Supernova catalog challenges dark energy & Tonight's Venus and crescent moon - Space News (Sep 13, 2026)

Astronomers have just unveiled a huge new catalog of exploding stars that might shake up our understanding of dark energy, and the implications reach all the way to the fate of the universe.[3] Welcome to The Automated Daily, space news edition. The podcast created by generative AI. Today is September 13th, 2026, and I'm TrendTeller, your host, here to walk you through the most interesting space stories from the last twenty-four hours, from the frontiers of cosmology to what you can see in tonight’s sky.[2][3][7] We will start with that surprising supernova result, then move on to a beautiful comet image, a striking Venus–moon pairing, a colorful planetary nebula, and an upcoming Earth-observing launch that aims to track the planet’s vital signs.[2][7][12][13][18] So settle in, and let’s see what the universe has been up to.

Supernova catalog challenges dark energy

Our first story today comes from the realm of cosmology, where a new supernova survey is raising fresh questions about dark energy, the mysterious force that appears to be accelerating the expansion of the universe.[3] Astronomers have compiled what they describe as the most comprehensive catalog so far of exploding white dwarf stars, the kind of supernovae that are used as "standard candles" to measure cosmic distances.[3] With close to 3,000 of these events now in a single data set, researchers can look for subtle patterns in how the universe’s expansion has changed over billions of years, and some of those patterns may not line up perfectly with our simplest dark energy models.[3] In practical terms, this work does not suddenly overturn the idea that dark energy exists, but it does suggest that the details could be more complex than a simple, constant push uniformly stretching space forever.[3] If dark energy’s effect has varied over time, or behaves differently than expected in certain environments, that would ripple through our estimates of the age of the universe and the way structures like galaxies and clusters grew.[3] The new catalog gives scientists a much richer set of supernovae to test competing theories, which is why this result is drawing attention: it hints that even our broad-brush picture of the cosmos might still have some major revisions ahead.[3] For now, it is a reminder that the story of dark energy is far from settled, and that every new explosion mapped in the sky is another data point in a much larger cosmic puzzle.[3]

Tonight's Venus and crescent moon

From the large-scale universe, we turn to something more immediate and visual: NASA’s latest Astronomy Picture of the Day, which today highlights Comet NEOWISE rising over the Adriatic Sea.[2] The image captures the comet’s luminous tail lifting above a dark horizon, with the twilight colors of Earth’s atmosphere blending into the deeper blues of the night sky.[2] Comet NEOWISE was one of the most photogenic comets of recent years, visible to the naked eye for many observers when it swung through the inner solar system, and photographers around the world rushed to document its passage.[2] Astronomy Picture of the Day, or APOD, serves as a daily reminder that serious science and visual beauty often go hand in hand, and this particular choice revisits a moment when many non-astronomers looked up and noticed a comet for the first time.[2] While NEOWISE itself is now far from Earth, images like this continue to be used to illustrate how comets carry dust and gas from the outer solar system, material that can tell us about the early conditions in which planets formed.[2] For listeners, even if you cannot see a comet like NEOWISE tonight, today’s APOD is a chance to reconnect with that sense of wonder, and perhaps to inspire you to take a closer look at the night sky with a camera or simply with your eyes.[2]

Comet NEOWISE over Adriatic Sea

Speaking of the night sky, there is a simple but striking event happening this evening that you can go out and enjoy without any special equipment: a close pairing of Venus and a thin crescent moon just after sunset.[7] According to recent observing guides, Venus will shine brightly beside the young crescent in the western sky, creating an eye-catching contrast between the steady planet light and the softly lit lunar disk.[7] This kind of conjunction is short-lived; within a day or two the Moon will have moved on in its orbit, and the exact geometry that brings these two objects into the same part of the sky will be gone.[7] Events like tonight’s Venus–moon pairing are especially good for people who are new to stargazing because they are easy to find: simply look toward the western horizon shortly after the sun goes down, and the two should stand out clearly if your skies are clear.[7] They also make great subjects for wide-field photography, where you can place the bright duo against silhouettes of buildings, trees, or mountains for a dramatic composition.[7] While we often focus on distant galaxies or exotic physics on this show, this is a reminder that some of the most pleasing astronomical sights are right there in the evening sky, waiting for anyone willing to step outside and take a look.[7]

Blue Snowball nebula observing highlight

If you have access to a small telescope and want to go a little deeper than bright planets and the Moon, tonight also offers a chance to track down a compact and colorful planetary nebula known as the Blue Snowball, or NGC 7662, in the constellation Andromeda.[12] Observing guides suggest that at low magnification the Blue Snowball can look deceptively like an ordinary star, but once you increase the power beyond roughly 150 times, its slightly ring-like structure and distinct cyan coloration begin to stand out.[12] The object is a planetary nebula, meaning it is a shell of gas thrown off by a dying star, now illuminated from within by the hot, dense remnant at its center.[12] Unlike some sprawling nebulae that require large telescopes and dark skies, NGC 7662 is compact enough that it remains relatively bright and manageable for many amateur setups, making it a good target for observers who are ready to go beyond star clusters and galaxies.[12] It resides near the constellations Andromeda and Pegasus, so spending time learning those patterns will make it easier to star-hop to the nebula’s position.[12] For listeners who enjoy a small challenge, the Blue Snowball offers a satisfying payoff: a tiny, colored knot of light that carries the story of a star in its final stages, all visible within a modest eyepiece.[12]

ESA FLEX and Sentinel-3C launch

Our final story today looks ahead to an important Earth-observing mission that is nearing launch: the European Space Agency’s plan to send the FLEX satellite and the Sentinel-3C satellite into orbit together aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.[13] The launch is scheduled around the night of September 14th local time, corresponding to early morning hours on September 15th in Central European Time, with a carefully choreographed sequence that places Sentinel-3C above FLEX inside the rocket’s fairing.[13] After liftoff, Sentinel-3C will be released first into its orbit, followed by FLEX, which has been tucked inside a specialized adapter designed to carry multiple payloads.[13] FLEX, short for Fluorescence Explorer, is built to measure faint glow from vegetation, a signal linked to the efficiency of photosynthesis, which in turn is tied to how plants move carbon between themselves and the atmosphere and how they interact with water.[18] Sentinel-3C will join the Copernicus program’s existing Sentinel-3 satellites that monitor sea surface temperatures, ocean color, and land conditions, providing ongoing data about Earth’s climate and environment.[13][18] Flying FLEX in tandem with a Sentinel-3 satellite will allow scientists to combine detailed plant-health measurements with broader views of land and ocean conditions, offering a more complete picture of how ecosystems respond to climate change and human activity.[13][18] For a show about space, it is fitting to end with a mission that turns its instruments back on our own world, using space technology to track the health of the planet that makes all of our observations possible.[13][18]

That brings us to the end of today’s edition of The Automated Daily, space news edition. We began with a new supernova catalog that could refine our understanding of dark energy and the expansion history of the universe, then moved through a striking comet image, a Venus–moon rendezvous you can enjoy tonight, a colorful planetary nebula for telescope users, and an upcoming ESA launch that will help track Earth’s climate and plant health from orbit.[2][3][7][12][13][18] If any of these stories caught your interest, I would encourage you to follow up with the original articles and observing guides, or simply step outside after sunset and see what the sky looks like where you are.[2][3][7][12] I’m TrendTeller, and this has been your space news briefing for September 13th, 2026. Thank you for listening, and if you enjoy having the latest developments from the cosmos distilled into a few minutes each day, consider sharing this show with someone else who likes to look up. Until next time, keep your curiosity pointed skyward.

Supernova catalog challenges dark energy & Tonight's Venus and crescent moon - Space News (Sep 13, 2026)

Our Sponsors

Today's Space News Topics