Space & Physics: NASA's latest telescope will explore the "dark" universe

Plus, Pluto’s still not a planet                    

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August 27—This week, we’re anxiously awaiting Sunday’s launch attempt for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, an extraordinary observatory that could crack the case on the universe’s biggest mystery. Stay tuned for more coverage next week. But while you’re waiting, consider planning for tonight’s lunar eclipse, reading about Mars’s two-faced nature, and debating the still-controversial matter of Pluto’s planethood. Enjoy! Thoughts? Questions? Let me know via e-mail (lbillings@sciam.com), X or Bluesky. —Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Physical Sciences

Top Stories

Can NASA’s Roman Space Telescope solve the biggest problem in the universe? The more scientists try to understand dark energy, the more its mysteries seem to grow. NASA’s newest space telescope is custom-built to crack the case Meghan Bartels

Pluto still isn’t a planet—unless Earth’s moon is, too On the 20th anniversary of Pluto’s infamous demotion, Mike “Pluto Killer” Brown explains why any reversal of that decision would be driven more by nostalgia than science Mike Brown

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You need to see the ‘blood moon’ lunar eclipse this week This near-total eclipse will be visible from the Americas, Africa and Europe—here’s how to see it Jackie Flynn Mogensen

NASA’s newest telescope is about to rewrite how we study the universe Astronomers are lining up to leverage NASA’s soon-to-launch Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which boasts capabilities unlike any previous off-world observatory Jonathan O'Callaghan

Bizarre ‘thermal anomaly’ may explain Mars’s two-faced appearance The Red Planet’s global geography of low-lying northern plains and rugged southern highlands seems to have surprisingly deep roots, with profound implications for Mars’s ancient habitability Jacek Krywko

More Americans believe the government is withholding information about UFOs According to a new poll, more Americans also think they have seen a UFO now than they did in the past 53 years Adam Kovac

New NASA photos reveal 16 galaxies from across the cosmos in dazzling detail Spirals, ellipticals, irregulars, oh my! Mary Randolph

Can we stop calling exoplanets ‘Earth-like,’ please? Claiming an exoplanet to be “Earth-like” is a trend that needs to bite the dust Phil Plait

SpaceX to expand beyond Texas Starbase with new Louisiana spaceport dedicated to Starship The new spaceport will support thousands of launches each year, according to SpaceX Claire Cameron

60 years ago NASA took the first ever photo of Earth from the moon Snapped on August 23, 1966, by the uncrewed Lunar Orbiter 1, the photo’s legacy lives on in the breathtaking images of Earth taken by the Artemis II crew Adam Kovac

What We're Reading

The world’s busiest spaceport is about to get a lot quieter, at least for now | Ars Technica Fox Business Host Learns NASA’s New Telescope Isn’t Named After That Nancy Grace | Gizmodo Richard Feynman’s 80-year-old quantum postulate has now been validated | New Scientist

From the Archive

In the Search for Life beyond Earth, NASA Dreams Big for a Future Space Telescope Astronomers are moving ahead in planning NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory, a telescope designed to answer the ultimate question: Are we alone in the universe? Jonathan O'Callaghan

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The moon turns an eerie red for millions of people tonight

Partial lunar eclipse live updates — tonight is the night! | Watch Ariane 6 rocket launch European weather satellite today | Trump tried to scrap the Roman Space Telescope last year Created for ceo.studentlike.spuniv@blogger.com | Web Version   August 27, 2026 FOLLOW US FOLLOW US   Taking you out of this world, every day SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE   The Launchpad The moon turns an eerie red for millions of people tonight We're just about to the end of the week, but the excitement is just beginning for us. Tonight, a 96% partial lunar eclipse will turn the moon a deep shed of red for almost one billion people worldwide. It will be the most impressive lunar eclipse until New Year's Eve 2028, so make sure you catch it if you can! In spaceflight news, the European Space Agency is launching a new weather satellite from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana today, and you can watch it live here at Space. Meanwhile, we're still counting down to Sunday's planned launch of NASA's next-generation observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. We're hoping the weather holds! Follow along with our live updates to stay up-to-the-minute on the launch. We've got all that and more for you today right here at Space. Almost blood moon   Trending Partial lunar eclipse live updates — tonight is the night! Follow our live coverage as we count down to the best lunar eclipse until December 2028, with the latest news, viewing tips and live updates. Follow along with Space Spaceflight Watch Ariane 6 rocket launch European weather satellite today Europe's Ariane 6 rocket will launch the MTG-I2 weather satellite to orbit today (Aug. 27), and you can watch the action live. Watch live Science & Astronomy Trump tried to scrap the Roman Space Telescope last year NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is about to launch, but the observatory almost had a very different fate. President Trump's leaked budget proposal last year marked it for cancellation. Why? Astronomers discover watery exoplanet headed for death A newly discovered water dominated exoplanet is in hot-water literally and figuratively, it orbits so close to its parent star it is headed to a fatal collision that will see it devoured. Doomed water world Today in Space Glowing galaxy with extra arms | Space photo of the day A trio of NASA space telescopes teamed up to capture a gorgeous new look at the glowing spiral galaxy NGC 4258 and its two anomalous extra arms. 4-armed galaxy On this day in space! 1962: NASA launches Mariner 2 to Venus On Aug. 27, 1962, NASA launched Mariner 2, the world's first spacecraft to successfully visit another planet: Venus. 1st interplanetary craft Entertainment 'Strange New Worlds' pretends to kill off 'Trek' characters The impending death of a major character isn't a threat when canon is there to save them. SNW recap Editor's Note Editor's note Aug. 27 Hot on the heels of this month's stunning total solar eclipse, we've got a partial lunar eclipse tonight that promises to look gorgeous. If you live in a part of the world where it will be visible, this one could be worth staying up for. If you watch it and catch a good photo of it, be sure to send it to us and we just might feature it in one of our photo stories. Looking ahead, we'll be watching a ceremony live from Johnson Space Center tomorrow where President Trump will be awarding the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew during a ceremony at 11 a.m. EDT. Watch it live here at Space. To get all this news and more, be sure to download our new app, available now on iOS and Android.  Ad astra, Brett Tingley Managing Editor Stay up-to-date on all things space science, news, and entertainment by subscribing to our newsletters. Sign Up   Follow SPACE Contact Us: Feedback | Advertise Sign Up | Update Profile | Unsubscribe Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms and Conditions When you purchase through links in our content, we may earn an affiliate commission.   Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036