter?

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Could the Milky Way's black hole be a clump of dark matter?

NASA readies for Crew-12 launch to ISS | Could the Milky Way's black hole be a clump of dark matter? | Vulcan Centaur rocket launches US military satellites

Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com | Web Version

February 12, 2026

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The Launchpad

NASA readies for Crew-12 launch to ISS

NASA and SpaceX have polled 'go' to proceed to launch the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station no earlier than 5:15 a.m. EST (1015 GMT) on Friday, Feb. 13. We've got our very own Josh Dinner down at Kennedy Space Center to document and report on the launch for us, so stay tuned for up-to-the-minute launch coverage.

In other news, astronomers wonder if the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole could actually be a clump of dark matter. "We are proposing that the supermassive central object and the galaxy's dark matter halo are two manifestations of the same, continuous substance," one of the scientists said.

We've also got a look at the different phases of the 'ring of fire' annular solar eclipse on Feb. 17 that unfortunately will only be visible above Antarctica, and launch reports from both United Launch Alliance and Europe's Arianespace.

We've got all that and more for you today on Space.com.
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Brett Tingley

Could the Milky Way's black hole be a clump of dark matter?

a swirling cloud of colorful gas on a black, starry background

(Robert Lea (created with Canva))

"We are not just replacing the black hole with a dark object; we are proposing that the supermassive central object and the galaxy's dark matter halo are two manifestations of the same, continuous substance," one scientist said.

Vulcan Centaur rocket launches US military satellites

a white rocket lifts off above a plume of fire and smoke

(ULA)

A Vulcan Centaur rocket launched a pair of space surveillance satellites for the U.S. military early Thursday morning (Feb. 12).

Skywatching

Phases of the Feb. 17 'ring of fire' annular solar eclipse

a yellow-orange ring of light on a black background

(Photo by SADIQ ASYRAF/AFP via Getty Images)

The annular solar eclipse will see the moon cover the majority of the solar disk, surrounding it in a fiery halo.

February's full Snow Moon glows in ethereal winter photo

a bright full moon behind silhouettes of plants

(Josh Dury)

The full "Snow Moon" rose on Feb. 1 to flood the winter sky with icy moonlight.

Spaceflight

Europe's most powerful rocket launches for 1st time

(Arianespace)

The Ariane 64 launched from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, carrying 32 satellites aloft for the Amazon Leo broadband constellation.

Science & Astronomy

Can a nonprofit help protect Earth from dangerous asteroids?

an illustration of a lumpy rock flying near Earth

(ESA — P.Carril)

Since 2002, the Silicon Valley-based B612 Foundation has engaged in research, education and promoting the protection of Earth from asteroid impacts.

Entertainment

'Predator: Badlands' traded horror for science fantasy

a humanoid alien with green reptile-like skin pulls an arrow back on a bow

(20th Century Studios)

Dan Trachtenberg's third Predator movie is the most substantial evolution of the sci-fi franchise to date and boldly embraces other genres' strengths.