Skywatching

Peak Design 25L Outdoor Backpack review

By Kimberley Lane published

Review The Peak Design 25L Outdoor Backpack provides versatility and quality for a variety of outdoor uses.

Review
The moon is pictured shining in the night sky with a bright point of light representing Jupiter to its upper left. A stone statue of a military figure atop an ornate column is positioned to the right of the shot, appearing to face the solar system pair.

See the moon glow next to mighty Jupiter in the winter sky tonight

By Anthony Wood published

The moon greets Jupiter two days ahead of its full moon phase on Feb. 1.

Stargazing

Is a MacBook or Windows laptop better for astrophotography?

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published

Both Windows and MacBooks have advantages for astrophotography, but the choice will depend on your power level and budget.

Skywatching Kit
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Spaceflight

a woman in a suit points at a map on a table next to a globe

Gladys West, GPS pioneer and one of NASA's famed 'Hidden Figures,' dies at 95

By Elizabeth Howell published

West's work on modeling the Earth's shape assisted with the development of GPS, today used by an estimated 4 billion people.

Space Exploration
a small rocket carrying six people in a capsule lifts off, set against the rising sun

Chinese space tourism startup eyes 2028 for 1st crewed mission, signs celebrity for future flight

By Andrew Jones published

InterstellOr is already taking bookings for its planned suborbital flights and says it has attracted its first celebrity passenger, highlighting China's growing commercial space ambitions.

Human Spaceflight
An artist's concept of NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory in space.

From a new flagship space telescope to lunar exploration, global cooperation – and competition – will make 2026 an exciting year for space

By Grant Tremblay published

Coming from one of the world's largest astrophysical research institutes, I can tell you, the anticipation across the global space science community is electric.

Space Exploration
four humans in white helmets

NASA's Artemis 2 mission to the moon puts Crew-12 SpaceX launch in delicate dance

By Josh Dinner published

SpaceX launch date of Crew-12 astronauts to the International Space Station will depend on the outcome of the Artemis 2 wet dress rehearsal and launch attempts.

Human Spaceflight
An orange rocket with a white top next to a launch tower.

NASA delays critical Artemis 2 rocket fueling test due to below-freezing temperatures, launch no earlier than Feb. 8

By Josh Dinner published

NASA has been forced to delay a critical fueling test for its Artemis 2 moon rocket due to unusually cold weather forecasted to hit the Space Coast this weekend.

Artemis
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Science & Astronomy

A black and white crossword puzzle sits underneath a blue and white coffee cup with the Space.com black and white logo in the bottom left corner.

Space.com headlines crossword quiz for week of Jan. 26, 2026: Which planet may have a July meteor shower?

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry published

Test your space smarts with our weekly crossword challenge, crafted from Space.com's biggest headlines.

Astronomy
An illustration shows a quark racing through thye primordial soup or quark-gluon plasma that filled the early universe, creating a wave

Large Hadron Collider reveals 'primordial soup' of the early universe was surprisingly soupy

By Robert Lea published

Waiter, there's a quark in my soup!

Particle Physics
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Space Photo of the Day

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Entertainment

From 'Asteroids' to 'Star Citizen': A brief history of space dogfighting games

By Alan Bradley published

How space dogfighting games evolved from vector lines to virtual cockpits.

Space Games
a slice of a science fiction book cover

Living spaceships, plague planets, and a quote from Josef Mengele: 'The Sixth Nik' is NYT bestselling author Daniel Kraus' 1st sci-fi novel, and it's really weird

By Jeff Spry published

Read an excerpt of this deep-space mystery from the prolific writer of 'Whalefall' and 'Angel Down.'

Space Books
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What's Up In Space Today

Search For Life

The Goldilocks zone, or habitable zone, is the sweet spot around a star where we might find planets like our own.

Goodbye Goldilocks: Scientists may have to look beyond habitable zones to find alien life

By Victoria Corless published

Scientists may need to broaden their horizons in their search for alien life.

Search for Life
A peptide chain forms on an icy grain of dust between stars

Proteins before planets: How space ice may have created the 1st building blocks of life

By Victoria Corless published

"We used to think that only very simple molecules could be created in these clouds. But we have shown that this is clearly not the case."

Search for Life
Two black and yellow bees sit opposite each other on a purple flower with tall stringy petals with a green background behind them.

Can we use bees as a model of intelligent alien life to develop interstellar communication?

By Andrew Greentree, Adrian Dyer, Scarlett Howard published

We frequently question whether we are alone in the universe.

Search for Life
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Technology

a white jet on a tarmac

NASA research jet makes fiery 'wheels-up landing' after experiencing mechanical issue (video)

By Brett Tingley published

One of NASA's high-altitude WB-57 research jet made a fiery wheels-up landing on Tuesday (Jan. 27) after a mechanical issue prevented it from lowering its landing gear.

Aerospace
A large gray plane rolls on a runway with a man wearing army fatigues waving it forward

NASA gets new F-15 fighter jet to chase its X-59 'quiet' supersonic aircraft

By Julian Dossett published

What role will F-15 jets play in the future of supersonic flight?

Aerospace
Best stargazing apps: Image shows person holding mobile up to starry night sky

Best stargazing apps 2026: Navigate the night sky with these AR apps and virtual star maps

By Jase Parnell-Brookes last updated

Buying Guide Looking for the best stargazing apps to learn about the night sky? We've rounded up our favorites right here.

Buying Guide
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