The brightest planet Venus hangs in the west after sunset — May 17, 2026

0:03 Calaroga Shark Media. Welcome to Space news and weather today. Here's something to think about. The Voyager I spacecraft, launched in nineteen seventy seven, is now over fifteen billion miles from Earth and still sending data back. The Moon is a slim crescent in the western sky after sunset, setting early and leaving dark skies for the rest of the night. A Northumbria University PhD student has led an international collaboration to construct the first three dimensional view of Uranus upper atmosphere, showing how the planet's unusual magnetic field sculpts bright auroras thousands of kilometers above its clouds. Follow the arc of the Big Dipper's handle and you'll arc to arcturis a golden orange star, impossible to miss. It's the fourth brightest star in the entire night sky. There is plenty of activity on the Sun right now. Multiple sun spot regions are crackling with energy, and solar flares could fire off at any time. Northern lights chances remain moderate tonight for viewers in Canada and the northernmost States. The brightest planet, Venus, hangs in the west after sunset. For early risers. Saturn climbs the eastern sky in the pre dawn hours. A

1:38 long March eighth rocket is set to launch later today from wein Chain Space launch site. People's Republic of China, China is behind this one. This is Space News and Weather Today, your AI curated guide to the cosmos. Sources include NASA and space news from around the world.