May 18, 2026
Astronomy News and Sky Watch — May 18, 2026
Avio S.p.A Vega-C launch coming up. Plus space news and stargazing.
Portions of the podcast are made with the assistance of AI which helps us gather informaton from the NASA and other sources.
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Calarogu Shark Media. You're listening to space news and weather today.
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Venus continues to dazzle in the evening twilight. Saturn becomes
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visible after midnight, offering a preview of the summer viewing
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season ahead. New observations of Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, revealed
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that its auroras share detailed structural similarities with auroras on Earth,
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suggesting that the physical processes that generate these lights may
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be universal across different types of celestial bodies. Coastal areas
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see minimal tidal range this week. These neap tides occur
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when the Sun and Moon work against each other. Follow
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the arc of the Big Dipper's handle and you'll arc
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to Arcturus, a golden orange star impossible to miss. It's
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the fourth brightest star in the entire night sky. A
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Vagacy rocket is set to launch tomorrow from Guyana Space Center.
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French Guiana Avio SPN is behind this one. Space is Strange.
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The Voyager one spacecraft, launched in nineteen seventy seven, is
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now over fifteen billion miles from Earth and still sending
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data back. Quicksolar update. The Sun is quite active, with
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numerous sunspot groups visible. That means a moderate chance of
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northern lights tonight. For those in northern latitudes. Look north
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after dark if skies are clear. This episode was assembled
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using AI pulling from NASA and Spaceflight News sources. Thanks
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for listening.
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