Skywatching

A picture of the moon against a black sky with its right side lit by direct sunlight and its left side bathed in shadow. Dark basaltic plains are visible marking the lunar surface, while numerous large craters can be seen sling the line separating night from day.

See the half-lit first quarter moon shine in the grasp of a celestial scorpion tonight

By Anthony Wood published

The moon will appear in the constellation Scorpius at sunset on Aug. 30-31.

Stargazing
An image of a half-lit moon against a dark blue sky, with its right half lit by direct sunlight and its left shrouded in shadow. Dark plains called lunar maria can be seen covering swathes of the lit side and a large cloud dominates the right side of the image.

Don't miss the moon ride close to red supergiant star Antares on Aug. 30

By Anthony Wood published

The half-lit moon will appear close to Antares in the constellation Scorpius later this week.

Stargazing
Photographer holds one of the best cameras for photos and videos in their hands

Best cameras for photos and videos 2025: The top generalist models

By Jase Parnell-Brookes last updated

Buying Guide We have reviewed and ranked all the major cameras of the past several years, these are our top picks for generalist photography, including astrophotography and day-to-day shooting.

Buying Guide
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Spaceflight

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 24 Starlink internet satellites to orbit from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Aug. 30, 2025.

SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites to orbit from California (video)

By Mike Wall published

SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink broadband satellites today (Aug. 30), sending 24 of them up from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Launches & Spacecraft
A zoomed out image of a the Rocket Lab launch complex, with a tall black water tower overlooking several buildings next to a wetland.

Virginia is for (space) lovers: Rocket Lab opens new seaside launch pad for reusable Neutron rocket

By Tariq Malik published

Rocket Lab's new Launch Complex 3 will launch Neutron rockets that can land themselves on land or at sea just like SpaceX rockets.

Private Spaceflight
the view of blue waters and white clouds on Earth from a space station high above the planet

Astronaut puts his mad video game skills to the test | On the International Space Station Aug. 25-29, 2025

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

"This demo brought me right back, blending elements of real-time strategy, RPGs and first-person play into something very real."

International Space Station
33 rocket engines spit fire under a launch stand.

Starship brings the heat in fiery Flight 10 launch video from SpaceX

By Josh Dinner published

SpaceX's Starship nailed its 10th-ever test flight on Aug. 26. Footage from the launch pad that day shows just how much power the giant rocket packs.

Launches & Spacecraft
Reddish-tan sand is seen with a few rocks at the base of a large ripple in a photo taken by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover

Perseverance Mars rover stumbles upon wind-carved 'megaripples' on the Red Planet

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

NASA's Perseverance rover captured a striking new image of massive, wind-carved sand formations known as "megaripples" during its latest exploration stop on the Red Planet.

Mars Rovers
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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
neptune night sky september 2019

Neptune Know-It-All: A Neptune trivia quiz

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry published

In this quiz, you’ll test your knowledge of Neptune's features, moons, and the science that keeps astronomers fascinated.

Neptune
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Space Photo of the Day

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Entertainment

a group of people in dark clothing stand in a dimly-lit room looking up at a holographic floating model of a galaxy

'Foundation' Season 3: What is the strange science of psychohistory in Apple TV+’s sci-fi saga?

By Jeff Spry published

Here's a rundown of Isaac Asimov's mind-numbing field of mathematics that predicts future events.

Entertainment

It's not easy being green (-blooded). The latest 'Strange New Worlds' shows it's harder than you'd think to play a Vulcan

By Richard Edwards published

There's more to being a Vulcan than prosthetic ears and playing it straight.

Space Movies & Shows
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What's Up In Space Today

Search For Life

a chart of printed numbers with a red handwritten "wow!" in the left margin

That mysterious 'Wow! signal' from space? Scientists may finally know where it came from — and it's probably not aliens

By Leonard David published

Scientists studying the famous 'Wow! signal' think they've finally pinpointed a possible origin for the baffling radio transmission detected in 1977.

Search for Life
Three different size circles going from large to small from left to right, with the largest being marbled light green, the middle being a marbled blue-green and the right being a dark blue marbled with water drops.

Is water really a necessary ingredient for life? Aliens may swim in truly exotic pools

By Stefanie Waldek published

A new study finds that liquids other than water might be able to support life on worlds beyond Earth, potentially expanding the envelope of life throughout the cosmos.

Search for Life
The planet-birthing disk around V883 Orionis with frozen complex molecules in its outer region

Is life widespread throughout the cosmos? Complex organic molecules found in planet-birthing disk

By Robert Lea published

Complex organic molecules that could be the precursors to the building blocks of life as we know it have been discovered in a disk of gas and dust swirling around an infant star.

Search for Life
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Technology

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility shortly after touching down on Nov. 12, 2022.

US Space Force's secretive X-37B space plane will test quantum alternative to GPS navigation

By Samuel Lellouch published

The U.S. Space Force's X-37B space plane will test a potential alternative to GPS that makes use of quantum science as a tool for navigation: a quantum inertial sensor.

Technology

NASA and Google test AI medical assistant for astronaut missions to the moon and Mars

By Andrew Jones published

Google and NASA are trialing an AI-powered medical assistant that could help astronauts care for themselves when mission control is out of reach.

Technology

Tiny devices propelled by sunlight could explore a mysterious region of Earth's atmosphere

By Tereza Pultarova published

"Being able to send something out there would enable us to take a lot more precise data than we currently can."

Technology
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