technical updates

The full moon of August 2026 will occur at 12:18 a.m. (0416 GMT) on Aug. 28, as the lunar disk shines directly opposite the sun in Earth's sky. Its arrival will trigger a breathtaking lunar eclipse late in the month, which will be visible across the Americas and parts of Africa and Europe as Earth passes between the sun and moon to bathe the lunar disk in shadow. August's full moon is often referred to as the Sturgeon moon — a Native American name that reflects the time of year that the giant fish are most easily pulled from the waters of the North American Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac . When to see the August full moon Stargazers in the U.S. will see the Sturgeon Moon rise over the eastern horizon at sunset on Aug. 27. You may notice the moon adopt a yellow-orange hue in the hour following moonrise, as the blue wavelengths of its light ar...

This rocket wasn't supposed to die so dramatically. On Wednesday (Aug. 5) at about 2:35 a.m. EDT (0635 GMT), the upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will slam into the moon , blasting out a crater about 89 feet (27 meters) wide. The rocket body has been loitering lazily high above Earth for more than 18 months. What jolted it out of its unremarkable senescence and put it on a kamikaze course for the moon ? It didn't take much, as the rocket regularly crossed into the moon's neck of the woods. The Falcon 9 launched in January 2025 , carrying aloft two private robotic lunar landers — Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and Resilience, which was built by the Tokyo-based company ispace. (Blue Ghost landed successfully and carried out its historic mission, but Resilience crashed during its touchdown attempt.) Falcon 9 first stages are famously reusable , but the vehicle's upper ...

Cyberpunk is back in a big way, baby! This summer, we've gotten two big doses of dystopian sci-fi: first with the recent San Diego Comic-Con trailer launch for Prime Video's upcoming " Blade Runner 2099 " and now Apple TV's prestige series based on sci-fi guru William Gibson 's 1984 cult novel, " Neuromancer ." The futuristic plotline centers around a burned-out computer hacker living in the overcrowded dystopian underworld of Japan's Chiba City who takes on a dangerous cyberspace gig that just might leave him dead. Its 10-episode debut season will be delivered beginning with a double chapter premiere, with subsequent installments airing each Friday through March 19, 2027. Cyberpunk fans can plug into Apple TV's "Neuromancer" starting Jan. 22, 2027. (Image credit: Apple TV+) Created by executive producer and showrunner Graham Roland, the mast...

NASA's Europa Clipper is currently on a 1.8-billion-mile journey to Jupiter, tasked with assessing whether the icy moon of its namesake, Europa, could support life. Based on data from the historic Voyager and Galileo missions, scientists know Europa hides a global ocean beneath its frozen crust, containing more than double the water of all Earth 's oceans combined. During the Europa Clipper 's planned 49 close flybys of the icy moon, planetary scientists hope the spacecraft detects giant water plumes or warm surface pockets supplied by this subterranean ocean , offering a convenient way to analyze the hidden ocean's chemistry from orbit. A new study, however, suggests any shallow water the Europa Clipper detects may not necessarily be a direct window into Europa 's ocean after all. Research led by planetary scientist Lujendra Ojha of Rutgers University indicates that Europa...

Mention that a total solar eclipse is coming, and almost nobody will say, "Wow, we get to see the solar corona!" That's despite the sun's tenuous outer atmosphere being the number one sight during totality — a genuine jaw-dropper. Instead, the focus on social media is always on the darkness during the day, arguably the least interesting — but easiest to grasp — aspect of a total solar eclipse . It's no wonder that many people misunderstand and underestimate them, and think of eclipse chasers as a little odd. But that's not the half of it. There are dozens of things to see and experience during a total solar eclipse, so many that we've put together a checklist of things to see as you're swallowed by the moon's shadow. Here's what you may experience during the solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026 , roughly in the order they occur from first contact — when the moo...

Spotting scopes are typically used by birders and for hunting, but under a dark sky, the Nocs Provisions Lite View reveals a different personality. With a 56mm objective lens and a versatile 9x-27x zoom range, this compact spotting scope is surprisingly capable when turned toward not just the moon, but bright star clusters, too. Key to its attraction is its small size, carry case and shoulder strap, which makes it possible to sling over a shoulder. Its rugged, wave-textured housing and bright color options? Not so much. However, with just enough optical performance to satisfy casual astronomers — particularly those focused on lunar observing — it makes a good option for astro-travel. Is it a replacement for one of the best telescopes ? Absolutely not — but for close-up views of the lunar disk (particularly lunar eclipses), Jupiter and its moons, and bright open star clusters such as the Pleiades...