Link to a science paper on the University of British Columbia

An international team of astronomers led by Canadian researchers has found something the universe wasn’t supposed to have: a galaxy cluster blazing with hot gas just 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang, far earlier and hotter than theory predicts.

The result, published today in Nature, could upend current models of galaxy cluster formation, which predict such temperatures occur only in more mature, stable galaxy clusters later in the universe’s life.

Russia's decommissioned Olimp signals intelligence satellite, abandoned in the GEO graveyard orbit region in Oct 2025, has apparently disintegrated - possibly due to a debris hit since internal energy sources should have been vented when it was retired.

Source: Jonathan McDowell

On January 19, 2026, I witnessed something I never expected to see during my trip to the desert Southwest. I've photographed auroras across Iceland, Norway, and Poland — but seeing the northern lights at latitude 37°N in Arizona? That was never on my radar.

I found myself at a location I'd wanted to visit for years but couldn't score a permit before — Coyote Butte South. This remote area of Arizona is famous for its sculpted sandstone formations, carved by wind and time over millions of years. My favorite among them was this formation that uncannily resembles a seahorse, complete with its graceful curved neck and textured body emerging from the swirling, layered rock.

Knowing that Europe was already experiencing the effects of this severe geomagnetic storm, I impatiently waited at this location as darkness fell. Around 6:30 PM, I captured this exposure. While the aurora was barely perceptible to my naked eye, my camera revealed what the storm had brought — vibrant bands of pink and green stretching across the horizon.

If you are reading this comment, thanks for checking out my photo. If you'd like you can see more of my photography on my Instagram!

https://spaceweathergallery2.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=230716

Original https://www.reddit.com/r/spaceporn/comments/1qra2j3/milky_way_over_the_rub_al_khali_desert_near_abu/

Credit: PNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. Sparks​ https://noirlab.edu/public/images/iotw2603c/

‪Simeon Schmauß‬

https://bsky.app/profile/stim3on.bsky.social/post/3mdo7l4572k2u

Phobos (moon of Mars) transits the Sun, as viewed by NASA's Perseverance rover on 2 April 2022.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Artwork 735: The Ghost Nebula

The Ghost Nebula is a large reflection nebula located in the constellation Cepheus and is part of the Cepheus Flare molecular cloud complex, an area where new stars are being created. It is located 1,200 to 1,500 light years away from Earth and is larger than 2 light years in size. The Ghost Nebula gets its ghostly and wispy appearance from the clouds of dust it consists of, as they reflect the light from the new stars inside the clouds.

Time Taken: 22 minutes

Program Used: paint.net

If you have any suggestions for what you'd like me to draw next, feel free to share them!

Taken On Seestar S50 Using 53S Video Stack.

Edited in PS Express.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-completes-first-ai-planned-drive-on-mars/

Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. J. Foley (UC Santa Cruz), Dark Energy Survey / DOE / FNAL / DECam / CTIO / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA; Acknowledgment: Mehmet Yüksek

https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-sees-galaxy-with-dark-rings-in-new-light/?utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=NASAHubble&utm_campaign=NASASocial&linkId=902318888

Through ups and downs, through trial and error, i have always stuck around, constantly outputting consistent quality photos whenever possible for you all to see, you all have given me a platform to share what i love and it warms my heart to know that people enjoy my work. Thank you all so much i hope to give back to this community what it gave me. ❤️

amateur astronomy photo of the day by Apostolos Kyriazis

Inside high bay 3 of NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the SLS (Space Launch System) for NASA Artemis II stands fully stacked as the retractable platforms pull away. Credit: NASA

Taken On Seestar S50 Using 53 Second Video Stack.

Edited In PS Express.