Astronomy Daily: Latest Space News

For fifty years the story has been that the Moon assembled slowly out of a disc of debris. New simulations from Southwest Research Institute add one thing everybody left out — the strength of rock — and get an intact Moon in about five hours. Plus eight black holes that outgrew their galaxies, two massive stars that fell past each other and got caught, Dragonfly's Titan landing site gets a name, and today's daylight occultation of Jupiter.

Links & sources Southwest Research Institute — SwRI-led modeling identifies new scenarios for Moon formation — https://www.swri.org/newsroom/press-releases/swri-led-modeling-identifies-new-scenarios-moon-formation Denton, Canup, Asphaug et al. — The Astrophysical Journal Letters (DOI) — https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae91e9 Space.com — Earth's moon could have formed in just 5 hours after giant impact — https://www.space.com/astronomy/moon/earths-moon-could-have-formed-in-just-5-hours-after-giant-impact Buchner et al. — A large population of overmassive black hole quasars at z=0.3–0.8 revealed by eROSITA, A&A 713, A11 — https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2026/09/aa59356-26/aa59356-26.html Astronomy & Astrophysics — 2026 press releases — https://www.aanda.org/2026-press-releases Zhang, Garay et al. — An eccentric massive protobinary assembled via a core-merger parabolic encounter, Nature Astronomy — https://www.nature.com/natastron/articles?year=2026 Universidad de Chile coverage of the IRAS 07299-1651 result — https://www.radiofestival.cl/la-danza-nupcial-de-estrellas-masivas-astronomo-de-la-universidad-de-chile-participa-de-historico-hallazgo/ NASA / APL — Dragonfly Gets Wired Up While Titan Landing Area Is Named — https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/dragonfly/2026/09/02/nasas-dragonfly-gets-wired-up-while-titan-landing-area-is-named/ Sky & Telescope — Tuesday's daytime Jupiter occultation, a warm-up for the 'big one' — https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/tuesdays-daytime-jupiter-occultation-a-warm-up-for-the-big-one/ Universe Today — September's lunar occultations: circumstances and visibility — https://www.universetoday.com/articles/penultimate-lunar-occultations-inbound-for-jupiter-venus-and-more-in-september NASA — What's Up: September 2026 skywatching tips — https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/whats-up-september-2026-skywatching-tips-from-nasa/ EarthSky — Visible planets and night sky guide for September — https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury/

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A German rocket lifted off from an Arctic island on Saturday and became the first vehicle ever to reach orbit from Western European soil. Plus: the gaps in stellar streams may not be dark matter after all, two white dwarfs circling every 374 seconds in the far southern sky, peptides that fold in concentrated sulfuric acid, and what Katalyst's LINK is actually doing next to Swift. Both-hemispheres skywatch, and a serious safety warning for tomorrow's daylight Jupiter occultation.

Links & sources ·         Isar Aerospace — mission updates — https://isaraerospace.com/mission-updates-overview ·         ESA — Spectrum launches to orbit (imagery) — https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/09/Spectrum_launches_to_orbit ·         NASASpaceflight — Isar 'Onward and Upward' — https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/09/isar-onward-and-upward/ ·         Space.com — Private German rocket makes history — https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/isar-aerospace-second-launch-norway-andoya-spaceport-spectrum-rocket ·         Space.com — Gilmour Space eyes a second orbital attempt — https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/australias-gilmour-space-not-going-to-give-up-as-it-eyes-2nd-orbital-launch-attempt-in-2026 ·         Sky & Telescope — Gaps in stellar streams may be common — https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/gaps-in-stellar-streams-common-not-sign-dark-matter/ ·         Arora et al. — Semianalytic modeling of subhalo encounters with thin stellar streams, ApJ — https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/adf740 ·         Sharma et al. — Rapid orbital decay in eRASSU J060839.5−704014 (arXiv) — https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.09341 ·         Maitra et al. — eRASSU J060839.5−704014 discovery paper, A&A (2024) — https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/ref/2024/03/aa47811-23/aa47811-23.html ·         MIT News — Peptides can form well-defined structures in Venus-like conditions — https://news.mit.edu/2026/study-peptides-can-form-well-defined-structures-harsh-venus-conditions-0831 ·         NASA Swift blog — Commercial spacecraft for Swift boost continues tech demo — https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/09/04/commercial-spacecraft-for-nasas-swift-boost-continues-tech-demo/ ·         NASA Swift blog — LINK spacecraft recovery progressing — https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/08/06/link-spacecraft-recovery-progressing-for-nasas-swift-boost/ ·         EarthSky — Saturn at opposition, 4 October 2026 — https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/saturn-at-opposition-closest-brightest-best/ ·         Star Walk — Astronomical events, September 2026 — https://starwalk.space/en/news/night-sky-tonight-september

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Anna and Avery open the Weekend Wrap with a genuine first: South Africa's MeerKAT has detected the 21-centimetre hydrogen signal from four to five billion light years away using radio data alone — no optical galaxy survey propping it up — proving out the technique the Square Kilometre Array will use to measure dark energy. Then the week in review: Roman's coronagraph wakes up, Starship Flight 14 gets a date, Mars turns out to be lopsided inside, BepiColombo lets go, LZ's one unexplained flash, and a centaur caught in the act of becoming a comet. Plus the sky for the week ahead, both hemispheres.

Links & sources ·         University of Manchester — Astronomers use MeerKAT to directly detect faint hydrogen signal from the distant Universe — https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/astronomers-use-meerkat-to-directly-detect-faint-hydrogen-signal-from-the-distant-universe ·         The Astrophysical Journal Letters — Paul, Wolz, Santos, Chen et al. (paper DOI) — https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae808f ·         American Astronomical Society — release listing — https://aas.org/node/730547 ·         Phys.org — MeerKAT directly detects faint hydrogen signal from the distant universe — https://phys.org/news/2026-09-meerkat-faint-hydrogen-distant-universe.html ·         Space.com — Scientists detect signals of hydrogen from billions of years ago — https://www.space.com/astronomy/galaxies/scientists-detect-signals-of-hydrogen-from-billions-of-years-ago-could-this-help-us-map-out-the-universe ·         Xinhua — MeerKAT in South Africa directly detects faint hydrogen signal from distant universe — https://english.news.cn/africa/20260905/3f6c7164a4404b0a9b79f879b1d31a59/c.html ·         SKA Observatory — the construction journey (SKA-Mid, Karoo; SKA-Low, Murchison) — https://www.skao.int/en/explore/construction-journey ·         NASA Science — Roman's planet imager has powered on (1 September 2026) — https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman/2026/09/01/nasa-romans-planet-imager-has-powered-on/ ·         NASA — NASA's dark universe-seeking Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches — https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-dark-universe-seeking-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-launches/ ·         Next Spaceflight — Starship Flight 14 (NET 15 September 2026, Pad 2, Starbase) — https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/8346/ ·         Tesla Oracle — FCC filing points to Starship Flight 14 on 15 September; Booster 21 33-engine static fire — https://www.teslaoracle.com/2026/09/02/fcc-filing-reveals-starship-flight-14-launch-on-september-15-spacex-conducts-33-engine-static-fire-on-booster-21/ ·         Nature — Tidal tomography reveals a thermal anomaly beneath Mars's crustal dichotomy (27 August 2026) — https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10893-x ·         Phys.org — Thermal anomaly discovered below Mars' south pole — https://phys.org/news/2026-08-thermal-anomaly-mars-south-pole.html ·         ESA — Latest updates: BepiColombo's arrival at Mercury — https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo/Latest_updates_BepiColombo_s_arrival_at_Mercury ·         ESA — BepiColombo's Mercury arrival begins (full replay) — https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2026/09/BepiColombo_s_Mercury_arrival_begins_-_full_replay ·         Brown University — LZ experiment sees surprising result in search for dark matter — https://www.brown.edu/news/2026-09-01/lz-dark-matter-results ·         The LZ Dark Matter Experiment — collaboration site — https://lz.lbl.gov/ ·         ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics — Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory — https://www.centredarkmatter.org/supl ·         University of Central Florida — UCF researchers study a centaur transforming into a comet — https://www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-researchers-study-a-centaur-transforming-into-a-comet/ ·         Phys.org — Saturn encounter may have set distant centaur on path to becoming a comet — https://phys.org/news/2026-09-saturn-encounter-distant-centaur-path.html ·         Space.com — Scientists watch a comet being born 3 billion miles away — https://www.space.com/astronomy/comets/scientists-watch-a-comet-being-born-3-billion-miles-away ·         Star Walk — Astronomical events in September 2026 — https://starwalk.space/en/news/night-sky-tonight-september ·         EarthSky — Venus greatest brilliancy, 18 September 2026 (magnitude −4.8) — https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/venus-brightest-greatest-brilliancy-greatest-illuminated-extent-2/ ·         EarthSky — Sun news: flares, CMEs and aurora updates — https://earthsky.org/sun/sun-news-activity-solar-flare-cme-aurora-updates/ ·         Space.com — Night sky September 2026: the best things to see this month — https://www.space.com/stargazing/what-to-see-night-sky-september-2026 Follow us: @AstroDailyPod · astronomydaily.io

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Links & sources Brown University — LZ experiment sees surprising result in search for dark matter — https://www.brown.edu/news/2026-09-01/lz-dark-matter-results US Department of Energy — LZ Sees Surprising Result in Search for Dark Matter — https://www.energy.gov/science/articles/lz-sees-surprising-result-search-dark-matter Imperial College London — Dark matter hunt takes unexpected turn after puzzling signal spotted in LZ detector — https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/articles/natural-sciences/physics/2026/dark-matter-hunt-takes-unexpected-turn-after-puzzling-signal-spotted-in-lz-detector/ TeVPA 2026 — Search for high-energy dark matter interactions with the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment — https://indico-icehap.phys.s.chiba-u.ac.jp/event/3/contributions/471/ The LZ Dark Matter Experiment — collaboration site — https://lz.lbl.gov/ Space.com — Scientists may have detected the 1st direct evidence of dark matter — https://www.space.com/astronomy/dark-universe/scientists-may-have-detected-the-1st-direct-evidence-of-dark-matter ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics — Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory — https://www.centredarkmatter.org/supl SABRE South — dark matter direct-detection experiment — https://www.sabre-experiment.org.au/ Phys.org — Underground lab clears crucial hurdle for dark matter hunt — https://phys.org/news/2026-04-underground-lab-crucial-hurdle-dark.html Space.com — India sends Earth-imaging satellite toward geosynchronous orbit in milestone launch — https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/gslv-mark-ii-eos-05-launch-first-indian-geo-earth-observing-satellite Outlook India — 'Successfully and precisely injected': ISRO chairman hails GSLV-F17 launch — https://www.outlookindia.com/national/successfully-and-precisely-injected-isro-chairman-hails-gslv-f17-launch-eos-05-reaches-orbit Business Standard — ISRO launches India's first imaging satellite in geostationary orbit — https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/isro-launches-india-s-first-imaging-satellite-in-geostationary-orbit-126090400054_1.html Space.com — Rocket issues delay 1st-ever private mission to Venus — https://www.space.com/astronomy/venus/rocket-issues-delay-1st-ever-private-mission-to-venus-we-are-awaiting-neutron-readiness Syracuse University — The Spin Behind Fading Black Hole Flares — https://news.syr.edu/2026/09/01/the-spin-behind-fading-black-hole-flares/ arXiv — The Role of Stellar Spin in Repeating Partial Tidal Disruption Events (2606.02692) — https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.02692 NASA Science — What's Up: September 2026 Skywatching Tips — https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/whats-up-september-2026-skywatching-tips-from-nasa/ Universe Today — Lunar occultations of Jupiter, Venus and more in September — https://www.universetoday.com/articles/penultimate-lunar-occultations-inbound-for-jupiter-venus-and-more-in-september In-The-Sky.org — Lunar occultation of Jupiter, 8 September 2026 — https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20260908_16_100 EarthSky — Sun news: flare, CME and aurora updates — https://earthsky.org/sun/sun-news-activity-solar-flare-cme-aurora-updates/ Space.com — Night sky September 2026: the best things to see this month — https://www.space.com/stargazing/what-to-see-night-sky-september-2026 Follow us: @AstroDailyPod · astronomydaily.io

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Anna and Avery cover BepiColombo's arrival at Mercury beginning today, as the ESA/JAXA mission jettisons the transfer module that has carried it for nearly eight years and nine planetary flybys. Plus: NASA awards Blue Origin a $700 million contract to build a dedicated Mars communications orbiter, Hubble confirms a brand-new ten-sided cloud pattern at Saturn's south pole — first spotted by amateur astronomers, one of them in outback New South Wales — and China's Galactic Energy flies its reusable Pallas-1 rocket for the first time.

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