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Astronomy News 16 August 2025 - 20 August 2025

75 Mice, a Secret Spaceplane & a New Moon: Major Space News Roundup (Aug 19–20, 2025)

75 Mice, a Secret Spaceplane & a New Moon: Major Space News Roundup (Aug 19–20, 2025)

On August 19, CAS Space launched the Lijian-1 (Kinetica-1) Y10 from Jiuquan, deploying seven satellites including ThumbSat-1 and ThumbSat-2 (~100 grams each) built in Mexico. The Lijian-1 is the eighth flight in the Kinetica-1 series and CAS Space says it can loft 50+ satellites per mission with launch costs below $10,000 per kilogram to orbit, including an X-band radar Earth-imaging satellite and a Tianyan-26 cubesat. Roscosmos launched the Bion-M No.2 biosatellite on August 20 aboard a Soyuz-2.1b from Baikonur, carrying 75 mice, over 1,000 fruit flies, microorganisms, plant seeds and cell cultures for a 30-day microgravity and radiation exposure. NASA’s
20 August 2025
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Rare Black Moon Rising Aug. 23 – A Vanishing Moon Brings the Darkest Night of Summer

Rare Black Moon Rising Aug. 23 – A Vanishing Moon Brings the Darkest Night of Summer

The August 23, 2025 Black Moon is a seasonal Black Moon, the third new moon of summer in a season that contains four new moons (June 25, July 24, Aug. 23, and Sept. 21). The last time a seasonal Black Moon with four new moons in a season occurred was May 19, 2023, and it won’t happen again until 2028. At 2:06 a.m. EDT (06:06 GMT) on Aug. 23, 2025, the Moon reaches its new moon phase, sitting about 1° north of the Sun in the constellation Leo. The Moon rises and sets with the Sun and will be virtually
20 August 2025
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Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: A Visitor from Beyond the Solar System

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: A Visitor from Beyond the Solar System

3I/ATLAS was first spotted on July 1, 2025 by the ATLAS telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile, and officially designated 3I/2025 A1 (ATLAS), the third confirmed interstellar object after 1I/‘Oumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019). It is traveling through the inner solar system at about 60–61 kilometers per second relative to the Sun on a hyperbolic trajectory, with perihelion near the orbit of Mars in late October 2025 (about 1.4 AU). Its closest approach to Earth will be roughly 1.6–1.8 AU (240–270 million kilometers), and it will be behind the Sun from Earth’s perspective at that time, posing no threat. The Hubble
19 August 2025
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Six Planets Will Align in the Sky This Month—Here’s When and How to Watch the Rare “Planet Parade”

Sky Spectacle Alert: Rare Planet Parade Converges with a Black Moon – Here’s What to Know

In late August 2025, a six-planet parade—Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—will be visible in the pre-dawn sky along with a rare Black Moon. The Black Moon moment occurs around 2:06 a.m. EDT on Saturday, August 23, 2025 (6:06 UTC), placing the new moon between Earth and Sun. The Black Moon itself is invisible, but its timing yields moonless, darker skies that reveal fainter stars and the Milky Way. The six-planet parade runs roughly August 17–20, 2025, peaks around August 18–19, and Mercury begins to drop from view by August 21. <li Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn will be
19 August 2025
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Interstellar Comet, ‘Trojan Horse’ Cancer Cure & AI’s Hidden Carbon Cost – Science Highlights (Aug 18–19, 2025)

Interstellar Comet, ‘Trojan Horse’ Cancer Cure & AI’s Hidden Carbon Cost – Science Highlights (Aug 18–19, 2025)

Space & Astronomy Health & Medicine Biology & Ecology Physics Chemistry Climate Science Technology & AI Environmental Science Sources: The above summaries are based on reporting and press releases from sources including ScienceDaily, SciTechDaily, NASA, Space.com, Nature journals, and other outlets scitechdaily.com scitechdaily.com scitechdaily.com space.com scitechdaily.com discovermagazine.com sciencedaily.com scitechdaily.com sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com scitechdaily.com sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com scitechdaily.com scitechdaily.com news.mongabay.com news.mongabay.com. Each news item is linked to its original source for further reading.
19 August 2025
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Skywatch Alert: 6-Planet Parade, Meteor Fireballs & Auroras Dazzle the Night (Aug 19–20, 2025)

Skywatch Alert: 6-Planet Parade, Meteor Fireballs & Auroras Dazzle the Night (Aug 19–20, 2025)

From Aug 18 to 20, a rare six-planet lineup (Mercury through Neptune) may be visible above the horizon before sunrise, with Mercury mag 0, Venus mag −4, Jupiter mag −2, Saturn mag ~0.5, Uranus mag 5.7 and Neptune mag 7.8. On the mornings of Aug 19 and 20, Venus and Jupiter form a bright dawn triangle with a slender Moon, with the Moon about 7° above Jupiter on Aug 19 and a few degrees from Venus on Aug 20. Titan’s shadow will cross Saturn on Aug 19 around 1:26 a.m. EDT, lasting about 2.5–3 hours, observable with a telescope of
19 August 2025
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Space Race Heats Up: Launch Milestones, Satellite ‘Bloom’ & a Lunar Showdown (Aug 18–19, 2025)

Space Race Heats Up: Launch Milestones, Satellite ‘Bloom’ & a Lunar Showdown (Aug 18–19, 2025)

United States: Moon Missions, Mega-Constellations & Scientific Milestones Europe: Weather Satellite Success & Space Safety Initiatives Asia: Ambitious Launches, New Satellites & Spaceflight Firsts Space Security & Policy: The Final Frontier Turns Battleground Sources: NASA News Releases and Blogs nasa.gov nasa.gov nasa.gov; Spaceflight Now spaceflightnow.com; Reuters reuters.com; Gizmodo gizmodo.com gizmodo.com; NDTV ndtv.com ndtv.com; Times of India timesofindia.indiatimes.com; United News of India uniindia.com uniindia.com; Xinhua/CGTN english.news.cn en.people.cn; Associated Press apnews.com apnews.com; SatNews news.satnews.com; KeepTrack Space Brief keeptrack.space.
19 August 2025
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Sky on Fire Tonight: Giant ‘Solar Canyon’ Aims 800‑km/s Wind at Earth—Northern Lights Could Ignite 15 U.S. States & Test Global Tech

Northern Lights Alert: Auroras Could Dance Across 14 States Tonight – When & Where to Watch

On August 19, 2025, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center forecast a minor geomagnetic storm (G1) that could make the Northern Lights visible across 14+ U.S. states. Areas fully or partially within tonight’s aurora visibility zone include Alaska; Washington; Idaho; Montana; North Dakota; South Dakota; Minnesota; Wisconsin; Michigan; Maine; Vermont; New Hampshire; New York; Iowa; and northern Wyoming and Illinois. The best viewing window runs from about 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. local time, with geomagnetic activity peaking around midnight to early morning. The SWPC forecast projects a Kp index up to Kp 5 (G1), indicating auroras could reach the northern
19 August 2025
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Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED vs Skyliner 200P vs Star Adventurer 2i – Ultimate Astronomy Gear Showdown 2025

Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED vs Skyliner 200P vs Star Adventurer 2i – Ultimate Astronomy Gear Showdown 2025

The Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED is an 80 mm apochromatic doublet refractor using FPL-53 ED glass with 600 mm of focal length at f/7.5. The Evostar 80ED OTA weighs about 2.5 kg and is roughly 24 inches long with the dew shield, typically sold as an OTA with accessories rather than a full mount kit. The Skyliner 200P is an 8-inch (203 mm) Newtonian on a Dobsonian mount, with a 1200 mm focal length and a focal ratio of f/5.9. The 200P’s tube is about 112 cm long and weighs around 20 lb, with the base adding 20–25 lb for a
19 August 2025
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Breathtaking Skywatching Spectacles on Aug 18–19, 2025: Meteors, Planetary Trio, Auroras & More

Breathtaking Skywatching Spectacles on Aug 18–19, 2025: Meteors, Planetary Trio, Auroras & More

The Perseids meteor shower remains active Aug 18–23, 2025, with peak rates up to 50–100 meteors per hour under dark skies, but a bright Moon 84% full on Aug 12 reduced peak rates to about 10–20 per hour; by Aug 18–19 the Moon wanes to ~23% and ~15% illumination, improving viewing. Auroras could appear around Aug 19 due to the solar maximum and a potential minor G1 geomagnetic storm, offering modest displays at high latitudes if solar wind conditions are favorable. On Aug 19 (and Aug 20), a slim crescent Moon joins Venus and Jupiter in the predawn eastern sky,
18 August 2025
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Moon Rocket Breakthroughs, Starship’s Comeback & Cosmic Surprises: Space News Roundup (Aug 16–17, 2025)

Moon Rocket Breakthroughs, Starship’s Comeback & Cosmic Surprises: Space News Roundup (Aug 16–17, 2025)

Launches and Rocket Test Highlights Space Station & Mission Updates New Discoveries and Space Science Highlights Industry and Policy Developments In summary, the period of August 16–17, 2025 was packed with noteworthy space events across the board. From rocket launches (and explosions) to pioneering science findings and significant policy moves, the global space community had a busy weekend. New rockets roared to life – or were grounded for another day – and spacefarers in orbit ventured outside their vehicles. Astronomers extended our cosmic horizon with record-breaking discoveries, even as Earthbound engineers planted the seeds (literally) for sustaining life on future
17 August 2025
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Robots Fight for Gold, New Carbon Allotrope Created, and Record Black Hole – Science News Roundup (15–16 August 2025)

Robots Fight for Gold, New Carbon Allotrope Created, and Record Black Hole – Science News Roundup (15–16 August 2025)

Space and Astronomy Medicine and Public Health Climate and Environment Physics and Chemistry Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Sources: NASA, University of Texas at Austin, University of Oxford, CURE (Cancer Updates), Scientific American, NASA JPL, The News International science.nasa.gov scitechdaily.com chem.ox.ac.uk curetoday.com scientificamerican.com scitechdaily.com thenews.com.pk.
16 August 2025
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