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Meteor impacts may have helped spark life on Earth, creating hot, chemical-rich environments where the first living cells could take shape, according to new research at Rutgers University. Deep-sea hydrothermal vents have long been considered a possible birthplace of life. Discovered in the deep ocean in the late 1970s, these systems host entire ecosystems that thrive without sunlight. Instead of photosynthesis, microbes use chemical energy from compounds released by vent fluids, such as hydrogen sulfide, in a process known as chemosynthesis. The implications extend beyond Earth -- Hydrothermal activity is thought to exist on the ocean floors of icy moons such as Jupiter’s Europa and Saturn’s Enceladus. If these environments on Earth can support the chemistry of life, they could become key targets in the search for life elsewhere.

Welcome to the night sky report for April 2026 -- Your guide to the constellations, deep sky objects, planets, and celestial events that are observable during the month. This April, Mercury shines extra bright, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks, and Comet C/2025 R3 soars into view. Then hunt for the ancient ball of stars known as globular cluster M3 (NGC 5272). The night sky is truly a celestial showcase. Get outside and explore its wonders from your own backyard.

An invisible companion consuming material from the famous naked-eye star gamma- Cassiopeia has been revealed as the culprit for curious X-rays coming from the stellar system. This closes the case on a mystery that has puzzled astronomers for more than fifty years. Unique high-resolution observations made by the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) revealed that the X-rays are linked to the orbital motion of a companion white dwarf star, enabling astronomers to finally solve the mystery. The star gamma-Cas (γ-Cas) is visible to observers in the northern hemisphere. It makes up the central ‘point’ of the distinctive ‘W’-shaped constellation Cassiopeia.

Gemini VIII, the sixth crewed Earth-orbiting mission of the Gemini series, was flown by astronauts Neil Armstrong and David Scott. On March 16, 1966, the first day of their mission, the astronauts completed the first docking in space between the Gemini VIII capsule and the Agena target vehicle. But the triumph quickly became an in-flight emergency when, upon the capsule’s disengagement from the Agena, the Gemini VIII capsule began spinning uncontrollably due to a life-threatening malfunction of one of the spacecraft’s thrusters. Disaster was narrowly averted by Armstrong’s quick thinking and piloting instincts, as he slowly gained control of his spacecraft. NASA immediately aborted the mission and implemented an emergency procedure to bring the astronauts safely home.

Welcome to the night sky report for March 2026 -- Your guide to the constellations, deep sky objects, planets, and celestial events that are observable during the month. During March, look for the constellations Gemini and Cancer to spot interesting celestial features like star clusters M35, the Beehive Cluster (M44), and NGC 3923 -- an oblong elliptical galaxy with an interesting ripple pattern. Find the Y-shaped constellation Taurus the bull, high in the southwest. The Hyades star cluster forms the bull's face. The night sky is truly a celestial showcase. Get outside and explore its wonders from your own backyard.

Earth’s magnetic field is generated by the churn of its liquid nickel-iron outer core, but it is not a constant feature. Every so often, the magnetic north and south poles swap places in what are called geomagnetic reversals. The record of these flips is preserved in rocks and sediments. Over the past 170 million years, the magnetic poles have reversed 540 times, with the average reversal process typically taking around 10,000 years to complete each time. Now, a new study by University of Utah geoscientists and colleagues from France and Japan has upended this scenario after documenting instances 40 million years ago where the process took far longer to complete -- upwards of 70,000 years. These findings offer a new perspective on the geomagnetic phenomenon that envelops our planet and shields it from solar radiation and harmful particles from space.

NASA is currently in the final countdown stages for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years. The next opportunity to launch is only a month away -- March 6, 2026. While the un-manned Artemis I flight to the Moon was successfully completed in 2022, this upcoming mission will carry four astronauts on a 10 day journey to fly around the Moon and return to Earth. The mission will test NASA’s systems and hardware, specifically the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft. Artemis II will lay the groundwork for Artemis III in 2028, which is set to be the first human Moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Welcome to the night sky report for February 2026 -- Your guide to the constellations, deep sky objects, planets, and celestial events that are observable during the month. Special note: The Moon could have human visitors for the first time since 1972 this month. NASA's Artemis II manned mission has its first opportunity to launch to the moon on February 8th. Four astronauts will travel beyond Earth’s orbit and fly around the Moon on Artemis II, a mission that will test NASA’s systems and hardware for human exploration of deep space. The approximately 10-day mission will test the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, named Integrity. For this month’s observing, the Winter Triangle is your guide to the night sky. The northern hemisphere is treated to views of the stars Procyon, Sirius, and Betelgeuse, as well as awe-inspiring views of the Great Orion Nebula (M42, NGC 1976), sculpted by the stellar winds of its central bright stars. The night sky is truly a celestial showcase. Get outside and explore its wonders from your own backyard.

On the cold morning of January 28, 1986, 40 years ago today, the Challenger shuttle crew of seven astronauts died tragically in the explosion of their spacecraft during the launch of STS-51L from the Kennedy Space Center. The explosion occurred 73 seconds into the flight as a result of a leak in one of two solid rocket boosters that ignited the main liquid fuel tank. The crew members of the Challenger represented a cross-section of America in terms of race, gender, geography, background, and religion. It was a shockingly sad day for all of us. The explosion became one of the most significant events of the 1980s, as millions around the world saw the tragic event unfold on live television.

Since December 2021, when the James Webb super telescope saw first light, some 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, researchers around the world have been scratching their heads over unexplained red dots among stars and galaxies in the images taken by the telescope. The so-called ‘little red dots’ can be seen when the Universe was “only” several hundred million years old, and a billion years later, they seem to disappear again. So what were they?

Happy New Year and welcome to the night sky report for January 2026 -- Your guide to the constellations, deep sky objects, planets, and celestial events that are observable during the month. This month, Jupiter is at its biggest and brightest all year and the Moon and Saturn pair up in a conjunction. The January sky is also filled with bright stars in the constellations Orion, Taurus, Gemini, Canis Major, and Canis Minor. Find these cosmic gems by looking toward the southeast in the first few hours after it gets dark. The northern hemisphere also features beautiful views of Capella - a pair of giant yellow stars, Aldebaran - a red giant star, and three star clusters [the Hyades (Caldwell 41), the Pleiades (M45), and the Praesepe (M44, NGC 2632, also known as the Beehive Cluster)]. The night sky is truly a celestial showcase. Get outside and explore its wonders from your own backyard.

The primary goal of Project Gemini was to demonstrate NASA’s ability to perform all the basic capabilities that would be required for the Apollo Program in order to fulfill President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth before the end of the 1960s. Paramount among those capabilities was the rendezvous and docking of two spacecraft, required for the future Moon landing missions. An additional goal was to ensure that spacecraft and astronauts could function for at least eight days, considered to be the minimum time for a round-trip mission to the Moon. On December 15, 1965, Gemini VI and VII accomplished these two important milestones...But not as originally envisioned by NASA.

Welcome to the night sky report for December 2025 -- Your guide to the constellations, deep sky objects, planets, and celestial events that are observable during the month. During the month, Comet 3I/ATLAS makes its closest approach to Earth, the Geminid meteor shower sparkles across the sky, and the Moon and Jupiter get close for a conjunction. Step outside on a cold December night when the stars shine bright to find the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, and Cepheus. They will help you locate a binary star system (Eta Cassiopeiae), a fan-shaped open star cluster M103 (NGC 581), and a variable star (Mu Cephei). Also, throughout the month, you can find Pegasus, the winged stallion, high overhead in the south. The night sky is truly a celestial showcase. Get outside and explore its wonders from your own backyard.