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an illustration depicting a landscape under the night sky on the left and the daytime sky on the right

March equinox 2023 brings spring to the Northern Hemisphere with a not-so-equal timing twist

By Joe Rao published

On March 20 at 5:24 p.m. EDT (2:24 p.m. PDT) the spring (or vernal) equinox occurs as the sun's rays shine directly down on the equator.

This map shows the paths of the annular "ring of fire" solar eclipse of Oct. 14, 2023 and the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse.

This epic NASA map shows where to see US solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024 (photos)

By Robert Lea published

A new NASA eclipse map shows where and when the annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023, and the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, will be visible.

Four side by side images of various moon phase in March along with their dates, the full moon is on March 7, the third quarter on March 14, the new moon on March 21 and the first quarter on March 28

What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023

By Tariq Malik last updated

Reference See the phase of the moon tonight and the rest of the moon phases for 2023, and when you can see them.

An illustation showing a twinkling burst of starlight at the center of a turbulent field of crackling orange radiation and glowing black holes.

The early universe was crammed with stars 10,000 times the size of our sun, new study suggests

By Paul Sutter published

When the universe's first stars emerged from the cosmic dark ages, they ballooned to 10,000 times the mass of Earth's sun, new research suggests.

bright green auroras in the sky above a coastal scene in iceland

Equinox on March 20 means more stunning auroras are coming. Here's why

By Rahul Rao published

Aurora hunters claim that, to look to the night sky in search of these beautiful displays, the dates around the equinoxes are the best.

newton's laws of motion: illustration of a person holding an apple with mathematical equations in front and an illustration of orbits in behind

What are Newton's laws of motion?

By Paul Sutter last updated

Reference Newton's Laws of Motion is one of the reasons that Sir Isaac Newton is often considered the No. 1 scientist of all time.

Tech

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Creality Sonic Pad

Creality Sonic Pad review: A turbo boost for your FDM printer

By Will Zoobkoff published

The Creality Sonic Pad offers plug-and-play firmware modding for compatible 3D printers, giving you faster prints without compromising quality.

Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 SynScan GoTo

Sky-Watcher telescope deals available right now

By Gemma Lavender last updated

DEALS We've found the best Sky-Watcher telescope deals for you.

DEALS

Spaceflight

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Technicians work on NASA's Beacon Explorer-A before its ill-fated launch.

On This Day In Space: March 19, 1964: Ionospheric satellite fails to reach orbit

By Hanneke Weitering last updated

On March 19, 1964, NASA unsuccessfully attempted to launch a satellite called Beacon Explorer-A on a mission to study the ionosphere.

janet kavandi at a podium. behind her is a rail and behind the rail is the nose and part of the hull of the dream chaser spaceship. the spaceship has a black frame and orange covering on the top and is not completed yet. at the very back is a sign that says 'dream chaser: america's spaceplane'

Women's History Month: Retired NASA astronaut Janet Kavandi brings inclusion to Sierra Space missions

By Elizabeth Howell published

Spacewalks and radiation limits were limiting career opportunities for NASA women astronauts. Janet Kavandi pushed back those barriers but says more work is needed.

Science & Astronomy

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Four side by side images of various moon phase in March along with their dates, the full moon is on March 7, the third quarter on March 14, the new moon on March 21 and the first quarter on March 28

What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023

By Tariq Malik last updated

Reference See the phase of the moon tonight and the rest of the moon phases for 2023, and when you can see them.

Reference
newton's laws of motion: illustration of a person holding an apple with mathematical equations in front and an illustration of orbits in behind

What are Newton's laws of motion?

By Paul Sutter last updated

Reference Newton's Laws of Motion is one of the reasons that Sir Isaac Newton is often considered the No. 1 scientist of all time.

Reference

Meet The Team

Search For Life

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an illustration of Jupiter's icy moon Europa. it is an orangeish orb covered in deep cracks

Melting ice cores on frozen worlds could speed up the search for alien life

By Laurence Tognetti published

The Melter-Sublimator for Ice Science (MSIS) instrument offers a unique opportunity to help scientists process ice deposits on other worlds in a much more efficient way.

a colorful cloud of gas in space

Asteroids may have picked up building blocks of life from interstellar clouds

By Keith Cooper published

Scientists have taken a big step towards figuring out where building blocks of life such as amino acids and amines form in space.

The Haughton Impact Crater is similar to Mars in many ways, making it a great place for researchers to test new technology that could one day be used to explore other planets. Here a team of researchers working on the ground are seen from a drone.

Designing a drone that can search for life on other planets

By Nina Lanza published

We have yet to find microbial life on another planet. But with the assistance of autonomous drones, we may be able to find it sooner rather than later.

Skywatching

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an illustration depicting a landscape under the night sky on the left and the daytime sky on the right

March equinox 2023 brings spring to the Northern Hemisphere with a not-so-equal timing twist

By Joe Rao published

On March 20 at 5:24 p.m. EDT (2:24 p.m. PDT) the spring (or vernal) equinox occurs as the sun's rays shine directly down on the equator.

This map shows the paths of the annular "ring of fire" solar eclipse of Oct. 14, 2023 and the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse.

This epic NASA map shows where to see US solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024 (photos)

By Robert Lea published

A new NASA eclipse map shows where and when the annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023, and the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, will be visible.

Image of a full moon with a blue hue for artistic effect. The moon doesn't turn blue during a "Blue Moon".

Blue Moon: What is it and when is the next one?

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference A Blue Moon is a rare occurrence that depends on the timings of full moons during the year. The moon is not blue during a Blue Moon.

Reference

Entertainment

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photograph of several women in the 1870s. the women all wear black dresses. some are sitting at tables. some are standing. maria mitchell is near the middle of the picture beside a long telescope. behind is a building with window shades open

New children's book celebrates pioneering astronomer Maria Mitchell

By Elizabeth Howell published

Pioneering American astronomer Maria Mitchell is the star of a children's book using an ancient language she happened to know: Latin.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 1 warps onto Blu-ray and we've got an exclusive clip

By Jeff Spry published

The smash Paramount+ spinoff series "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" heads to home video and we've got an exclusive clip to share.

The U.S. Postal Service's "OSIRIS-REx Return to Earth" postage stamp celebrates the seven-year NASA mission to bring back rock and soil from the surface of the asteroid Bennu.

NASA asteroid sample return mission to land on U.S. postage stamp

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

The USPS dropped news of a surprise space stamp, revealing it plans to mark the upcoming plunge to Earth by the OSIRIS-REx capsule carrying the largest sample ever collected from an asteroid.

References

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Four side by side images of various moon phase in March along with their dates, the full moon is on March 7, the third quarter on March 14, the new moon on March 21 and the first quarter on March 28

What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023

By Tariq Malik last updated

Reference See the phase of the moon tonight and the rest of the moon phases for 2023, and when you can see them.

Reference
newton's laws of motion: illustration of a person holding an apple with mathematical equations in front and an illustration of orbits in behind

What are Newton's laws of motion?

By Paul Sutter last updated

Reference Newton's Laws of Motion is one of the reasons that Sir Isaac Newton is often considered the No. 1 scientist of all time.

Reference
Image of a full moon with a blue hue for artistic effect. The moon doesn't turn blue during a "Blue Moon".

Blue Moon: What is it and when is the next one?

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference A Blue Moon is a rare occurrence that depends on the timings of full moons during the year. The moon is not blue during a Blue Moon.

Reference