The night sky this month, May 2026, will include Eta Aquarid meteors and a Blue Moon. Here are videos and links to websites highlighting the top sights to observe.
** What’s Up: May 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA | NASA JPL
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower brings shooting stars before dawn, the Moon meets brilliant Venus after sunset, and May wraps up with a rare Blue Moon.
Look to the early morning sky around May 5-6 for meteors from Halley’s Comet, though bright moonlight may wash out some of the fainter streaks.
Then on May 18, spot the crescent Moon near Venus low in the western sky just after sunset. May ends with a Full Moon on May 31.
May ends with a Blue Moon, meaning the second full moon in a single calendar month, but it will not actually look blue.
0:00 Intro 0:09 Eta Aquarids 1:25 Moon and Venus conjunction 1:54 Blue Moon 2:35 May Moon phases
Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/whats-up/.
Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal the best things to see in the night sky this month, from the planets and the Moon to the stars, constellations and deep-sky objects.
It’s been quite a while since I posted anything on space inspired art. Here are miscellaneous art items I’ve collected over the past few years.
Art In Space
** SRIC4 #16: “Gallery Space: Art and spaceflight” with Barbara Brownie | Space Renaissance
This video provides a nice overview of art “in space” given by Dr Barbara Brownie, Associate Dean (Education) at the Royal College of Art.
This is the preliminary webinar #16 of the IV SRI World Congress (SRIC4) Abstract: The expansion of the commercial spaceflight sector and democratization of space is creating new opportunities for artists to engage directly with the environment of space. For a new generation of space artists, space presents new physical and philosophic questions. This webinar explores how space artists are redefining their practice through direct engagement with space, using case-studies of work that has been deployed on board the ISS, sub-orbital flights, and zeroG flights. Through these, the webinar will explore how artists are revising traditional art methods and materials through interactions with microgravity; the relationships between artists, astronauts and audiences; and the disciplinary and hierarchy challenges faced by artists operating in the space sector.
An essential Bio: Dr Barbara Brownie is an Associate Dean (Education) at the Royal College of Art. Barbara’s research explores space as a site for art and design, with a particular focus on effects of weightlessness. Her book, Spacewear: Weightlessness and the Final Frontier of Fashion (Bloomsbury, 2019), considers the challenges and opportunities that the commercial space age presents to fashion designers, and how weightlessness necessitates new approaches to clothing and the dressed body. Her most recent book, Art in Orbit (Bloomsbury 2025), explores the relationship between the arts and space sectors, and the spaceworks that demonstrate art’s value in space exploration. In 2026 and 2027 she will be sending writing and artworks to space on three separate flights: one sub-orbital, one orbital, and one lunar. She co-leads the _Space research group at the RCA, a group of artists and researchers operating at the intersection of art and aerospace.
** A finger-tip painting travels aboard a space telescope
Mounted on its hull is the Fingertip Galaxy plaque with the finger marks of over 250 mission scientists and engineers, its goal to convey the spirit of the mission: a dedicated, and often personal, desire to unravel the structure of the universe through capturing images of billions of galaxies that point to the presence of dark matter. An international effort led by ESA, the initiative involves more than 1,700 people (including NASA astrophysicists) sharing their skills and determination to better understand the forces threading through space to almost three quarters back in time to the Big Bang.
The artwork comprises a handmade galaxy painting, surrounded by poetry related to its making, reduced and laser etched on to an aluminium A5-size plate and glued to the craft. Many of the scientists who worked with myself and Tom Kitching, the Euclid science lead, to achieve this effort were excited by the prospect of their marks going into space.
“After Euclid’s lifetime, it will just be floating in space. What if future beings found Euclid? How would they know anything about the humanity of the people?” – Tom Kitching, lead scientist of Euclid’s VIS instrument.
The team behind ESA’s Euclid mission has come together to create something special – a personal and collective galaxy-shaped fingerprint painting that has been attached to the spacecraft ready to launch into space. The collaborative nature of the artwork reflects the collaborative nature of the Euclid project overall; in both cases, people have come together to build something unique.
The Fingertip Galaxy was created by visual artist Lisa Pettibone and Euclid instrument scientist Tom Kitching. Since the very first fingerprint was pressed down in 2019, over 250 scientists and engineers have contributed to the piece of art.
So why a galaxy? Euclid is a galaxy-imaging machine that will observe billions of galaxies out to 10 billion light-years to make a 3D map of the Universe. The mission’s ultimate aim is to explore dark matter and dark energy.
“Although Euclid has always been beautiful in concept and materials, it didn’t really say anything about the people involved and humanity as a whole. We asked ourselves whether we could do something artistic that would speak to people,” says Lisa.
Scientists and engineers involved in Euclid were invited to dip their fingertips in paint and make their mark on a large piece of paper.
“We wanted something authentic, not perfect, and not shaped too much,” continues Lisa. “The result is a piece of art with a wonderful energy to it that captures all the energy of the people involved.”
The artwork was photographed and engraved onto a plaque using lasers at Mullard Space Science Laboratory – the same lasers that are used to etch parts for satellites. The plaque was fixed to Euclid and revealed at a ‘Goodbye Euclid’ event on 1 July 2022, when Euclid left Thales Alenia Space in Turin to head to Cannes for final testing as a complete system.
Euclid’s project scientist René Laureijs suggested adding text to the plaque to explain the thoughts behind it. Continuing the artistic nature of the project, poet Simon Barraclough wrote a dedicated poem, from which a short extract was chosen to be etched on to the plaque in a typewriter font that swirls around the galaxy of fingerprints. This video ends with Simon reading part of Since his poem. Lisa summarises the Fingertip Galaxy:
“It is adding an element of humanity to a dark, vast space, where as far as we can see there is no other intelligent life.”
two new space-themed murals in New York’s Hudson Square neighborhood in Manhattan. The vision of the reimagined NASA Art Program is to inspire and engage the Artemis Generation with community murals and other art projects for the benefit of humanity.
Two murals created by artist Joel Kowsky for NASA. Credits: NASA
— The NASA Art Contest of 2025 had the theme “Our Wonder Changes the World”. The grand prize winning entry was “My Wonders with You” by high school student Dahyun Jung:
Dahyun Jung’s “My Wonders with You” won the grand prize in the 2025 NASA Art Contest. Credits: NASA & Dahyun Jung
[The] program studies innovative, technically credible, advanced projects that could one day “change the possible” in aerospace. To help people understand what these innovations might look like, NIAC has turned to artists and graphic designers in a global contest to create posters to visualize future technologies under development.
The challenge, hosted by contractor yet2 through NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program, was open to artists from around the globe. Guidelines asked artists to consider NASA’s Moon to Mars Architecture development effort, which uses engineering processes to distil NASA’s Moon to Mars Objectives into the systems needed to accomplish them. NASA received 313 submissions from 22 U.S. states and 47 countries.
Here’s a NASA collage of the top entrants:
Collage from NASA displaying the winning entries in the Moon to Mars Architecture Art Challenge. Clockwise, the entries from Jimmy Catanzaro, Jean-Luc Sabourin, Irene Magi, Pavlo Kandyba, Antonella Di Cristofaro, Francesco Simone, Mia Nickell, Lux Bodell, Olivia De Grande, Sophie Duan. Credits: NASA
Tasia Cobbs created the winning entry in the 2025 Mars Society Poster Contest. Credits: Mars Society
— National Space Society (NSS) art contest – NSS has sponsored many art contests over the years. NSS was a co-sponsor of a recent art contest as part of the Goddard100 celebration of the 100th anniversary (March 16, 2026) of the first liquid-fueled rocket flight by Robert H. Goddard. See winning entrants at the Goddard 100 Contests Art Gallery.
The AIR program expands upon the SETI Institute’s mission to explore, understand, and explain the origin, nature, and prevalence of life in the universe. The artworks, performances, and public projects resulting from the AIR collaborations are at the cutting edge of artistic and scientific practice. Our program encompasses various artistic disciplines, including visual arts, literature and spoken word, music, film, dance, and theatre.
Our curatorial direction emphasizes projects that consider the evolution of intelligence, ponder the beginnings of life, and critically reflect on our anthropocentric world view.
Our projects
Our community of artists in residence is at the core of the SETI AIR program. We actively support the development, creation, and exhibition of their projects. We are also actively engaged in project-based collaborations with arts organizations and artist groups. These dynamic partnerships include the SETI x AI residency with Ars Electronica and the Making Contact exhibition at the New Museum in Los Gatos. The Center for Art + Environment at the Nevada Museum of Art houses the SETI AIR archive, which allows us to share the AIR program’s creative outcomes with international researchers, artists, and academics.
Here is an AIR video about Exoplanetary Poetry: AI, Chemistry, and Alien Communication
Our Cosmic Consciousness residency artists daniela brill estrada, Bart Kuipers, and Julie-Michèle Morin, discuss an art-science collaboration that imagines how language might emerge from alien worlds. Hosts: Bettina Forget and Cosmic Consciousness residency advisor Gregory Betts.
Join SETI AIR program Director Bettina Forget for a conversation with Cosmic Consciousness artists in residence daniela brill estrada, Bart Kuipers, and Julie-Michèle Morin, joined by residency advisor Gregory Betts. Together, they will discuss Exoplanetary Poetry, an art-science collaboration that imagines how language might emerge from alien worlds.
Using atmospheric data from real exoplanets, the team trains an artificial intelligence to write poems alongside human collaborators. The resulting texts are translated back into chemistry, forming multisensory installations where reactions generate visual forms, textures, and scent. How can molecules become metaphors? What does it mean to co-author with a nonhuman intelligence shaped by planetary science? And can poetry help us think differently about life beyond Earth?
her space art with SpaceX and more regarding technology as the cathedral of today. Our guest is an award-winning artist with current work ‘exploring the philosophical underpinnings of modern technology and has involved series at SpaceX, Boston Dynamics, and Waymo’.“
** AAA 7 MOONS ART Video – full length, with the Moons Symphony by Amanda Lee Falkenberg
Astronomical and Space Artists of the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA) contributed new and legacy art for the 7 MOONS ART Video. This video compiles a series of short 7 moon videos, and brings an artistic perspective to the inspired music of ’The Moons Symphony’ by composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg.
7 MOONS ART Video holds together stories of astronomical art history, show science as the basis of astronomical art, and places several of our longest standing and esteemed astronomical artists in the same show as some of our newest members from around the world.
The extraordinary 7 MOONS described in art and music include; three moons of the planet Jupiter – Io, Europa and Ganymede; two moons of planet Saturn – Titan and Enceladus; one moon of the planet Uranus – Miranda; and of course, our own Earth Moon. Individual short 7 Moons Art videos are also available for viewing.
** Moon Gallery aims to create the “first permanent museum on the Moon“. The nonprofit Dutch based cultural organization was founded in 2020 by Anna Sitnikova, Elizaveta Glukhova, Bernard Foing, and Charlotte ten Holder. The primary goal is to create an art gallery on the Moon as part of the establishment of the first lunar outpost. This will start with one hundred artworks integrated into a 10 x 10 x 1 grid tray. A preliminary grid went to the ISS in 2022:
The Moon Gallery is an international, collaborative art installation housing the seeds of a future, shared interplanetary culture. In collaboration with Nanoracks, powered by Voyager Space , the test payload of 64 artifacts, each no bigger than one cubic centimeter, is targeting launch aboard the NG-17 Cygnus resupply mission on February 19, 2022. The gallery is represented by artists from Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Africa.
The Moon Gallery ISS Payload is an 8×8 grid displaying 64 art works. It was taken to the Int. Space Station in 2022. Credits: Moon Gallery
What can a book the size of a finger-tip tell us about the Moon and humanity?
Moon Bound, a 1 cm³ miniature book being sent to the Moon this year as part of a science rover, will be presented in Plovdiv, inviting visitors to explore relationships among art, science, and the Moon. The exhibition centers on a single question: How does the Moon see the Earth? Alongside the book, the exhibition features artworks in multiple formats that create an immersive experience blending scientific research with artistic imagination.
Check out the night sky this month, April 2026. A sungrazing comet may become visible and the Lyrid meteor shower will peak on the night of April 21st. Here are videos and links to websites highlighting the top sights to observe.
** What’s Up: April 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA | NASA JPL
Mercury shines at its brightest for the year, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks, and a bright new comet makes an appearance in April’s night sky.
Catch Mercury low in the eastern sky before sunrise on April 3 at its greatest elongation. Then look up late April 21 into the 22nd for the Lyrids, with “shooting stars” radiating near the bright star Vega.
Also this month, Comet C/2025 R3 (Pan-STARRS) may be visible with binoculars or a telescope, especially around April 17, before making its closest approach to Earth on April 27.
Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/whats-up/.
This month’s episode showcases the stars and planets visible on April evenings. We’ll explore full-Moon quirks; spot Venus and Jupiter after sunset; learn about Gemini, the celestial twins; and hunt for meteors toward month’s end. So grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.
** The Night Sky | April 2026 | Sungrazer Comet A1 MAPS | Lyrid Meteor Showers | Late Night Astronomy
A sungrazing comet might be visible right after sunset and a major meteor shower peaks. Let’s take a look at what you can go out to see in the night sky for April of 2026. I’m Michael Martin and this is Late Night Astronomy.
Timestamps: 0:00 Sungrazer Comet MAPS 2:37 Lyrids Meteor Shower 3:40 Ouranos Ad 4:42 The Moon 5:15 The Planets 7:05 Comet R3 Panstarrs 7:45 Deep Sky Challenge
Step outside and explore the wonders of the April 2026 night sky. This month’s Night Sky Notebook highlights the best celestial events—from bright planets and close encounters to meteor showers and moonlit moments—helping you catch the sky at its most beautiful.
** April Sky 2026: Lyrid Meteor Shower and a Comet That Might Surprise | Astro Academy Global
In this video, we take a detailed look at the astronomical events of April 2026. We review the Lyrid meteor shower—one of the highlights of spring—the phases of the Moon and the best windows for deep-sky observation, as well as Mercury’s greatest elongation and several planetary conjunctions in the morning sky.
In addition, we track the evolution of a comet that could surprise us in the coming weeks, evaluating its viewing conditions and photographic potential. Content designed for astronomy and astrophotography enthusiasts looking to plan their sessions carefully and anticipate the month’s most interesting events.
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0:00 Introduction 0:45 Lunar phases 1:30 Planetary events 2:23 Highlights of the month 3:34 Photography tips 4:42 Conclusion and closing remarks
Check out the night sky this month, March 2026. Top events include a lunar eclipse and a Venus-Saturn conjunction. Here are videos and links to websites highlighting the major sights.
** What’s Up: March 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA | NASA JPL
What are some skywatching highlights in March 2026?
A total lunar eclipse blood moon takes centre stage, Venus and Saturn cozy up for a conjunction, and we celebrate the vernal equinox.
0:00 Intro 0:12 Total lunar eclipse 1:22 Venus + Saturn conjunction 1:57 Vernal equinox 2:39 March Moon phases
Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/whats-up/.
Phases of the Moon for March 2026. Credits: NASA JPL
This month’s episode showcases the stars and planets visible on March evenings. First up: March 3rd’s predawn a total lunar eclipse! Then track down three planets after sunset, and savor the easy-to-spot Winter Triangle of bright stars. So grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour!
** The Night Sky | March 2026 | Blood Moon Total Lunar Eclipse | Comet C/2026 A1 MAPS | Late Night Astronomy
A total lunar eclipse turns the Moon blood red and a newly discovered comet might lead to some incredible views in just a few weeks. Let’s take a look at what you can see in the night sky for March of 2026.
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Timestamps: 0:00 Blood Moon Total Lunar Eclipse 2:05 Moon Phases 2:50 Houdini Eyepieces Ad 3:55 The Planets 5:17 Comet A1 MAPS 6:33 Deep Sky Challenge
Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:36 – Nearest Neighbors 01:52 – Total Lunar Eclipse 03:00 – The Leo Triplet 04:04 – Messier 108 04:52 – Coma Star Cluster 05:35 – The Ghost Of Jupiter 06:17 – Conclusion
An Introduction to Satellite Meteorology explores the many ways that NOAA satellites help meteorologists predict the immediate weather and long-term climate behavior to make our lives more enjoyable and safer. Start now by clicking on Introduction to Satellite Meteorology
Satellites and Climate Change begins with a review of the natural and man-made causes of climate change and how its impacts our lives over the short and long terms.
Satellites and Pollution Control examines the root causes of pollution, both natural and man-made. It looks at the effects of pollution on our environment and our health.
Several more courses will be added within the year.
Check out the BuzzSat coloring book, available as a free download.
“Satellites in Space” coloring book, free from AMSAT. Credits: AMSAT
BuzzSat designed the coloring book
… for kids with an interest in satellites and how they play a role in our modern lives.
The book is comprised of twelve 2-page spreads that show how satellites are used and the benefits they provide. Topics include satellites and:
Agriculture Broadcasting Communications Climate Change Pollution Control Fighting Wildfires Preserving Wildlife Space exploration Navigation Meteorology Research on the ISS Search and Rescue
The book also includes a discussion guide for each topic. It is written for parents, group leaders or teachers who want to use the coloring books in their educational activities. But, not to worry – please use these coloring books for just plain fun.
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AMSAT has a deal for joining. The Feb. 22nd issue of the AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletin says:
AMSAT is offering a limited-time promotion for new and renewing members that includes a free digital copy of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites. The promotion is being offered as AMSAT begins the 2026 membership year.
Anyone who joins or renews their AMSAT membership during the promotional period will receive a download link for the latest edition of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites in their membership confirmation email. The guide is designed to help radio amateurs understand the fundamentals of satellite operation and serves as a practical reference for both newcomers and operators returning to the hobby. Additional information about AMSAT membership is available at https://launch.amsat.org.
Cover page for “Getting Started With Amateur Satellites”. Credits: AMSAT
In addition to this limited-time promotion, AMSAT membership includes a subscription to The AMSAT Journal, access to archived issues, discounts on selected items in the AMSAT online store, and opportunities to participate in AMSAT elections, committees, awards programs, and other AMSAT activities and programs. Members may also access archived proceedings from past AMSAT Space Symposiums through the AMSAT member portal.
Beyond these tangible benefits, AMSAT membership supports the development, launch, and operation of amateur radio satellites, along with education and outreach efforts. Joining AMSAT is not just about individual benefits — it is about being part of the community that builds and operates amateur satellites for radio amateurs worldwide. As AMSAT looks ahead to 2026, the promotion helps launch another year of growth and opportunity for amateur radio in space.
