Skywatching

Why March is the best month to see the northern lights

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference Here we explain why March is one of the best months of the year to see the northern lights — and how the spring equinox boosts aurora activity.

Reference

Aurora forecast March 13-15 — Northern lights could put on a show this weekend as fast solar winds arrive

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

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

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

Night sky for tonight and the weekend (March 13-15): A stellar lynx and a delicate moon

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
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Spaceflight

The ice giant Uranus is pictured shining against the blackness of space. Its blue surface is marked by lighter clouds and an equatorial band, while a large pale cloud hovers over its polar region.

On this day in space: March 13, 1781: Uranus is discovered!

By Hanneke Weitering last updated

On March 13, 1781, Sir William Herschel discovered Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun.

Space Exploration
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo craft is pictured installed to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port as the International Space Station orbited 262 miles (422 kilometers) above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Africa.

ISS astronauts take out the space trash | Space photo of the day for March 12, 2026

By Brett Tingley published

A photo captures Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL freighter being jettisoned away from the International Space Station carrying thousands of pounds of garbage, headed for a fiery demise.

Launches & Spacecraft
a space probe with two solar arrays

NASA project leader blames next-generation X-ray telescope cancellation on agency mismanagement

By Josh Dinner published

NASA is canceling the AXIS X-ray space telescope mission concept, saying it failed to meet key requirements. But the project leader thinks there's another reason.

Missions
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo craft is pictured installed to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port as the International Space Station orbited 262 miles (422 kilometers) above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Africa.

Northrop Grumman's 1st 'Cygnus XL' cargo spacecraft departs the space station

By Mike Wall last updated

Northrop Grumman's first "Cygnus XL" cargo ship departed the International Space Station Thursday morning (March 12), and is scheduled to deorbit and burn up in Earth's atmosphere this weekend.

International Space Station
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. 

Will Artemis 2 launch toward the moon next month? Watch NASA's mission update today

By Mike Wall published

NASA will give an update about its Artemis 2 moon launch plans today (March 12), and you can watch it live.

Artemis
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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 man in a blue suit behind a microphone in a wood paneled room

US lawmakers call for a permanent moon base. Will it ever happen?

By Leonard David published

The impetus for establishing a "Lunar Surface Moon Base" is that America is in a space race with China.

The moon
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Space Photo of the Day

SpaceX's Ship 39 looks cool as it undergoes cryosystem checks on Sunday March 8

SpaceX's Ship 39 is so cool in Starship V3 test | Space photo of the day for March 9, 2026

By Robert Lea published

SpaceX engineers tested Ship 39's propellant system, leading to some stunning images.

Space Exploration
An image of RCW 36 in which the Milky Way nebula appears like a vast cosmic bird of prey

Cosmic Hawk spreads its wings| Space photo of the day for March 6, 2026

By Robert Lea published

The Milky Way nebula RCW 36 resembles a stunning cosmic bird of prey in an incredible Very Large Telescope image.

Galaxies
an impressive red spiral structure with a bright point of light at the very center.

Spectacular spiral galaxy revealed by James Webb Space Telescope | Space photo of the day for March 4, 2026

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

The James Webb Space Telescope captured a stunning spiral galaxy 65 million light-years away, revealing glowing dust clouds and stellar nurseries.

James Webb Space Telescope
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Entertainment

'Rick and Morty' season 9 promises 'No AI slop! Just Grade A organic slop' when it drops on Adult Swim later this year

By Jeff Spry published

Adult Swim's wild animated sensation is back for more sci-fi insanity in May.

Space Movies & Shows

Why Holly Hunter's Nahla Ake already deserves a place at Star Trek's ultimate top table

By Richard Edwards published

'Starfleet Academy''s principal mixes new ideas with inspiration from her famous predecessors

Space Movies & Shows
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What's Up In Space Today

Search For Life

The SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array in Northern California searches for radio signals that could have been generated by intelligent alien life.

Where are all the aliens? Maybe space weather is scrambling their transmissions

By Keith Cooper published

We may be missing alien radio signals because they have become smeared beyond the narrowband detectors that SETI utilizes, a new study suggests.

Search for Life
The average distance between Earth and Marsthe two planets is 140 million miles (225 million km). The distance between the two planets affects how long it would take to travel between the two.

Did Earth life actually begin on Mars? Asteroid impacts could let microbes planet-hop, study suggests

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

"Life might actually survive being ejected from one planet and moving to another."

Search for Life
a rust orange yellow sky and landscape features a rocky surface in the foreground, with a large pointed hill beyond.

'War of the Worlds' in reverse? Mars dirt could help fight off a microbial invasion from Earth

By Keith Cooper published

Tests conducted with tardigrades suggest that there is something in Martian dirt that dramatically reduces biological activity.

Search for Life
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Technology

A YACHANCE Night Light Star Projector, with box and remote.

Yachance Night Light star projector review

By Kim Snaith published

The Yachance Night Light star projector is a geared firmly towards children.

Technology

Get the best sub-250g drone, the DJI Mini 5 Pro and save $500

By Chris McMullen published

Deals The DJI Mini 5 Pro is the best sub-250g drone ever made and now $500 off at Amazon; this Fly More Combo bundle packs in extra batteries, an LCD remote and more!

Deals
Artist's illustration of a white inflatable habitat on the moon.

Could NASA use expandable habitats for its Artemis moon bases? These two companies are betting millions

By Josh Dinner published

Voyager Technologies is backing lunar habitat developer Max Space with a new multi-million-dollar investment aimed at accelerating development of expandable modules for future missions to the moon.

Technology
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