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astronauts stand beneath a giant white rocket on the surface of the moon

NASA's Artemis 3 astronaut moon landing unlikely before 2027, GAO report finds

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

NASA's endeavor to return humans to the moon during the Artemis 3 mission will likely be delayed because it is jeopardized by "multiple challenges" and an ambitious schedule.

the top half of a large purple orb raises from the bottom like an eye peering upward, its diameter spanning the bottom of the image, near its top, lighter purple in the shape of an eye, with a red/orange iris and yellow pupil. a small orange/yellow sun hangs above in the center. Illustration shows a massive planet in orbit around a diminutive star.

This 'forbidden' exoplanet is way too massive for its star

By Robert Lea published

"This discovery really drives home the point of just how little we know about the universe. We wouldn’t expect a planet this heavy around such a low-mass star to exist."

Fantastic Planet

The beautifully bizarre animated classic 'Fantastic Planet' turns 50 today

By Jeff Spry published

Director René Laloux's sublime animated sci-fi film "Fantastic Planet" blows out 50 birthday candles

a white rocket blasts off above a plume of fire. the ocean can be seen just behind the rocket

SpaceX launches Irish, South Korean satellites and lands its 250th rocket (video)

By Elizabeth Howell last updated

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the first of five South Korean spy satellites on Dec. 1 before coming down for the company's 250th successful booster recovery.

Two men sitting either side of a desk in an office. Both are wearing grayish-blue jumpsuits. The older man is explaining something to the younger man.

'For All Mankind' season 4 episode 4 review: The shove that shook two worlds

By Richard Edwards published

As tensions between East and West intensify, a workplace dispute and a cover-up in Roscosmos have major ramifications on both Earth and Mars.

two cosmic jellyfish-looking gaseous wisps, one larger than the other in the foreground, have red shining dots along some of their tentacles as they fly through the black of space.

A mysterious river of gas flowing into the Milky Way has stars inside after all

By Tereza Pultarova published

For the first time since its discovery, scientists have found stars within the Magellanic Stream, a mighty river of hydrogen gas emanating from two small galaxies in the outskirts of the Milky Way.

Tech

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Beware of fake Lego brands this Black Friday weekend

If you're buying Lego on Amazon this Black Friday weekend, watch out for cheap imitators

By Kimberley Snaith published

Not every "Lego deal" you'll see is genuine Lego, so be careful what you buy in the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales

We see a satellite image of Hurricane Ida hitting Louisiana.

Google's DeepMind AI can make better weather forecasts than supercomputers

By Ben Turner published

DeepMind's new machine learning algorithm takes less than a minute to make its forecasts and can run on a desktop. But it won't replace traditional forecasts anytime soon.

Earth

Spaceflight

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astronauts stand beneath a giant white rocket on the surface of the moon

NASA's Artemis 3 astronaut moon landing unlikely before 2027, GAO report finds

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

NASA's endeavor to return humans to the moon during the Artemis 3 mission will likely be delayed because it is jeopardized by "multiple challenges" and an ambitious schedule.

Artemis program
A Chinese Long March 3B rocket launches China's first moon rover Yutu (Jade Rabbit) on the Chang'e 3 lunar landing mission from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Dec. 2, 2013 local time (Dec. 1 EST) in this still image from a CCTV broadcast.

On This Day In Space: Dec. 1, 2013: China launches its first lunar rover

By Hanneke Weitering last updated

On Dec. 1, 2013, China launched its first-ever mission to land a rover on the moon.

Science & Astronomy

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moon phases december 2023

What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023

By Tariq Malik last updated

Reference See what moon phase it is tonight and find out when you can see the rest of the moon phases for 2023.

Reference
An image of a huge, swirling blue ring around a newborn star.

Life as we know it may have its roots in an old, cold cosmic cloud

By Keith Cooper published

The discovery is another step along the road to showing that the stuff of life originally came to Earth from space.

Solar System

Meet The Team

Search For Life

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An illustration of the Dragonfly mission soaring over Saturn’s moon Titan

Nuclear-powered Dragonfly mission to Saturn moon Titan delayed until 2028, NASA says

By Robert Lea published

"The Dragonfly team has successfully overcome a number of technical and programmatic challenges in this daring endeavor to gather new science on Titan."

Alien Planets
two planets, one blue (farther), one tannish/green (foreground) float in space. a yellow star hangs in the black distance.

Exoplanet 'haze' makes it harder to identify water on alien worlds. Scientists may have a solution

By Conor Feehly published

Planetary scientists simulate how haze might be obstructing our view of exoplanet's atmospheres, and potentially alien water.

Alien Planets
Rocket lifting off and surrounded by plumes of exhaust

Can a private space mission pierce Venus's clouds?

By Leonard David published

Amid uncertainty over space agencies’ plans for future Venus exploration, enthusiasm for a private-sector mission grows.

Venus

Skywatching

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a large T-shaped space station is seen from above with Earth below it

How to see and track the Tiangong Chinese space station

By Robert Lea published

Reference Since 2021, China's Tiangong space station has orbited Earth, offering amateur astronomers a chance to glimpse it.

Reference
a person looks at the night sky through a telescope

The brightest planets in December's night sky: How to see them (and when)

By Joe Rao last updated

Reference During December, Jupiter dominates the evening sky, while Venus continues to serve as a beacon in the predawn morning sky.

Reference
Pococo galaxy star projector with cyber monday badge

Deal extended: Huge 47% off this Cyber Monday home planetarium deal

By Tantse Walter published

Deals One of the best star projectors, the Pococo galaxy is now 47% off, equalling its best ever price for Cyber Monday.

Deals

Entertainment

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Fantastic Planet

The beautifully bizarre animated classic 'Fantastic Planet' turns 50 today

By Jeff Spry published

Director René Laloux's sublime animated sci-fi film "Fantastic Planet" blows out 50 birthday candles

Space Movies
a woman reaches out a hand to touch a human head made of water

Sci-fi classic 'The Abyss' washes into theaters and home video remastered in 4K

By Jeff Spry published

Director James Cameron's classic underwater sci-fi film "The Abyss" is finally coming to 4K UHD on home video and in theaters this December.

Space Movies
Logo for 'The Acolyte' T.V. show on a plain black background with the 'Star Wars' text logo above it.

Everything we know about 'The Acolyte': Release date, plot, cast & more

By Fran Ruiz published

The upcoming Star Wars series "The Acolyte" will bring the High Republic era to live-action and explore the dark side of the Force. This is what we know so far.

Star Wars

References

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a large T-shaped space station is seen from above with Earth below it

How to see and track the Tiangong Chinese space station

By Robert Lea published

Reference Since 2021, China's Tiangong space station has orbited Earth, offering amateur astronomers a chance to glimpse it.

Reference
moon phases december 2023

What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023

By Tariq Malik last updated

Reference See what moon phase it is tonight and find out when you can see the rest of the moon phases for 2023.

Reference
a person looks at the night sky through a telescope

The brightest planets in December's night sky: How to see them (and when)

By Joe Rao last updated

Reference During December, Jupiter dominates the evening sky, while Venus continues to serve as a beacon in the predawn morning sky.

Reference