technical updates

In 2025, the European Space Agency dark universe detective spacecraft Euclid turned its attention to the heart of the Milky Way for just 26 hours. In just over one day, Euclid was able to create the largest and most detailed photo of this region of our galaxy ever made. The image, packed with 60 million stars, could help scientists hunt for extrasolar planets, exoplanets , in this region known as the galactic bulge . Euclid is designed to study dark energy , the mysterious force that drives the accelerating expansion of the universe, by studying distant galaxies. That means the space telescope is powerful enough to distinguish individual stars in the central bulge of the Milky Way. Other telescopes fail to do this because they are too blinded by the densely packed stars in this region. The largest high-resolution photo ever made of our Milky Way galaxy's center in visible light. It was taken...

Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios' brash experimental superhero series, "Spider-Noir," is a refreshing treat that revitalizes the fading genre with a cool film noir twist. Showcasing the "Spider-Man Noir" comics character seen in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse", it stars Nicholas Cage as a 1930s New York City private detective named Ben Reilly who moonlights as the nocturnal avenger The Spider. Juilliard-educated composers Kris Bowers ("The Wild Robot," "Secret Invasion") and Michael Dean Parsons ("Light & Magic," "Bridgerton") have created a magnificent sweeping score with roots in old-school crime thrillers, Hollywood Golden Age jazz, and a variety of intriguing electronic instruments not traditionally used in a classical score of this nature. We caught up with the musical pair to hear more about the...

Could Martian mudstones be holding evidence of ancient microbes? New findings strengthen the case that the Red Planet once held life. New data from NASA's Perseverance rover has revealed complex carbon in two Martian mudstones found in Mars' Jezero crater , the same location where previous evidence of possible ancient life has been found. Scientists think this macromolecular (meaning large) complex carbon, could hold evidence that ancient microbial life once existed in the same sedimentary material, according to one new paper describing these observations. "Measurements of two mudstones show hundreds of organic detections, making this the most robust organic detection in Jezero crater," the paper reads. This comes soon after the news last year that Perseverance found what has been dubbed the strongest evidence of potential biosignatures, or hints of life, on Mars . "Carbon...

SpaceX just launched a brand-new return capsule that it has been developing in the dark. That vehicle, called Starfall, lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket this morning (June 23), on a test mission designed to show that it can fly in a controlled fashion and survive the fiery trip down through Earth's atmosphere . The demonstration flight may have caught some space fans by surprise, for SpaceX has revealed little about Starfall to date. And that air of secrecy extended through today's launch; the company cut off its webcast about 10 minutes after liftoff, a practice usually associated with national security missions. SpaceX provided a very brief overview of Starfall today, saying via X that the new vehicle "will enable affordable, routine access to the microgravity environment for scientific research and in-space manufacturing." Details about the vehicle are harder to come b...

Hey, space fans! For over 25 years, we here at Space.com have dedicated ourselves to bringing you the best space mission news, astronomical discoveries, night sky guides and out-of-this-world sci-fi. Now, we're launching into a whole new frontier. Yes, we have an app. Our new Space.com app is available free on Android on the Google Play store and for iOS via the Apple Store and includes the same great coverage that you'll find on your laptop or desktop, but now in the palm of your hand. Are you wondering how to prepare for this summer's great total solar eclipse in August? We've got that . How about NASA's plans to launch the first-ever commercial spacecraft to rescue a falling space telescope? We've got that . (That Swift Boost mission will launch this Saturday, June 27, by the way.) And if you're wondering just how close Steven Spielberg's "Disclosure Day...

Amazon Prime Day 2026 has just kicked off and we are seeing plenty of discounts across telescopes , binoculars and cameras . But what if you don't want to line the pockets of Jeff Bezos but still want a great deal? Fear not, for there are plenty of anti-Prime Day deals that either match Amazon's price or even better, blow it out of the water! Like this Walmart deal that gives you $74 off the Amazon price of the Fujinon Techno-Stabi 1640 image-stabilized binoculars! Amazon has tried to commandeer the summer sales space since it started Prime Day in 2015, but other retailers always come out swinging and bring with them some of the best deals. Even if they are not cheaper than Amazon, rivals tend to at least match the price, so you can still save money with your morals intact. Our Prime Day hub has all the best Amazon deals as well as those coming from Adorama , Best Buy and BH Photo and...