A rainbow patchwork quilt shows agriculture from space | Space photo of the day for June 4, 2026

A rainbow blanket of patchwork colors sprawls across South Africa in this new composite image created using data from NASA’s latest Earth-observing mission.

Meteorite found in Sahara desert may be 1st evidence of lost solar system world

A rare meteorite recovered from the Sahara Desert contains evidence of a long-lost moon-size world that existed just a few million years after the solar system formed.

Scientists call for a secure lunar quarantine facility for extraterrestrial samples: ‘The moon may become humanity’s first line of biological defense’

Scientists propose that a moon base could act as an isolated first line of biological defense against extraterrestrial samples that might be harmful to Earth’s biosphere.

The 2026 hurricane season has begun. Will this year be calmer?

Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predict a below-normal number of named storms in the upcoming 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.

A ‘lost planet’ may have given Jupiter and Uranus their moons

New research suggests the moons of Jupiter and Uranus may hint that our planetary neighborhood once had a third ice giant.

Where did Mercury get its water ice? Maybe from a single slow asteroid impact

Mercury may have gotten much of its polar ice within a single Mercurian day following a massive asteroid impact, a new study suggests.

Artemis moon base will cover ‘hundreds of square miles’ with hopping drones and new lunar rovers, NASA says

NASA envisions its moon base covering hundreds of square miles, and hopping scout drones may mark the facility’s perimeter. The agency just awarded $1 billion in contracts to get the ball rolling.

Satellites imaged an underwater volcano erupting — but scientists have no idea what’s actually happening on the seafloor

Satellites captured footage of an underwater volcano eruption in a part of the sea that remains largely a mystery.

Unusual red northern lights over Japan suggest some solar storms are stronger than we thought

Researchers analyzing crimson auroras over Japan found the glowing displays stretched hundreds of miles higher into Earth’s atmosphere than expected, challenging long-held assumptions about the strength of geomagnetic stor…