astronomy

Astronomers have picked up radio signals from Beta Pictoris b, a giant exoplanet about 63 light-years away orbiting the young star Beta Pictoris. The detection, reported by BBC Sky at Night Magazine, is a rare feat for a planet beyond our Solar System and could open a new way to study exoplanets' magnetic fields and interiors. Interest is rising across several countries.

Video journalist Cleo Abram takes viewers inside an animated spaceship bound for the core of the Sun in an episode of her show 'HUGE If True.' Speaking with NASA heliophysicists and astronomy professors, she explains how solar probes survive extreme heat and radiation on their way to study our star up close.

The Hubble Space Telescope has released a new image of Arp 321, also known as Hickson 40, a compact group of five galaxies: three spirals, an elliptical galaxy and a lenticular, lens-shaped one. The group is so tightly packed that all five galaxies could fit within a region of space less than twice the diameter of the Milky Way. Astronomy enthusiasts are sharing the image and marvelling at the unusually close gathering.

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 4, 2026 features an image of supernumerary rainbows over New Jersey. These faint, closely spaced extra bands appear inside a main rainbow and are caused by light wave interference, or diffraction, in water droplets of similar size. The picture explains the optics behind the phenomenon and why the pastel-colored fringes are sometimes spotted after showers.

A Harvard-led research team reports the first detection of a magnetic field signal from an exoplanet, Beta Pictoris b, a giant planet orbiting a young star about 60 light-years away. The finding would mark the first time scientists have measured magnetism on a planet outside the solar system, offering a new way to study exoplanet interiors and atmospheres.

The Starry Time Podcast has released a new episode on the constellation Scutum, covering the astronomy and cosmic background of the small sky region whose name means 'the Shield'. The episode is available via the podcast's website and is aimed at space and astronomy enthusiasts following the show's constellation-by-constellation series.

Astronomers report the first detection of radio signals coming from Beta Pictoris b, a giant exoplanet about 63 light-years away orbiting the star Beta Pictoris. The detection, made with radio telescopes, is being described as a breakthrough because radio emissions from planets outside our Solar System are extremely faint and rarely captured, opening a new way to study distant worlds.

NASA's Pandora mission has officially started its science operations. The small satellite, designed to study exoplanet atmospheres by observing stars and their orbiting planets, is now collecting data after completing its commissioning phase. The milestone marks the transition from testing to regular scientific observations, with researchers expecting early results on distant worlds in the coming months.

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 4, 2026 features an image of supernumerary rainbows over New Jersey. These faint, closely spaced rainbow arcs appear inside the main bow and are caused by light wave interference between overlapping light rays. Astronomy enthusiasts online are sharing the image, a common occurrence whenever NASA's daily space and sky photography feature highlights a striking atmospheric phenomenon.

An educational resource called Astronomy Basics - The Wonders of the Universe is being shared, aimed at helping people understand Earth, the solar system, the galaxy and beyond. It presents the 'Big Picture' of life, the universe and everything, and is being recommended as an accessible entry point for anyone curious about astronomy and how our planet fits into the wider cosmos.

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a striking image of the Pillars of Creation, towering columns of gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula that stretch light-years across. The observation shows dense structures where new stars are actively forming, and astronomy enthusiasts are sharing the image widely, marveling at the detail of star birth revealed by the telescope.

Astronomy enthusiasts are sharing a vivid image of Cassiopeia A, the remnant of a star roughly 20 times the Sun's mass that exploded about 340 years ago, some 11,000 light-years from Earth. The image colors show different chemical elements flung outward in the blast, including silicon, sulfur, calcium and iron, illustrating how supernovae scatter the raw ingredients for planets and life across space.

Astronomy enthusiasts are sharing details about the Lagoon Nebula, also known as M8, an active star-forming region roughly 5,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius. The interstellar cloud is described as a complex environment shaped by high-energy radiation from massive young stars, illustrating how new stars are born within nebulae.

A Korean-language astronomy sharing site highlighted Eta Carinae and its Homunculus Nebula as the object of the day, with galaxies and star clusters as the day's theme. Eta Carinae is a massive, unstable double star system about 7,500 light-years away, famous for the billowing gas cloud shaped during its 19th-century eruption, and it remains a favorite target for astrophotographers and stargazers.

The student newspaper at SUNY Geneseo has profiled the campus Physics and Astronomy Club, describing the group in upbeat terms and highlighting its role in student life. The feature frames the club as an active, welcoming community for students interested in physics and astronomy. Beyond the profile itself, no further details about specific events or announcements are given.

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 3 features a selfie taken at Vera Rubin Ridge on Mars, a rocky ridge previously explored by the Curiosity rover. The image highlights the rover's work on Mount Sharp and continues NASA's daily series showcasing notable space and astronomy imagery to the public.

A sundial at the University of Toronto is drawing attention for its accuracy. A photographer tested it by taking the midpoint of the gnomon's five-minute-wide shadow, which read 3:22; adding the roughly seven-minute correction for October 2 gave 3:29 EST, closely matching the camera timestamp of 4:33 EDT. Observers are calling the instrument magnificent and enjoying the demonstration of how sundial corrections work.

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for 3 October 2026 features a self-portrait of the Curiosity rover taken at Vera Rubin Ridge on Mars. The image is being shared and discussed by space enthusiasts, who are highlighting the rover's ongoing exploration of the Martian surface and the striking quality of the photograph.

Astronomy enthusiasts are sharing images of the night sky rendered through stereographic projection, a technique popularly known as the little planet transformation. By mapping a full spherical panorama onto a flat plane, the method produces a distinctive 360-degree view of the stars from a single terrestrial vantage point, blending mathematics and photography.

Video journalist Cleo Abram has released a new episode of her show "HUGE If True" in which she boards an animated spaceship bound for the core of the Sun. Speaking with NASA heliophysicists and astronomy professors, she explains how solar probes survive the extreme heat and radiation of close approaches to our star, packing the episode with detailed science explanation.