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Amazing 'Cold Supermoon' photos
Comet 3I/Atlas: 4 things to know
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WATCH LIVE: Ariane 6 rocket launching 2 Galileo navigation satellites

An Arianespace Ariane 6 rocket is scheduled to launch two of Europe's Galileo navigation satellites from French Guiana on Wednesday (Dec. 17) at 12:01 a.m. EST (0501 GMT). Watch it live here and read our preview story.

Vol VA266 | Galileo L14 | Ariane 6 | Arianespace - YouTube

Vol VA266 | Galileo L14 | Ariane 6 | Arianespace - YouTube

Latest News

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

Stefanie Waldek published 16 December 25

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

A grayscale image shows a close up of the sun and shows a solar wind changing direction, curving to the left of the image

NASA's Parker Solar Probe captures solar wind doing a 'U-turn'

Sharmila Kuthunur published 16 December 25

NASA's Parker Solar Probe captured solar material looping back to the sun, revealing how it recycles magnetic energy and shapes future solar storms.

a female meteorologist in a red dress delivering a weather report

Steven Spielberg finally reveals 1st trailer for new UFO film 'Disclosure Day', and now we're terrified

Jeff Spry published 16 December 25

Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor star in Universal Pictures' eerie alien invasion project coming next summer.

Artist’s illustration of NASA's MAVEN spacecraft, which is investigating how, why and when Mars lost most of its atmosphere.

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is still silent at Mars — and apparently is spinning, too

Mike Wall published 16 December 25

NASA still hasn't heard from its MAVEN Mars orbiter, and the spacecraft appears to be spinning in an odd way as well.

An Arianespace Ariane 6 rocket launches the Sentinel-1D Earth-observation satellite from French Guiana on Nov. 4, 2025.

Stay up late tonight to watch Europe's Ariane 6 rocket launch its 1st pair of Galileo navigation satellites

Josh Dinner published 16 December 25

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

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

Mike Wall published 16 December 25

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.

An illustration of the JWST against a "filament" of dark matter strteching many light-years through space — James Webb Space Telescope could illuminate dark matter in a way scientists didn't realize Smooth filaments stretching for many light-years, seen by the powerful space telescope, could indicate what the right "recipe" is for dark matter.

An Arianespace Ariane 6 rocket launches the Sentinel-1D Earth-observation satellite from French Guiana on Nov. 4, 2025. — Stay up late tonight to watch Europe's Ariane 6 rocket launch its 1st pair of Galileo navigation satellites Europe's Ariane 6 rocket is poised to launch a pair of Galileo satellites just after midnight on Wednesday (Dec. 17), adding to the continent's geopositioning constellation.

Interstellat comet 3I/ATLAS on the right glows white and surrounded by a blue haze. on the left is an image of Earth from space. — Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS makes its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 19: Here's what you need to know The interstellar comet will pass safely by Earth, giving astronomers their best chance to study it up close.

An illustration of a monster star in the early universe — James Webb Space Telescope finds 1st evidence of 'dinosaur-like' stars in the early universe "A bit like dinosaurs on Earth — they were enormous and primitive. And they had short lives, living for just a quarter of a million years."

A meteor is pictured streaking vertically Earthwards through a starry night sky. Snow-tipped mountains line the horizon, while illuminated tents are visible below on a grassy plain. — Geminid meteor shower 2025 thrills skywatchers with an end-of-year celestial firework show (photos) The Geminid meteor shower peaked overnight on Dec. 13.

A white light of the comet 3I/ATLAS is surrounded by a blue glow against a black background — Why interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS' close Earth approach is an early Christmas gift for astronomers When 3I/ATLAS is closest to the Earth on Dec. 19, all the features that we are looking for will be easier to detect with our telescopes.

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

Skywatching

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

Night sky tonight: See the Winter Triangle rise in the east after dark

By Jamie Carter last updated 16 December 25

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

Aurora forecast for Dec. 16: Northern lights confined to high latitudes again tonight

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated 16 December 25

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.

A series of white streaks of meteor showers are seen in a pale blue night sky over some mountain peaks at the bottom of the image

December's overlooked meteor shower peaks next week — will the Ursids surprise us?

By Joe Rao published 14 December 25

December's faint Ursid meteor shower returns under dark skies, offering a small chance of unexpected activity.

Meteors & Meteor Showers

MORE FROM SPACE...

1
Wildfire smoke lofted miles high could have an unexpected effect on Earth's climate
2
NASA's Parker Solar Probe captures solar wind doing a 'U-turn'
3
Steven Spielberg finally reveals 1st trailer for new UFO film 'Disclosure Day', and now we're terrified
4
NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is still silent at Mars — and apparently is spinning, too
5
Stay up late tonight to watch Europe's Ariane 6 rocket launch its 1st pair of Galileo navigation satellites

Spaceflight

a triple-core rocket blasts off under a sunny, partly cloudy blue sky. smoke expands below next to an obscured launch tower, near a long white hanger with SPACEX written on the side. To the left, a bird flies away.

Rocket launch today: Is there a rocket launch and what time?

By Josh Dinner, Tariq Malik last updated 16 December 25

Follow Space.com's rocket launch blog for the latest on when the next rocket launch will be and how to follow it live.

Launches & Spacecraft

Graphic illustration with 'space calendar' in large blue neon letters and 2025 below it in smaller white letters. Below the title are four neon images depicting a meteor or comet, a telescope, a rocket launch and an astronaut's helmet. There is a starry background to the entire image.

Space calendar 2025: Rocket launches, skywatching events, missions & more!

By Space.com last updated 16 December 25

Reference Keep up with all the rocket launches, astronomical events and mission milestones for 2025 with our space calendar.

An artist's illustration of NASA's Explorer 16 satellite, which launched on Dec. 16, 1962 to study the micrometeoroid environment in space.

On this day in space! Dec. 16, 1962: NASA launches 1st meteoroids mission Explorer 16

By Hanneke Weitering, Elizabeth Howell last updated 16 December 25

On Dec. 16, 1962, NASA launched the Explorer 16 spacecraft to study micrometeoroids near Earth.

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 16 December 25

The ash plume disrupted flights as far away as India.

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 16 December 25

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

Science & Astronomy

an illustration shows PSR J2322-2650b, a strange lemon-shaped exoplanet orbiting a pulsar

James Webb Space Telescope discovers a lemon-shaped exoplanet unlike anything seen before: 'What the heck is this?'

By Robert Lea published 16 December 25

"This was an absolute surprise. It's extremely different from what we expected."

A bright star twinkles in a deep blue night sky

Could the Star of Bethlehem have actually been a comet?

By Keith Cooper published 16 December 25

The direction, distance and motion of the comet through the sky during its closest approach could have made it seem like it was hovering over Bethlehem when Jesus was said to have been born.

Space Photo of the Day

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

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry Published 16 December 25

VIEW MORE IMAGES

Entertainment

a girl in a blue jumpsuit in the wastelands

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

By Jeff Spry published 16 December 25

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

Space Movies & Shows

Fallout games ranked, worst to best

By Fran Ruiz published 15 December 25

With the Fallout TV show venturing back out into the Wasteland, what better time to rank every Fallout game from worst to best?

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 8 December 25

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 28 November 25

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 24 November 25

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

Search for Life

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 15 December 25

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

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 14 December 25

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?

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 12 December 25

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.

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