EarthSky

Artist’s illustration of a super-Earth type exoplanet close to its red dwarf star.

As seen from the north side of the moon’s orbital plane, the Earth rotates or spins counterclockwise.

Don’t miss the next spectacular sky event!

View larger. | Artist’s concept of the view over Valles Marineris, aka the Grand Canyon of Mars.

View larger/full image. | Artist’s digital recreation of a June 2026 UAP incident involving a so-called black triangle.

Brian Jackson, Boise State University Science news, night sky events and beautiful photos, all in one place.

The 1st photo of Earth from space gave us a look at our world’s clouds from above.

Why does anything exist?

View larger. | Artist’s concept of the Lucy spacecraft making a close flyby of an asteroid.

You can find Perseus with the help of the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen.

View larger. | Artist’s concept of a green white dwarf star.

The Euclid space telescope made an accidental comet discovery as it searched the universe for evidence of dark matter and dark energy.

The Great Square of Pegasus can appear as a diamond shape depending on its orientation in the sky.

A viewing platform at Massai Point in Chiricahua National Monument.

Auriga the Charioteer is a popular constellation on northern autumn evenings.

Resilient infectious fungus Candida auris is currently challenging global healthcare systems.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | James McCue of Jemez Springs, New Mexico, captured this Orionid meteor on October 22, 2023, and wrote: “I was shooting through the night, following Orion, hoping to catch a full spectrum Orionid.

No matter when you see it in the sky, Orion’s Belt always points to the sky’s brightest star, Sirius.

Artist’s concept of the new dinosaur species Invictibellatrix amberina, along with the fossil from which it was identified.

ESA’s Giotto spacecraft captured this image of the nucleus of Comet Halley at its last return in 1986.

Artist’s illustration of Japan’s MMX spacecraft at Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two small moons.

Venus in inferior conjunction View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Be sure to view this one larger!

View larger/full image. | Closeup view of the Marius Hills Pit in in Oceanus Procellarum on the moon.

On October 5, 2026, another satellite breakup occurred in low-Earth orbit.

View larger. | Artist’s concept of the ancient lake in Gale crater.

This mesmerizing ultraviolet footage of Earth’s aurora is the 1st release from the Smile mission.

From the Southern Hemisphere, shortly after sunset in early October, Venus will shine brightly in the west with much-dimmer Mercury nearby.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Paul Shouse captured this photo on December 12, 2025, in Japan and wrote: “An old garden bench under a Japanese maple tree.”

This image, which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) released on March 27, 2024, shows the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way in polarized light.

https://earthsky.org/upl/2026/10/Hurricane-Isaias_NOAA_7Oct2026.mp4 Tropical Storm Isaias became Hurricane Isaias on Wednesday evening.

Hit the brakes!

In 1846, observers watched as Biela’s Comet — the source of the Andromedid meteors — appeared to split in two.

NASA’s Curiosity rover captured this view of a Martian dawn on August 11, 2026.

Here’s the technique some people use to find the Andromeda Galaxy aka M31.

El Niño could soon trigger coastal flooding along the western coast of North America, through Kelvin waves.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia in Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania, captured Jupiter half hidden behind the moon on the morning of October 6, 2026.

When humans began exploring our solar system — the moons, planets, asteroids and comets orbiting our sun — we found not all moons were as cold and inactive as our moon.

Hurricane Nolo became Typhoon Nolo on October 4, 2026, when it crossed the International Date Line (marked by 180 in the image).

What is that flashing star in autumn?

What are smart scopes?

The World Space Week Association (WSWA) official poster for World Space Week 2026, celebrated October 4–10 under the theme The Rocket Revolution.

Artist’s impression of the newly discovered rocky exoplanet, LHS 1140b.

View larger. | Artist’s concept of the exoplanet called K2-155 d.

This artist’s concept shows a planet orbiting 2 stars, visible at upper left and upper right.

Polished opals from Australia.

Earth goes between the sun and Saturn once in nearly every earthly year.

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captured this view of Enceladus — one of Saturn’s moons — and its water vapor plumes in 2010.

The winner of Fat Bear Week 2026 is … Backpack!

The University of Massachusetts Amherst said the bare-throated bellbird and the red-legged seriema are both contenders for the world’s loudest birds.

Sun news for October 1, 2026.