the Solar System

A developer has launched an interactive real-time simulation of the Solar System, plotting the orbits of 526,000 known asteroids together with every tracked satellite orbiting Earth. The tool is being shared on Hacker News, where it has drawn hundreds of upvotes and discussion about its performance and accuracy.

Ukraine's dispersed renewable energy installations, such as rooftop and small-scale solar, are proving harder for Russia to disable than its large centralized power plants, which have been repeated targets of missile and drone strikes. The experience is being read as evidence that decentralized energy systems offer both wartime resilience and a model for the broader energy transition.

SolarBalls has released 'Triton And Callisto Go On A Date - Part 1', a new episode of its animated series that personifies moons and planets from the solar system. The episode imagines a romantic outing between Triton, Neptune's largest moon, and Callisto, one of Jupiter's Galilean moons. Viewers are engaging heavily with the release, which is framed as the first part of an ongoing storyline.

A roundup of space discoveries from recent months is drawing large attention, compiling new findings about planets, moons and other bodies across the solar system. Viewers are engaging heavily with the compilation, reflecting strong public interest in astronomy news and fresh observations from missions and telescopes.

A food bank in North Carolina has installed its first solar microgrid, designed to keep refrigerators and freezers running when the power grid goes down. The system protects stored food during outages, which is critical for an operation reliant on cold storage. It is being highlighted as an example of how clean energy can make community food services more resilient.

People across cities are installing small solar panels on their balconies to generate their own electricity. The plug-in systems, popular in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, let apartment dwellers cut energy bills without owning a roof. Interest is growing as households look for affordable ways to reduce power costs.

California has enacted a balcony solar bill into law, allowing residents to plug small, portable solar panels into standard outlets to offset their electricity use. Coverage across multiple California outlets is focused on the practical question of when the systems can actually be installed and connected, as regulations and implementation details are still being worked out following the bill's passage.

Engineers have developed a smart solar dryer that automatically detects when bananas are fully dried, shortening drying times by roughly 20 percent. The system is aimed at small-scale food producers, where solar drying is a low-cost preservation method but stopping at the right moment is often guesswork. Automated moisture monitoring could reduce energy waste and improve product quality for farmers and cooperatives.

Astronomers report the first detection of radio waves coming from a planet outside our Solar System. The signal, described as unprecedented, marks a new way of studying exoplanets, since until now they were observed mainly through light-based methods such as transits and radial velocity. Researchers hope radio observations will reveal details about exoplanets' magnetic fields and atmospheres.

Researchers report progress on silver-based ternary photocatalysts, materials that can use sunlight to drive both clean energy production and the breakdown of pollutants in water. By combining three components, including silver, these catalysts aim to improve efficiency in solar fuel generation and water purification. The development points to cheaper, more effective photocatalytic systems for environmental cleanup.

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.

Virtus Solis has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Brae Systems to deliver up to 250 MW of space-based solar power. The long-term deal represents a major commercial commitment to space-based solar, a still-emerging technology that collects sunlight in orbit and beams it to Earth. If fulfilled, it would mark one of the first real customer contracts for orbital solar energy.