Skywatching

graphic with night sky in large font and silhouettes of people below looking up at the night sky.

Night sky tonight: Catch the mighty hunter Orion shine in the southeast on Dec. 17

By Jamie Carter last updated

Find out what you can see in the night sky for tonight, from planets and stars to dazzling meteor showers.

Stargazing

Aurora forecast for Dec. 17 - Northern lights limited despite fast solar wind

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

The latest aurora forecast for tonight help you make sure you're in the right place at the right time to see the northern lights.

Auroras

Geminid meteor shower 2025 thrills skywatchers with an end-of-year celestial firework show (photos)

By Anthony Wood published

The Geminid meteor shower peaked overnight on Dec. 13.

Meteors & Meteor Showers
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Spaceflight

An Arianespace Ariane 6 rocket launches two Galileo navigation satellites from Kourou, French Guiana on Dec. 17, 2025.

Europe's Ariane 6 rocket launches its 1st pair of Galileo navigation satellites

By Josh Dinner last updated

Europe's Ariane 6 rocket launched a pair of Galileo satellites just after midnight on Wednesday (Dec. 17), adding to the continent's geopositioning constellation.

Launches & Spacecraft
A Japanese H3 rocket launches the Michibiki 6 navigation satellite from Tanegashima Space Center on Feb. 2, 2025.

Launch of Japan's Michibiki 5 navigation satellite scrubbed late in countdown

By Mike Wall published

The planned launch of Japan's Michibiki 5 navigation satellite atop an H3 rocket tonight (Dec. 16) was scrubbed with less than a minute left in the countdown.

Launches & Spacecraft
An image of Earth from space, showing Ethiopia and the Middle East covered with brown and gray streaks of ash

Satellite watches volcano spew ash over Middle East | Space photo of the day for Dec. 16, 2025

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry published

The ash plume disrupted flights as far away as India.

Satellites
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches 27 Amazon Leo internet satellites on Dec. 16, 2025.

Atlas V rocket launches 27 of Amazon's internet satellites to orbit (video)

By Mike Wall last updated

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket sent 27 Amazon Leo internet satellites to low Earth orbit from Florida early Tuesday morning (Dec. 16).

Launches & Spacecraft
seven playing cards depicting mythological characters and animals from the natural world

Ghosts, sharks and Norse mythology: US Space Force unveils new names for satellites and space weapons

By Brett Tingley published

The U.S. Space Force unveiled the new naming scheme that it will use for its spacecraft and space-based weaponry, drawing inspiration from mythology and the natural world.

Launches & Spacecraft
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Science & Astronomy

What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2025

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 2025.

Reference
A wildfire is seen in a forested mountainside, with orange flames among green pine trees and smoke drifting to the top right of the image

Wildfire smoke lofted miles high could have an unexpected effect on Earth's climate

By Stefanie Waldek published

New measurements demonstrate that smoke particles in the upper atmosphere are twice the size of lower-altitude ones.

Earth
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Space Photo of the Day

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Entertainment

a girl in a blue jumpsuit in the wastelands

How to watch 'Fallout' Season 2 online and from anywhere

By Jeff Spry published

Okey Dokey! Prime Video's post-apocalyptic adventure heads for New Vegas starting tonight!

Space Movies & Shows

'Fallout' Season 2 review: A stark warning against letting tech billionaires decide humanity's fate

By Fran Ruiz published

Amazon and Bethesda return to the Wasteland with a second Fallout season that's all about New Vegas and not letting businessmen and fanatics run the world.

Space Movies & Shows
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What's Up In Space Today

Search For Life

A silhouette of a planet is in front of a giant sun with a small planet to the right of the image

Which exoplanet in the TRAPPIST-1 system could be habitable? Scientists are modeling the star to find out

By Samantha Mathewson published

Frequent flares from the nearby star TRAPPIST-1 could offer new clues in the search for habitable planets beyond Earth.

Search for Life
A reddish dusty surface is seen with an orange sun in the background

Beyond the habitable zone: Exoplanet atmospheres are the next clue to finding life on planets orbiting distant stars

By Morgan Underwood published

But being in this sweet spot doesn't automatically mean a planet is hospitable to life.

Search for Life
"Wow!" signal printout. The comment on the side inspired the event's name.

SETI's 'Noah’s Ark' – a space historian explores how the advent of radio astronomy led to the USSR’s search for extraterrestrial life

By Gabriela Radulescu published

An expert dives into the history of radio astronomy and the search for life beyond our Earth.

Search for Life
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Technology

A man wearing a red hoodie and tan pants points to a nearby drone hovering over rippling sand dunes

NASA tests drones in Death Valley | Space photo of the day for Dec. 15, 2025

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry published

To develop more robust next-generation aerial explorers, NASA's Mars Exploration program is turning to drones.

Technology
An illustration showing a data center in space with various white modules of servers

Data centers in space: Will 2027 really be the year AI goes to orbit?

By Domenico Vicinanza published

Assuming Google does manage to launch a prototype in 2027, will it simply be a high-stakes technical experiment – or the dawning of a new era?

Technology
A SpaceX rocket lifts off in the background behind the sign for Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

US Space Force to get 'next level' tech to combat drones near Cape Canaveral launch sites

By Brett Tingley published

The U.S. Space Force is boosting its ability to deter and defeat drones and other uncrewed aerial systems near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Eastern Range.

Aerospace
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