the Solar System

A developer has launched a browser-based, real-time visualization of the solar system that renders roughly 526,000 known asteroids along with every tracked artificial satellite. Users can explore planetary orbits and space traffic live. The project drew quick attention on Hacker News, where commenters are praising its scope and smooth rendering while asking about the underlying orbital data and how positions are calculated.

Science audiences are engaging with a roundup of recent solar system findings, compiling discoveries reported over the past few months. The collection has drawn strong interest, reflecting growing public appetite for space news, from planetary observations to updated insights about objects across our cosmic neighbourhood.

California has officially legalized plug-in balcony solar, becoming a US state to open the market to the technology. The change allows residents, including renters and apartment dwellers, to install small solar panels on balconies and connect them to the grid, a policy already popular in Germany and other parts of Europe where such systems have spread widely. Supporters see it as a low-cost way to expand access to clean energy.

US-based space solar startup Virtus Solis has signed its first power purchase agreement for space-based solar energy with Brae Systems. The deal marks a commercial milestone for a technology that aims to collect solar power in orbit and beam it to Earth, a concept long considered speculative. It signals growing commercial interest in space solar as an energy option.

Tigo Energy announced it has reached 80MW of commercial and industrial solar installations in Czechia and is now launching a residential energy storage system optimized with its GO technology. The company is building on its established commercial footprint in the Czech market to move into the home battery segment, targeting growing residential demand for solar-plus-storage solutions.

Cornell University is highlighting a curated library of images documenting the solar system, drawn from decades of planetary exploration. The collection offers researchers and the public visual records of planets, moons and missions, underlining Cornell's long-standing role in planetary science and space mission imaging.

Impact investor KawiSafi has committed $2 million to solar energy company Orb Energy to support its expansion across East Africa. The funding will help Orb Energy grow its pay-as-you-go solar systems and financing for households and small businesses. Orb Energy already operates in Kenya, making the region a natural focus for the new capital as off-grid solar demand rises.

A celestial alignment at twilight is giving observers a chance to see the waning crescent Moon close to Saturn and its rings in the same field of view. Astronomy enthusiasts are sharing images and noting how such conjunctions illustrate the vast difference in scale between objects in the solar system, from the nearby Moon to Saturn's distant, cratered disk.

California Governor signed SB 868 into law, establishing rules for plug-in solar systems. According to the Solar Rights Alliance, the new law creates a statewide safety standard for plug-in solar, limits system size to 1,200 watts (roughly three to four panels), and introduces new rules allowing easier use of such systems. The measure is seen as a step toward making small-scale balcony-style solar accessible to California residents.