Astronomy
From quasars to black holes, Refractor is going to the edges of the known universe to give you the latest on the final frontier.
Random related stories from our 25-year archives
Astronomers have spotted two “invisible” galaxies hiding near the dawn of the universe. The team used radio waves to peer behind a curtain of dust, and the find suggests that there were far more galaxies in the early universe than previously thought.
Astronauts aboard the ISS turn their cameras toward Hurricane Dorian, with results that are both beautiful and frightening.
NASA scientists have produced the first global geological map of Jupiter's largest moon Ganymede by combining images from over twenty years of observation by the Voyager spacecraft and the Galileo orbiter.
Data from China's Chang'E-5 lunar lander analyzed by an international team led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows that the robotic spacecraft has, for the first time, detected traces of water in the rocks and regolith on the Moon's surface.
To experience life in and around the ISS requires years of astronaut training, but technology does continue to bring us closer to the experience. The latest example is a 360-degree video that places the viewer in the thick of the action as Russian cosmonauts carry out a spacewalk.
Masten Space Systems is developing a robotic rover that could one day mine water on the Moon using rocket blasts. The Rocket M rover uses rocket pulses to break up ice-bearing lunar soil and collect up to 100 kg of ice particles per day.
Latest News
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October 28, 2026 | Mike McRaeLast week, our solar neighborhood became a little more interesting with the potential discovery of a new icy world out in the Solar System’s fringes, concealed against a crowded backdrop of stars. -
July 29, 2026 | Chris YoungAn international team led by researchers from the University of Oxford has discovered two of the lowest-density giant planets on record. -
July 27, 2026 | Chris YoungFor the first time, a European Southern Observatory (ESO) study has quantified the threat to astronomy posed by a large number of highly reflective satellites planned to launch in the coming years. -
July 07, 2026 | Chris YoungFor the first time in more than 15 years, the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) committee has significantly revised the protocols governing how scientists “evaluate, verify, and announce evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence.”