The 2026 lunar calendar begins with a wolf supermoon, a celestial event during which the full moon appears significantly larger and brighter than average due to its proximity to Earth.

The test is designed to prepare satellites for one of the most complex tasks in space: safely approaching another object.

From auroras at 36,000 feet to comet flybys and eclipses, these are the standout images our readers shared with Space.com in 2025.

This year will conclude as the second hottest on record, surpassed only by 2024. It continues a recent trend of exceptional, unexplained warming. The last three years have been, by a wide margin, the hottest ever recorded.

The image offers a rare look at how Earth's surface and atmosphere interact after sunset.

At first glance, it seems like our understanding of physics forbids free will.

Here are the best lunar events to see in 2026, including eclipses, supermoons and conjunctions.

The Arctic endured a year of record heat and shrunken sea ice as the world’s northern latitudes continue a rapid shift to becoming rainier and less ice-bound due to the climate crisis, scientists have reported.

This low-cost mission is still only getting started, and it's taking bigger risks than typical big-ticket NASA missions.

The moon and sun share top billing in 2026. Kicking off the year’s cosmic wonders is the moon, drawing the first astronauts to visit in more than 50 years as well as a caravan of robotic lunar landers including Jeff Bezos’ new supersized Blue Moon. A supermoon looms on Jan. 3 and an astronomical blue moon is on the books for May.

We asked our staff to choose their favorite Space.com stories of 2025. Here's what we got.

Here are eight of the most spectacular astronomical discoveries of 2025.

While space is often referred to as a vacuum, it isn't completely empty.

Searches for dark matter particles have come up empty so far, driving theorists to get more creative with their ideas.

It's the 12 days of Spacemas, fa la la la la la la la la (sorry).

When a piece of debris hits another object in space, it can also create more space debris, adding to the problem.

NASA’s plans to launch astronauts to the moon in early 2026. The Artemis II mission is expected to carry a crew around the moon — though not to the lunar surface.

When Marc and Cristina Easton’s son was diagnosed with autism at 20 months, the Baltimore couple left the doctor’s appointment in confusion. Their toddler - who was very social - didn’t resemble the picture of the condition they thought they knew. And the specialists could offer little clarity about why or what lay ahead. It wasn’t until four years after their child’s diagnosis that the Eastons finally began to get answers that offered them a glimmer of understanding. This summer, a team from Pr

When Marc and Cristina Easton’s son was diagnosed with autism at 20 months, the Baltimore couple left the doctor’s appointment in confusion. Their toddler - who was very social - didn’t resemble the picture of the condition they thought they knew. And the specialists could offer little clarity about why or what lay ahead. It wasn’t until four years after their child’s diagnosis that the Eastons finally began to get answers that offered them a glimmer of understanding. This summer, a team from Pr

Scientists working to solve human evolution’s biggest mystery made a big breakthrough in 2025.

Don't miss the moon cozy up to Saturn on Dec. 26.

New discoveries and fresh looks at familiar worlds show how far exoplanet science has come — and how much remains unknown.

All the NASA engineers and scientists need is a star on top of the telescope in the cleanroom.

The night sky is the Christmas gift that just keeps giving.

They won't be home for Christmas, but astronauts in space are finding their own way to make the season bright.

From Santa’s reindeer and the Hanukkah armadillo to some very festive sea worms, our changing world is changing life for creatures great and small.

Overall, the Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the Earth as a whole.

As a space scientist, I predict that the company will soon have to reckon with a growing problem: space debris.

3I/ATLAS may have moved away from Earth as it makes its way out of the solar system, but this interstellar intruder continues to delight and surprise astronomers.

Understanding what happens to Antarctica’s ice matters, because as it melts, sea levels rise, affecting lives and economies around the world.