May 17, 2026
Astronomy News and Sky Watch — May 17, 2026
China Long March 8 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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Calaroga Shark Media. Welcome to Space news and weather today.
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Here's something to think about. The Voyager I spacecraft, launched
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in nineteen seventy seven, is now over fifteen billion miles
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from Earth and still sending data back. The Moon is
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a slim crescent in the western sky after sunset, setting
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early and leaving dark skies for the rest of the night.
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New observations of Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, revealed that its
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auroras share detailed structural similarities with auroras on Earth, suggesting
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that the physical processes that generate these lights may be
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universal across different types of celestial bodies. Follow the arc
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of the Big Dipper's handle and you'll arc to Arcturus,
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a golden orange star impossible to miss. It's the fourth
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brightest star in the entire night sky. There is plenty
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of activity on the Sun right now. Multiple sunspot regions
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are crackling with energy, and solar flares could fire off
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at any time. Northern lights chances remain moderate tonight for
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viewers in Canada and the northernmost States. The brightest planet, Venus,
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hangs in the west after sunset. For early risers. Saturn
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climbs the eastern sky in the pre dawn hours. Along
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March eighth rocket is set to launch later today from
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Wenchang Space launch site. People's Republic of China, China is
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behind this one. This is Space News and Weather Today,
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your AI curated guide to the Cosmos. Sources include NASA
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and space news from around the world.
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