◆ What The Stars Say Now ◆

The Present

The stars do not pause. The celestial record is being written right now — in the transits, the alignments and the signs most choose to ignore. This is what is unfolding.

Illustration of the cosmic web showing the invisible structure linked to what dark matter may be made of.
The Present · Space Science

What Is Dark Matter Made Of? Everything We Know So Far

Dark matter makes up around 27% of the universe, yet nobody knows what it is made of. Scientists can see its gravitational effects, but the particles behind it remain one of physics' greatest mysteries.

· 6 MIN READ
Planet Nine hypothesis illustration showing a distant icy planet at the far edge of the solar system, surrounded by debris and deep space
The Present · Space Science

Is Planet Nine Real? The Hunt for Our Solar System's Hidden World

Planet Nine is either the most significant undiscovered object in our solar system or a pattern that doesn't exist. Two Caltech astronomers have spent a decade building the case for it. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is now running the survey that should settle it.

· 7 MIN READ
NASA DART spacecraft strikes asteroid Dimorphos in planetary defence test, debris cloud and Earth visible
The Present · Planetary Defence

DART's Planetary Defence Test: What It Proved and What It Didn't

Humanity now knows it can deflect an asteroid. Whether it can do so in time, with enough warning, and with the international cooperation required is a different question entirely.

· 5 MIN READ
Artemis II proved the heat shield could survive re-entry, but the Orion inspection results tell a more complicated story
The Present · Human Spaceflight

What Artemis II Proved, and What It Didn't: The Full Mission Assessment

The heat shield held, the crew splashed down safely, and NASA says Artemis III is on track for 2027. Two weeks on, the post-mission data is telling a more complicated story about a reentry trajectory that had to be redesigned, a valve that needs fixing, and a 2028 landing date that is doing a lot of optimistic work.

· 6 MIN READ
Orion spacecraft Integrity floating in the Pacific Ocean after the Artemis II splashdown
The Present · Human Spaceflight

Artemis II Splashdown: What NASA's Moon Crew Return Looked Like

The heat shield held, the parachutes deployed, and four astronauts are home. Mission Control called it a perfect bullseye. What they did not mention is that getting there required flying hardware several engineers had formally objected to.

· 4 MIN READ
Artemis II crew Orion capsule glowing during atmospheric re-entry on its return from the Moon
The Present · Human Spaceflight

Artemis II Crew: What Happens After You Come Back From the Moon

The Artemis II crew were home within a day of splashdown. What space does to the human mind takes considerably longer to resolve. This is about the psychology of coming back.

· 6 MIN READ
NASA planetary defence warning about undetected city-killer asteroids near Earth
The Present · Planetary Defence

15,000 City-Killer Asteroids Are Still Missing, NASA Says

In February, NASA's acting planetary defence officer told a scientific conference that 15,000 asteroids large enough to destroy a city remain undetected. We have no spacecraft ready to deflect one. She said it keeps her up at night.

· 4 MIN READ
Artemis II eclipse showing the solar corona beyond the Moon during Orion's April 2026 lunar flyby.
The Present · Human Spaceflight

Artemis II Eclipse: The Solar Eclipse Nobody on Earth Could See

On 6th April, four astronauts watched a solar eclipse that nobody on Earth could see. It lasted nearly an hour. The sun vanished behind the moon and the corona blazed into view. Some moments belong entirely to the sky.

· 5 MIN READ
Artemis II lunar flyby 2026, first humans beyond Earth orbit since Apollo 17, Orion spacecraft crew
The Present · Human Spaceflight

Artemis II Mission Explained: The First Crewed Moon Flight Since Apollo

Four astronauts flew around the moon in April 2026. The first humans beyond Earth orbit since 1972, and the first to break the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. Here is what actually happened out there.

· 5 MIN READ