Skywatching

grayscale image showing bright sweeping structures - auroras, shining bright over specks of city lights below.

Satellite spies northern lights over Iceland and Canada | Space photo of the day for Feb. 23, 2026

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Satellite spies stunning auroras from orbit during G1 geomagnetic storm.

Auroras

See the moon dance with the stunning 'Seven Sisters' of the Pleiades tonight — here's where to look

By Anthony Wood published

The moon and Pleiades will glow together on Feb. 23 in a striking skywatching display.

Stargazing
new moon illustration shows a very dimly lit moon against a black background.

New moon calendar 2026: When is the next new moon?

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference Discover what a new moon is and when the next new moon will occur with our new moon 2025 guide.

Reference
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Spaceflight

Two women hold up spongy white materials to the camera, one woman wears glasses and a pink blazer and the other has a gold hoop earring

We ate space mushrooms and survived to tell the tale

By Rebecca Allen, Sara Webb published

They were gourmet, but not from any grocery store you can find on Earth.

International Space Station
a split-screen view of a rocket launch and a first stage landing, both at night

Falcon 9 rocket sets new reuse record on SpaceX's 2nd Starlink launch of the day (video)

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

Two SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets, each carrying Starlink satellites, launched from California and Florida on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. The second booster set a new reuse record.

Launches & Spacecraft
NASA’s Artemis II SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft stand vertical on mobile launcher 1 at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 10, 2026. 

'This is really getting real.' NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket fueling test went so well, astronauts could launch March 6

By Mike Wall published

NASA announced today (Feb. 20) that it’s targeting March 6 for the liftoff of Artemis 2, which will be the first crewed mission to go beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 back in 1972.

Artemis

Scientists successfully mine meteorites on International Space Station — using microbes

By Julian Dossett published

Can we use fungus to mine precious metals from asteroids?

International Space Station
A black rocket stage with white letters stands against a purple sky.

Firefly Aerospace prepares Alpha rocket for 1st launch since explosive mishaps last year

By Josh Dinner published

Firefly Aerospace is gearing up for the seventh liftoff of its Alpha rocket on Feb. 27, after two explosive events in 2025 stalled development of the launch vehicle.

Launches & Spacecraft
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Science & Astronomy

What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2026

By Tariq Malik, Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference See what moon phase it is tonight and find out when you can see the rest of the moon phases for 2026.

Reference
A series of blue and red and green and orange analog clocks all superimposed on each other

Is time a fundamental part of reality? A quiet revolution in physics suggests not

By Florian Neukart published

It feels so obvious that time moves forward that questioning it can seem almost pointless.

Particle Physics
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Space Photo of the Day

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Entertainment

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 198 — A Dragonfly on Titan

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 198 — A Dragonfly on Titan

By Space.com Staff published

On Episode 198 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Principal Investigator Dr. Elizabeth "Zibi" Turtle about the Dragonfly mission and what to expect in the coming years.

Space Movies & Shows
a space ranger toy and a talking cowboy doll

It's toys vs technology in the 1st 'Toy Story 5' trailer, and the toys have an army of Buzz Lightyears

By Jeff Spry published

The lovable old-school Toy Story gang takes on mesmerizing modern digital devices in the first trailer for Pixar's "Toy Story 5."

Space Movies & Shows
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What's Up In Space Today

Search For Life

a man in a blue suit with a yellow tie speaks into a microphone in a richly decorated room

Trump says US government will declassify its UFO files. Will we actually learn anything this time, or is this a distraction?

By Brett Tingley published

President Donald Trump has issued a statement that he will instruct the federal government to begin releasing all of its files related to UFOs.

Search for Life
The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite captured its first view of the entire sunlit side of Earth from one million miles away on July 6, 2015.

Life on Earth is lucky: A rare chemical fluke may have made our planet habitable

By Samantha Mathewson published

Life on Earth may exist thanks to an incredible stroke of luck — a chemical sweet spot that most planets miss during their formation but ours managed to hit.

Search for Life
mechanical arms in front of a reddish, rocky surface

Did the Viking missions discover life on Mars 50 years ago? These scientists think so

By Keith Cooper published

The key to solving the mystery of the Viking results is the discovery of perchlorate on the Martian surface in 2008.

Search for Life
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Technology

Best cheap drones under $500, hand-picked by our drone pilot

By James Abbott published

These are the best drones under $500 that deliver some of the latest drone technology despite their competitive prices.

Drones
DJI Mavic 3 Pro one of the best camera drones in flight.

Best camera drones 2026: Take your aerial photos and videos to the next level

By James Abbott last updated

Buying guide The best camera drones come in various designs, but they all share the best image-capture capabilities.

Buying guide
Hand reaches out for one of the best drones

Best Drones 2026: Take your pick of the very best

By James Abbott last updated

These are the best drones on the market, with camera and flight performance that will impress even the most demanding pilots.

Drones
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