Skywatching

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 man wearing a white and blue striped shirt stands next to a white telescope on a tripod as they both look up into a dark blue night sky where a bright dot is seen.

See Saturn and the moon in a stunning close encounter on Aug. 11

By Joe Rao last updated

Spot Saturn near the moon on Aug. 11! See them with the naked eye and learn what to expect through a telescope.

Stargazing

Northern lights forecasts, alerts, and geomagnetic storm warnings - live updates

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

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

Auroras
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Spaceflight

a meteorite is seen falling to Earth during a bright sunny day over a mountain range and lake.

On Aug. 10, 1972, an Earth-grazing fireball burst through the sky over North America.

By Hanneke Weitering last updated

On this day in space! Aug. 10, 1972: 'Great daylight fireball' zooms over North America

Launches & Spacecraft
a view of Earth as seen from orbit with blue waters and white clouds set against the blackness of space

Astronaut arrives at ISS, longs to be on the moon or Mars | On the International Space Station Aug. 4-8, 2025

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

The four members on SpaceX's Crew-10 mission are Earth-bound after bidding farewell to their Expedition 73 crewmates and departing the International Space Station.

International Space Station
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Endurance undocks from the International Space Station on Aug. 8, 2025, initiating the return to Earth of the Crew-10 astronaut mission.

SpaceX's Crew-10 astronauts undock from ISS, head home to Earth (video)

By Mike Wall last updated

SpaceX's Crew-10 astronauts left the International Space Station on Friday afternoon (Aug. 8) ahead of a planned splashdown on Saturday (Aug. 9).

International Space Station

Satellites watch France's largest wildfire in 75 years burn an area larger than Paris

By Tereza Pultarova published

Satellite images revealed the scope of destruction in the south of France where an area larger than the country's capital Paris has been turned into ashes by a massive wildfire.

Satellites
a reddish-orange landscape dotted with rocks of various sizes. mountains can be seen in background under a blue sky

What would Mars look like under an Earth-like blue sky? NASA's Perseverance rover just showed us

By Brett Tingley published

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover captured a breathtaking panorama of the Red Planet surface depicted in false-color under a blue sky.

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
Lights from the city of Moscow reflect off the clouds above, illuminating the night in a bright glow

Light pollution is encroaching on observatories around the globe – making it harder for astronomers to study the cosmos

By Richard Green published

The rate of human-produced light is increasing in the night sky by as much as 10% per year, making it difficult for astronomers to study the night sky.

Astronomy
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Space Photo of the Day

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Entertainment

The USS Enterprise, one of the most famous spacecraft in science fiction

Are these names of real spacecraft or fictional ones? Test your sci-fi smarts in our quiz!

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry published

Both science fiction and real life have some interesting spacecraft names, sometimes borrowing from each other. This quiz will test to see if you know the difference.

Entertainment
A bearded man with a backpack holds his hand over his mouth making a shush motion

'A Quiet Place Part III' is confirmed for 2027 with John Krasinski back in the director's chair

By Jeff Spry published

Paramount’s hit sci-fi horror franchise returns in 2027 with more ultrasonic alien invaders.

Space Movies & Shows
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What's Up In Space Today

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
This artist’s illustration shows the planet K2-18 b, its host star and an accompanying planet in this system. K2-18 b is now the only super-Earth exoplanet known to host both water and temperatures that could support life.

Nearby super-Earth K2-18 b may be a water-rich ocean planet: 'This has certainly increased the chances of habitability'

By Robert Lea published

The search for life beyond the solar system is heating up. Though biosignatures around super-Earth K2-18b remain unconfirmed, the JWST has found the planet could be a water-rich ocean world.

Search for Life
An exoplanet host with several background stars. The square grid represents individual pixels from NASA’s TESS satellite.

Bad news for alien life? Earth-size planets may be less common than we thought

By Robert Lea published

Up to 200 worlds investigated by NASA's exoplanet-hunting TESS satellite could be bigger than predicted, a finding that could impact our search for alien life.

Search for Life
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Technology

Smithsonian Planetarium Projector

Smithsonian Planetarium star projector review

By Kim Snaith published

This chunky star projector is a good choice for kids thanks to its low price and easy-to-use functions.

Technology
A four legged robot stands on a reddish brownish surface

'Olympus' the 4-legged robot could help astronauts explore Mars someday (video)

By Samantha Mathewson published

A four-legged robot tested under simulated Martian gravity jumps from wall to wall, demonstrating how future missions could navigate terrain too challenging for today's rovers.

Technology
Discovery Galaxy Projector

Discovery Space Projector review

By Kim Snaith published

It’s a disappointing star projector, but the Discovery Space Projector has some nice scientific images of moons and planets.

Technology
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