In May, a Russian telescope received a distinct and unusual signal, possibly from the sunlike star, HD 164595, which is known to have at least one planet. Information is now reaching the press. I’m not saying it’s aliens, but It’s the kind of signal that deserves and is receiving further investigation. Stay tuned.

Juno completed its first orbit of Jupiter this weekend, while NASA’s year-long simulation of a Mars mission ended with much learned and no one dead from annoying their close-quarters roommates. In fact, the six participants are confident a Mars mission would succeed, at least in terms of the human factors. It is the longest such experiment since a Russian one that ended in 2011.

Also from Russia, with love if a bit belated: Some video has been posted to Youtube of St. Petersburg’s StarCon, earlier this summer.