A rare total solar eclipse is taking place on August 12, with the first visuals emerging from Iceland as skywatchers gather to witness the celestial event. The eclipse is passing across Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain and parts of Portugal. Several regions across Europe, North America and Africa are also witnessing a partial eclipse. However, the event will not be visible from India, either as a total or partial eclipse, as the country lies outside the eclipse’s visibility path. The eclipse occurs when the Moon moves directly between the Sun and Earth, briefly blocking sunlight in areas along its path. (PC: HT)

Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station sent Independence Day greetings to India ahead of its 80th Independence Day, holding the Indian tricolour in a video message. They highlighted the decades-old friendship between India and Russia and described space exploration as a key pillar of bilateral cooperation. The message recalled the long history of collaboration between Moscow and New Delhi in space exploration, spanning major milestones from India’s first satellite, Aryabhata, to the upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. The gesture underscored the enduring partnership between the two countries in space. The cosmonauts congratulated the people of India while celebrating the longstanding cooperation that has connected the two nations through their shared achievements and ambitions in space.

NASA has invited ISRO to join its Moon Base programme, a major expansion of India-US cooperation in human space exploration. The offer was made during the ninth India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group meeting in Bengaluru on August 5-6, with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor also participating. NASA’s initiative aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually establish a permanent settlement. India joined the US-led Artemis Accords in 2023, becoming the 27th signatory; the alliance now includes 70 countries. The invitation could deepen India’s role in international lunar exploration and strengthen its strategic partnership with the United States in civil space activities.

Indian physicist Professor Deepak Dhar has won the 2026 Dirac Medal for contributions to statistical mechanics and complex systems. The International Centre for Theoretical Physics honour is shared with Bernard Derrida, Marc Mezard and Haim Sompolinsky for advancing equilibrium statistical mechanics and extending it to non-equilibrium systems, optimisation, theoretical neuroscience and AI. Dhar’s sandpile-model research showed how simple interactions can trigger complex, unpredictable behaviour, with applications to earthquakes, traffic jams and financial-market fluctuations. Born in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Dhar studied at Allahabad University and IIT Kanpur before joining Caltech on a Richard Feynman fellowship. He worked as Feynman’s teaching assistant, earned his PhD in 1978, then returned to India joining TIFR. (PC: The Economic Times)

Up to 20 bottles of Guinness dating to 1864 have been discovered in the wreck of the Mindora, around five kilometres off Dover. Belgian underwater photographer Stefan Panis found the bottles in the ship’s cargo, preserved in constant high pressure and complete darkness after the vessel sank following a collision on November 27, 1864, while travelling from London to Vancouver. Samples have been sent to microbiologists at KU Leuven University in Belgium for DNA analysis. Researchers hope they can recover enough DNA to recreate the original 1860s Guinness recipe. Panis, who has dived for over 40 years, initially recovered one bottle and believes more cases could remain. Guinness’s archive team is assessing the discovery. (PC: X/@thefreeledger)

Ravi Tamta, a young innovator from Almora, Uttarakhand, has successfully test-flown a prototype of an electric flying vehicle. Called HAPIDA SKYNeX, the vehicle was developed through Tamta’s startup, Hapida Sky Private Limited. Unlike many experimental flying vehicles, it does not use aviation fuel or ethanol. It runs fully on electricity and produces zero tailpipe emissions. Tamta aims to make personal air travel safe, affordable and sustainable in India. The technology could help connect remote Himalayan areas and support disaster relief. It could also boost tourism. However, the vehicle still needs more tests and regulatory approvals before commercial use.

A discarded second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has crashed into the Moon, creating a new crater near the Einstein Crater. The 4-tonne rocket stage, launched in early 2025, struck the lunar surface at about 8,700 km/h after its orbit was gradually altered by the gravitational pull of the Sun, Earth and Moon. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea's Danuri spacecraft will study the impact site to better understand crater formation and lunar dust. The collision is only the second known case of accidental rocket debris striking the Moon. 

A part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is believed to have crashed into the Moon after drifting through space for months. The 4,000kg upper stage separated from the rocket after launch as planned but later entered an unintended path toward the lunar surface. Scientists are expected to confirm the impact using ground-based telescopes, as no live images of the event are available. NASA said the crash poses no risk to Earth and will provide valuable data to improve tracking of objects in space. Experts also say the incident highlights growing concerns about space debris and its effect on future space missions. (PC: BBC)

China has completed and tested the world's largest 582-tonne superconducting fusion magnet, marking a major milestone in its artificial Sun programme. Developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the giant magnet will generate powerful magnetic fields to contain superheated plasma inside a fusion reactor. The breakthrough supports China's goal of producing electricity from nuclear fusion by around 2030. Researchers said the technology was developed entirely with domestic expertise and materials. While major engineering challenges remain before commercial fusion becomes a reality, the achievement strengthens China's position in the global race to develop virtually limitless, carbon-free clean energy. (PC: India Today)

Skyroot Aerospace co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana has become a symbol of India's growing private space sector after Vikram-I became the country's first privately developed rocket to reach space. Chandana, who once scored 51 marks in mathematics, later cracked the IIT entrance exam, joined IIT Kharagpur and worked at ISRO on the GSLV Mk III programme. In 2018, he co-founded Skyroot Aerospace with fellow former ISRO engineer Naga Bharath Daka. Today, the Hyderabad-based startup is leading India's private space revolution, proving that curiosity, determination and innovation matter more than early academic setbacks. (PC: X)