Far from shipping lanes, cities, and even most scientific outposts lie the South Sandwich Islands, one of the most remote island chains on Earth. Stretching in a slender arc through the stormy South Atlantic Ocean, these islands sit more than 994 miles (1,600 kilometers) from both South America and Antarctica. In this satellite image, puffs of low-level cloud drift across Vindication and Candlemas…
The biggest black hole breakthroughs of 2025
December 25, 2025
Black holes are arguably the most fascinating entities in the whole realm of science — these are regions in the fabric of spacetime that surround an infinitely dense, infinitesimally small point of mass and exert a gravitational force so strong that not even light can…
After years of making headlines, air vehicles of nameless origin, unknown intent, and seemingly odd capabilities are still being reported within America’s national airspace, allegedly flying over sensitive facilities and interfering with commercial air traffic.
All of…
How 2025 became the year of comet: The rise of interstellar 3I/ATLAS, an icy Lemmon and a cosmic SWAN
December 24, 2025
2025 has seen stargazers look on in awe as a trio of magnificent comets barreled headlong into the inner solar system to survive a close brush with the sun, only to emerge to race back out into the blackness of space, never to be seen again.
Of these comets — the interstellar invader 3I/ATLAS, C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) and C/2025 R2 (SWAN) — not all survived their trial by solar radiation intact…
Best targets to observe between Christmas and New Year 2025
December 24, 2025
There are few better ways to spend the long winter nights than under a crisp, clear December sky — and between Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2025, the Northern Hemisphere night sky will be at its very best. A waxing moon will glide past Saturn, the Pleiades and Jupiter…
Northern lights may be visible in 10 states tonight
December 23, 2025
The northern lights may put on another show across the U.S. tonight as speedy solar wind from an Earth-facing coronal hole is forecast to spark minor (G1) geomagnetic storm conditions, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space…
One of the world’s largest Bitcoin mining facilities is seen leaking heat into the environment in a new image captured from orbit by a heat-seeking satellite that was recently released by the U.K.-based company SatVu.
The image reveals the thermal footprint of a major Bitcoin-mining data center in Rockdale, Texas, which has been widely criticized for its electricity consumption and carbon…
NASA's SPHEREx telescope completes its 1st cosmic map of the entire sky and it's stunning!
December 23, 2025
NASA’s SPHEREx observatory has completed its first map of the entire sky over Earth, and it is incredible.
Beyond its aesthetic value, the map and the rest of the data collected by SPHEREx, which launched in March this year, will help astronomers answer some of the…
Best space stocking stuffers: Budget friendly Christmas gifts for stargazers and astrophotographers
December 17, 2025
Shopping for space enthusiasts isn’t easy, especially if they’ve already got a solid stargazing setup. Maybe they’ve spent thousands of dollars on one of the best telescopes or best cameras for astrophotography, ready to snap Sirius this December 25.
Satellite watches volcano spew ash over Middle East | Space photo of the day for Dec. 16, 2025
December 17, 2025
In late November, Hayli Gubbi erupted explosively, sending a towering plume of ash and volcanic gases high into the atmosphere. The MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured the dramatic scene just four hours after the eruption began. The plume reached roughly 9 miles (15 kilometers) above sea level, drifting northeast across multiple countries and eventually disrupting flights as…
