Skywatching

On the left, a star-filled view of the Beehive Cluster (Messier 44) with dozens of bright blue-white stars against a black sky. On the right, a thin crescent moon hangs in a pastel gradient sky at dawn or dusk, with shades of pink, purple, and orange

Don't miss Mercury, the moon and the Beehive Cluster align in a special August morning sky show

By Joe Rao published

A rare August morning alignment brings Mercury, a thin crescent moon and the Beehive Cluster together in the predawn sky. Here's how you can see it for yourself.

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

Night sky for tonight: Visible planets, stars and more in this evening's sky

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
A mass of gold and blue stars are pictured shining against the blackness of space.

See a trio of spectacular star clusters brighten the summer sky in August 2025

By Anthony Wood published

The Hyades, Pleiades and Hercules star clusters make for excellent targets in the late summer months.

Stargazing
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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

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

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

Reference
NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission crew teaser with four astronauts in spacesuits.

NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission: Live updates

By Tariq Malik last updated

NASA's Artemis 2 mission is returning astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972. See live mission updates here.

Artemis
a man in a black short sleeve shirt and a blue headband floats inside a space station module cluttered with science equipment

Astronaut trades meditation for starry sky views in orbit | On the International Space Station Aug. 11-15, 2025

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

The members of Expedition 73-"B" settle in and get busy conducting science research on board the International Space Station.

International Space Station
An abundant harvest produced in the EDEN ISS greenhouse that tests technologies for growing food in space.

Was it cooked in space? A space food-themed quiz!

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry published

In this quiz, you’ll explore the weird, wonderful, and sometimes surprising world of space cuisine. Can you tell which foods have actually made it to orbit?

Human Spaceflight
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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
A gray image showing the fault lines, craters, and pockmarks on the surface of Mercury

How Much Has Mercury Shrunk?

By Sarah Stanley published

Mercury is still shrinking as it cools in the aftermath of its formation; new research narrows down estimates of just how much it has contracted.

Mercury
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Space Photo of the Day

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Entertainment

Every original 'Star Trek' character who has appeared in 'Strange New Worlds'

By Richard Edwards published

Going boldly where someone has gone before! The "Star Trek" prequel series is overflowing with characters who debuted in the 1960s.

Space Movies & Shows
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 172 — Earth on Mars

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 172 — Earth on Mars

By Space.com Staff published

On Episode 172 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and guest host Rick Jenet are joined by Erika Alden DeBenedictis to discuss how terraforming Mars might work.

Space Movies & Shows
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What's Up In Space Today

Search For Life

a total solar eclipse seen against a black sky

On this day in space! Aug. 18, 1868: Total Solar Eclipse Leads to Discovery of Helium

By Hanneke Weitering last updated

On Aug. 17, 1877, French astronomer Pierre Jules César Janssen discovered helium.

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

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
a cube-shaped spacecraft with two long wing-like solar panels in orbit above earth

NASA wants new spacecraft to reach 'difficult-to-reach orbits' around Earth and in deep space

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA has awarded $1.4 million to six companies, to further their ideas about how to get vehicles farther into space cheaply and efficiently.

Technology
a radar dish is illuminated red against a starry night sky

US Space Force's new deep space radar tracks multiple satellites 22,000 miles away in key test

By Brett Tingley published

The U.S. Space Force's powerful new military radar system designed to detect and track objects in distant orbits above Earth has passed an initial key test.

Technology
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