The sky
The November 2026 sky: five planets, the Leonids and a supermoon
Five planets at once after midnight, Mars and Jupiter side by side next to Regulus, and the full calendar for the month.
Aster: a daily almanac of sky, science, games and tools
Daily almanacNº 1
Sunday
October 25
Full moon · 100 %Leonids · Nov 17
Today in the almanac: a guide to the November sky, 4 new games and a full moon to look at tonight.
Latest
Recommendation
Arcadópolis: a retro computer full of games that opens in your browser
If you miss afternoons in front of a desktop computer, with windows, icons and games tucked away in folders, Arcadópolis will feel like home.
Space
Farewell to Swift, NASA's hunter of cosmic explosions
The Swift observatory has ended its science mission after its orbit sank low enough that atmospheric drag keeps it from pointing steadily. Built for a two-year mission, it ran for nearly 22, catching more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts and over 1,400 supernovae. Its archive stays open to the public, so the science continues.
Technology
Scentronic: a system that sends smells over the internet
Ohio State University researchers built an electronic nose that recognizes a scent and sends only its data; on the other end, a wristband, necklace or handheld device releases a matching aroma. So far it knows five smells, like coffee and orange, and it's still a lab prototype. It hints at video calls, games or shopping you could smell.
Technology
iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable, goes on sale
Apple launched its first folding phone worldwide at around $2,000, and demand was so strong that delivery dates slipped to late January. Reviewers praised the design and nearly invisible hinge, but noted many apps aren't yet adapted to the screen. It's Apple's big bet to reshape the foldable market.
Today's games
4 challenges that change every midnight. The same for everyone, so you can compare with friends.
Hidden constellation
Stars appear one by one. Guess the constellation in six tries or fewer.
6 triesPlay
Cosmic word
A five-letter space word. Gold tiles are in place; blue ones belong elsewhere.
6 triesPlay
Which planet am I?
Every clue makes it clearer: planets, moons and stars.
5 cluesPlay
Note of the day
Listen to a short melody and guess it note by note.
6 notesPlay
Space
Psyche spacecraft hits the gas toward a metal-rich asteroid
After a speed-boosting swing past Mars, NASA's Psyche probe is now running its electric thrusters almost nonstop. Each push is tiny, about the weight of an AA battery, but it adds up to a cruise speed of over 100,000 mph. Its target is the asteroid Psyche in the main belt, with arrival expected by summer 2029.
Science
Physicists trap a single positron and hold it for months
A Northwestern University team kept one lone positron, the antimatter twin of the electron, inside a trap of electric and magnetic fields chilled to near absolute zero. Using microwaves, they nudged it between energy levels on command. Next they want to compare its magnetism with the electron's; any mismatch would shake up what we know about matter and antimatter.
Science
The crocodile secret: 240 million years of chasing warmth
University College London researchers analyzed more than 7,000 fossils and found that crocodile relatives have always followed warm climates, spreading toward the poles in hot eras and retreating to the tropics in cold ones. That habit, plus their knack for going a long time on little food, helped them ride out the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Music
Roland shrinks the JUPITER-8 and debuts the n/vision
Roland unveiled two Boutique synths: the JUPITER-08, marking 45 years of the classic JUPITER-8, and the n/vision, a brand-new wavetable synth. Both have built-in speakers, run on batteries or USB-C, include a sequencer and effects, and cost $549.99 each. A compact way to put legendary sounds on your desk.
Workshop
Free tools that run in your browser. Your files never leave your device.
Studio
For musicians: tune up and keep time without installing anything.
Music
Fender Studio Pro 8.2 adds MIDI 2.0 and guitar/piano separation
The latest version of Fender's DAW can now pull guitar and piano out of a mix, handy for sampling, MIDI transcription or replacing parts. It also adds MIDI 2.0 support (macOS and Linux for now), a low-latency mode for vocal tuning and multiple marker tracks. It's available to eligible license holders and Studio Pro+ subscribers.
Science
A 518-million-year-old fossil redraws the starfish family tree
Researchers in China described Yujingia, a small bottle-shaped animal with a jelly-like body and feathery tentacles for catching food. It sits close to the common ancestor of starfish and their relatives, suggesting that ancestor fed with tentacles rather than burrowing like a worm. It fills in a blurry chapter of early animal history.
Saturn
The gas giant famous for its rings of ice and rock, sixth planet from the Sun.
Moon
Earth's only natural satellite, which always shows us the same face.
Mars
The red planet: a cold desert world with the tallest volcano in the solar system.
Titan
Saturn's largest moon, with a thick atmosphere and lakes of liquid methane.