Space & Physics: Who's in charge of the night sky?

Plus, the sweet discovery of interstellar sugar                    

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July 16—This week, our top stories include the sweet discovery of interstellar sugar, SpaceX’s next Starship launch, astronomers aghast at regulatory approval of a dark-skies-scuttling satellite, and—as always—much more. Thoughts? Questions? Let me know via e-mail (lbillings@sciam.com), X or Bluesky. —Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Physical Sciences

Top Stories

Watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight 13 launch tonight SpaceX is launching the latest version of its Starship megarocket for a test flight that—if all goes to plan—should look a lot like the last one Claire Cameron

U.S. approval of giant ‘space mirror’ satellite alarms astronomers A controversial new ruling from the Federal Communications Commission leaves no one responsible for regulating light pollution and other ill effects from skyrocketing numbers of satellites Mary Randolph

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Scientists spot sugar in interstellar space for the first time ever Erythrulose—a sugar found in raspberries—is also prevalent in a giant molecular cloud close to our galaxy’s core, scientists have discovered Damien Pine

China’s long march to reusable rocketry hits another milestone The inaugural launch and first-stage booster recovery of China’s Long March 10B rocket intensifies the nation’s spaceflight rivalry with the U.S. Lee Billings

Physicist says splashy new cosmology study made ‘elemental’ mistake A recent study in the journal Nature carries cosmos-quaking implications for our understanding of the universe—except a new preprint says that it’s wrong Joseph Howlett

The Perseid meteor shower aligns with a total solar eclipse this year—here’s how to see it Skygazers are in for a treat in August, as one of the most spectacular meteor showers coincides with a total solar eclipse Jackie Flynn Mogensen

Is Earth the only planet with total solar eclipses? Other planets have moons, too. Do they get eclipses like we do? Phil Plait

We finally know the name of an ancient Maya mathematician The signature of Sak Tahn Waax, or “White-Chested Fox,” was found inscribed in a 1,000-year-old chamber beneath present-day Guatemala Joseph Howlett

Astronomers catch a ‘dark’ comet by the tail A strange class of comet could explain the enigmatic behavior of ‘Oumuamua, the first known interstellar object—and even shed light on how Earth became habitable Darryl Z. Seligman

NASA’s Hubble reveals a black hole hiding inside a massive star cluster in the Milky Way Scientists have long suspected that this star cluster was a hotspot for a certain kind of black hole. But for decades, they had been unable to spot any Jackie Flynn Mogensen

Astronomers just accidentally spotted the faintest exoplanet ever seen from Earth Beta Pictoris d is more than twice the size of Jupiter, but it is a baby compared to its humongous neighbors Adam Kovac

See the first x-rays of humans taken in space Equipping spacecraft with x-ray machines could boost safety for long-duration spaceflights—like a crewed mission to Mars Claire Cameron

What We're Reading

NASA sure seems to be asking an awful lot of private space stations | Ars Technica Physicists Have Argued Over This Problem Since 1883. It May Now Be Solved. | The New York Times The 2024 New Jersey meteorite contains amino acids | Science News

From the Archive

The Sky Needs Its ‘Silent Spring’ Moment A surge of new research underscores the growing global problem of light pollution—as well as the urgent need for public awareness and action Joshua Sokol

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