October 12, 2026: NASA opens a search for a new class of flight directors to lead America’s space missions.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:00 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:14 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
NASA Seeks Flight Directors
NASA is seeking leaders for one of the most esteemed positions on Earth for human spaceflight: flight director in mission control at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. This role is critical to advancing American leadership in space exploration, as NASA paves the way for a sustained human presence on the Moon.
Read more here
I am on a writing hiatus, so I am sharing some recent science/astronomy news while I am away from the keyboard. – JLH
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, November 22: A Rare Mars-Regulus Triple Conjunction: Three Passes in 2026-2027
November 22, 2026: Mars passes Regulus three times in a rare triple conjunction spanning 2026 and 2027. Learn how retrograde motion creates the three encounters. - 2026, November 21: Four Bright Planets Before Sunrise and Saturn Near the Beaver Moon
November 21, 2026: See Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars before sunrise. After sunset, find Saturn near the 91%-illuminated Beaver Moon. - 2026, November 20: Mercury at Greatest Elongation, Venus, Mars, and Saturn
November 20, 2026: Mercury reaches greatest elongation. Find Venus near Spica, Mars near Regulus, Jupiter in Leo, and the 83%-illuminated Beaver Moon near Saturn. - 2026, November 19-21: Waxing Gibbous Moon Passes Saturn
November 19-21, 2026: Watch the waxing gibbous Moon pass Saturn. Follow their changing positions and view Saturn’s slightly tilted rings through a telescope. - 2026, November 18: Celestial Almanac – Bright Planets, Voyager Milestone
November 18, 2026: Find Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, and Mars before sunrise, the moon and Saturn after sunset, and Uranus near the Pleiades. Voyager 1 reaches distance milestone.