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ASTRO SPACE NEWS
A DIVISION OF MID NORTH COAST ASTRONOMY (NSW)
(ASTRO) DAVE RENEKE
SPACE WRITER - MEDIA PERSONALITY - SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT ABC/COMMERCIAL RADIO - LECTURER - ASTRONOMY OUTREACH PROGRAMS - ASTRONOMY TOUR GUIDE - TELESCOPE SALES/SERVICE/LESSONS - MID NORTH COAST ASTRONOMY GROUP (Est. 2002) Enquiries: (02) 6585 2260 Mobile: 0400 636 363 Email: davereneke@gmail.com
WANT A HOLIDAY THAT'S LITERALLY 'OUT OF THIS WORLD?'
NOW IN OUR FIFTH YEAR ON NORFOLK ISLAND
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING.....
"Absolutely amazing!! I Learned so much. Dave's knowledge is amazing, and he made it sound so simple. What a great night, not what I expected! It's an awesome introduction to the night sky for first timers through the large telescope. Maureen Rivendell." Port Macquarie.
"This evening changed forever my understanding of the night sky. We saw 100km wide Moon craters, Jupiter and Saturn up close, amazing star clusters. Highly recommended for the entire family!" Ken Sorenson. Adelaide
" Thanks so much Dave for a night we will never forget! The impact has been huge on our kids, especially those incredible close-up views of the Moon, and I have pics I took to prove it . Will re-book." Karen Amato. Wauchope NSW See the * SEE our FB Page https://norfolkislandtravel.co/stargazing-with-dave/
* Check our Video of NF Island here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1019728771019070/?fs=e&fs=e
Warrumbungle National Park has once again put regional NSW on the world stage, recently being ranked the second-best stargazing destination on the planet in the 2026 Clean Sky Index. The Warrumbungles were recognised for their low light pollution, accessibility and internationally-recognised Dark Sky status.
As Australia's first Dark Sky Park, Warrumbungle National Park continues to attract visitors from across the country and around the world, providing unforgettable views of the Milky Way, planets and meteor showers, alongside the world-class Siding Spring Observatory.This recognition is a testament to the region's unique natural assets. Congratulations to everyone involved in preserving this remarkable destination and showcasing the very best of regional NSW to the world.
There is something wonderfully appropriate about a telescope named after Nancy Grace Roman being on the verge of opening a new window on the cosmos. Roman was an astronomer who helped shape NASA's space-astronomy program and became known as the "mother of Hubble". Now, decades after she helped champion the idea of powerful space telescopes, an observatory carrying her name is preparing to take astronomy into another era.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled for launch on August 30, 2026, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Florida. Roman will not replace the James Webb Space Telescope, nor will it replace Hubble. Instead, it will do something they are not particularly good at doing: survey enormous areas of the sky quickly and deeply. Imagine photographing a postage stamp with a magnificent camera. You might see every detail. Now imagine photographing an entire city from above. You would lose some detail, but suddenly you could see the whole picture. That's Roman's great strength.
Its wide-field camera will survey huge regions of the universe, helping astronomers investigate dark energy, dark matter, galaxies and planets orbiting other stars. NASA expects the telescope eventually to image billions of galaxies. One particularly exciting target is the search for planets beyond our Solar System. Roman will use a technique called gravitational microlensing. When a star passes in front of a more distant star, its gravity bends and magnifies the background starlight. If a planet accompanies the foreground star, its presence can briefly reveal itself in the pattern of light. This technique could uncover planets that are otherwise extremely difficult to find, including distant worlds wandering in the colder outer regions of planetary systems.
But perhaps Roman's greatest gift will be the things nobody expects. That is what makes astronomy so exciting. The most important discoveries are often the ones scientists weren't looking for. Hubble showed us galaxies, nebulae and strange structures nobody had imagined. Webb has found unexpectedly mature galaxies in the early universe and mysterious objects such as the "little red dots". Roman will survey such enormous portions of the sky that astronomers expect it to uncover new phenomena simply because it is looking at so much of the universe.
And there is something rather moving about that. Nancy Grace Roman spent much of her career helping create the future of space astronomy. Now, a telescope bearing her name is about to go looking for the next great surprise. The universe has been waiting. Soon, Roman will start listening
High above Coonabarabran in northern New South Wales, beneath some of Australia's darkest and clearest skies, stands one of the nation's great scientific landmarks — the Anglo-Australian Telescope.
Opened in 1974, the AAT has spent more than five decades probing the universe, helping shape Australian astronomy, training generations of scientists and contributing to discoveries that have changed our understanding of the cosmos. Now, however, its future is uncertain.
Last Light at Siding Spring is a community campaign seeking a managed and meaningful future for the AAT, Australia's largest optical telescope and, for decades, the scientific heart of the Warrumbungle region.
This is about far more than preserving an ageing telescope. It is about ensuring that an extraordinary chapter of Australian science, community and exploration does not simply fade away.
More than a telescope
For the people of Coonabarabran, the AAT is woven into the identity of the town and the wider Warrumbungle region. It stands within Australia's first International Dark Sky Park, surrounded by the spectacular Warrumbungle National Park. In 2026, the region was ranked the second-best stargazing destination in the world, highlighting the extraordinary quality of its night skies and the growing global interest in astronomy.
The observatory attracts around 25,000 visitors each year and contributes more than $6 million annually to the local economy. Those numbers are significant for a regional community, but the AAT's value goes well beyond tourism and dollars.
For generations of Australians, it has represented curiosity and discovery — the remarkable idea that a telescope on a remote mountain could allow us to explore objects billions of light-years away and look deep into the history of the universe.
The funding cliff
That legacy now faces a difficult crossroads. Under the Australian Astronomy Decadal Plan 2026–2035, funding for the AAT is secured only until mid-2027, with no long-term commitment currently in place beyond that point.
The campaign accepts that the AAT has reached the natural end of its role as Australia's primary national optical research facility. Science advances, technologies change and newer instruments eventually take the place of those that once stood at the forefront.
But scientific progress does not have to mean simply switching off the lights and walking away.
The fear is that an unmanaged wind-down could leave behind not only a remarkable scientific instrument, but an irreplaceable piece of Australia's astronomical heritage and a regional economy that has grown alongside it.
A new chapter
The challenge now is to imagine what comes next. The AAT could potentially find new life through education, public astronomy, heritage, tourism, outreach or other forms of research. Its extraordinary history could also become part of an enduring destination where visitors experience the night sky and discover the story of Australian astronomy.
That is what Last Light at Siding Spring is ultimately asking Australia to consider. The final chapter should not be dictated by a funding deadline. After more than 50 years gathering faint light from distant stars and galaxies, the AAT deserves the opportunity to illuminate a new chapter of its own. When the last observing run eventually comes, the lights should not simply go out. They should mark the beginning of something new. SIGN THE PETITION
For generations, living in space belonged firmly to the realm of science fiction, where astronauts might spend months aboard orbiting spacecraft but ordinary people living and working beyond Earth seemed impossibly far away. Now, some of the world's most powerful technology billionaires believe that future may be arriving much sooner than anyone imagined.
A growing chorus of influential figures, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos and billionaire space entrepreneur Dylan Taylor, share a striking vision of humanity eventually establishing a permanent presence beyond Earth, with people routinely travelling between our planet and the Moon. According to Taylor, that future could begin taking shape within the next decade.
The idea of commuting to the Moon by 2030 sounds extraordinary, yet the rapid development of reusable rockets, commercial spacecraft, private space stations and increasingly sophisticated lunar technology is steadily turning yesterday's fantasy into an emerging possibility. Humanity's goal is gradually shifting from simply visiting space to creating an economy there.
Taylor, who has invested heavily in the commercial space industry, believes humanity is approaching a fundamental turning point. Space is no longer solely the domain of national space agencies. Private companies are developing rockets, spacecraft, communications networks and lunar systems at a breathtaking pace, opening the possibility that scientists, engineers, construction workers, entrepreneurs and eventually tourists could spend significant periods of their lives away from Earth.
Jeff Bezos has long promoted the idea of millions of people eventually living and working in space, with heavy industry moved away from Earth. Elon Musk has repeatedly spoken about establishing a self-sustaining human civilisation on Mars, while Sam Altman has backed technologies and companies aimed at dramatically expanding humanity's capabilities in space.
Taylor's vision adds another intriguing possibility: the Moon could eventually become part of our everyday economic world. Imagine boarding a spacecraft in the morning, travelling to a lunar facility and returning home to Earth later, or perhaps spending several days there before making the journey back. It sounds like a scene from a futuristic movie, but the Moon is only about 384,000 kilometres away and, unlike Mars, is close enough to make regular transportation conceivable once the necessary infrastructure exists.
The development of lunar bases, commercial landers and new generations of powerful rockets could create the foundations for that future, although enormous obstacles remain. Radiation, extreme temperatures, lunar dust, limited resources and the sheer cost of transporting people and equipment into space are formidable challenges, while establishing a reliable lunar economy would require infrastructure on a scale never before attempted.
Yet history suggests that technological revolutions can arrive faster than expected. Only a little over a century ago, powered flight was in its infancy; today, millions of people routinely cross oceans in aircraft. Spaceflight could eventually undergo a similar transformation.
The real significance of Taylor's prediction may therefore be less about whether people will literally commute to the Moon in 2030 and more about how rapidly humanity is moving towards making space an extension of civilisation. The Moon may not become Earth's suburb within the next few years, but for the first time, the possibility of living and working beyond our planet is being discussed not as science fiction, but as a serious long-term business and technological goal.
And if Musk, Bezos, Altman and Taylor are right, the next great frontier may not simply be somewhere we visit. It could become somewhere we live, work and, perhaps one day, commute to.
For most of human history, the Moon was simply there. We watched it rise above the horizon, marked calendars by its phases and told stories about it. Then, in 1969, human beings walked upon it. After Apollo 17 left in 1972, the Moon became strangely quiet. Now that silence is ending. The lunar landscape is about to become one of the busiest destinations in the Solar System.
NASA's Artemis program has moved into a new era following the successful Artemis II mission in April 2026. Four astronauts travelled around the Moon aboard Orion, marking the first crewed journey to the lunar neighbourhood since the Apollo era. But the human mission was only part of the story. More than 20 lunar landings are planned through 2029 as different spacecraft test landing systems, communications, rovers, power technology and other equipment needed for a sustained lunar presence.
The Moon is becoming a laboratory. One of the biggest prizes is water. At the lunar south pole are deep craters where sunlight has barely reached the bottom for billions of years. These permanently shadowed regions are among the coldest places in the Solar System and may contain deposits of water ice.
Water on the Moon would be enormously valuable. It could provide drinking water for astronauts and could potentially be separated into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel. In other words, future explorers might not need to carry everything they require from Earth. China is also heading towards the lunar south pole with its Chang'e-7 mission, designed to search for ice and investigate these mysterious permanently shadowed regions.
The Moon is therefore becoming something much more than a destination. It could become a stepping stone. Astronauts may eventually live there for weeks or months. Scientific stations could operate near the south pole. Telescopes could be placed on the lunar surface. Resources could be extracted. New technologies could be tested before humans venture farther into space.
And there is another fascinating aspect. The next generation of lunar explorers will grow up seeing the Moon not as a distant world visited briefly by astronauts, but as a place where human beings actually work. That changes our relationship with it. The Apollo astronauts proved that humans could reach another world. Artemis and the missions following it may determine whether we can learn to stay.
Somewhere about 500 million light-years away, a star much larger than our Sun reached the end. It did not fade quietly. It exploded. In March 2026 astronomers detected an unusually well-observed supernova involving a star estimated to have been about 20 times the mass of the Sun. The event was detected in X-rays by China's Einstein Probe, triggering rapid observations by telescopes around the world.
For astronomers, this was a gift. Usually, when we see a supernova, we are seeing the aftermath. The star has already exploded. This time, instruments caught the event extraordinarily early. That meant astronomers could study the first moments of the stellar catastrophe.
The star appears to have been a Wolf-Rayet star, an enormous and highly evolved object that had already lost much of its outer hydrogen and helium layers. What remained was rich in heavier elements. Eventually, the star could no longer support itself against gravity. Its core collapsed. The explosion that followed was visible across the universe.
Supernovae are more than spectacular explosions. They are cosmic factories. Many of the elements making up the world around us were forged inside stars. When massive stars die, they scatter those elements into space. The oxygen we breathe, the calcium in our bones and many of the elements that make planets, rocks and living things possible have their origins in stellar furnaces. In that sense, every human being carries a little bit of star history.
The 2026 event was particularly interesting because scientists found evidence that the dying star had experienced unstable episodes of mass loss before it exploded. The surrounding material provided clues about the star's final years. It is almost like finding a diary beside a crime scene. The explosion itself was dramatic, but the material surrounding the star told astronomers what had been happening beforehand.
There is also an extraordinary human element to the observation. The star actually died 500 million years ago. The light only reached Earth in 2026. When astronomers watched the explosion, they were not watching something happening "now". They were watching ancient history finally arriving. The photons had crossed half a billion light-years of space to reach our telescopes.
And for a few precious moments, a dead star spoke.
We tend to think of our Milky Way as something permanent. It isn't. Our galaxy is a giant construction project that has been changing for billions of years. Astronomers have now found evidence of a previously unknown ancient merger that dramatically changed the young Milky Way.
The event occurred about 11.8 billion years ago, when our galaxy collided and merged with a smaller galaxy. Researchers identified a population of globular star clusters associated with a long-vanished dwarf galaxy known as LKH. Think about what that means. The Milky Way itself was still young when this happened. Our Sun didn't exist. Earth didn't exist. The Solar System wouldn't appear for another seven billion years or so. Yet the consequences of that ancient collision are still visible today.
Galaxies grow partly by consuming smaller galaxies. Gravity brings them together, their stars become mixed, and over immense periods the smaller galaxy loses its identity. It sounds violent, but galactic collisions are not quite like two cars crashing. There is enormous space between stars. Individual stars can pass each other without ever colliding. Instead, gravity slowly rearranges everything.
The discovery challenges the idea that the early Milky Way developed mainly through stars forming internally. It suggests that outside material — stars, gas and dark matter — played an important role in building our galaxy.
Astronomers are effectively becoming cosmic archaeologists. They look at the ages, chemical compositions and motions of stars and attempt to reconstruct events that happened billions of years ago. It is rather like walking through an old Australian country town and finding a few pieces of an ancient railway line. You may not see the railway itself, but the remaining evidence tells you where it once ran.
The Milky Way contains similar clues. Some stars move differently from their neighbours. Some have unusual chemical compositions. Globular clusters preserve ancient populations of stars. Together, these clues reveal the galaxy's history.
And there is something wonderfully humbling about discovering that our home galaxy has an autobiography. It has experienced collisions. It has swallowed smaller galaxies. It has grown. It continues to evolve.
The next time you look up at the familiar band of the Milky Way, remember that what you are seeing isn't simply a collection of stars. It is the surviving evidence of billions of years of cosmic history. And much of that history is still being uncovered.
For decades, the question has haunted space exploration: Was Mars ever home to life? NASA's Perseverance rover may have found one of the most intriguing clues yet.
The rover collected a sample from a Martian rock called Cheyava Falls in Jezero Crater. Scientists later identified minerals and chemical features that could potentially be biosignatures — evidence that might have a biological origin.
That last word is important: might. Nobody has discovered a fossil Martian microbe. Nobody has proved that life existed on Mars. Science is much more cautious than the headlines.
The interesting thing is that the rock contains a combination of minerals that, on Earth, can be associated with chemical reactions involving microorganisms. But there are also non-biological explanations. So the mystery remains.
Perseverance is exploring Jezero Crater because scientists believe it once contained a lake and river system. In 2026, radar observations also revealed evidence of an ancient buried river delta dating from roughly 3.7 to 4.2 billion years ago. That is enormously significant.
Water is one of the ingredients we consider important for life. Mars today is cold, dry and hostile. But ancient Mars appears to have been very different. There were rivers. There were lakes. There was flowing water.
The planet may once have had a thicker atmosphere and a climate capable of supporting liquid water for long periods. And that raises a fascinating possibility. Perhaps Mars was not always the dead world we see today. Perhaps, billions of years ago, it was a place where simple microbial life had an opportunity to emerge.
If so, traces of that life might still be locked inside rocks.
The difficulty is that Perseverance cannot perform every laboratory experiment scientists would like to conduct. That is why Mars sample return has been so important to planetary science. A carefully selected Martian rock brought back to Earth could be examined with instruments far more powerful than anything we can fit inside a rover.
Scientists could cut it open, analyse its chemistry and search for microscopic structures. The stakes are enormous. Finding convincing evidence of ancient Martian life would change science forever.
It would mean life arose independently on another world. And if life appeared twice in the same Solar System, perhaps life isn't the extraordinary accident we sometimes imagine. Perhaps the universe is full of it.
For now, however, the answer remains inside a rock on Mars. And Perseverance is still looking.
Disc-shaped UFOs have been reported for decades, but science has not yet confirmed how such a craft could actually operate. NASA says current UAP data is too limited to determine their true nature, while many sightings can be explained by ordinary objects, sensor effects, or misidentification.
If a disc-shaped craft really existed, its unusual shape could theoretically allow propulsion and control systems to be distributed around the entire craft rather than using conventional wings and engines. Some UAP reports also describe objects appearing to hover or move without an obvious propulsion system, but there is currently no verified technology demonstrating how this could be achieved.
Most importantly, the U.S. government's AARO investigation has found no verified evidence that any UAP represents extraterrestrial technology. So, for now, the technology behind a truly advanced "flying saucer" remains an unanswered scientific question not proven alien technology.
SpaceX has reached another extraordinary milestone. Its Starlink network has now grown beyond 11,000 operational satellites in low Earth orbit. A recent Falcon 9 launch added another 24 spacecraft, pushing the giant constellation past the five-figure mark.
To put that number into perspective, Starlink began with just two test satellites in 2018. Today, thousands of them circle Earth, providing internet services to customers in many parts of the world. And SpaceX isn't slowing down. In the first half of 2026 alone, it launched more than 1,500 Starlink satellites.
The idea is simple. Instead of relying on a handful of large communications satellites far above Earth, Starlink uses thousands of smaller satellites much closer to the planet. The advantage is faster internet.
The downside is that Earth's orbital neighbourhood is becoming increasingly crowded. Astronomers are already concerned about the effect of huge satellite constellations on night-sky observations. For stargazers, the night sky is no longer quite as empty as it used to be. There are now thousands of man-made objects up there. And SpaceX is still adding more.
China's private space industry has taken a major step forward. LandSpace, a Chinese commercial rocket company, has successfully landed the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket after an orbital launch. It was only the second successful Chinese orbital rocket recovery, and the first by a private Chinese company.
The achievement is important because reusable rockets could dramatically reduce the cost of getting into space. Instead of building a new rocket for every launch, engineers can recover the expensive first stage, inspect it, refuel it and hopefully fly it again. Sound familiar? It should. SpaceX has been doing much the same thing with its Falcon 9 rockets for years.
Zhuque-3 uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen as fuel. Its booster separated from the upper stage, turned around and guided itself back to Earth before landing vertically on its landing legs. The first attempt in 2025 ended with the booster exploding during its landing attempt. This time, it stuck the landing.
For China, it is a significant achievement. For the rest of the world, it is another sign that reusable rockets are becoming the normal way of doing business in space. The rocket race is no longer simply about reaching orbit. It is about getting back home cheaply enough to do it again.
Imagine going outside and seeing a rocket launch almost every day. Then imagine seeing nearly three launches every day. That is the scale of America's new space ambition. President Donald Trump has signed an updated National Space Transportation Policy calling for the United States to enable more than 1,000 launches and reentries a year by 2030. It is an enormous increase.
The plan calls for more launch sites, improved infrastructure, faster approvals and better coordination between rockets and normal aircraft. Why so many launches? Satellites are becoming increasingly important for communications, navigation, Earth observation, science and national security. Private companies are also building enormous satellite networks.
The policy is part of a much larger American push into commercial space, with the government increasingly relying on private companies rather than doing everything itself. There is a catch, of course. A thousand launches a year is a huge target.
There will be questions about cost, safety, airspace, environmental effects and where all those rockets will actually launch from. Still, the message is clear. Space is becoming an industry. And America wants to build a very big launch pad for it.
Space travel has some glamorous moments. Floating above Earth, watching sunrises every 90 minutes and seeing the planet from hundreds of kilometres above it. And then there is the toilet.
Scientists have now learned more about why astronauts frequently suffer from constipation in space. A study of astronauts who lived aboard the International Space Station found that microgravity slows the movement of food through the intestines.
That might sound like a slightly embarrassing space problem. It isn't. The researchers discovered that changes in the gut can cause bacteria to process proteins differently. This produces chemicals that could become harmful during very long missions.
That matters because astronauts may eventually spend months or even years travelling to the Moon or Mars. A problem that is merely uncomfortable during a short space mission could become much more serious during a three-year journey to Mars.
Researchers are looking at possible solutions, including more fibre, probiotics and ways of encouraging normal intestinal movement. So the future of space travel may depend on some very sophisticated technology. But astronauts will still need to eat their vegetables. Even on Mars.
For decades, astronomers have wondered whether the enormous red star Betelgeuse had a companion. Now they have strong evidence that it does. Betelgeuse is one of the most famous stars in the night sky. It forms the reddish shoulder of Orion and is so enormous that, if placed where our Sun is, it would swallow the inner planets.
Astronomers have now directly observed a much smaller companion star orbiting it. The companion is estimated to have between about 2.6 and 3.1 times the mass of our Sun. The two stars are separated by a distance roughly comparable to Saturn's orbit around the Sun. That is still remarkably close considering the enormous size of Betelgeuse.
The discovery is more than a cosmic curiosity. Betelgeuse is a dying massive star. Astronomers have long expected it eventually to explode as a supernova. But having a companion changes the story.
The second star may influence how Betelgeuse loses material and how its final explosion develops. So the next time someone says Betelgeuse is about to explode, there is an important qualification. It could still be a very long wait. Astronomically speaking, of course.
Forget the morning traffic jam. Forget finding a parking space. One billionaire space executive thinks the future could involve commuting to the Moon.
Dylan Taylor, founder and CEO of Voyager Technologies, says humans will be living and working in space and believes a permanent lunar base could arrive in the early 2030s. Taylor is not alone. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman have all talked about a future in which humans increasingly live and work away from Earth.
The International Space Station has already shown that humans can live continuously in space for years at a time. The next step is much harder. The Moon has no breathable atmosphere, extreme temperatures and dangerous radiation. Every litre of water and every kilogram of equipment becomes valuable. But the Moon has one enormous advantage. It is close. Compared with Mars, the Moon is practically next door.
Possible lunar jobs could include construction, mining, scientific research, power generation and operating equipment. It sounds like science fiction. But only a few decades ago, so did having thousands of satellites providing internet from space. Perhaps one day "Where do you work?" will have a rather interesting answer.
Our Solar System May Be Moving Much Faster Than We Thought
Hold on. The entire Solar System is travelling through space, and new research suggests we may have underestimated just how fast it is moving.
Astronomers studying the distribution of distant radio galaxies have found a puzzling difference between what they observe and what standard cosmological models predict. Their analysis suggests the Solar System's motion could be nearly four times faster than previously estimated.
That does not mean the planets have suddenly put their foot down. Earth is still calmly orbiting the Sun. The Sun is still travelling around the centre of the Milky Way. And the Milky Way itself is moving through the Universe.
The issue is how astronomers measure our overall motion relative to the distant Universe. The researchers found a stronger-than-expected directional pattern in radio galaxies.
If the result is confirmed, something in our understanding of the large-scale Universe may need adjusting. That is what makes astronomy so fascinating. Scientists sometimes think they have the cosmic speedometer figured out. Then the Universe comes along and says: "Not so fast."
There are spacecraft that complete their missions and disappear into history. Then there is Voyager 2 — a 48-year-old machine that simply refuses to give up. NASA engineers have pulled off another remarkable rescue operation, known as the "Big Bang", to squeeze more life out of the spacecraft as its power supply slowly fades.
Launched in 1977, Voyager 2 is powered by nuclear generators that convert heat from decaying plutonium into electricity. But that power is gradually declining. Each year, the spacecraft loses roughly four watts of electrical power. For a spacecraft billions of kilometres from Earth, every watt matters.
Voyager needs electricity not only for its scientific instruments, but also to keep vital components warm. Space is incredibly cold, and some systems could eventually stop working without heat. NASA engineers have therefore been playing an extraordinary game of electrical survival, switching off equipment that is no longer essential and finding clever ways to reduce the spacecraft's energy demands.
The latest solution is particularly ingenious. Engineers have replaced three power-hungry heating devices with alternatives that use less electricity. The saved power can then be redirected to scientific instruments that are still working. NASA calls the operation "Big Bang" because several changes are being made together — essentially an energy makeover for a spacecraft designed almost half a century ago.
Imagine trying to keep an old house running when its power supply is shrinking. You switch off unnecessary appliances and replace inefficient ones with energy-saving alternatives. That is basically what NASA is doing with Voyager 2, except the house is billions of kilometres away and there is no electrician who can simply drive over and fix it.
And the rewards are enormous. Voyager 2 is still studying the mysterious environment beyond the Sun's protective bubble — the heliosphere — where the solar wind gives way to interstellar space. The spacecraft has already made history, flying past Jupiter and Saturn before continuing to Uranus and Neptune, becoming the only spacecraft ever to visit all four giant planets.
In 2018, Voyager 2 crossed the heliopause and entered interstellar space. Its twin, Voyager 1, entered interstellar space in 2012. Both spacecraft are now scientific time capsules, travelling farther from the Sun than anything humans have previously sent into the great cosmic unknown.
Even communicating with Voyager 2 is an extraordinary achievement. It is now more than 12 billion miles from Earth, and a command sent from NASA takes many hours to reach it. Engineers then have to wait for the spacecraft to respond, meaning there is no quick fix if something goes wrong.
Every command must be carefully tested before it is sent because engineers are operating a spacecraft almost 50 years old from billions of kilometres away. The computers, electronics and communications systems were designed in another technological age. And somehow, Voyager 2 still works.
NASA is also considering similar power-saving measures for Voyager 1. In April 2026, NASA switched off one of Voyager 1's scientific instruments to conserve precious electricity. As the spacecraft's power continues to decline, engineers will have to make increasingly difficult decisions about which instruments can be sacrificed and which are important enough to keep operating.
Eventually, the Voyagers will fall silent. Their nuclear power sources cannot last forever, and more systems will gradually have to be switched off. But NASA is determined to keep them working for as long as possible, squeezing every last drop of science from these extraordinary machines.
The Voyagers were launched when disco was booming, mobile phones did not exist and personal computers were still a novelty. Yet nearly half a century later, they are still sending whispers back across the darkness.
Voyager 2 is more than an ageing spacecraft. It is a survivor, a scientific pioneer and a remarkable reminder of how far human curiosity can travel. For a machine launched in 1977, its greatest adventure may still be its final one.
The universe has just become a little stranger. Astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have found compelling evidence for an extraordinary object they call a "black hole star" — something that sounds like science fiction but could help solve one of astronomy's biggest puzzles.
The story begins with the James Webb Space Telescope, which has been peering deep into space and, because light takes time to travel, looking back billions of years into the young universe. Since Webb began its observations, astronomers have noticed something unexpected: tiny, mysterious red objects scattered across the early cosmos. They became known simply as "little red dots." They were small, extremely bright and surprisingly common. But nobody could quite agree on what they were.
Now, astronomers think they may have a very dramatic explanation.
A black hole star isn't really a normal star at all. The idea is that a rapidly growing supermassive black hole is buried inside a huge, dense cloud of extremely hot gas. Material is being pulled into the black hole, releasing enormous amounts of energy. The surrounding gas absorbs and re-emits some of that energy, making the whole object glow in a way that can look remarkably star-like.
One particular object, called GLIMPSE-17775, has given astronomers some of their strongest evidence yet. Webb was able to break its light into a detailed spectrum — rather like taking a cosmic fingerprint. More than 40 distinct spectral features were detected, giving researchers several clues that a black hole wrapped in dense gas could be powering the object.
And this matters because of another cosmic mystery. Astronomers have long wondered how some supermassive black holes became so enormous so quickly after the Big Bang. The universe was still remarkably young, yet somehow these monsters had already grown to extraordinary sizes.
Black hole stars could provide a missing link. Imagine the early universe as a vast construction site. Huge clouds of gas are collapsing, stars and galaxies are forming, and somewhere inside all that chaos, a black hole begins feeding furiously. Surround it with enough gas and it could grow extremely rapidly. Eventually, the cocoon could change or disappear, leaving behind the kind of giant black hole we see at the heart of galaxies today.
That could mean the mysterious little red dots aren't something completely exotic after all. They may be young black holes caught in the middle of their growth spurt. There is still plenty to learn. Astronomers are continuing to investigate whether all of the little red dots have the same explanation, or whether several different types of objects are hiding among them.
But that is exactly what makes the discovery so exciting. The James Webb Space Telescope was built to look at the earliest chapters of cosmic history. And once again, it has found something nobody expected — tiny red specks that may actually be enormous black holes wearing a cloak of glowing gas. In the universe, things are rarely what they first appear to be.
NASA is preparing to launch what could become one of the most exciting space telescopes ever built. If everything goes to plan, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will blast into space on August 30 aboard a powerful Falcon Heavy rocket. Scientists believe it could completely change the way we see the Universe and reveal secrets that have remained hidden since the beginning of time.
Every great space telescope has transformed our understanding of the cosmos. The Hubble Space Telescope amazed us with spectacular pictures of glowing nebulae, distant galaxies and dying stars. More recently, the James Webb Space Telescope stunned the world by peering farther back in time than ever before, showing galaxies that existed not long after the Big Bang.
Now it's Roman's turn. But Roman has a very different mission. Instead of looking closely at tiny patches of sky like Hubble or Webb, Roman will photograph enormous areas of space all at once. Imagine standing at a door. Hubble is like peeking through the keyhole. Roman throws the whole door wide open. Suddenly you can see everything in front of you instead of just one small detail.
That incredible wide view will allow astronomers to study the Universe on a scale never before possible.
During its mission, Roman is expected to map around two billion galaxies. That's such a huge number it's almost impossible to imagine. Each galaxy contains millions, or even billions, of stars. Somewhere among them may be countless planets, some perhaps not so different from Earth.
Roman will also search for thousands of new planets beyond our Solar System. Some may be giant worlds larger than Jupiter, while others could be rocky planets more like our own. Every new discovery helps scientists understand how planets form and whether life might exist elsewhere in the cosmos. Yet perhaps Roman's greatest challenge is solving two of astronomy's biggest mysteries.
Scientists know that everything we can see—stars, planets, gas clouds and galaxies—makes up only about five percent of the Universe. The remaining 95 percent is invisible. It is made of mysterious substances known as dark matter and dark energy.
Dark matter acts like invisible glue, helping hold galaxies together. Dark energy appears to be pushing the Universe apart faster and faster as it expands. Although these mysterious forces shape the entire cosmos, nobody knows exactly what they are. Roman has been specially designed to gather clues that could finally help unlock these cosmic mysteries. The answers may completely rewrite our understanding of how the Universe works.
The telescope's powerful instruments will also create an astonishing flood of information. Every year it is expected to send more than 500 terabytes of data back to Earth. That's more information than the Hubble Space Telescope collected during its entire 35-year mission. Hidden inside that mountain of data could be discoveries nobody has even imagined.
History shows that every time we build a more capable telescope, the Universe surprises us. Hubble revealed breathtaking beauty. James Webb uncovered ancient galaxies and challenged long-held ideas about the early cosmos.
Roman may go even further. It could discover strange new types of galaxies, reveal planets unlike anything we've ever seen, or uncover clues about the invisible forces controlling the Universe. It may even answer questions scientists haven't yet thought to ask. That's what makes this mission so thrilling. The greatest discoveries are often the ones nobody expects.
As the countdown to launch begins, astronomers around the world are waiting with enormous excitement. Within weeks, humanity could be opening another remarkable chapter in space exploration. Once again, we'll be reminded that the more we learn about the Universe, the more astonishing it becomes—and the greatest adventures are still waiting among the stars.
Apollo11 – In Retrospect. A Personal Journey
In 2008 I was News editor for Australia's Sky & Space Magazine visiting all the historic people and places in Space history in the USA. I had a personal invitation for this visit to meet up with history - and it still gives me a 'buzz'...pardon the pun. THIS is a revision of that day and a retrospective version of how things were, and could have been.
The door opened without ceremony. No spotlight. No drumroll. Just a firm handshake from a man who had walked on the Moon — and inside, a living room that quietly held the weight of history.
Visiting Buzz Aldrin at his home was not what you'd expect from someone who helped change the course of the 20th century. There were no grand trophies dominating the space. Instead, framed mission patches, a carefully displayed model of the Lunar Module Eagle, and photographs that have since become icons of human achievement. The setting was modest. The story was not.
Buzz, Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 11, was the second human being to set foot on the Moon on July 20, 1969 after the reclusive neil Armstrong. But what fascinated me most weren't the famous headlines. It was the fine detail — the seconds, decisions and sensations that rarely make it into documentaries.
He described those final moments of descent. The Lunar Module was low on fuel — roughly 30 seconds remaining — when Neil Armstrong took manual control to avoid a boulder-strewn crater. The onboard computer flashed 1201 and 1202 alarms, signalling executive overload. In Houston, guidance officer Steve Bales made the split-second decision to continue. Abort would have meant a very different chapter in history.
Then came the dust. As Eagle descended, the engine plume kicked up lunar regolith, creating a blinding haze. There were no trees, no buildings, no atmosphere to soften perspective. Just harsh light and shadow. Armstrong relied on instinct honed from years as a test pilot. When the contact light illuminated and the engine shut down, Aldrin calmly confirmed, "Okay. Engine stop." That composure under pressure defined the mission.
But there's another presence in this story — quieter, reflective, almost reluctant to be mythologised. Neil Armstrong, by nature reserved and semi-reclusive in later life, reinforces something that rarely makes it into public speeches: sheer amazement. He speaks softly about the lunar surface. Not theatrically. Not dramatically. Simply, honestly.
The horizon felt closer than expected, he said, because the Moon is smaller. The sky was completely black — even with the Sun glaring down. The surface wasn't smooth and poetic as imagined in paintings; it was textured, sharp, ancient. The regolith behaved almost like powdery snow mixed with ash. And yet, despite the training, the simulations, the rehearsals — nothing quite prepared him for the reality of stepping onto another world.
When pressed He admits something profound: being chosen as the first was an honour that weighed heavily. The decision had been NASA's, based on crew roles and procedures, but the historical symbolism was undeniable. Armstrong understood that the first step would echo beyond engineering or politics. It would belong to humanity. There's no bravado in his recollection. Only a kind of quiet wonder.
Buzz detailed the physical strain. The suits were pressurised to about 3.7 psi, making every movement deliberate. Heart rates exceeded 150 beats per minute during the moonwalk. This was not a stroll in low gravity; it was demanding work. Before exploration began, Armstrong collected the contingency sample — a small bag of lunar soil gathered immediately in case they had to abort. Insurance for history.
They deployed experiments that still function today. The Laser Ranging Retroreflector remains in place, allowing scientists to measure the Moon's recession from Earth — about 3.8 centimetres per year. The Passive Seismic Experiment detected moonquakes, proving the Moon was not entirely geologically dead.
Inside the cabin, once helmets were removed, the dust carried a faint smell — like spent gunpowder. It clung stubbornly to suits and equipment. We spoke of Michael Collins, orbiting alone in Columbia. As I sat there Buzz took a quick call from him. Without his flawless command module operations, there was no return. Collins described himself as "not lonely," but responsible. It was a trio, not a duo, that completed the mission.
After splashdown on July 24, 1969, the crew entered 21 days of quarantine in a Mobile Quarantine Facility — a converted Airstream trailer. NASA could not rule out lunar microbes. Caution ruled over celebration.
The Saturn V that launched them stood 110 metres tall and generated 7.5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Controlled violence. Precision engineering. More than 400,000 people worked across the United States to make it happen. President Kennedy's 1961 challenge — to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth before the decade was out — had been met.
But sitting there listening, what stayed with me most was not rivalry, nor Cold War urgency, nor even technological triumph. It was awe! Buzz's measured confidence shows, Neil's quiet astonishment is legendary. Two different temperaments united by a moment when human beings crossed a threshold no species had crossed before. The footprints remain there still, undisturbed in silent dust. And in that quiet living room, the Moon did not feel distant at all.
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'ASTRO DAVE' RENEKE - A Personal Perspective
His extensive background includes teaching astronomy at the college level, being a featured speaker at astronomy conventions across Australia, and contributing as a science correspondent for both ABC and commercial radio stations. David's weekly radio interviews, reaching around 3 million listeners, cover the latest developments in astronomy and space exploration.
As a media personality, David's presence extends to regional, national, and international TV, with appearances on prominent platforms such as Good Morning America, American MSNBC news, the BBC, and Sky News in Australia. His own radio program has earned him major Australasian awards for outstanding service.
David is recognized for his engaging and unique style of presenting astronomy and space discovery, having entertained and educated large audiences throughout Australia. In addition to his presentations, he produces educational materials for beginners and runs a popular radio program in Hastings, NSW, with a substantial following and multiple awards for his radio presentations.
In 2004, David initiated the 'Astronomy Outreach' program, touring primary and secondary schools in NSW to provide an interactive astronomy and space education experience. Sponsored by Tasco Australia, Austar, and Discovery Science channel, the program donated telescopes and grants to schools during a special tour in 2009, contributing to the promotion of astronomy education in Australia. David Reneke, a highly regarded Australian amateur astronomer and lecturer with over 50 years of experience, has established himself as a prominent figure in the field of astronomy. With affiliations to leading global astronomical institutions,
David serves as the Editor for Australia's Astro-Space News Magazine and has previously held key editorial roles with Sky & Space Magazine and Australasian Science magazine.
