Space News

9x5 collage of galaxies, including edge-on, diffuse, face-on spirals, and interacting galaxies with unusual arms or tails.] CREDIT: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, processed by M. Walmsley, M. Huertas-Company, J.-C. Cuillandre

26 Million Galaxies Unveiled in Euclid's First Survey Data

The European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope has just released its first batch of survey data, revealing a breathtaking glimpse into the cosmos. In just one week of observations, this "ultimate discovery machine" has already spotted an astonishing 26 million galaxies, some up to 10.5 billion light-years away.

Launched in July 2023, Euclid is designet to probe the mysterious "dark universe": the dark matter and dark energy that together make up 95% of our cosmos. The newly released deep field images cover 63 square degrees of sky (equivalent to 300 times the full Moon's area) and showcase hundreds of thousands of galaxies in different shapes and sizes, revealing their large-scale organization in the cosmic web.

What makes Euclid special is its ability to capture detailed wide-field images that no other telescope can match. When it completes its six-year mission in 2030, Euclid will have mapped one-third of the entire sky in unprecedented detail.

Inspired by space telescopes? Check out our James Webb Space Telescope collection!

Posted on March 20, 2025

Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander captured the diamond ring effect during a total solar eclipse captured around 3:30 am CDT on March 14 from the Moon’s Mare Crisium. Credit: Firefly Aerospace. Digitally enhanced.

Experiencing the Eclipse from Both Sides: Earth’s Blood Moon and the Moon’s Solar Eclipse

While we on Earth marveled at a total lunar eclipse, also known as the Blood Moon, on March 14, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander witnessed the opposite. From the Moon’s surface, the spacecraft captured a total solar eclipse, a rare event where Earth moved directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow over the lunar landscape.

The Blue Ghost lander, which successfully touched down in the Moon's Mare Crisium on March 2, 2025, documented the eclipse in remarkable detail. One of the standout images showcases the diamond ring effect, captured around 3:30 a.m. CDT, as the Sun began to reappear from behind Earth.

Check out the video Firefly released of the eclipse below:

This dual perspective of the eclipse, Earth's view of the lunar eclipse and the Moon's opposite view of a solar eclipse, offers a unique glimpse into the intricate dance of celestial bodies. They also highlight the advancements in commercial space exploration, with private companies like Firefly Aerospace playing increasingly important roles in space exploration.

Inspired by the eclipse? Check out our Eclipse Collection.

See more stunning images and read more at Firefly Aerospace: Firefly’s Official Announcement

Posted on March 15, 2025

In this false-color image, the dark, irregularly shaped Martian moon Deimos is silhouetted against the brighter backdrop of Mars.

A Rare Encounter: Hera Captures Mars’ Dark Moon, Deimos

ESA’s Hera spacecraft has captured a rare close-up of Deimos, the smaller and lesser-known moon of Mars. The image, taken during a gravity-assist flyby on March 12, 2025, offers a unique look at the dark, cratered surface of this enigmatic Martian moon.

Deimos, just 12.4 km (7.7 miles) in diameter, orbits 23,500 km (14,600 miles) from Mars and is tidally locked, meaning the same side always faces the planet. The new images reveal a rarely seen hemisphere of the moon, deepening the mystery of its origins: was it a captured asteroid or formed from Mars itself? Hera's flyby was not just a scientific milestone but also a crucial maneuver for its primary mission: investigating the asteroid system Didymos and Dimorphos, the target of NASA’s DART planetary defense test.

Inspired by the Deimos? Check out our Mars Collection!

Continue reading about Hera Mars flyby over at ESA: ESA Hera Mission

Posted on March 14, 2025

Total Lunar Eclipse March 2025

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Posted on March 11, 2025