Don't Panic Sky Candy

… atop a rocket named Don't Panic.

Oh my god she has name……… SHE HAS A NAME!!!!!! https://t.co/tQyFkTDOQM

— MissionControl (@Miss1onControl) November 12, 2026

Related: So Who Wants to Watch the World Change Again on Friday?

But there's a lot going on elsewhere.

It's the final countdown 🎶 We're one step closer to Roman's first images! The observatory is now fully functional and the team is performing their final checks and calibrations before starting science observations. https://t.co/rnLmBsiw5m https://t.co/f8c9yklql7

— Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (@NASARoman) October 22, 2026

Related: The Countdown Begins: China Reveals Timeline for Manned Moon Landing, This Month, Voyager 1 Will Reach a Spectacular Milestone: One Light Day From Earth

Andrew McCarthy is taking good advantage of a recent X application change.

Since apparently we can post up to 20 photos/videos now here are a bunch of mine https://t.co/Sxj4oEVfDD

— Andrew McCarthy (@AJamesMcCarthy) November 12, 2026

At one point when I started this column, I wondered if I'd be able to find enough material. But the sky is really big and has nearly infinite candy.

The sprawling emission nebula IC 417 fills much of this frame shot in Auriga; the small nebula at bottom is NGC 1931, all of these in the region of the big three bright open clusters in the constellation. A great shot by Richard Whitehead — enjoy! https://t.co/AoyTMdGav7

— David Eicher (@deicherstar) November 10, 2026

And it still has a lot of surprises. This object, temporarily called R631, is in an orbit that coincidentally is at the same inclination as the so-called Kreutz sungrazers, including my first comet, Ikeya-Seki. That coincidence struck me as odd, but it was apparently just a coincidence.

I asked my research assistant about it.

They share a similar inclination but are not on the same orbital plane, and their paths and origins are completely different. The matching ~142° inclination is a coincidence; the rest of the orbital elements and the dynamics make any connection to the Kreutz sungrazers clear and unlikely.

Well, that's peculiar! Rubin Observatory found a space rock with a steep, backward orbit opposite to most planets. This object, now called R631, orbits beyond Neptune. Why does R631 have such a strange orbit? Read here: https://t.co/pQLROksUqb 📸 Tony Dunn. https://t.co/76xmOYUGt5

— EarthSky (@earthskyscience) November 8, 2026

Saturn is always nice.

Saturn with moons on Nov 7th Some spells of very good seeing for a time before the fog and low cloud arrived. The shadow of the rings across the globe is now very prominent (and also a helpful focusing aid!) Some faint spokes are visible at the left ansa.) https://t.co/39WnAeSXjC

— Damian Peach🔭🪐 (@peachastro) November 9, 2026

Look homeward, angle.

Can you spot us? That tiny dot beyond the rings of #Saturn is Earth. #Cassini took this view from Saturn’s shadow, with seven moons in the frame. 141 images went into it. 📸 NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI #Astrophotography #Astronomy https://t.co/UY0wZLQN5W

— Stargazing with Waddensky (@waddensky) November 12, 2026

It's been a while since we've had my favorite constellation, the Seven Sisters.

Rick's #Astrophotography APOD: M45, The Pleiades 🌌 Brilliant blue stars like Alcyone, Maia, Electra & Merope blaze against deep space, their electric-blue light scattering off intricate, wispy tendrils of dusty reflection nebula. Captured from Wayne Heights, PA! ✨🔭 https://t.co/MuLC740p8O

— Eyes to the Stars (@Eyes2TheStars) November 8, 2026

I'm going to have a VIP article real soon now about "slopcore" AI music videos (TL;DR I'm in favor of them. But more on that later.) I couldn't resist this one.

Maybe I'm just old, but it made me cry.

Come back next week for more Sky Candy, on Sunday for the Supplement, and be sure to comment, especially about Tetsuo's video.

Oh, and don't forget to get your boarding pass.