u/Klugerman

https://apple.news/AHXKqAp6\_SRWltgdeo89MBA

https://www.miguelclaro.com/wp/portfolio/large-solar-mammoth-shape-prominence-in-motion/

On May 7, 2026 at approximately 10:20 p.m. aboard the ISS, Sophie Adenot snapped a photo that looks straight out of a sci-fi movie. She captured the image as the space station orbited 268 miles (431 kilometers) above Perth, Australia.

Mars’ “tadpole craters” are unusual impact craters with long trailing tails of debris, making them resemble tadpoles when viewed from orbit. They’re found mainly in icy regions of Mars and are thought to form when meteoroids strike ground rich in subsurface ice.
The leading idea is that the impact melts or vaporizes buried ice, creating a muddy, fluidized flow rather than the normal circular spray of dry rock debris. Strong winds or sloping terrain may then stretch the ejecta into a tail shape. Some tails extend for miles across the surface.
These craters are scientifically interesting because they suggest significant buried water ice exists beneath the Martian surface.

The day side of Venus covered in clouds as seen by Japan's Akatsuki probe in 2016. (Image credit: JAXA)

https://www.space.com/astronomy/venus/30-mile-high-clouds-of-acid-on-venus-are-made-by-the-largest-hydraulic-jump-in-the-solar-system

The Von Kármán vortex streaks across the snowy tundra nearby Peter I Island in Antarctica on February 11, 2026. (Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison)

https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/mesmerizing-vortexes-swirl-near-an-antarctic-volcano-space-photo-of-the-day-for-may-12-2026

In this view of a vortex near Jupiter’s north pole, NASA’s Juno mission observed the glow from a bolt of lightning. Dec 31, 2020.

The People’s Choice Award winner of the 2025 competition has been announced as 'Dragon Tree Trails' by Benjamin Barakat, captured from from Firmihin Forest, Hidaybu District, Socotra, Yemen.
It shows a lone Dragon's Blood tree set against the backdrop of multiple arches of trailing stars.

https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/astronomy-photographer-year-peoples-choice-winner-2025

“My goal with astrophotography has always been to combine my passion for mountains, adventure, and the landscapes of New Zealand. Capturing the Milky Way arch above Aoraki / Mount Cook, the central peak of the national park, became one of the most demanding challenges I had set for myself. Reaching this location required drawing on my experience as a mountaineer, navigating steep rocky terrain and snow-covered slopes under winter conditions. The route presented constant challenges, including large washouts along the mountainside, unstable snow affected by solar radiation, and the demands of winter camping at altitude. The effort required both physical endurance and careful decision-making throughout the journey. Despite these difficulties, the environment offered extraordinary conditions. As night fell, the Milky Way and zodiacal light appeared with exceptional clarity, enhanced by the cold, stable air at elevation. Being positioned so close to Aoraki added a sense of scale and intensity to the moment, especially as the western arc of the Milky Way moved into alignment above the mountain. With only a brief window to capture the scene, there was little margin for error. This image represents that single opportunity, where preparation, experience, and timing came together to document a moment that felt both challenging and deeply rewarding.”

https://www.popsci.com/science/milky-way-photographer-of-the-year-2026/

At 25kg (54lb) of pure Martian material, NWA 16788 is a rare example of an exceptionally scarce type of meteorite. Sold in July this year by Sotheby’s, the lot listing described NWA 16788 as a geological time capsule from another world.
With fewer than 400 Martian meteorites ever recorded (of the 77,000 officially recognised meteorites), and most no larger than a pebble, this specimen offers the biggest tangible connection to a planet that has captivated humanity for centuries.
NWA 16788 is a shergottite meteorite, made up of igneous rocks originating from Mars. The space rock’s impressive size accounts for 6.5% of all known material from the Red Planet to have been found on Earth. It is thought to have been chipped off Mars and blasted towards Earth following a major asteroid impact.
It even looks like it’s from Mars, with a reddish-brown hue and a glassy crust. The asteroid impact not only propelled it 225 million km (140 million miles) to our planet, the heat the impact generated fused 20% of the meteorite’s original feldspar into maskelynite glass.
The identity of the successful bidder is not known, and some scientists are unhappy that NWA 16788 ended up in private hands rather than with a museum.
However, a fragment of the meteorite was analysed prior to sale and a reference sample is kept at the Purple Mountain Observatory in China.

Excerpt From
“The 5 most expensive meteorites ever found on Earth”

BBC Sky at Night Magazine

https://apple.news/As\_lDAJziQQKaQ37AATTv0w

The Zone of Avoidance is a region of the sky that appears underpopulated with galaxies because our view is blocked by the dense plane of the Milky Way. When astronomers observe distant space in visible light, their line of sight sometimes passes through thick concentrations of interstellar dust, gas, and stars within our galaxy, which absorb and scatter light. This creates a kind of observational blind spot where galaxies behind the Milky Way are difficult or impossible to detect. Early sky maps showed a noticeable gap in galaxy distribution along this band, leading to the name “Zone of Avoidance,” even though the galaxies themselves are still there. With modern techniques using infrared, radio, and X-ray observations—such as those from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey—astronomers have been able to peer through much of this obscuration and uncover previously hidden structures, revealing that the apparent void is simply a limitation of earlier observation methods rather than a true absence of matter.

https://apple.news/AHtQCTivYRJOkhA7NItzEIQ

A view of the eclipse from an external camera, showing part of the Orion spacecraft.

https://apple.news/A-D6NlpQsQUyWWu9gvwdWOw

Looking at Earth through a window of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, named Integrity.

https://apple.news/A-D6NlpQsQUyWWu9gvwdWOw

“Katie Hughes, Loch Lomond, UK, 4 November 2025”

BBC Sky at Night Magazine (May 2026)

A side-by-side image shows two areas of Mars taken by NASA's two rovers on the planet about 2,300 miles apart. On the left is a panorama taken by the Perseverance rover as it travels on the rim of the Jezero Crater. On the right is an image from the Curiosity rover as it roams the Gale Crater.