What I have been reading, checking and getting excited about: Jupiter, its moons, the spacecraft on their way there, and now and then something much further off.
In January 1610 Galileo drew little stars shifting beside Jupiter night after night. I set my clock to each evening and checked his drawings against the sums.
Supernova SN 2026ahvu appeared in the galaxy NGC 1433 on 2 November 2026. It is expected to peak between 18 and 23 November, within reach of amateur telescopes in the south.
ESA's Hera spacecraft has reached the asteroid pair Didymos and Dimorphos. Their gravity is too weak for a normal orbit, so it flies in straight lines and turns corners.
NASA's twin ESCAPADE spacecraft waited a year near Earth, then swung past the planet on 7 and 9 November 2026 with engines firing. They are now on course for Mars.
