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lego rendition of vulcan centaur rocket

Lego fan renders Vulcan Centaur ahead of ULA rocket's debut flight

By Elizabeth Howell published

A Lego fan rendered ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket in brick form to celebrate its expected debut launch in the first quarter of 2023.

An illustration of the night sky on Feb. 1 showing comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) at perigee.

Watch a green comet make its first Earth approach in 50,000 years with this free webcast

By Brett Tingley published

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is making its closest approach to Earth, and you can watch it pass by without even stepping outside, thanks to a free livestream.

A galaxy with a large reservoir of dark matter (purple overlay) in its center.

The universe is slightly hotter than it should be. 'Dark photons' could be to blame.

By Paul Sutter published

Intergalactic gas clouds are slightly hotter than they should be, new research claims, and theoretical particles called 'dark photons' could explain it.

Artist's illustration of Sony's Star Sphere-1 satellite in orbit.

Cubesat that launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will test water-based propulsion

By Andrew Jones published

A Japanese propulsion company developing water-based thrusters is set to test its system on a Sony nanosatellite launched earlier in January.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) at night over winter mountains

Green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be closest to Earth on Feb. 1. Here's how to see it.

By Robert Lea published

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) hasn't been this close to Earth in 50,000 years since the last Ice Age and prior to the extinction of the Neanderthals.

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover took this selfie looking down at one of 10 sample tubes deposited at the sample depot it created in an area nicknamed Three Forks. This image was taken by the WATSON camera on the rover’s robotic arm on Jan. 20, 2023, the 684th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

Perseverance Mars rover stashes 10th sample, completing Red Planet depot

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover just dropped its 10th sample tube, completing a backup depot of material for future return to Earth.

Tech

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Artist's illustration of Sony's Star Sphere-1 satellite in orbit.

Cubesat that launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will test water-based propulsion

By Andrew Jones published

A Japanese propulsion company developing water-based thrusters is set to test its system on a Sony nanosatellite launched earlier in January.

artist's impression of rover on the moon's surface with rocks in behind

UAE lunar rover will test 1st artificial intelligence on the moon with Canada

By Elizabeth Howell published

Canadian company Mission Control Space Services has an interplanetary test forthcoming: Proving its artificial intelligence on a moon rover mission.

Spaceflight

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lego rendition of vulcan centaur rocket

Lego fan renders Vulcan Centaur ahead of ULA rocket's debut flight

By Elizabeth Howell published

A Lego fan rendered ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket in brick form to celebrate its expected debut launch in the first quarter of 2023.

Artist's illustration of Sony's Star Sphere-1 satellite in orbit.

Cubesat that launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will test water-based propulsion

By Andrew Jones published

A Japanese propulsion company developing water-based thrusters is set to test its system on a Sony nanosatellite launched earlier in January.

Science & Astronomy

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A galaxy with a large reservoir of dark matter (purple overlay) in its center.

The universe is slightly hotter than it should be. 'Dark photons' could be to blame.

By Paul Sutter published

Intergalactic gas clouds are slightly hotter than they should be, new research claims, and theoretical particles called 'dark photons' could explain it.

George Carruthers, right, and William Conway, left, examine the golden-hued Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph, which would become the first moon-based observatory.

NASA renames space observatory in honor of moon telescope visionary George Carruthers

By Robert Lea published

A forthcoming telescope that will observe Earth from space has been renamed in honor of George R. Carruthers, a visionary scientist who designed and built a telescope placed on the moon.

Meet The Team

Search For Life

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Researcher Queenie Chan holds a sample of the Winchcombe meteorite.

Meteorite that crashed onto UK driveway contains the building blocks of life

By Elizabeth Rayne published

Amino acids, the building blocks of life, have been found in the nearly pristine Winchcombe meteorite.

An artist's illustration of two alien planets around a red sun.

Why hasn't E.T. phoned Earth? Maybe aliens are waiting for the exact right moment.

By Stephanie Pappas published

A new search for alien signals focuses on planetary transits, when exoplanets pass right in front of their suns.

Tissint, a Martian meteorite that landed in Morocco 11 years ago.

Mars meteorite with organic molecules holds clues to chances of ancient life

By Robert Lea published

Scientists have discovered a wealth of organic compounds within a Martian meteorite, which could help researchers discover if Mars could have hosted life.

Skywatching

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An illustration of the night sky on Feb. 1 showing comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) at perigee.

Watch a green comet make its first Earth approach in 50,000 years with this free webcast

By Brett Tingley published

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is making its closest approach to Earth, and you can watch it pass by without even stepping outside, thanks to a free livestream.

Bushnell H20 10x42 Binoculars

We've spotted 50% off the Bushnell H20 10x42 binoculars

By Alexander Cox published

deal Save $65 on the Bushnell H20 10x42 binoculars: an excellent pair of binoculars from a top manufacturer are now half price.

deal
Graphic illustration with "space calendar" in large blue neon letters and 2023 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 2023: Rocket launches, skywatching events, missions & more!

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference Keep up with all the rocket launches, astronomical events and mission milestones for 2023 with our space calendar.

Reference

Entertainment

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lego rendition of vulcan centaur rocket

Lego fan renders Vulcan Centaur ahead of ULA rocket's debut flight

By Elizabeth Howell published

A Lego fan rendered ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket in brick form to celebrate its expected debut launch in the first quarter of 2023.

Image for 'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 trailer offers an emotional farewell to 'The Next Generation'

'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 trailer offers an emotional farewell to 'The Next Generation'

By Scott Snowden published

'Star Trek: Picard' full trailer offers an exciting glimpse into the third and final season of the nostalgia-filled series that brings back the cast of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation.'

This Week In Space Episode 46 title card with many books

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 46 —The best space books ever!

By Space.com Staff last updated

On this episode of This Week in Space, Rod and Tariq hit the books! TWiT's own Jason Snell of SixColors.co helps us tackle the best space non-fiction and fiction books.

References

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polaris dawn crew members in black jumpsuits pose in front of spacex starship hardware

Polaris Dawn: The trailblazing commercial mission of the Polaris Program

By Elizabeth Howell published

Reference Polaris Dawn is the first of three missions of the Polaris Program. The mission will fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and be commanded by Jared Isaacman.

Reference
The SOFIA telescope in the sky.

SOFIA: NASA's prematurely canceled airborne telescope that left a gap behind

By Tereza Pultarova last updated

Reference SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy, was a telescope mounted on a Boeing 747 SP aircraft that studied infrared light, essentially heat, emitted by objects in the universe.

Reference
The Lucy mission will study the Trojan asteroids in a bid to shed light on the formation of the solar system.

Lucy mission: NASA's journey to the Trojan asteroids

By Adam Mann, Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference NASA’s Lucy mission is the first to visit the Trojan asteroids. Lucy will help answer questions about the formation of the solar system.

Reference