Deep partial lunar eclipse peaks & Solar storms boost auroras - Space News (Aug 27, 2026)

[0:38] Deep partial lunar eclipse peaks

First up, skywatchers are preparing for one of the most dramatic lunar events of the decade: the deep partial lunar eclipse of August 27 through 28. At maximum eclipse, about 96.3 percent of the Moon's disk will be inside Earth's umbra, making it look remarkably close to a total eclipse. Viewers across most of North and South America, along with parts of western Europe and western Africa, should get a strong show, with the shadowed portion expected to take on the familiar copper-red tones caused by sunlight filtering through Earth's atmosphere.

Another closely watched program is Dream Chaser, the lifting-body cargo spaceplane planned to launch on United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket. Its first cargo resupply mission profile has shifted, with the latest updates indicating a free-flying low Earth orbit mission and a timeline no earlier than late 2026. Even with schedule changes, Dream Chaser remains important because it could expand reusable cargo transport options and reintroduce runway-style spacecraft recovery to routine orbital operations.

Meanwhile aboard the International Space Station, astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon recently completed a spacewalk to prepare the station's 3B power channel for future roll-out solar array installations. Those upgrades are meant to boost station power and support future operational needs, including eventual deorbit planning. It's a reminder that even after decades in orbit, the ISS is still being actively modified to stay useful and safe.

In deep-space science, the James Webb Space Telescope has helped rule out two recently proposed Dyson sphere candidates. That's a notable result for technosignature research, because it shows how powerful infrared observations can separate speculative claims from ordinary astrophysics like dust and unusual stellar environments. It's not evidence against the broader search for extraterrestrial technology, but it is a strong case for careful follow-up before sensational conclusions are drawn.

There is also fresh momentum behind new ways to study the very early universe and nearby exoplanets. One small UK-developed satellite concept aims to probe the cosmic dark ages, the era before the first stars lit up, likely by targeting the faint redshifted hydrogen signal from that epoch. Another proposal would pair an orbital starshade with giant ground-based telescopes, potentially improving our ability to directly image Earth-sized worlds around nearby stars and study their atmospheres.

A different kind of breakthrough is coming from galaxy simulations. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam report that nuclear star clusters and nuclear stellar discs in galactic centers appear to grow together, driven by gas funneling inward along stellar bars and by the accretion of star clusters. That result matters for understanding not just distant barred galaxies, but also the history of our own Milky Way's crowded and complex center around Sagittarius A star.

And finally, for observers looking for a quieter target between eclipses and auroras, Barnard's star is getting some attention in late-August sky guides. The nearby red dwarf, famous for its high proper motion and status as one of the Sun's closest stellar neighbors, can be found in Ophiuchus with some help from reference stars and modest optics. It's a nice reminder that alongside headline-making missions and cosmic-scale theories, astronomy still thrives on simply stepping outside and finding a nearby star for yourself.