Space debris experts say nearly 130 million pieces of orbital junk are zipping around our planet: high-speed leftovers from rocket stage explosions, abandoned satellites, as well as bits and pieces of junk from space hardware deployments. Some of this meandering mess is the result of the deliberate demolition of spacecraft by way of anti-satellite weapons testing.

All this space clutter means increased risk of collisions that generate more debris — better known as the Kessler syndrome. That cascading effect was detailed back in 1978 by NASA scientists, Donald Kessler and Burton Cour-Palais in the seminal space physics paper "Collision frequency of artificial satellites: The creation of a debris belt." 47 years later, the problem has only gotten worse, and as several debris strike incidents this year show, we still have no good way to solve or even slow down the accumulation of orbital debris around our planet.

Debris strike prompts emergency launch

As China's Shenzhou-20 astronauts were preparing to undock from the country's space station on Nov. 5, that crew found that their spacecraft had developed tiny cracks in its viewport window. The cause was tagged to an external impact from space debris, rendering the craft unsuitable for a safe crew return.

This incident called for the first emergency launch mission in China's human spaceflight program; an uncrewed, cargo-loaded Shenzhou-22 spaceship was launched on Nov. 25.

The Shenzhou saga ended well with the Chinese astronauts safely returning to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft. It was the first alternative return procedure activated in the history of China's space station program.

However, the Shenzhou-20 landing delay is not just a procedural footnote. It's a signal about the state of our orbital commons, said Moriba Jah, a space debris expert and professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

"A crew return was postponed because microscopic debris compromised a spacecraft window," Jah told Space.com. "That decision, to delay and substitute vehicles, reflects responsible risk management grounded in incomplete knowledge. It also exposes the deeper issue. That is, our collective inability to maintain continuous, verifiable understanding of what moves through orbit," he said.

Every fragment we leave aloft, said Jah, "adds to a rising tide of uncertainty."

Wanted: data fidelity and transparency

That uncertainty is not merely statistical, it is epistemic, Jah said. "When the rate at which uncertainty grows exceeds the rate at which knowledge is renewed, safety margins erode," advocating the designing of missions, governance frameworks, and information systems that "regenerate knowledge faster than it decays," he said.

A cracked window of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, Jah said, "traces back to gaps in global tracking, attribution, and accountability. Until nations and companies treat data fidelity and transparency as part of safety engineering, similar near-misses will recur."

China's decision to delay the Shenzhou-piloted vessel's re-entry until its engineers were confident in the assessment "was an act of epistemic humility — recognizing what was unknown and adjusting accordingly. Such humility should be codified, not exceptional," he said.

In practice, Jah said that the Shenzhou-20 episode should push the international community toward auditable stewardship, that is, common baselines for orbital situational awareness, interoperable knowledge graphs, and certification programs that recognize missions restoring order rather than adding risk.

"Only by aligning engineering, policy, and information ethics can we prevent 'routine' anomalies from becoming precursors to catastrophe," Jah said. "If we learn the right lesson, this will not be remembered as a lucky escape but as a turning point," he said, adding that "evidence that safety in orbit begins with honesty about what we do and do not know, and with the will to regenerate knowledge faster than we lose it."

Ignoring long-term effects

Darren McKnight is a senior technical fellow of LeoLabs, a group dedicated to space domain awareness.

For McKnight the biggest issues in 2025 were:

• Proliferation of satellite constellations, some responsibly like Starlink, Iridium, and OneWeb and some poorly like China's "Thousand Sails" megaconstellation and its "Guowang" satellite internet payloads, leaving rocket bodies at a high rate and at high altitudes and not working with other constellations to "show your work, share your work, and understand context."
• Abandonment of rocket bodies in orbits that will linger for more than 25 years. The good news is there can be a 30% reduction in debris-generating potential in low Earth orbit by removing the top 10 statistically-most-concerning objects. The bad news, however, is that the global community is leaving rocket bodies at an accelerating rate despite the known negative, long-term effects for doing so.

"Some operators in low Earth orbit are ignoring known long-term effects of behavior for short-term gain," McKnight said, a situation he senses that parallels the early stages of global warming.

"Some will not change behavior until something bad happens." McKnight concluded.

Risks and responsibilities

Raising another voice of concern is the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). This month it released "Safeguarding Space: Environmental Issues, Risks and Responsibilities." That document dubbed a set of space debris woes as "emerging issues."

"The space sector is growing exponentially, with over 12,000 spacecraft deployed in the past decade and many more planned as the world embraces the benefits provided by satellite services. This growth presents significant environmental challenges at all layers of the atmosphere," the document explains.

Specifically flagged by the UNEP are air pollution from launch emissions, spacecraft emissions in the stratosphere, as well as space debris re-entry and the potential to alter Earth's atmospheric chemistry and dynamics with implications for climate change and depleting stratospheric ozone.

The UN group's bottom line?

"A multilateral, interdisciplinary approach is needed to better understand the risks and impacts and how to balance them with the essential daily services and benefits that space activity brings to humanity," the document states.

In September, Govee released two new models to its star projector portfolio, joining the now year-old Govee Star Light Projector (Nebula), which we reviewed earlier this year.

The first, Govee Star Light Projector (Ocean Wave), is only slightly different from the aforementioned model, offering dynamic water-inspired patterns as opposed to Nebula-inspired ones.

The other, which we are reviewing, is the model H609D, a disk-based projector. It projects an 8K ultra-high-definition image from the supplied disks. It still includes a built-in speaker, white noise effects and laser 'stars'. But does it stand up against the stiff competition in the disk-based star-projector world? Let's find out.

Govee Star Light Projector review

Govee Galaxy Light Projector 2 Pro: Design

★★★★

• Nicely designed packaging
• Fairly large footprint
• Quality-looking unit

As with the Govee Star Light Projector (Nebula), the packaging of the Govee is nicely designed and stylish. It is a large rectangular box made from high-quality materials and the unit is packed securely inside with polyethylene foam. It would be wonderful to give or receive as a gift.

Unlike some units we've reviewed, the spelling and grammar are correct (we often find them as a result of poor translations), which can instantly reduce the perceived integrity of the product.

This relatively large projector comes with a separate rubberized stand. The purpose is not entirely clear, except to give the user the freedom to adjust the projection angle from ceiling to wall, although other models have incorporated this functionality into their main stands. It is not a drawback, just an observation.

The unit adopts a modern capsule-style design, moving away from the American football shape seen in previous Govee models. Its interface is straightforward, with the projector lens and lasers positioned on one side and a disk tray with four control buttons on the top. It is a sleek, unobtrusive device that would blend comfortably into most interiors.

The eight supplied disks are packaged in a compact booklet, which we prefer to the individual plastic cases often used for single disks. The book format is far more practical for storing small, thin slides.

Govee Galaxy Light Projector 2 Pro: Performance

★★★★

• Fast smart home connection using "Matter"
• Bright enough for use in dark rooms and on dark walls
• Noisy motor

As with the previous version of the Govee projector, "Matter" connectivity means we were up and running in seconds, unlocking all functionality in the Govee app and linking it to our Google Home account. You can also integrate it with Alexa, which we expect is just as easy a process.

As this is a disk-based projector, there is limited customization in terms of colors and patterns, as it does not offer this functionality. The stars either 'diffuse' or 'gather', head from the outside edge in, or the inside edge out. That said, there are still several 'scene' modes displayed on the app, that tweak things like the rotation speed, the arrangement and movement style of the lasers and add 'white noise'.

The Class 1 lasers are very bright, even in a brightly lit room; however, the disk-based projection requires a dark room, even when it's at full brightness.

The lasers are the most dynamic we have seen. They don't simply rotate in a circle; the different scene selections activate some lasers, turn others off, make some bright and some dull, and some move quickly, while others move slowly. You get the idea. They are more like dancing fireflies than predictable laser dots. This was our favorite thing about the device.

The disk-based projections are attractive, but there is no indication of what each disk is meant to depict. Unless you are already familiar with nebulae or space imagery, you are essentially looking at something pretty without knowing what it represents. Disks from previous models are not compatible with this unit; the new disks use a square format, and we have not yet found anywhere to purchase additional ones.

We also noticed that most of the detail in each projection sits around the outer edge of the disk. A more even distribution would have avoided the effect of a colorful ring with a largely empty centre. Naturally, the further the projector is from the wall or ceiling, the larger that circle becomes. It is also worth mentioning that a few Amazon reviewers report that the disk images fade quickly. We have not used the unit long enough to confirm this ourselves, but it is concerning, given that we still do not know where replacement disks can be sourced.

We were hopeful that the motor noise present in the Govee Nebula we reviewed earlier this year would be addressed. The unit is pleasantly quiet at first, at least until the cooling fan activates. The fan is obviously necessary to prevent overheating, but it is fairly loud and typically switches on after 20–30 minutes of use. On several occasions, we used the projector to fall asleep, only to be woken by the fan's whirr. It is something to keep in mind if you plan to use it as a sleep aid without white noise or music to mask the sound. If you are using the projector while watching a film, gaming or hosting a party, the noise is unlikely to be an issue.

Govee Galaxy Light Projector 2 Pro: Functionality

★★★★

• Smart integration is great
• Requires mains power
• Good Bluetooth Speaker

Although you can use the on-body buttons for basic controls, the Govee app unlocks all of the star projector's advanced features.

Setup through the dedicated Govee app is seamless — no error messages, no frustrating reboots or restarts. It just works.

20 scene modes adjust the speed, brightness, white noise track (if enabled) and laser direction. The variations between modes are subtle, but distinct enough to have standouts — our favorites being Cosmic Waves and Interstellar Travel.

Within the app, you can control the sleep timer and the wake-up timer. The unit is set to turn off automatically after 120 minutes. This is apparently designed to help increase the disks' lifespans. We'd have preferred it to be a little longer, to account for watching alongside long movies or an evening gaming stint, but it's easy enough to turn the unit off and on again to restart the timer.

As well as being able to pair the star projector with another Bluetooth device (like your phone) to play music, it also comes with 50 'white noise' sounds — though 'ambient noise' would be a better description. There is themed music and sound effects, but funnily enough, no actual 'white noise'.

The speaker is good enough for a pleasant listening experience. Lacking large amounts of bass, like most Bluetooth speakers do, but good enough for background music, podcasts, audiobooks and spa music.

This is a mains-powered unit and, unfortunately, isn't rechargeable. In reality, you're likely to find a good spot for your projector and leave it there rather than moving it around too often, so this isn't a deal breaker for us.

Should I buy the Govee Galaxy Light Projector 2 Pro?

This isn't a budget-friendly star projector; in fact, it sits at the pricier end of the spectrum (unless we're talking about the truly expensive ones). At the time of writing, it's currently retailing for $149.99, which we do think is pretty steep, especially when much cheaper models are available and probably do just as good a job. For example, the Orzorz Galaxy Lite disk-based projector is one of the best models we have reviewed for image vividness and brightness; however, it lacks a built-in speaker.

For a good 'lights and patterns' style projector, the Cadrim, which we reviewed earlier this year, is a very affordable option that operates quietly and only takes up a tiny amount of space. It is controlled by a supplied remote control rather than an app, so it's great for keeping children off their screens, too. The Cadrim would be a good option to give as a gift, whereas this Govee model would be better as an indulgent 'me to me' holiday purchase.

If a disk-based projector without a speaker is definitely what you are after, the Sega Toys Homestar Matataki is our top choice for a plug-in device, and the Pococo Galaxy Star Projector is the best rechargeable option. For a disk-based option with a speaker, this is the best we've come across to date.

The four astronauts set to fly around the moon on the Artemis 2 mission participated in the launch day dress rehearsal on Dec. 20 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The test marked a milestone in final preparations for NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen for their journey around our nearest celestial neighbor in early 2026.

The dress rehearsal, also known as a countdown demonstration test, simulated the launch day timeline, including the astronauts suiting up in spacesuits, a walkout and getting in and out of their Orion spacecraft, according to a NASA statement.

The action took place at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at KSC, where Orion and its European Service Module and the gigantic Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are being prepared and tested ahead of rollout and launch.

Artemis 2 is currently slated to launch from KSC no earlier than Feb. 5, 2026. The mission will mark the first time astronauts will journey to the vicinity of the moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

A day before the rehearsal, newly confirmed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman posted on the social media platform X that "Artemis 2 is America's return to the moon, and the start of something much bigger."

The following mission, Artemis 3, will attempt to land astronauts on the surface of the moon. The mission is officially scheduled for 2027, but reports suggest that it will not launch until 2028 at the earliest.

Across cultures and centuries, constellations have been used to explain myths, guide travelers, and inspire dreamers. Each one carries its own symbolism, energy, and mystery, just like people do.

This quiz is designed to connect your quirks, strengths, and hidden sides with the constellation that resonates most with you.

So, are you ready to discover your cosmic twin? Step into the universe, answer a few revealing questions, and let the night sky tell you: What constellation am I?

Try it out below!

As more and more satellites enter orbit, one of the biggest questions becomes: how can these satellites approach and maneuver around each other safely? To answer that question, Luxembourg-based companies LMO and ClearSpace carried out a carefully designed simulation using the European Space Agency's Guidance, Navigation and Control Rendezvous, Approach and Landing Simulator (GRALS).

What is it?

GRALS is part of ESA's Guidance, Navigation and Control Test Facilities and is built to recreate close-proximity operations in space with remarkable realism. The satellite model shown in this image was developed by ClearSpace to replicate the geometry, materials, and visual complexity of real satellites.

Its crinkled gold thermal insulation, metallic structures, and the cup-shaped reflective thruster are not just aesthetic details but critical features that influence how light behaves in space and how cameras perceive an object during a rendezvous.

To ensure reliability, engineers combine computer-generated imagery used to train AI systems with physical testing on increasingly realistic models. Smaller models simulate long-range approaches, while larger, high-fidelity replicas like the one shown are used to test the most delicate, close-range phases of a rendezvous.

Where is it?

This photo was taken at the ESA's technical center, ESTEC, in the Netherlands.

Why is it amazing?

The thousands of satellites orbiting Earth pose growing risks to operational spacecraft and to the long-term sustainability of space activities. Before a spacecraft can refuel, repair, or safely deorbit another satellite, it must be able to see, identify, and approach its target with exceptional accuracy. Vision-Based Navigation systems are key to making this possible. Much like self-driving cars rely on cameras and AI to interpret their surroundings, VBN-equipped spacecraft must interpret light, shadow, reflections, and rapidly changing viewpoints in the harsh environment of space.

Facilities like GRALS play a critical role in bridging the gap between theory and reality. By testing real hardware against realistic satellite models under space-like lighting conditions, engineers can expose weaknesses, validate AI training, and build confidence that autonomous systems will behave safely once deployed in orbit.

Want to learn more?

You can learn more about satellite crowding and space junk.

A key question: Have these various traumas changed NASA dramatically, and potentially permanently?

Battle lines are being drawn and now Congress has to spin up their views as to the space agency's overall stability and, indeed, its future. As for what's ahead, it's all sausage making — political style. The outcome for NASA is literally a to-be-determined matter of time and space.

Corporate/agency history

"Clearly, things have changed," said Henry Hertzfeld, a research professor of space policy and international affairs at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, noting that his observations are from afar, not from within the space agency.

"A lot of very experienced people with a lot of 'corporate/agency history' are now gone from the agency. Some may have retired soon anyway, but that is not an excuse or explanation of the changes," Hertzfeld told Space.com.

Since the whole policy office at NASA was eliminated, said Hertzfeld, many of those people and functions are gone. Whether, for example, economics and other policy offices will be missed or not is arguable, he said.

"But I do think not having them is a significant loss of talent and input into NASA programs and decisions," Hertzfeld said.

Long-term loss

Like many suggest, if Congress doesn't act with funding, the real loss is in the science area.

"There will be fewer new initiatives and many cuts in the work that now won't be done across the board," said Hertzfeld.

"The science part of NASA is relatively small but it is the one true research area that has produced significant learning and information over the years. And, it will be a long-term loss since the agency will likely face more difficulty in hiring and keeping highly trained and skilled scientists," Hertzfeld said. "They will go elsewhere … and elsewhere is not the government."

Investment dollars

Hertzfeld said that one less well understood impact is the rapid funding of various defense and security space efforts.

"We read about the significant increase in private sector investment activity oriented toward space. But what is really happening is that the Department of Defense spending on buying more from companies is the main driver of these investment dollars," said Hertzfeld. "NASA programs and needs are no longer the main stimulus for 'commercial' space activity."

The resulting innovation and products for new space activities, Hertzfeld added, will primarily benefit the security aspects and not so much the civil space programs. "Thus, the aggregate commercial and government space sector will benefit, but quite differently from what we experienced in history," he said.

Heightening concerns

Keith Cowing is founder of the private NASA overseer website, NASA Watch. He is passionate about the space agency's revered history and its future.

"While every NASA field center saw workforce reductions of around 20%, perhaps no center was more drastically affected by budget cuts than NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center," pointed out Cowing.

There was a long term plan in place that would have morphed Goddard over the course of nearly a decade to better adapt it to future NASA needs, Cowing told Space.com. That plan was co-opted by Administration personnel in place at NASA Headquarters, he said, to accelerate and expand Goddard facility closures that will result in half of the center's buildings and laboratories being mothballed, he said.

"These cuts are a standout when compared to changes elsewhere at NASA," Cowing said, "so much so that the House Oversight and House Science, Space and Technology committees sent repeated inquiries to NASA asking for an explanation."

The result is that "NASA has been slow to respond, thus heightening concerns about the overall impact on NASA science programs as presented by the White House in its FY 2026 budget request," Cowing said.

Tremendous challenge

Marcia Smith is founder and editor of the informative SpacePolicyOnline.com

NASA is not "crippled," Smith said, but time will tell the effects of the loss of personnel.

"I certainly don't know the names and positions of all the 4,000 or so people who left, but of the people I personally know, they were the best of the best," Smith advised. "Now, surely, a lot of terrific people are still there, but how they're going to manage to execute whatever programs remain with so many excellent colleagues gone will be a tremendous challenge."

Both what's happening at the NASA Goddard field center and given layoffs of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) talent, "is extremely worrisome to American leadership in space science," said Smith.

Smith observed that it may well be the effect on morale is the most dramatic effect.

"People who have spent their lives keeping America as the world leader in civil space science and technology basically being told their work is valueless and can be erased with the wave of a 'DOGE wand.' That's tough," Smith said.

DOGE stands for the Department of Government Efficiency, a special commission put in place by President Donald Trump, established to slash federal spending.

Years to rebuild

NASA does what no other organization — public or private — can do, said Jack Kiraly, director of government relations for the Planetary Society, a member-funded nonprofit organization based in Pasadena, California that's dedicated to advancing space science and exploration.

"The agency has led the world in the exploration of space, redefining our understanding of the universe, and inspiring countless innovations in science and technology," Kiraly told Space.com.

Kiraly sees the events of 2025 as a profound shock to NASA and the space community.

"The agency will begin the new year with a civil servant workforce smaller than what it had at the dawn of human spaceflight in 1961. Nearly 4,000 scientists, engineers and space professionals have left the agency through pressured resignation and layoffs amid rapid reorganizations and funding uncertainty," said Kiraly.

That action represents a loss of specialized expertise and institutional knowledge that will take years to rebuild, added Kiraly.

Pivotal moment

Beyond the immediate impacts, said Kiraly, the termination of NASA awards valued at more than $315 million and the reduction of future research opportunities have disrupted the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pipeline that trains the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators.

Because NASA's activities involve every state and more than 75% of congressional districts, these effects will be felt nationwide, Kiraly said.

"The damage is real, but it doesn't have to be permanent," Kiraly said. "Congress has, in a bipartisan way, signaled to the White House and the public that they intend to fully fund NASA in 2026, rejecting the worst of the cuts proposed earlier this year."

And given the confirmation of Jared Isaacman to be NASA's Administrator "brings new leadership and momentum at a pivotal moment for the agency," Kiraly concluded.

And while we experience the cosmos first through the human eye, our vision has limits. We can't zoom in on distant nebulas, see the faintest glows, or safely take in the brightest targets — and much of the electromagnetic spectrum is invisible to us entirely.

Thankfully, the Space.com community is packed with talented photographers and observers armed with sophisticated cameras, clever techniques and powerful telescopes capable of revealing the hidden majesty of the cosmos. Read on for a selection of breathtaking images captured by astrophotographers around the world and featured on Space.com throughout 2025.

10 Incredible astrophotography highlights of 2025

1. Plasma twists above the solar surface

Astrophotographer Mark Johnston captured a jaw-droppingly detailed view of hydrogen plasma suspended in the powerful magnetic field above the sun on Oct. 20 from Willow Springs, Arizona, using a TEC160FL refractor telescope fitted with specialized filters.

2. A nebula shark is spied hunting through the depths of space

Ronald Brecher, meanwhile, set his sights further afield, targeting a spectacular deep-space nebula vista in the constellation Cepheus, some 650 light-years from Earth, which happens to resemble a vast cosmic shark swimming through deep space.

3. The moon and sun meet over Stonehenge

This gorgeous composite shot detailing the phases of a partial solar eclipse unfolding above the ancient monument of Stonehenge was captured by award-winning photographer Josh Dury as the moon slid between the sun and Earth on March 29.

4. Comet Lemmon twists in the solar wind

In a year packed full of phenomenal cometary capers, astrophotographer Dan Bartlett captured a staggering image of comet C/2025 A6 (LEMMON) looking its best as it shone in the skies over June Lake, California, on Sept. 26, as its tail twisted in the relentless stream of the solar wind.

5. The northern lights from 36,000 feet

Of course, not all of the best astrophotography subjects exist beyond Earth's atmosphere. Airline pilot Matt Melnyk snapped an impressive view of the northern lights shining in the upper atmosphere from a height of 36,000 feet (11 kilometers), while shepherding a Boeing 787 from London to Calgary during a geomagnetic storm on Nov. 12.

6. A cosmic baboon rages light-years from Earth

Astrophotographer Greg Meyer captured light of a more ancient variety while imaging a nebula 500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Corona Australis, which takes on the shape of a mandrill with glowing blue eyes in long-exposure photography.

7. Perseid meteors race the Milky Way

This stunning composite from Josh Dury shows shooting stars belonging to the annual Perseid meteor shower streaking towards the horizon alongside the glowing band of the Milky Way above the iconic Durdle Door rock formation in Dorset, United Kingdom.

8. An 'Elve' red halo flashes to life over the Italian Alps

Valter Binotto, meanwhile, was able to capture a split-second view of a red ring manifesting over the Italian Alps on Nov. 17. This strange phenomenon, known as an "elve", is a super-rare form of lightning that occurs in the upper atmosphere, which lasts less than a thousandth of a second and can span up to 300 miles (480 km) in diameter, according to NOAA.

9. Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) crosses the Eagle Nebula

Astronomer Daniele Gasparri seized the opportunity to image the glowing green coma and diffuse tail of comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) as it passed in front of the Eagle Nebula in the constellation Serpens, the serpent on the night of Oct. 17. Look to the left of the comet to find the iconic Pillars of Creation — vast collections of dust and gas made famous by the Hubble Space Telescope — nestled beneath a population of stars close to the nebula's glowing core.

10. A blood moon over Egypt

Finally, photographer Osama Fathi captured a beautiful composite scene chronicling the rise of the Sept. 7 "Blood Moon" as it soared into the skies over the chalk formations in Egypt's White Desert, while contending with the shifting light conditions and destabilizing gusts of wind.

Feeling inspired to take the first steps on your own astrophotography journey? Then why not check out our picks of the best cameras and lenses for imaging the night sky to ensure that you're ready for 2026.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

After a comprehensive selection process, Celestis has chosen Stoke Space and its new Nova rocket as the launch provider for its next deep-space Voyager mission named "Infinite Flight," traveling beyond our Earth-moon system and into a permanent heliocentric orbit up to 185 million miles away.

This mission is slated to lift off from Space Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral sometime in late 2026 and represents only the second commercial odyssey of its, the first of which was 2024’s "Enterprise Flight" that carried remains of "Star Trek" luminaries, three former U.S. Presidents, and "2001: A Space Odyssey's" Douglas Trumbull.

"The 'Infinite Flight' continues what began nearly thirty years ago when we promised that remembrance could itself be an act of discovery," said Charles M. Chafer, Celestis Co-Founder and CEO. "Our Voyager missions ensure that every story we carry into space helps extend humanity’s presence across the solar system. To fly aboard Nova, one of the most advanced reusable launch systems ever built, is both a technical and symbolic leap forward."

Stoke Space's Nova is a medium-lift, 100% reusable two-stage rocket built by the Kent, Washington-headquartered aerospace firm founded by former Blue Origin principles, Andy Lapsa and Tom Feldman. It’s schedule to lift off on its first orbital test flight in 2026.

Last month, Charles Chafer revealed news that his company has opened reservations for its pioneering "Mars300" spaceflight that endeavors to send human DNA to orbit around the Red Planet as early as 2030 once a suitable launcher becomes available.

The Houston company has previously utilized the launch services of various aerospace firms using a variety of rockets, including United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan Centaur. This past summer, European spacecraft manufacturer The Exploration Company (TEC) hosted a Celestis Memorial Spaceflight payload employing a Falcon 9 rocket blasting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on SpaceX's Transporter 14 rideshare mission. Unfortunately, TEC's Nyx capsule carrying the remains of 166 people failed to deploy its parachute during reentry over the Pacific Ocean and Celestis' "Earth Rise" cargo capsules were lost.

With mission management services being carried out by Ensemble, Celestis' "Infinite Flight" hopes to launch on its long journey in Q4 2026.

There are still plenty of those around, of course, but as time has gone on, more and more adult-focused Lego Marvel sets have been introduced into the range. Adult-focused sets generally mean expensive sets — and so here we are looking at the 10 most expensive Lego Marvel sets you can get.

Compared to Lego Star Wars, Marvel sets are relatively inexpensive. Of course, there are the outliers — the number one set on this list will set you back $499.99. But with Lego Star Wars sets costing up to $1,000 and a large range of Ultimate Collector's Series sets, it's much more aimed at collectors than Marvel. In this list, there's a good mix of playsets and adult-focused display sets, ranging between $100 and $500.

Some sets on this list are brand new, while others are due to retire very soon, but they're all currently available. If you want more Lego Marvel content, why not take a look at our guide to the best Marvel sets?

10 most expensive Lego Marvel sets you can get

1. Avengers Tower

Here we have it: the most expensive Lego Marvel set currently available. The impressive, meter-tall Avengers Tower costs a staggering $499.99, but at 5201 pieces and 36 inches tall, it's worth every penny for the amount of detail it packs. It's the ultimate set for any Marvel fan, and it’s one we're very proud to have in our collection.

Like The Daily Bugle, Avengers Tower comes with a lot of minifigures: 31 in total here. The most popular Marvel characters all feature here, along with some less common choices. The collection includes Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Ant-Man, Nick Fury, Wong, Hawkeye, Wanda Maximoff and a whole lot more.

But it's the building itself that really sells this set. The glass-fronted Avengers Tower really shines in Lego form, and the careful details included here help bring it to life. It's striking from the outside, but lift away the side of the building and you'll find lots of detail inside, too. There's space for all the minifigures to exist within and around the tower, as well as space to recreate iconic scenes from the Avengers movie franchise. It's a set that will take pride of place on any Lego display — as long as you've got enough space for it.

2. Daily Bugle

One of the first adult-focused Lego Marvel sets to hit the shelves, we'll be sad when the Daily Bugle retires. It's been around for four years now, so if you don't yet own it, we’d recommend picking it up sooner rather than later. This 32-inch-tall skyscraper not only packs in a huge amount of detail, but it also has an epic collection of 25 minifigures. It's a collector's dream, basically.

We won't list each and every minifigure, but there's a fantastic mix of heroes and villains; pretty much everyone you'd expect to find from the Spider-Man universe, with some more left-field choices such as Spider-Ham and lesser-seen minifigures such as Black Cat, Punisher and Blade. They can be placed in and around the Daily Bugle building, with many minifigures designed to be hung on the outside, making it look like it's the site of an epic battle.

The building itself is a joy to behold, though. Some of its windows are made to look like they've been blown out, mid-explosion, and the fronts of each floor can lift away to allow access to the interior. You'll find fully kitted-out offices here, with plenty of neat details to enjoy. Perhaps the highlight, though, is the brick-built Daily Bugle sign that sits atop the building: it's a truly iconic feature.

3. X-Men: The X-Mansion

With the X-Mansion, we're still in serious collector's territory. This 3,093-piece set is packed with stunning detail and a strong suite of minifigures to bring it to life. It's an 18+ set, so it's firmly in display territory, but its modular design with lift-away storeys makes it impossible not to want to play with it.

This is a set absolutely packed with details that fans of X-Men will adore. The Mansion has a fully-furnished interior, where you'll find Professor X's laboratory, Wolverine's bedroom, a medical lab, a classroom, a library and a Danger Room training facility. There are plenty of accessories in each room, too, and space for the 10 included minifigures to exist within the building.

The included minifigures are Wolverine, Professor X, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Gambit, Rogue, Iceman, Bishop and Magneto. There's also a large buildable Sentinel figure. It may be expensive, but we think the Lego Marvel X-Men: X-Mansion offers excellent value, and it's a set you'll be proud to have on display.

4. Guardians of the Galaxy: The Milano

If you like ships and vehicles, the Milano is quite possibly the Lego Marvel set for you. It's not the first version of the iconic Guardians of the Galaxy ship we've had, and it probably won't be the last, but it is the largest and the most detailed. With an age rating of 12+, this sits somewhere between being a playset and a display set. It features a brick-built display stand, though the ship has enough moving parts that those who do want to play with it won't be disappointed.

Guardians fans will love the minifigures included here: Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and a tiny Baby Groot. Made up of 2090 pieces, the ship features plenty of detail too: the top lifts off, providing full access to the interior, where you'll find a chill-out area, a flight deck and a communal area. There's space for the minifigures to exist in these areas, if you want to play with the set.

If not? This is a stunning-looking model, and its stand is sturdy enough to hold it in a flight position. The blue and orange detailing to the exterior make it an eye-catching model, and the adjustable wings and moveable rear boosters add some welcome detail, too.

5. Spider-Man vs. Oscorp

For Lego fans who enjoy cityscapes and building their own Lego City, we think Lego Marvel Spider-Man vs. Oscorp is a great choice, even if it is a little pricey given its size. Despite having almost 500 pieces fewer than the Iron Man Mark 3 set, it will set you back $10 more, making this the most expensive pure playset on this list. If you like dioramas, imaginative play and minifigures, however, it may be worth the asking price.

Spider-Man vs. Oscorp comes with eight minifigures: Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Miles Morales, Eddie Brock, Ghost-Spider, Norman Osborn, Kraven the Hunter and Green Goblin. There's a nice mixture of heroes and villains for kids to play with, and of course, there are plenty of interactive features on the set to facilitate that.

To start with, Miles comes with a motorbike and Green Goblin comes on his glider. The building itself has plenty of neat details too: it features Miles Morales' apartment, the Oscorp building and Venom's apartment, each one filled with relevant details to bring the spaces to life.

6. Iron Man Mark 3 Collectors' Edition

Here's an upcoming set, due to launch on January 1st. A brick-built model of Iron Man Mark 3, it's very much designed to be looked at and admired rather than played with.

Iron Man Mark 3 does have poseable limbs, however. It features a jointed neck, waist, shoulders, wrists and hands, which allows you to recreate numerous iconic Iron Man poses. The legs are the only parts that don't move, but they're positioned to offer optimum stability to the model.

We're quite excited to get our hands on this model, actually: at $129.99, it's a good price point for a display set that offers a great amount of detail without breaking the bank. It's also not too large that it's going to dominate a living space: at 15 inches tall, it's big enough to command attention without taking over.

7. Avengers: Age of Ultron Quinjet

We'd say that Lego Marvel Avengers: Age of Ultron Quinjet is equal parts play and display. Thanks to a brick-built display stand, the model will look fantastic on a shelf. But it can easily be lifted away, swooshed through the air, and opened up to be interacted with. Whether you want smaller hands playing with a $130 set, that's up to you. But Lego gives you the option.

The set comes with five minifigures that Avengers fans will surely love: Black Widow, Iron Man, Quicksilver, Ultimate Ultron and Hawkeye. Black Widow also comes with her iconic motorcycle, and Hawkeye is equipped with a bow and arrow.

The ship itself has plenty of interactive parts. The cockpit opens up, with room for three minifigures inside, and there's a rear door that opens up to allow Black Widow's motorcycle to drive in and out. Oh, and the stand included in the set can be rotated 360 degrees, which is a seriously impressive touch, especially for a set at this price point.

8. Spider-Man Final Battle

While Lego Marvel Spider-Man Final Battle is categorized as a playset, with an age rating of 10+, we think it's more suited to being a display set. The set is essentially a model of the head of the Statue of Liberty covered in scaffolding, with a good selection of minifigures all battling it out around it.

The minifigures here are perhaps the strongest part of the set, and are the reason it carries a $109.99 price tag. It comes with three different versions of Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland), Electro, Doctor Strange, Green Goblin, Ned, MJ and Doc Ock. The set is designed in such a way that minifigures can be positioned to look like they're flying through midair, while others can grab hold of a scaffold or perch on a narrow beam to signify action. It's an effective-looking set that really does benefit from being admired rather than played with.

There are some interactive features, however. Our favorite is that the Sandman's hand can pop out of the top of the model. There's also a flap at the back that reveals a portal, and a soft web that can be used to entangle enemies.

9. Spider-Man vs. Mysterio: The Daily Bugle

Lego Marvel Spider-Man vs. Mysterio: The Daily Bugle is a brand new set, available to pre-order now for a January 2026 release. What's particularly neat is that this is essentially a scaled-down version of the larger, designed-for-adults Daily Bugle set, turned into a playset suitable for kids. Of course, it's nowhere near as detailed as that larger version, but as far as playsets go, it looks rather neat, and comes with a decent range of minifigures (Spider-Man, Miles Morales, Ghost Spider, J. Jonah Jameson, Mysterio, Venomized Captain America and Rhino).

The four-floor skyscraper that forms the Daily Bugle office is open at the back, but each room has been furnished with some nice little details. There's an office space, a newsroom tech suite and a reception area, along with an opening safe and a working lever that changes the billboard on top of the building. Since it's designed for play, there are plenty of accessories that the included minifigures can pick up and interact with, such as a photocopier machine, a skateboard, Captain America's shield, a pizza tray and more.

That's not to say that it won't still look rather nice on display if you've not managed to pick up the larger version of the set. Standing 13 inches tall, it's only a third of the height of the larger, The Daily Bugle set, but it's substantial enough to be eye-catching on a shelf or desktop.

10. Marvel Logo and Minifigures

A brick-built Marvel logo isn't going to be for everyone, but if you have a Lego Marvel display, we think this will make the perfect centerpiece. Not only does it feature an accurate and sizeable recreation of the Marvel logo, but it comes with five minifigures (Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and Black Widow) that literally break out of the model when it's put on display. It's a neat and effective touch that elevates this set from being more than just a logo.

In our Marvel Logo and Minifigures review, we praised the mechanisms that form part of the pop-out system. There's a bit of Technic work involved, which elevates the build somewhat, making it a little more interesting and taxing. It is a little on the expensive side, though, considering what it is. But still, at nearly 1,000 pieces, it doesn't offer bad value for money, even if it's not the most exciting Lego Marvel set there's ever been.

• For more information, read our full review of Lego Marvel Logo and Minifigures.

On Feb. 22, 2020, "Mad" Mike Hughes towed a homemade rocket to the Mojave Desert and launched himself into the sky. His goal? To view the flatness of the Earth from space. This was his third attempt, and tragically it was fatal. Hughes crashed shortly after takeoff and died.

Hughes' nickname – Mad Mike – might strike you as apt. Is it not crazy to risk your life fighting for a theory that was disproven in ancient Greece?

But Hughes' conviction, though striking, is not unique. Across all recorded cultures, people have held strong beliefs that seemed to lack evidence in their favor – one might refer to them as "extraordinary beliefs."

For evolutionary anthropologists like me, the ubiquity of these kinds of beliefs is a puzzle. Human brains evolved to form accurate models of the world. Most of the time, we do a pretty good job. So why do people also often adopt and develop beliefs that lack strong supporting evidence?

In a new review in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, I propose a simple answer. People come to believe in flat Earth, spirits and microchipped vaccines for the same reasons they come to believe in anything else. Their experiences lead them to think those beliefs are true.

Theories of extraordinary belief

Most social scientists have taken a different view on this subject. Supernatural beliefs, conspiracy theories and pseudoscience have struck researchers as totally impervious to contrary evidence. Consequently, they have assumed that experience is not relevant to the formation of those beliefs. Instead, they've focused on two other explanatory factors.

The first common explanation is cognitive biases. Many psychologists argue that humans possess mental shortcuts for reasoning about how the world works. For instance, people are quite prone to seeing intentions and intelligence behind random events. A bias of this kind might explain why people often believe that deities control phenomena such as weather or illness.

The second factor is social dynamics: People adopt certain beliefs not because they’re sure that they’re true but because other people hold those beliefs, or they want to signal something about themselves to others. For example, some conspiracy theorists may adopt strange beliefs because those beliefs come with a community of loyal and supportive co-believers.

Both of these approaches can partly explain how people come to hold extraordinary beliefs. But they discount three ways that experience, in tandem with the other two factors, can shape extraordinary beliefs.

1. Experience as a filter

First, I propose that experience can act as a filter. It determines which extraordinary beliefs can successfully spread throughout a population.

Take the flat Earth theory as an example. We know with absolute certainty that it's false, but it's no more or less wrong than a theory that the Earth is shaped like a cone. So what makes flat Earth so much more successful than this equally incorrect alternative?

The answer is as obvious as it seems – the Earth looks flat when you're standing on it, not cone-shaped. Visual evidence favors one extraordinary belief over the others. Of course, scientific evidence clearly shows that the Earth is round; but it’s not surprising that some people prefer to trust what their eyes are telling them.

2. Experience as a spark

My second argument is that experience acts as a spark for extraordinary beliefs. Strange experiences, such as auditory hallucinations, are difficult to explain and understand. So people do their best to explain them – and in doing so, they come up with beliefs that seem fittingly strange.

For this pathway, sleep paralysis is a good case study. Sleep paralysis happens in the space between sleeping and waking – you feel like you're awake, but you can't move or speak. It’s terrifying and quite common. And interestingly, sufferers usually feel like there's a threatening agent sitting on their chest.

As a scientist, I interpret sleep paralysis as the result of neural confusion. But it’s not difficult to picture how someone without a scientific background – that is, nearly every human being in history – might interpret the experience as evidence of supernatural beings.

3. Experience as a tool

To me, the third potential route to extraordinary beliefs is especially intriguing. In many cases, people don't just develop extraordinary beliefs; they develop immersive practices that make those beliefs feel true.

For instance, imagine that you're a farmer living in the highlands of Lesotho in southern Africa, where I conduct ethnographic fieldwork. You suffer a series of miscarriages, and you want to know why. So you go to a traditional healer – she tells you that you can learn the answer from your ancestors by drinking a hallucinogenic brew. You drink the brew. Soon after, you begin to see spirits; they speak to you and explain your misfortune.

Clearly, an experience like this one might reinforce your belief in the existence of spirits. Such immersive practices – such as prayer, ritualistic dance and the religious use of psychoactive substances – create evidence that makes the associated beliefs feel true.

What's next?

Extraordinary beliefs are not inherently good or bad. In particular, religious beliefs provide meaning, security and a sense of community for billions of people.

But some extraordinary beliefs are sources of serious concern: Misinformation about science and politics is rampant and immensely dangerous. By recognizing how those beliefs are shaped by experience, researchers can find better ways to combat their spread.

Just as importantly, though, my suggested perspective might encourage more compassion and kinship toward people who hold beliefs that seem very different from yours. They are not "mad" or insincere. Like any other human being, they think the evidence is on their side.

The satellites launched into orbit atop a Russian Soyuz rocket as part of a rideshare mission that also launched two Earth-observation satellites for Russia and 47 other satellites for various customers.

"These satellites were designed and produced by Iranian scientists ... despite all the sanctions and threats," Iran's ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali told state TV according to the Reuters wire service. Iran's activities in space have been affected by ongoing sanctions from Western nations over its nuclear program.

According to Iran's IRNA news agency the three new satellites, called Paya, Zafar 2 and Kowsar, are Earth-observation satellites to be used to monitor Iran's agriculture, map natural resources and the environment.

Russia's space agency Roscosmos launched the Iranian satellites alongside two Russian Aist-2T Earth observation satelites and dozens of cubesats aboard a Soyuz 2.1b rocket on a mission that lifted off from the country's Vostochny Cosmodrome in Siberia. Fifty-two satellites were launched in all.

In addition the Aist-2T and Iranian satellites, the Soyuz rocket carried a small satellite for the Sputnix Group based in the United Arab Emirates, as well as cubesats for Russian universities, and a satellite to measure climate change and space weather for the Russian Hydrometeorological Service, according to Russia's TASS news service.

We saw quite a few milestones notched in the final frontier this year, including the first-ever fully successful private moon landing and the official arrival of Blue Origin's New Glenn heavy lifter on the spaceflight scene. But there were a number of failures as well, some of them quite dramatic.

Here's a brief rundown of 12 of 2025's most memorable mishaps. One caveat first, though: There is no shame in being on the following list. Spaceflight is hard, and coming up short sometimes is part of the deal. It took SpaceX four tries to reach orbit for the first time, after all, and look at where the company is today.

12. Indian rocket fails during satellite launch

An Indian PSLV-XL rocket launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on May 17, carrying the EOS-09 Earth-observing radar satellite aloft for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). But EOS-09 didn't make it to its destination: The PSLV-XL suffered an issue with its third stage about six minutes into flight, and the satellite was lost.

11. Firefly Aerospace suffers a 1-2 punch

Texas company Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket lifted off from California on April 29 on its sixth-ever mission, hauling a technology demonstration for Lockheed Martin toward low Earth orbit. Alpha's upper stage got about 200 miles (320 kilometers) up, but it failed to reach orbital velocity due to a problem suffered shortly after stage separation, and the payload was lost.

Firefly diagnosed the problem and began gearing up for Alpha's return to flight. But the company then suffered another setback on Sept. 29: The Flight 7 first-stage booster exploded on the stand during testing. The company traced the problem to a "process error" during integration and aims to launch Flight 7 (with a different first stage) in early 2026.

10. Landspace's Zhuque-2 rocket fails

The Zhuque-2, a two-stage rocket operated by Chinese startup Landspace, failed on its sixth-ever mission, which launched Aug. 14 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The company did not disclose the payloads that were riding on the rocket. It was the second failure for the Zhuque-2, whose engines burn liquid methane and liquid oxygen, like SpaceX's Raptor, which powers the company's Starship megarocket.

9. Galactic Energy's Ceres-1, too

Nearly three months later, another Chinese rocket went up in flames — a Ceres-1, built by Beijing-based Galactic Energy. The Ceres-1 launched Nov. 9 from Jiuquan, carrying two commercial Earth-observing satellites and a third spacecraft manifested by a Chinese university. The rocket's first three stages performed well, according to media reports, but its fourth and final stage suffered an anomaly that doomed the mission.

There may have been another Chinese rocket failure this year as well. A Kuaizhou 1A vehicle — built by the company ExPace, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation — apparently exploded on a pad at Jiuquan before launch on March 1, though reports of its demise remain unconfirmed.

8. Japan's H3 rocket fails during launch of navigation satellite

Japan suffered a failure, too, with just 10 days left in 2025. The country's H3 rocket experienced a problem with its second stage on Dec. 21, during the launch of the Michibiki 5 navigation satellite. The rocket did not deliver Michibiki 5 to the proper orbit, and officials with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) declared the satellite lost.

7. The 1st orbital launch from European soil crashes and burns

On March 30, the German company Isar Aerospace launched its Spectrum rocket from Andøya Spaceport in Norway. It was the first liftoff for Spectrum and the first-ever orbital flight from European soil, but it didn't last very long: The rocket suffered an anomaly 18 seconds into flight, crashed back to Earth and exploded, generating a blazing orange fireball in a gorgeous wintry landscape.

Isar is bouncing back, however: It's currently gearing up for its second-ever launch, which will also take place from Andøya.

6. Australia's 1st homegrown orbital rocket comes up short

A similar story unfolded a few months later half a world away. On July 29, Australian company Gilmour Space debuted its Eris rocket from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in coastal Queensland. It was the first-ever orbital launch attempt for a homegrown Australian rocket, but Eris soon came back to Earth: It slid sideways off the pad and fell back to terra firma 14 seconds after liftoff.

5. South Korean's 1st private orbital rocket, too

South Korean startup Innospace made history this year as well, launching the nation's first-ever private orbital rocket on Dec. 22. However, that vehicle, the Hanbit-Nano, suffered an anomaly about a minute into flight and came crashing back to Earth.

So it was a tough year for rocket debuts all the way around. But that's not exactly surprising: It's always been rare for a new launcher to ace its first-ever liftoff.

4. Returning boosters that didn't stick the landing

There were four failed landing attempts during orbital launches this year — one each by the first-stage boosters of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket (on Jan. 15), SpaceX's Falcon 9 (on March 3), Landspace's Zhuque-3 (on Dec. 3) and the Chinese government's Long March 12A (on Dec. 22).

It's not entirely fair to include any of them on this list, as all four rockets reached orbit as planned, and landing the booster was a secondary objective for each of them. Plus, it was the first-ever flight for New Glenn (which stuck the landing on its second launch this past November), Zhuque-3, and the Long March 12A (both of which were attempting China's first-ever orbital booster touchdown). The loss of the Falcon 9 was the only landing hiccup for SpaceX this year out of more than 160 attempts. Still, they were technically failures, and all were memorable.

3. Private American lander tips over on the moon

On March 6, Athena, a robotic lander built by the Houston company Intuitive Machines, landed successfully on the moon with a passel of NASA science payloads. But Athena soon toppled over. Its prone position prevented some payloads from deploying properly, and the lander couldn't collect enough sunlight to recharge its batteries. Intuitive Machines declared Athena dead a day later.

It was the second such outcome in a little over a year for Intuitive Machines. The company made history in February 2024 with the lunar landing of its Odysseus spacecraft. But Odysseus toppled over as well, apparently after breaking a leg during its touchdown, cutting its mission short.

Intuitive Machines will be back on the moon soon, if all goes to plan: Its third robotic mission for NASA is currently targeted for the first half of 2026.

2. Private Japanese lander crashes into the moon

The Tokyo-based company ispace tried to put its Resilience lander down on the moon on June 5 but came up short; the vehicle slammed hard into the gray dirt in the Mare Frigoris ("Sea of Cold"). It was the second such setback for ispace, which also failed during a lunar landing try in April 2023.

There were plenty of silver linings on both missions, however; the company's lander made it to lunar orbit successfully on both occasions, notching a number of milestones but coming up short during the final stages of descent. And ispace plans to try again in 2027.

1. Starship's test-flight fireworks

SpaceX's Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, launched five times in 2025, on suborbital test flights from the company's Starbase site in South Texas. The first three did not go entirely according to plan.

On Jan. 16, Starship's first stage, a huge booster called Super Heavy, successfully came back to Starbase, where it was caught by the launch tower's "chopstick" arms. But the Ship upper stage exploded less than 10 minutes after liftoff, raining debris down over the Turks and Caicos Islands. A similar outcome occurred on March 6's test flight, which was the second Starship launch of 2025 and the eighth overall.

Flight 9, which lifted off on May 27, was something of a step backward for Starship, as both stages were lost prematurely (though Ship did fly for quite a bit longer than it managed to do on Flight 7 and Flight 8). A few weeks later, on June 18, the program suffered another setback: The Ship that SpaceX was prepping for Flight 10 exploded on a test stand at Starbase.

But SpaceX, and Starship, bounced back: The vehicle aced Flight 10 and Flight 11, which launched on Aug. 26 and Oct. 13, respectively. The company is now gearing up for the first test flight of Starship Version 3, a bigger and more powerful variant that will be capable of reaching Mars — the destination that SpaceX has long had in mind for the vehicle. Part of that prep featured the buckling of a Super Heavy during testing on Nov. 21, but SpaceX, as usual, is powering through.

Dense clusters of illumination trace major population centers, including the bright corridor from Miami to Fort Lauderdale along Florida's southeastern coast, the Tampa–St. Petersburg area on the Gulf Coast, and the Orlando metropolitan region near the center of the peninsula. Smaller but still discernible patterns of light mark the Florida Keys, Nassau in the Bahamas, and Havana and other cities across Cuba.

What is it?

Besides the stunning city lights, what sets this image apart is the presence of moonglint, the nighttime counterpart to sunglint. Much like sunlight reflecting off the ocean's surface during the day, moonglint occurs when moonlight reflects off water at just the right angle to reach the observer.

In this case, the observer was a crewmember on the ISS, orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth. At the time, the moon was in a waning phase and about 78% illuminated, bright enough to produce a concentrated reflection across the sea, especially near the Florida Keys and Cuba.

The photograph was taken using a Nikon Z9 digital camera with a 28-millimeter lens, giving a wide field of view similar to that of the human eye. This perspective allows viewers to appreciate the curvature of the planet, accentuated by a thin, faint green layer of airglow along the horizon, a reminder of Earth's atmosphere glowing softly against the darkness of space.

Where is it?

This photo was taken aboard the ISS, around 248 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth.

Why is it amazing?

Nighttime images of Earth reveal patterns of human settlement, infrastructure, and land use that are difficult to capture during the day. Scientists use such observations to study urban growth, energy consumption, and light pollution, while also tracking how human activity intersects with natural environments.

The appearance of moonglint is especially valuable for researchers. Reflections of moonlight off the ocean can help scientists study sea-surface conditions, such as roughness and wave patterns, even at night. When combined with other data sources, these observations improve understanding of ocean–atmosphere interactions and refine models used in climate and environmental research.

Want to learn more?

You can learn more about airglow and the International Space Station

One of the bedrock philosophical concepts under all of physics is something called causal determinism. It says that every effect has a cause, and that if you know the current state of a system, you can use the power of physics to predict how it behaves. If effects happened without causes, then there wouldn't be much need for physics. And if we couldn't predict how systems would behave, then we wouldn't be very good at our jobs.

With this philosophy, physics has made enormous progress in advancing our understanding of the universe, from subatomic quantum systems to the Big Bang. And a part of that universe contains these weird things called brains that have the curious property of consciousness and the ability to freely make decisions.

So, at first glance, it seems like our understanding of physics forbids free will. We don't really have a choice, because if we had perfect knowledge of all the molecules and electrical activity in our brains, then we must be able to determine our choices in advance.

But there are three aspects of physics that add some wrinkles to this line of thinking.

The first is chaos theory. Some systems are easy to predict. But others, like double pendulums and weather patterns, are much harder to tackle. In these special kinds of systems, even a minuscule amount of uncertainty in the measurement of the initial state of a system very quickly compounds into complete ignorance about its future behavior. Strangely, these systems are perfectly deterministic; causes always lead smoothly to effects, so there's no mystery there. But they are impossible to predict well into the future.

The second wrinkle comes from quantum mechanics, which tells us that it's impossible to predict the outcomes of many kinds of experiments involving subatomic particles. Probabilities rule the day there, and the best we can do is assign chances to certain outcomes. Quantum mechanics is still a deterministic theory of nature — but again, it places a layer of ignorance over our understanding. We can't say for sure where a particle will go or how it will behave; we can only say what might happen. But it's not clear if the probabilistic rules of quantum mechanics apply to things like neural connections in the brain and the rise of consciousness, which is an emergent phenomenon.

The last wrinkle is exactly that: emergence. Fundamental descriptions of nature do not automatically guarantee an understanding of more complex systems. For example, we have an incredibly sophisticated theory of particle physics, based on quantum field theory, but that sophisticated theory works only when describing quantum systems. We have no quantum field theory description of how a star forms, or why chocolate tastes so good. We have to adopt other laws and theories to describe the systems as a whole.

None of these wrinkles gives a clear-cut yes-or-no answer to the question of free will. But they do show that our understanding of physics is limited. Most philosophers believe in a class of ideas under the heading of "compatibilism," which says that free will and physics can live together in harmony. It might be that our understanding of nature is not yet sophisticated enough to explain how free will can work with causal determinism.

In other words, if we work hard enough, we might someday reach a level of understanding that preserves causal determinism and all the usual physics goodness while including things like free will in a framework that makes sense.

Either way, we have no choice but to keep asking.

Here are some dates for this year's moon-gazing diary.

Most of these events are perfect for naked-eye viewing, but our guides to the best telescopes and binoculars will give you a closer look, and our dedicated moon-observing guide will help you become a skilled moon-gazer.

1. The year's first supermoon: Jan. 3, 2026 (dusk)

The first full moon of 2026, January's Wolf Moon, will be a supermoon, meaning it will appear larger and brighter because it will be at or near its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit. Although it's the first of three supermoons in 2026, it's the last in a series of four from the back end of 2025.

2. "Ring of fire" annular solar eclipse: Feb. 17, 2026 (daytime)

Will anyone be able to see the "ring of fire" annular solar eclipse on Feb. 17, 2026? The moon will eclipse up to 96% of the sun's center for up to 2 minutes, 20 seconds, but only for scientists at a few research stations — the French-Italian Concordia Station in the interior and the Russian Mirny Station in Queen Mary Land on the Davis Sea coast. A partial solar eclipse will be seen across Antarctica and from parts of southern Africa and Argentina.

Related: Annular solar eclipse 2026: Everything you need to know about the 'ring of fire'

Crescent moon and Mercury: Feb. 18, 2026 (after sunset)

About 45 minutes after sunset on Feb. 18, something relatively rare will be on show: a conjunction between a superslim crescent moon and the elusive planet Mercury. Visible low in the western sky, the moon will be barely 2%-lit, so you'll likely need binoculars to see it. Below will be Venus, with Saturn above.

4. "Blood moon" total lunar eclipse: March 2-3, 2026 (night to early morning)

Total lunar eclipses often come in threes. There were two in 2025, one of which wowed skywatchers in North America, and the final in the trio comes in early March 2026 — the last until 2029. During this event, the full Worm Moon will transit Earth's shadow to become a reddish-orange "blood moon" for 58 minutes as seen from parts of western North America, Australia, New Zealand, East Asia and the Pacific.

5. Crescent moon and Venus: March 20, 2026 (after sunset)

The sight of a young moon close to a bright planet will be on offer about 45 minutes after sunset on March 20, when a 5%-lit waxing crescent moon will hang above the bright planet Venus. Find an unobstructed western horizon, and take along a pair of binoculars.

6. Crescent moon, Venus and the Pleiades: April 19, 2026 (after sunset)

Look west an hour after sunset on April 19 for a spectacular panorama close to the sinking stars of Orion as a 9%-lit waxing crescent moon gets close to the Pleiades (also known as the "Seven Sisters" star cluster), with bright Venus below.

7. Total solar eclipse: Aug. 12, 2026 (daytime)

Even though it won't be visible, the moon will arguably perform its greatest trick of all on Aug. 12, 2026, when its silhouette will perfectly block the sun for up to 2 minutes, 18 seconds, as seen from eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. All of Europe will experience a deep partial solar eclipse, while North America will see a small partial eclipse.

Related: Total solar eclipse 2026 — Everything you need to know

8. Partial lunar eclipse: Aug. 27-28, 2026 (after dark)

The second lunar eclipse of 2026 — which will be visible from North America, South America, Europe and Africa — won't quite live up to the first in March. Although the moon will enter Earth's central shadow in space, a 4% sliver of it won't, causing the lunar surface to turn mostly reddish. Although there will be no totality, the edge of Earth's shadow will gradually move across the moon and back again, which is always a grand sight.

9. Moon in the Beehive Cluster: Sept. 8, 2026 (before sunrise)

Look east about 45 minutes before sunrise to see a lovely 9%-lit waning crescent moon just beneath the Beehive Cluster, also known as M44, which contains about 1,000 stars and is located 600 light-years from the solar system. You'll need binoculars to see M44 properly.

10. Moon in conjunction with Saturn: Sept. 26, 2026 (after sunset)

Saturn will be prominent in the night sky in late 2026, but it will become most noticeable when the moon passes close by. That happens in the east on Sept. 26, just before the moon turns full.

11. A crescent moon and Jupiter: Oct. 6. 2026 (before sunrise)

Here comes a rare and special sight: a very close conjunction of the moon and Jupiter, with just 10 arc seconds (three-thousandths of a degree) separating them. Best seen in the east about 90 minutes before sunrise, the moon will be about 20% lit, with "Earthshine" visible on its night side, closest to the giant planet.

12. A crescent moon close to Mars and Jupiter: Nov. 2, 2026 (before sunrise)

Mars won't be in the night sky for much of the first half of 2026, but by October, it will be visible in the southeast before sunrise. On Nov. 2, 2026, the Red Planet will be visited by a 43%-lit waning crescent moon, with Jupiter just below.

13. The closest supermoon since 2019: Dec. 23, 2026 (dusk)

In 2026, there will be three supermoons — on Jan. 3, Nov. 24 and Dec. 23 — but one is a standout. The full moon on Dec. 23 will be the closest full moon to Earth since 2019. At just 221,668 miles (356,740 kilometers) from our planet, it will edge out the Feb. 19, 2019, supermoon by about 60 miles (100 km), making it the biggest and brightest full moon in nearly eight years. However, two supermoons will come even closer on Feb. 10, 2028, and March 30, 2029.

Jamie Carter is the author of "Stargazing In 2026: 50 Things To See In The Night Sky From North America."

It's definitely one of the best cameras for photography, as it can handle a range of different styles, including landscape, portrait, nature and astrophotography. We tested it for all of these styles, and we think it is a great camera for the astrophotographer who uses extreme cropping or is involved in publishing large-scale prints. It doesn’t come cheap, but it crafts amazing imagery with huge amounts of detail and dynamic range, which makes subjects pop.

Fujifilm GFX 100S II review

Fujifilm GFX 100S II: Design

• Huge medium-format sensor
• 102MP sensor resolution
• Highly customizable

The design of the GFX 100S II is sleek and portable for a medium-format camera. At 1.95 lbs (883 g), it is fairly heavy compared to some full-frame models but it is actually lighter than the Nikon Z9 and Canon EOS R3. It is even lighter than its direct 100MP competitor from Hasselblad.

What makes this camera stand out is the huge medium-format sensor, which measures 43.8 mm x 32.9 mm and is approximately 1.7 times bigger than a full-frame sensor. In theory, a larger sensor should be able to capture more light, and therefore, we should expect a medium-format camera to be a strong choice for astrophotography. We think it would be a good choice for astrophotographers who are interested in large-scale prints or for photographers who do a lot of cropping. This is thanks to the 102MP sensor resolution, which allows extraordinary detail to be retained when an image is blown up or extremely cropped.

The top controls feature a mode dial with six custom shooting modes for professionals who need lots of flexibility when shooting different subjects and styles. An easy mode switch takes you easily from still to video shooting and vice versa. For a camera with so much customizability, the range of buttons does not feel too overwhelming and is actually very intuitive. Take, for example, the exposure compensation found just in front of the shutter button, which makes adjusting exposure easy and quick during shooting.

The back panel reflects the same ethos, with a range of buttons but not too many as to be confusing. I found myself using the quick menu button a lot to change a range of things, including file capture type, film recipe simulation, ISO and timer settings. The quick menu is a small Q on the back of the body placed where it is easy to access with the right-hand thumb. A joystick makes it easy to move through the 16 customizable menu items.

The three-way tilting main LCD screen helps when shooting some high and low angles, but you would expect a fully articulating screen for the premium price of over $5000.

Fujifilm GFX 100S II: Performance

• Shutter button lacked response
• Three-way tilt of LCD screen was useful for astrophotography
• Performed well for astrophotography

You can feel the professional weight of the GFX 100S II during handheld use, but it handles well thanks to a deep-shaped grip covered in Fujifilm’s trademark Bishamon-Tex leather-like coating. This was especially useful when handling the camera with heavier GFX lenses, which added considerable weight to the setup.

Whilst the operation of such a pro-level camera did seem intimidating, it was relatively simple to change exposure settings using the rear and front command dials on the body of the camera. I found the pressing of the shutter button didn’t have as hard a physical response as a Sony camera, so the actual process of shooting the frame felt a tad delayed. This is just my preference and the camera response speed is definitely not slow.

Despite not being a fully articulating LCD screen, the three-way tilt screen did help a lot during astrophotography shoots when the camera was tripod-mounted and aimed at the night sky.

I managed to shoot a range of night sky targets while shooting with the GFX 100 S II. I used the GF 20-35mm f/4 R WR lens to capture lots of wide-angle targets in the night sky. I captured the galactic core of the Milky Way with plenty of dust lanes visible. Some of these open wide shots that capture the Milky Way were prone to some color noise when cropping into the photograph from ISO 3200 upwards. With a larger-than-full-frame sensor, I would expect better noise handling, but it wasn’t anything that post-processing couldn’t fix.

I shot a few other deep space objects like star cluster NGC 752, the Triangulum Galaxy (M33) and the Pleiades star cluster (M45) using the GF 110mm f/2 lens and offered a closer telephoto length for some fainter deep space objects. The full-frame equivalent of using a 110mm lens on this medium format sensor is 87mm.

This focal length is not good for serious telephoto photography and therefore, the moon was still quite small in my frame. Even with an extreme crop, a strong level of detail is retained in the lunar disk and is a testament to the 102MP sensor.

Fujifilm GFX 100S II: Functionality

• Dual SD-card slots
• No mode for protecting night vision
• X-processor 5, AI-powered autofocus, eight stops of in-body-image stabilization and a 5.76 million dot OLED viewfinder

The GFX 100S II is full of premium features and functionality you would expect from a camera of this calibre. The camera feels like it is tailored towards the individual with six custom shooting modes on the dial, four assignable function buttons and custom touch gestures on the rear LCD. The trademark Fujifilm quick menu button makes finding all necessary settings easier because you don’t have to go into the more complex main menu.

The camera uses the NP-W235 lithium-ion battery, rated at 530 frames per charge, and it never gave up on me during a long session of interval shooting for the Perseid meteor shower. The battery is charged via the USB-C port on the left side of the camera body, which also doubles up for external SSD recording and data transfer. It also features a micro-HDMI port and two 3.55 mm jacks for microphone input and headphone output. The GFX 100S II has dual SD-card slots, which gives you a good level of storage, but I am disappointed that there is no CFexpress card slot, especially as 102MP photo files are not small.

The secondary LCD monitor on the top of the camera body is helpful for quickly reading your exposure settings while shooting and the amount of frames remaining on the memory card. In darker environments, you can illuminate this secondary LCD so you can see this information at night, but there is no specific mode that helps preserve night vision.

The GFX 100S II brings significant upgrades to its predecessor, including the new X-processor 5, AI-powered autofocus, eight stops of in-body-image stabilization and a 5.76 million dot OLED viewfinder.

How we tested the Fujifilm GFX 100S II

I tested the Fujifilm GFX 100S II with a range of lenses: the GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR, the GF 20-35mm f/4 R WR, the GF 63mm f/2.8 R WR and the GF 30mm f/3.5 R WR. For astrophotography testing, I went to a Bortle 3 area in some fields and took photos of the Milky Way, the Big Dipper, the moon and some deep space objects. During testing in the UK, nighttime temperatures were on average between 54-59 degrees Fahrenheit (12-15 degrees Celsius).

I also tested the camera out for a range of other photography styles, including landscape, art and portraiture.

User reviews of the Fujifilm GFX 100S II

Users of the GFX 100S II praise the sharp image quality delivered by the 102MP sensor and the impressive dynamic range.

The upgraded eight steps of in-body image stabilization is praised and, whilst autofocus is improved, some users note that it is slower than the best full-frame models (think Sony A1 or Nikon Z9).

The large raw file sizes are also pointed out as being troublesome to deal with in volume, making storage and computer upgrades inevitable.

Should you buy the Fujifilm GFX 100S II

The GFX 100S II is a camera for the professional market and is suited to someone who makes money from photography, as the price tag is not for the faint of heart. Despite this, it has a host of features that would benefit the professional portrait, landscape and studio photographer.

If you are an astrophotographer who is well versed in post-processing, using dark frames to reduce noise and has a focus on producing large-scale prints, I would highly recommend the GFX 100S II. Thanks to the size and 102MP resolution of the sensor, this camera is able to capture a wide portion of the night sky in relatively good detail and whilst there are some star trails, a star tracker would really help resolve high-resolution detail.

This extra width added by the medium format sensor helps those who want a wide focal length but hinders those who work at extreme telephoto lengths. With the GFX range of lenses rather limited and expensive, it really is worth thinking about what kind of shooting you want to do with this camera. They also lack features from modern full-frame lenses, such as f/1.4 apertures on wide focal lengths and wide apertures on telephoto lenses.

If the Fujifilm GFX 100S II isn't for you

For those who want a camera that works even harder and can handle heavy hybrid use with 8K video and a CFexpress slot, we would recommend Fujifilm’s flagship model, the GFX 100 II.

If the jump to medium-format seems like overkill, a strong full-frame camera might seem more suitable. Our best camera overall is the Nikon Z8, which features a full-frame 45MP sensor and has a dedicated red mode for preserving night vision. The Sony A7R V is another great full-frame alternative, with strong AI-powered autofocus and a strong 61MP sensor.

If you want a Fujifilm camera but don’t fancy paying your life away for it, go for the Fujifilm X-T50. It has a 40MP APS-C sensor and a film simulation dial for easy changing of styles. We used it for astrophotography, and it performed well, capturing the planets Jupiter and Mars as well as the Orion nebula (M42).

Renowned movie franchises like Star Wars are easy to stream on Disney Plus, sure, but the Force isn't with fans who seek hours of extras, too. If you're really into a long movie series, standalone classics and/or some of the best sci-fi TV shows ever made, physical media won't leave you hanging. We're also using this opportunity to dig up some killer box sets and limited editions you can still grab if you're fast, so this guide is pretty solid for your Christmas and/or birthday gift needs.

Regardless, you'll need the best streaming services to catch the latest science fiction movies and shows coming exclusively to Disney Plus, Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV Plus and more. On the matter of presents, keep an eye on the best Lego Star Wars, Marvel and space sets you can grab, too. But for the best Sci-Fi Blu-rays, scroll down below.

Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Whether you loved the entire ride or would rather forget about the sequels, the complete Star Wars movie experience is worth embarking on, especially for newcomers. With the absolutely massive Skywalker Saga 4K UHD box set released in 2020, the path of a Jedi has never been more complete.

The nine-movie ride alone is over 20 hours long, and the incredible offering of extras runs for even longer than that. Disney and Lucasfilm really went all out with this one, and Star Wars fanatics who aren’t strict purists won't find a better box set right now.

The whole saga and all the extras are spread across 27 discs, including 1080p Blu-rays, with stunning interior art pieces based on each trilogy and concept art, and a 'digibook' design which makes it feel extra special. Considering the high price tag on this one (it's only gone up due to scarcity of stock), it’s only for the biggest collectors around, but we think it'll be a good while before Disney puts out a Star Wars box set as complete.

Star Trek: The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)

Much less pricey than the Star Wars entry above is the Blu-ray (1080p) release of the complete Star Trek original series, which runs for over 67 hours and is spread across 20 discs.

Considering it's still selling at around $70, it's one hell of a deal, no matter if this is your first attempt to get into Star Trek or you're a longtime fan looking to secure a clean and straight-to-the-point Blu-ray edition.

This release isn't just an 'enhanced for 1080p' remaster of the show as it was either. It also features 'enhanced visual effects' (purists may not enjoy this) and a 7.1 surround sound option on top of the preserved original mono audio tracks. As for special bonus content, the 'special features' run for over 9 hours, though the box clearly states that they're not presented in high definition. It may not be the definitive treatment for the series that started it all, but it's more than enough to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Stargate: The Blu-ray Collection (Blu-ray)

The absolute largest (but not priciest) Sci-Fi Blu-ray collection we've found so far is the complete Stargate collection, which includes Stargate SG-1, Atlantis and Universe. In total, you're looking at over 300 hours of old-fashioned TV goodness with this one.

It's safe to say you won't be rewatching the whole box set often, but you get a lot of content for your money. Only 1080p and English language in this one, but you're getting a lot of bang for your buck, especially as bonus features are included.

With Amazon MGM Studios now in ownership of the IP, we've been banging the drum of "Stargate should return" for a while now. If you only watched the original movie and would like to learn what the heck all the praise and online noise is all about, buckle up, prepare accordingly and enjoy a lengthy but delightful journey through TV shows that did a lot with minimal budgets. Just make sure to input the right coordinates when you make each space-bending trip...

Predator 4-Movie Collection (Blu-ray)

Before recent Dan Trachtenberg-directed entries like Prey and Predator: Badlands, the Predator movie series wasn't in super great shape, but the Predator 4-Movie Collection released in late 2018 packs Predator 1 & 2 (classics), Predators (a fairly underrated one) and The Predator (the one that nearly killed the franchise).

For roughly $30, it's a pretty great deal if you want to catch up with the series before the more recent installments or want to surprise a hardcore Yautja fanatic.

Of course, not everyone was a fan of the upscaling work done on the two older movies when they first made the jump to 1080p and above, but the following releases improved the image quality without sacrificing most of the original texture. While we believe the 4K UHD version of this 4-disc set is a bit too expensive considering it's not loaded with extras, the regular Blu-ray version is a fantastic deal. Additionally, you're also getting a digital copy of each movie.

Avatar – Collector’s Edition (4K UHD + Blu-ray)

Avatar: Fire and Ash is upon us, which means both Na'vi diehards and folks planning a more casual trip to Pandora might be looking to grab the first two movies in the sharpest possible quality.

Disney and 20th Century Studios have always been well aware of how much money these movies make in the domestic market, too, so it comes as no surprise we've seen countless different editions of the 2009 original released over the years.

At the time of writing, the late-2023 re-release of Avatar, dubbed 'Collector's Edition' is the most complete you can find if you're really into James Cameron's industry-shaking phenomenon. The delightful pack includes the movie in 4K UHD, 1080p Blu-ray and digital. It's also the first time the Special Edition and Collector's Extended Cut have been available to watch in 4K, plus two entire discs are dedicated to bonus materials. While we're expecting Disney to milk Eywa until it's dry in the future, this is the best Avatar Blu-ray deal money can buy at the moment.

Alien – 40th Anniversary (4K UHD + Blu-ray)

We've had plenty of physical media releases of Alien (1979) worth purchasing over the years, so it was unsurprising to see the 40th Anniversary Edition released in 2019, being a fantastic refresh of both cuts of the movie (theatrical and director's cut), which remains available due to continued success. That stylish cover is killer, and the no-BS approach to the overall presentation is exactly what you want out of a revisited classic.

At home, everyone can hear you scream, especially if you're easily startled; the crisp audio (DTS, DTS-HD and Dolby 5.1 options) pops alongside the sharper 4K image quality, and the high dynamic range's extra sauce (if you have a TV prepared for the full experience) is exactly what the Nostromo needed to come to life like never before. Not as impressive are the special features, but with great audio commentary by Ridley Scott and cast and crew members, plus a bunch of deleted scenes, the basics are covered.

Dune 2-Film Collection (4K UHD)

Denis Villeneuve's two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune somehow managed to please most fans while also captivating millions of casual moviegoers with no previous knowledge of the (admittedly dense) source material. That’s no small feat, and such a wondrous Sci-Fi epic deserves the biggest 4K screen you can fit inside your house. For now, our favorite domestic release of the two movies is the 2-Film Collection released in 2024.

As usual in Warner Bros. Pictures' domestic releases, the 4K UHD image and sound (Dolby 5.1, 7.1 and Atmos audio) quality is astonishing, making Arrakis' sights and sounds pop like in cinemas, which is exactly what you want from a 4K release of big Sci-Fi epics.

Sadly, this pack doesn't include regular 1080p Blu-ray discs like similar boxes, so it's a no-no for those still rocking a regular Blu-ray player but looking to future-proof their collection. The bonus features are also on the lighter side, but if you're looking to catch up ahead of Dune: Messiah while adding fantastic modern Sci-Fi classics to your physical media collection, it's an easy yes.

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (4K UHD + Blu-ray)

We thought it'd be weird to write this recap without searching for a great edition of the original Blade Runner, and we quickly came across the 4K UHD re-release of the Final Cut, regular Blu-ray and digital copy included.

It's yet another 'lean and mean' winner re-release from Warner Bros. and with a gorgeous cover to boot. Just make sure to buy it for the 4K UHD disc, as the encoding of the 1080p disc isn't the greatest, sadly.

When it comes to special features, it packs an introduction by Ridley Scott, three audio filmmaker commentaries, an entire documentary on the making of the movie and other extra bits (over 7 hours in total). Despite releasing in 2017 ahead of Blade Runner 2049, this release also has pretty great HDR support for the 4K disc; there's a good reason it's still kicking around. Ahead of the Blade Runner 2099 series, there's never been a better time to revisit the beginning of it all.

Event Horizon – Limited Edition Steelbook (4K UHD + Blu-ray)

2024's Limited Edition reprint of the 4K steelbook release of Event Horizon is amazing. There have been many versions of this space horror cult classic dropping over the years despite the mixed reception it got back in 1997, but its 4K UHD restoration was a huge one for fans, and the 25th Anniversary Edition was a killer package with a disturbing new cover to boot. It vanished quickly, which is why Paramount was pressed to push out a re-release last year. At the time of writing, you can still get it, but don't wait too long.

What if a spaceship vanished during its maiden voyage because the wormholes it used to cover great distances of space sent it through literal Hell? While all the potential of such an amazing (and horrifying) pitch wasn't realized in Paul W.S. Anderson's sci-fi horror flick, it remains a fascinating watch with a unique vibe and some of the gnarliest horror imagery in a wide theatrical science fiction release. We may never see all of the long-lost uncensored footage, but after all these years, this vision of Hell is still worth your time and money. You won't need eyes to see...

Star Wars: Andor – Season 1 (4K UHD)

Even if you haven't watched Andor yet, you might've heard the Tony Gilroy-created live-action series is among the best Star Wars TV shows. We totally agree; it really feels deep and textured in a way nothing else in the franchise has been.

If you're planning to grab one of the excellent physical releases of Star Wars series, Andor Season 1 in 4K UHD (no regular Blu-rays included in this one) is the absolute best credits can buy.

We'd read, watched and played through many takes on the Rebel Alliance's origins, but none captured the Empire's reign of terror in the way Andor does. The best praise we can give to spinoffs coming out of long-running franchises is that they feel like great original stories that happen to take place in established universes, and Andor is exactly that. Sure, this isn't exactly kid-friendly Star Wars, but as a more adult take on the IP, which fits in perfectly nonetheless, we couldn't have asked for anything better. Sadly, Season 2 hasn't locked a physical media release yet, but we'd be shocked if it didn't.

After a yearslong series of setbacks, NASA's Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers, or ESCAPADE, mission has finally begun its roundabout journey to Mars.

Launched on Nov. 13, 2025, aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, ESCAPADE's twin probes will map the planet's magnetic field and study how the solar wind – the stream of charged particles released from the Sun – has stripped away the Martian atmosphere over billions of years.

When I was a doctoral student, I helped develop the VISIONS camera systems onboard each of ESCAPADE’s spacecraft, so I was especially excited to see the successful launch.

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

ESCAPADE is part of NASA's Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration, or SIMPLEx, program that funds low‑cost, higher‑risk projects. Of the five SIMPLEx missions selected so far, three have failed after launch due to equipment problems that might have been caught in more traditional, tightly managed programs. A fourth sits in indefinite storage.

ESCAPADE will not begin returning science data for about 30 months, and the program's history suggests the odds are not entirely in its favor. Nonetheless, the calculus goes that if enough of these missions are successful, NASA can achieve valuable science at a reduced cost – even with some losses along the way.

Lower cost, higher risk

NASA classifies payloads on a four‑tier risk scale, from A to D.

Class A missions are the most expensive and highest priority, like the James Webb Space Telescope, Europa Clipper and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. They use thoroughly proven hardware and undergo exhaustive testing.

ESCAPADE is at the other end. It's a class D mission, defined as having "high risk tolerance" and "medium to low complexity."

Of the 21 class D missions that have launched since the designation was first applied in 2009, NASA has not had a single class D mission launch on schedule. Only four remained under budget. Four were canceled outright prior to launch.

ESCAPADE, which will have cost an estimated US$94.2 million by the end of its science operations in 2029, has stayed under the $100 million mark through a series of cost‑saving choices. It has a small set of key instruments, a low spacecraft mass to reduce launch costs, and extensively uses generic commercial components instead of custom hardware.

NASA also outsourced to private companies: Much of the spacecraft development went to Rocket Lab and the trajectory design to Advanced Space LLC, with tight contract limits to make sure the contractors didn't go over budget.

Additional savings came from creative arrangements, including the university‑funded VISIONS camera package and a discounted ride on New Glenn, which Blue Origin wanted to fly anyway for its own testing objectives.

Commercial space

ESCAPADE launched at a moment of transition in space science.

NASA and other science agencies are facing the steepest budget pressures in more than 60 years, with political winds shifting funding toward human spaceflight. At the same time, the commercial space sector is booming, with long-imagined technologies that enable cheap space travel finally entering service.

That boom has, in part, led to a resurgence in NASA's "faster, better, cheaper" push that originated in the 1980s and '90s – and which largely faded after the 2003 Columbia disaster.

In theory, leaner NASA oversight, greater use of off‑the‑shelf hardware and narrower science goals can cut costs while launching more missions and increasing the total science return. If ESCAPADE succeeds in delivering important science, it will be held up as evidence that this more commercial, risk-tolerant template can deliver.

The trade-offs

A concept put forward by Jared Isaacman, the Trump administration's nominee to lead NASA, is that 10 $100 million missions would be better than one $1 billion flagship – or top-tier – mission. This approach could encourage faster mission development and would diversify the types of missions heading out into the solar system.

But that reorganization comes with trade-offs. For example, low‑cost missions rarely match flagship missions in scope, and they typically do less to advance the technology necessary for doing innovative science.

With a narrow scope, missions like ESCAPADE are unlikely to produce the most transformative discoveries about, for instance, the origins of life or the nature of dark matter, or the first chemical analyses of oceans on a new world. Instead, they focus on more specific questions.

Early in ESCAPADE's development, my role was to help create a planning document for the VISIONS cameras called the Science Traceability Matrix, which defines an instrument’s scientific goals and translates them into concrete measurement requirements.

My colleagues and I systematically asked: What do we want to learn? What observations prove it? And, critically, how precisely does the instrument need to work to be "good enough," given the budget? Loftier goals usually demand more complex instruments and operations, which drive up costs.

ESCAPADE's broader goals are to create a clearer picture of Mars' magnetic field, how the solar wind interacts with it, and figure out what that process does to Mars' atmosphere. That is valuable science. But it is more modest than the $583 million predecessor mission MAVEN's more extensive scope and richer suite of instruments. It was MAVEN that determined how and when Mars lost its once-dense atmosphere in the first place.

Both ESCAPADE and MAVEN are dwarfed again by the open‑ended potential of an operation like the James Webb Space Telescope, which observes a limitless slate of astronomical objects in the infrared light spectrum with a higher resolution than any combination of prior smaller telescopes.

Flagship missions like the James Webb Space Telescope push the state of the art in new technologies and materials. These innovations then filter into both future missions and everyday life. For example, the Webb telescope advanced the medical tools used in eye exams. Smaller missions rely more heavily on existing, mature technologies.

And when systems are built by private companies rather than NASA, those companies keep tight control over the patents rather than openly spreading the technology across the scientific community.

A tense road to launch

ESCAPADE's principal investigator, Rob Lillis, has joked that it is the mission with 11 lives, having survived 11 near‑cancellations. Problems ranged from being late in reaching the technology readiness levels that helped ensure the probes wouldn't malfunction after launch, to the loss of its original free ride, with NASA's Psyche mission.

In 2024, ESCAPADE received support from NASA to ride on New Glenn's maiden flight, only to face delays as Blue Origin worked through technical hurdles. At last, in October 2025, ESCAPADE reached the launchpad.

I traveled to Cape Canaveral for the launch and felt the tension firsthand. The first window was scrubbed by bad weather and issues with ground equipment. Then a strong solar storm — ironically, a key driver of the very processes ESCAPADE will study — shut down the second window.

Concurrently, the Federal Aviation Administration imposed new launch restrictions due to the government shutdown that would have postponed the launch further if not for a last-minute exemption.

Finally, on Nov. 13, after repeated setbacks, New Glenn lifted off to cheers around the country. ESCAPADE reached orbit, and after a nervous few hours of receiver misalignment, mission controllers established communication with the spacecraft.

What's next

While in Florida, I also watched another milestone in commercial spaceflight: the record-breaking 94th launch from Cape Canaveral in 2025, marking the most launches from Florida in a single year. It was a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites.

Like New Glenn, SpaceX's Falcon 9 saves money by landing and reusing rockets. If multiple providers like SpaceX and Blue Origin compete to keep launch prices low, the economics of small science missions will only improve.

If ESCAPADE's twin spacecraft reach Mars and deliver new insights as planned, they will demonstrate how minimalist, commercial-forward approaches can expand the planetary knowledge base.

But even then, a string of future SIMPLEx successes would likely not be a substitute for the uniquely capable, technology‑advancing flagship missions that answer the most far‑reaching questions. ESCAPADE can instead help test whether a broader mix of small missions – leaning on commercial partners and a few big, ambitious flagships – can together sustain planetary science in an era of tight budgets.

For now, that balance remains an open experiment, and only time will tell whether ESCAPADE is a lone bright spot or the start of a real shift.

But how well do you know the vocabulary that surrounds them?

This word search quiz invites you to explore the essential terms and concepts that define black holes.

So sharpen your focus, channel your inner astrophysicist, and get ready to decode the dark. The black hole word search awaits and it's pulling you in.

See how well you score below!

For instance, U.S. President Donald Trump took office in only January, but his administration is responsible for a wealth of changes that have flipped life upside down for scientists in the States. China, Russia and India are meanwhile steadily strengthening their space programs, and other countries are starting to bloom toward the cosmos as well. Earth orbit, to say the least, is getting pretty crowded.

At the same time, an interstellar comet paid our solar system a surprising visit, black holes and neutron stars continue to baffle us with their mind-bending characteristics, the northern lights are suddenly appearing in skies across the world, a Mars rover managed to find rocky treasure on the Red Planet and science fiction has been captivating enough to float us into our imaginations on days when real things like spaceflight crashes and political encroachment on climate science get overwhelming.

But through it all, our reporters have been following the show.

So, to create a must-read story list for you, we asked our staff to select their favorite pieces of 2025. Alas, while you're drinking leftover hot chocolate or sitting in your room trying to escape questions from your extended family, here are some great reads, twisty reads, essential reads and long, joyful reads to relax into.

1. On NASA sinking its flagship science center and possibly breaking the law

Josh has been putting out amazing stories all year, but his investigative article revealing the sweeping and chaotic changes inflicted by NASA leadership on the Goddard Space Flight Center was of a different class. It was a considered, well-researched and thoughtfully written piece that explored the human cost of the administration's actions, while alerting the public to the long-term damage that the secretive moves could wreak on the agency's scientific capabilities.

It prompted discussion and action from both Space.com's readership and also the ranking member of the U.S. congressional committee on science, space and technology, Zoe Lofgren, who cited the story in a letter to NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy while demanding that NASA cease its actions and give "a full accounting of the damage inflicted on Goddard thus far."

TLDR: Josh is the journalist I want to be when I finally grow up.

NASA is sinking its flagship science center during the government shutdown — and may be breaking the law in the process, critics say

2. The perplexing saga of an astronaut imposter

After more than 20 years of space reporting, I thought I'd heard most of the crazy stories from the space age, but must admit that Jeff Maysh's tale of huckster astronaut wannabe Robert Hunt, who for years play-acted being an astronaut, took me by surprise. Through some meticulous reporting, and interviews with Hunt himself, Jeff recounts an astounding story of one man's determination to play the role of a space traveler without actually being one. It's an amazing story, more so for how long Hunt seemed to get away with it.

How a fake astronaut fooled the world, broke women's hearts, and landed in jail

3. Edwin Hubble's helpers and an aurora cruise

As an astronomy editor, I read and write about Edwin Hubble a lot, and in many different contexts. His presence permeates so much of physics as a whole, from the Hubble Space Telescope and Hubble's Law to the Hubble Constant and resulting Hubble Tension. But what science writer Keith Cooper did with his look back on how Hubble proved our Milky Way galaxy isn't alone in the universe is focus on the side characters responsible for Hubble's great success — characters very rarely spoken about. This engrossing read is where my rabbit-hole of knowledge about Milton Humason began, a janitor and mule skinner who helped with the construction of Mount Wilson Observatory, then went on to aid Hubble in several major discoveries.

I'm not sure if this is allowed, but I also have a second favorite that needs to be on this list. Maybe I was biased because I read this story after having a slightly rough day and sipping tea in my bed, but our editor Daisy Dobrijevic's long, narrative piece about being on a multi-day aurora cruise along Norway's frigid coast was really a treat. The vivid imagery and honest retelling of what emotions are involved when viewing neon ribbons in the sky make you feel like you were there. There's one bit about a window that has stayed in my mind. You'll know when you read it.

100 years ago, Edwin Hubble proved our Milky Way galaxy isn't alone

Is an aurora cruise worth it? I joined Hurtigruten's Signature Voyage to find out

4. Trump's desire to slash NASA's budget rattles scientists

I love how we leaned into writing about the current U.S. administration's questionable decisions this year, and this was one of my favorites. In times of controversy, in-depth reporting matters more than ever.

'What a waste:' US scientists decry Trump's 47% cuts to NASA science budget

5. A NASA satellite corpse in disguise

This story from Rob Lea dives into a space mystery, which are always my favorite, and explores how a dead NASA satellite ended up fooling astronomers into thinking they had discovered a fast radio burst (FRB) from far beyond the Milky Way. Featuring interviews with the researchers behind the discovery itself, the story explores possible ways the defunct satellite could have produced such a remarkable burst of radio waves — which still remains a mystery.

Astronomers thought a mysterious radio burst came from deep space. It was actually a dead NASA satellite

6. A scientific conference with a veil of fear

Mona's piece is my top pick because of its timely and informative content and its narrative outline. She does a wonderful job describing the impacts of NASA's and the National Science Foundation's absences at a major astronomy meeting and connects it to wider issues concerning the scientific community at a time when many in their field feel uncertain about their academic and professional futures.

Mona plainly demonstrates the stakes from an easy-to-understand perspective, and shows the importance of such organizations at these kinds of biannual gatherings in a way that put me in the shoes of the disappointed scientists who traveled all the way to Alaska only for the headline act not to show up, and the scientists who eagerly await these meetings who were barred from attending.

I'd also like to add honorable mentions, though, to two other brilliant stories from this year: Daisy Dobrijevic's piece about visiting STARMUS in La Palma and Brett Tingley's about an Apollo-era radio telescope being up for sale.

NASA's been pulling out of major astronomy meetings — and scientists are feeling the effects

I went to STARMUS La Palma for science and music — I came back in love

This Apollo-era radio telescope in the NC mountains once spied on Soviet satellites. Now it's for sale

7. The division between our universe's most monstrous objects

Black holes and neutron stars are without a doubt the two most fearsome and impressive objects in the known universe. Both are born when massive stars die and "go nova." That means that the obvious question is: Where is the dividing line between these two bodies? It is so cool that we are on the verge of discovering that division, which will lead us toward figuring out what the biggest neutron stars are and what the smallest black holes are.

How compact can a neutron star get before collapsing into a black hole?

8. An industrial project threatening the world's largest telescope

My favorite stories this year are Tereza Pultarova's paired features on the threat posed to Cerro Paranal, published about a year apart. Together, they show how journalism can follow an issue beyond the initial alarm, tracing it through evidence, expert voices and ultimately a call to action. They balance the urgent need for clean energy with our shared responsibility to protect the night sky, highlighting not just obvious impacts to astronomy like light pollution but also subtler ones such as vibrations and turbulence. To me, this is one of the biggest emerging threats to modern astronomy — and exactly the kind of story we need to keep telling.

World's largest telescope threatened by light pollution from renewable energy project

An industrial project in Chile threatens Earth's darkest sky. 28 leading astronomers signed an open letter urging to move it

9. The hunt for alien life on Mars gets a lead

This story is a great example of how to cover the search for alien life responsibly. It highlights the inherent complexity and difficulty of the E.T. hunt without sucking the excitement out of important discoveries that spot the trail, like the Perseverance rover's "poppy seed" and "leopard spot" finds. All science journalists should seek to strike this balance.

Did NASA's Perseverance rover find evidence of ancient life on Mars? The plot thickens

10. The film "Apollo 13" is just as good as you remember

The quintessential space movie turned 30 this year, and Rich Edwards — one of our talented freelancers — looked back on Apollo 13 and how it showcased the grit and determination of NASA's scientists, and not just the rockstar astronauts onboard the stricken craft.

It's a beautifully written retrospective on a phenomenal movie, and if you missed it back in June, then it's time to perform a slingshot maneuver around the moon and check it out now.

'Apollo 13' at 30: The space movie where scientists have the right stuff too

11. The importance of journalism and a comet from beyond

I really enjoyed this story because I got a front row seat to see some of the coolest images of 3I/ATLAS in existence — and also because of the classic journalism spirit behind it. When this news broke, it was evening and just our astronomy editor Mona, myself, our video editor Steve, our spaceflight editor Mike and our editor in chief Tariq were on Slack, seeing these images together for the first time and tag-teaming to get the story polished and published. At one point, my internet (which I thankfully now have updated) wasn't working and I freaked out, fearing the job would reach a halt. Thankfully, the delay was short, and here we are.

So … long answer, but overall, not only is this story a joy to read because it's scientifically spectacular — look at those images of an interstellar object! — but also because of the people behind it. In a world where journalism and freedom of the press is under multiple threats, both from growing anti-intellectual culture and the rise of AI, it's important to remember people are at the heart of what we do.

NASA reveals new images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS from across the solar system: 'It looks and behaves like a comet'

1. A new interstellar comet

The highlight from the second half of 2025 was undoubtedly Comet 3I/ATLAS, which is only the third interstellar object to have been discovered cruising through our solar system.

The Chilean component of the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System spotted the interstellar interloper sneaking among the stars of the constellation Sagittarius on July 1, and it quickly became apparent that its trajectory was severely hyperbolic. Rather than orbiting the sun like comets native to our solar system do, it was just passing through — and it was moving faster than any comet ever seen. Its abnormally high velocity of 36 miles per second (58 kilometers per second) told us that the speedy object, which became known as 3I/ATLAS, had probably been wandering interstellar space and receiving gravitational nudges from nearby stars since before our solar system even existed.

By September, 3I/ATLAS was moving behind the sun, making it impossible for Earth-based telescopes to track its movements until it reappeared in mid-November. Instead, NASA and the European Space Agency turned to their fleets of spacecraft that had better views of the comet during solar conjunction.

So far, we've learned that 3I/ATLAS is a comet and that all of its features have been seen on comets before. Its chemistry is broadly similar to the solar system's own comets, which is a profound discovery in its own right. There are a few differences, though — specifically, a slightly higher carbon-dioxide-to-water ratio, and a little more nickel than iron, which reflect the chemical composition of its star system of origin.

Besides a regular comet's tail, 3I/ATLAS has also sprouted an "anti-tail" — a short tail pointed toward the sun. Often, anti-tails are an optical illusion, but 3I/ATLAS' is real.

Astronomers will continue to track 3I/ATLAS into 2026 in the hope of learning more about its composition, but one thing is clear: It is a comet, not a spaceship.

Read more: New interstellar object 3I/ATLAS: Everything we know about the rare cosmic visitor

2. The birth of supermassive black holes

As soon as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) began taking deep images of the cosmos in 2022, it quickly started finding "little red dots" in the background. Astronomers didn't know what they were. At first they thought the dots could be dwarf galaxies or dense star clusters in the very early universe, but they were so luminous that the standard model of cosmology couldn't explain how they could have formed, prompting critics to suggest cosmology was broken.

However, the spectra of the little red dots didn't look like those of stars. In September, astronomers proposed an answer: The little red dots are "black hole stars" — supermassive black holes being born inside a huge, dense cloud of gas less than a billion years after the Big Bang.

These burgeoning supermassive black holes could have formed either by the direct gravitational collapse of a humongous gas cloud or from the merger of myriad stellar-mass black holes produced by the core collapse of massive stars in a dense stellar cluster hidden inside a gas cloud.

Nobody ever expected that those black holes would be produced by a whole new breed of object, so it's a crucial development in our understanding of black holes, the galaxies that eventually formed around them, and the early universe in general.

Read more: Are 'little red dots' seen by the James Webb Space Telescope actually elusive 'black hole stars'?

3. Weakening dark energy

The first full data release from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), a state-of-the-art device on the Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak in Arizona, came with shocking news: Dark energy, which is responsible for accelerating the expansion of the universe, seems to be weakening.

This was a direct contradiction of the leading hypothesis, which was that dark energy was the cosmological constant and, therefore, unchanging. While the new findings are not yet at the level of confidence required for astronomers to be sure the results are correct, they are significantly intriguing.

In 2024, some preliminary results from DESI pointed toward the strength of dark energy changing over time. Then, in March 2025, the DESI collaboration released data from the instrument's first three years of observations, spanning 13.1 million galaxies, 1.6 million quasars and about 4 million stars in relatively nearby galaxies, forming the largest and most accurate 3D map of the universe ever made.

The results showed that 4.5 billion years ago, dark energy seemed to begin weakening. Furthermore, during the previous 9 billion years, dark energy was stronger than anyone expected. This superpowered dark energy, dubbed phantom dark energy, invokes exotic physics. Why phantom dark energy would have transitioned into a weakening form two-thirds of the way into the universe's history is a complete mystery. Assuming the findings from DESI are correct, it would transform the way we view the past and future of the cosmos. For now, it deepens the mystery of dark energy.

Read more: Dark energy is even stranger than we thought, new 3D map of the universe suggests. 'What a time to be alive!' (video)

4. A year of biosignatures

Some of the most intriguing and controversial signs that we are not alone in the universe came to light in 2025, with discoveries on planets both near and far.

The best evidence yet for past life on Mars surfaced in September 2025, courtesy of NASA's Perseverance rover. That evidence was in the form of some light-red spots ringed by dark material. These "leopard spots" are not uncommon on rocks on Earth, and they typically form in one of two ways: either when exposed to hot, acidic conditions that have not been present in that part of Jezero crater, or through biological action. Organic molecules were also discovered in clay sediments within the rock, although Perseverance was unable to identify these molecules. The discovery is the most compelling evidence yet that microbial life could have existed in Jezero crater 3.5 billion years ago.

A more recent biosignature was potentially found on the exoplanet K2-18b by astronomers using JWST. In 2023, a team found signs of the gas dimethyl sulfide, alongside methane and oxygen. The team thinks this finding suggests K2-18b is a "hycean" planet — a world with an incredibly deep global ocean of water, surrounded by a thick, hydrogen-rich atmosphere. The team predicted that dimethyl sulfide could be a biosignature on a hycean world, as it can be on Earth, but the initial detection was very tentative. In March 2025, JWST produced stronger evidence for dimethyl sulfide's existence on K2-18b.

Even so, many astronomers are still skeptical of the discovery. Some argue against the concept of hycean worlds, point out that the signal is very weak, and raise the possibility that dimethyl sulfide can also form abiotically.

Read more: Did NASA's Perseverance rover find evidence of ancient life on Mars? The plot thickens

5. New exoplanetary neighbors

This year, astronomers made major steps in adding to the exoplanet inventory around the nearest stars, Alpha-Proxima Centauri and Barnard's Star.

Astronomers had previously thought they'd found planets in both systems, but each time, the evidence didn't hold up. Then, in 2024, a strong candidate for a small, rocky planet orbiting Barnard's Star was revealed in data from the Very Large Telescope in Chile. In March 2025, this observation was confirmed to be real, along with those of three smaller exoplanets. The most massive of the quartet has one-third the mass of Earth, while the smallest is one-fifth the mass of our planet. Unfortunately, none reside in the habitable zone, but further planets in more temperate regions have not been ruled out.

Then, in August, observations by JWST produced the most convincing evidence yet for a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A. The exoplanet is estimated to have a mass similar to that of Saturn and, therefore, expected to be a gas giant. Intriguingly, if this world is real, it must have a highly elliptical orbit that may result from its inclusion in a binary system.

Read more: 4 rocky exoplanets found around Barnard's Star, one of the sun's nearest neighbors

James Webb Space Telescope spots a potential new exoplanet just 4 light-years away from Earth

6. The Milky Way and Andromeda's uncertain future

The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies might not crash into each other in the next 10 billion years after all. New research published this year finds that there is a 50-50 chance that the two galaxies will miss each other.

By considering the way the Large Magellanic Cloud's gravity pulls on the Milky Way and how the gravity of the Triangulum Galaxy pulls on Andromeda, researchers refined how close Andromeda and the Milky Way galaxies will get by running a multitude of simulations.

They found that the critical distance is 650,000 light years. If they pass closer than that, the two galaxies will collide at some point in the next 10 billion years. If their closest approach is greater than 650,000 light years, they won't make contact. According to the simulations, both possibilities are equally likely.

Read more: The Milky Way may not collide with neighboring galaxy Andromeda after all: 'From near-certainty to a coin flip'

7. The most massive black hole ever seen?

In 2025, astronomers may have discovered the most massive black hole ever seen. This ultra-massive black hole, which tips the scales at 36 billion solar masses, resides at the heart of one of the most massive galaxies in the universe, called the Cosmic Horseshoe because it acts as a gravitational lens that bends the light of a more distant galaxy into an Einstein ring sporting a horseshoe shape.

More massive black holes have been claimed, but the authors of the new research pointed out that those other black holes had their masses measured indirectly, so their masses are just guesses. The mass of the black hole in the Cosmic Horseshoe, on the other hand, has been measured directly and more accurately by tracking the motion of groups of stars around it, pulled by the black hole's gravity. It certainly puts our 4.1 million-solar mass supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, in the shade.

Read more: The biggest black hole ever seen? Scientists find one with mass of 36 billion suns

8. First light for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory

After more than a quarter century of planning and over 10 years of construction, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, armed with its 8.4-meter (27.6 feet) Simonyi Survey Telescope, saw first light in the summer of 2025 — and its images of the heavens were exquisite.

The telescope is designed for high-resolution surveys, with studies of dark matter and dark energy in mind. Two areas of the sky were targeted for first light to demonstrate the telescope's prowess. One was the mighty Virgo Cluster, whose member galaxies had never been seen so clearly across such a wide expanse of space, and with 10 million faint galaxies in the background to boot. The other image was of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas, two star-forming regions in the Milky Way.

Each night, the telescope will capture 20TB of data with its 3.2-gigapixel CCD camera — the largest ever built — and issue 10 million alerts daily for asteroids, variable stars, tidal disruption events and supernovas. Over the course of its initial 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the observatory will accumulate 60 petabytes (60,000TB) of information. With all that data, the Rubin Observatory may deliver a tsunami of unprecedented astronomical discoveries.

Read more: Vera C Rubin Observatory reveals 1st stunning images of the cosmos. Scientists are 'beyond excited about what's coming'

Move over, Star Wars, and get out of here, Marvel, because there is finally an official Star Trek Lego set… and what a set. The first Star Trek Lego set was always going to be some variation of the USS Enterprise, but as a massive The Next Generation stan, I'm glad that it was my beloved: the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D.

With an 18+ recommended age rating and a hefty 3600-piece count, it's certainly not for the faint of heart. That's fine, though, because I have to imagine that just about everyone who wants one of these things is someone who watched the original show back in the day. Who knows, though, maybe Paramount+ is bringing in the next generation of Next Generation fans?

It's also a hefty $400 — a price point that will make you yearn for the moneyless society of the show. So, was it worth the wait, and is it worth the money? Let's head into the review at warp seven and find out.

Lego U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D: Build

• Body constructed with two mirrored halves
• 3600 pieces
• Some easy-to-apply stickers and printed pieces

The Lego Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D is made from 3600 pieces, split across 30 different bags and two instruction books. The first book covers the ship's main body and the flight stand, while the second book is devoted to the saucer section.

To make it so, the build starts with the main body and wings that hold the nacelles (aka the ship's warp engines). You actually construct the body from two mirror halves, which are then attached using several long cross-axle pieces (the long plus-shaped bars). I was especially impressed with how the designers crafted the main deflector array — that blue oval on the front of the ship that's always firing off tractor beams and tachyon pulses — which is made from two, custom-printed cockpit windscreen pieces that you invert, creating the concave shape of the array.

With the body constructed, it's time for a quick detour to assemble the flight stand, as the fixed position it offers makes attaching the engines much easier.

Speaking of which, you'll move on to building the nacelles themselves, which make good use of blue and red transparent pieces to recreate the iconic look of the ship's glowing engines. Once assembled, the nacelles slot into place nicely, and by this point, you've got a working ship… as long as you don't mind commanding your daft-looking ship from the battle bridge.

The back half of the build is a lot more technical, as you're building a larger circular disc out of square and rectangular Lego pieces. This feat is achieved by first constructing a central frame, similar to the spokes of a wheel, and then attaching it to the main body. I ran into an issue here, as I discovered I'd made a mistake in section 1 that only reared its ugly head here. A single piece was rotated 90 degrees in the wrong direction, and it stopped the saucer from slotting in. Fortunately, I was able to repair it without disassembling the entire thing, but my heart did stop for a second when I discovered my mistake.

Once the frame is in place, you then attach the top panels, which use angled pieces and hinge attachments, slotting together into a damn impressive approximation of a circle.

Things get trickier from here, though, as the final stretch has you repeating this process on the underside of the ship. The instruction book seems to imagine that you've got infinite room to work underneath the ship while doing this, but in practice, it's quite tricky. I gave up in the end and just flipped the whole thing over, which felt very sketchy, and I ended up knocking a few random pieces off during the operation.

Despite my brief (and self-inflicted) cardiac episode, I had a fantastic time building the Enterprise. The nine minifigures are scattered throughout the build, providing a nice palette cleanser as you work through this sizeable build. They're all simple to construct as you'd expect, though Riker's trombone is an impressive — and rickety — piece of engineering.

Some mirror sections effectively call for you to build the same thing twice, but the fact that it's mirrored — and not identical — keeps you on your toes. There are some special printed pieces, along with some stickers scattered throughout the build, but they're all easy enough to apply.

Lego U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D: Design

• Great display model
• Comprehensive collection of minifigures
• Can be a little fragile to handle when completed

I've been waiting a very long time for a Lego Star Trek set, and I'm thrilled to say the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D was worth the wait. The design team has perfectly replicated the iconic starship in exquisite detail — no small feat given its awkward size and shape. I was skeptical of how the circular saucer section would look when built out of flat-edge pieces, but it looks stunning.

Some easter eggs are hiding around the ship that fans will appreciate, including the dedication plaque that emblazons the back wall of the Enterprise's bridge (complete with a hilarious typo). Sadly, this set isn't big enough to have a minifig scale bridge hidden inside it, so the plaque lives in a hidden compartment instead.

Speaking of minifigures, the collection included here is comprehensive, with almost all of your favorite characters from the show (bad luck to the Tasha Yar and Chief O'Brien stans out there). They all look wonderful, each with their own unique accessories ranging from Worf's phaser through to Riker's ridiculous trombone.

There are some unique Lego pieces used here, too, including Worf's "hair" and Guinan's flamboyant headpiece. There is a platform to store the minifigs on, and a printed display piece with cool facts and figures about the Enterprise on it, too.

Another neat touch is the "pin" that locks the saucer section in place, which is cleverly disguised as a shuttlecraft approaching the shuttlebay. It's a cute piece of design, though the detachable saucer section itself is — much like in the show — a gimmick that you'll rarely use.

The model is too fragile to handle (since completing it, I knocked a piece off while showing it off on webcam and can not for the life of me find where it came from). Beyond that, there is no display stand to hold the saucer section on its own, so unless you're recreating the end of Star Trek: Generations, it's not worth detaching.

Should you buy the Lego U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D?

If you're a Star Trek fan and a Lego collector, of course, you should buy this set. And by the looks of it, a lot of you already did because the Lego U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D sold almost immediately out on launch day. If you missed the first wave, don't worry, because we're sure it'll be back in stock at warp speed.

The Enterprise is a brilliant set to build and a gorgeous display piece when it's done. It's expensive, as you'd expect from a 3,600-piece Lego set, but I think it's well worth the price of admission for Trekkies. Your wallet's shields never stood a chance.

Other Lego sets to consider

As we said in the intro, the Lego U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D is the first and only Star Trek Lego set out there for now (unless you count the Type-15 Shuttlepod that came with the pre-order), so we don't have any other Trekkie sets to recommend to you.

If you're agnostic in the Trek vs Wars divide, there are plenty of amazing Star Wars Lego sets to consider, though. My personal favorite is the Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser, an enormous 5,374-piece monster that dwarfs even the Enterprise.

If the $649.99/£559.99 price tag on that set has triggered a red alert from your bank, there are some cheaper sets we love too; namely, the Mos Espa Podrace Diorama and the adorable Grogu with Hover Pram, both of which can be had for under $100.

To celebrate the thrill of space exploration and the joy of learning, we've created a special crossword puzzle built entirely from this week's top Space.com stories. It's a fun, brain-tickling way to revisit the highlights, whether you're a casual stargazer or a die-hard astrophysics fan.

Expect clues that span planetary science, rocket launches, stargazing, and entertainment tied to the stars. If you read about it on Space.com last week, it might just show up in this puzzle. And if you didn't? Well, now's your chance to catch up while flexing your trivia muscles.

So channel your inner astronaut, and dive into this week's interstellar quiz. The answers are out there, you just have to connect the clues.

Try it out below and see how well you do!

China routinely sends astronauts to and from its space station Tiangong. A crew capsule is about to undock from the station and return to Earth, but there's nothing routine about its journey home.

The Shenzhou-20 capsule will carry no crew, because one of its windows has been struck by space debris. Astronauts noticed an apparent crack on November 5, during pre-return checks.

Space journalist Andrew Jones explained how experts on the ground had studied images of the damage and concluded that a piece of debris smaller than 1mm (roughly 1/25th of an inch) had penetrated from the outer to inner layers of the glass.

Simulations and tests confirmed a low probability that the window could fail during the high-temperature re-entry through Earth's atmosphere. Although a worst-case scenario, it was one that officials deemed unacceptable. A rescue mission – Shenzhou-22 – was launched to bring the astronauts back from the station.

Experts have been warning about the threat posed by space debris for years. The ever-growing number of space programmes by states and private entities is now contributing to an increasingly congested environment in orbit.

The European Space Agency estimates that there are more than 15,100 tonnes of material in space that has been launched from Earth. There are 1.2 million debris objects between 1cm and 10cm, and 140 million debris objects between 1mm and 1cm.

In low orbit they will be travelling around 7.6 km/s (roughly 17,000 miles per hour), damaging anything they hit. This is how a piece less than 1mm in size was able to penetrate the thick glass of Shenzhou-20’s capsule.

Given the mounting number of objects in orbit, this is likely to be a more regular occurrence. It's costly in terms of damage to equipment, and increasingly a threat to life. When a piece of debris hits another object in space, it can also create more space debris, adding to the problem.

A number of countries are able to track what's in space, but given that these may include classified satellites, there is a reluctance by states to share details. China's space programme is overseen by its military, in line with a view that space is inherently linked to national security. This only adds to the geopolitical tensions between states around the use of space.

Treaties and responsibilities

The outer space treaty from 1967 sought to outline how space should be governed. But it is outdated and does not account for the increased presence of debris or the proliferation of private space launches. Nor does it address responsibilities when it comes to the sustainable use of space.

A total of 117 states are parties to the treaty, yet while efforts are ongoing to develop new norms around space governance, including the creation of the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee, the organisation may offer a platform for cooperation and research but does not result in binding decisions for state action. The lack of any global agreement on space debris, and more importantly repercussions, makes tackling the problem of space debris even harder.

Technology is being developed to address space debris – but this generally appears as concept mission plans with only a few trial tests being launched anywhere globally. Examples include the idea of a harpoon to collect large pieces – although the recoil of such an instrument means the spacecraft that deploys it could become a new piece of debris.

An alternative is the highly technological approach of a big net. This will work in the sense that if you can slow the debris down, it will fall into the atmosphere and burn up.

The problem with these methods is the lack of sustainability, sending one satellite up to bring only a few pieces down uses up fuel, which is adding to climate variation. An appropriate and efficient solution would be a constellation of satellites that stay in orbit and bring debris down. The process, of course, is still something to be researched.

A ground-based solution is the laser broom, which uses laser pulses to slow down objects orbiting Earth, potentially allowing them to re-enter the atmosphere and burn up. However, it is yet to be tested and comes with its own potential problems such as atmospheric warming and missing its target.

Yet without addressing the geopolitics of space governance, the removal of space debris is moot as a focus on national interests, security concerns, and the increasing presence of the private sector means that pollution in Earth orbit is happening faster than we can clean it up.

Any collisions cause many more pieces to be produced than can be collected, some notable examples include the destruction in 2007, by China, of its own Fengyun-1C satellite as part of an anti-satellite weapon test. This added an estimated 3,500 pieces in orbit.

In 2009, a Russian satellite called Kosmos 2251 collided with an Iridium communications satellite, generating roughly 2,400 pieces of debris. In 2021, Russia carried out its own anti-satellite missile test, destroying the Kosmos 1408 satellite and generating a further 1,787 pieces. These mostly came back through the atmosphere, but 400 pieces were left in orbit.

Whether such an anti-satellite weapon could be repurposed for space debris removal is unlikely but has potential.

It will require concerted global cooperation and effort to not only indicate what spacecraft states and private companies have in space, but to commit to de-orbiting every future spacecraft at the end of its life, reducing future debris.

The current space debris mitigation standards by the European Space Agency highlight that any satellites must be de-orbited within 25 years of the end of operations. While this also is intended to apply to miniature "cubesats" – the process of bringing them back down has yet to demonstrated.

Ultimately this debris will cause problems for all space launch agencies and private companies, as there is a limit to our ground-based tracking and warning abilities. This makes addressing the global governance of space critical. However, it may take several high-cost satellites being taken out of commission, or potentially loss of life, for this issue to be taken seriously.

Among the many honorees, superhero movies made a respectable showing as DC Studios rolled out "Superman" and Marvel Studios made a retro splash with "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."

Some awkward missteps didn’t make the cut, including the interesting but occasionally irritating "Mickey 17," Disney’s animated astro-flick, "Elio," and the head-scratching aberration of Ice Cube's Prime Video debacle, "War of the Worlds." And as for "The Astronaut", all we can say is WTF.

But for every thorn we've mentioned, there's a blossoming rose. They may not all be at the top of the box office bean counters' ledger sheet, but these twelve movies offered artistry and imagination that delivered exceptional audience experiences in a variety of cinematic forms.

Let's dive right into Space's best sci-fi movies of 2025. ranked.

12. Tron: Ares

Cast: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith | Director: Joachim Rønning | Watch on: Disney+

We had to have one sacrificial lamb to anchor this list, and "Tron: Ares" more than qualifies for that role to kick us off.

Released in a strange mid-October launch period and carrying with it the legacy of a 43-year-old sci-fi franchise whose last installment, "Tron: Legacy," landed back in 2010, "Tron: Ares" was a financial burden on Disney and appeared dead-on-arrival.

It could be that the execution of the film failed to ignite audience interest in a tale of the digital realm intruding on our real world, or maybe that no one wanted to see an AI Jared Leto. Regardless, director Joachim Rønning’s $220 million neon pic is still a spectacular visual feast with a killer Nine Inch Nails score.

11. The Electric State

Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander | Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo | Watch on: Netflix

Produced for a stratospheric $320 million and starring Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown, this Netflix blockbuster was directed by The Russo Brothers of the "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame" fame. "The Electric State" takes its source material from a surreal graphic novel of the same name by acclaimed Swedish illustrator Simon Stalenhag.

Years after a catastrophic robot rebellion, which humanity won, two lost souls traverse a broken American wasteland with a robot named Cosmo to try and find the consciousness behind this lost droid.

The visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic are cutting-edge, and they should be for the money! Woody Harrelson's robotic Mr. Peanut is a showstopper, and while the movie seems disjointed at times, just consider it a fun cartoonish romp, and you'll have a good time..

10. The Gorge

Cast: Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sigourney Weaver | Director: Scott Derrickson | Watch on: Apple TV+

This sci-fi horror feature from Apple TV slots into our roundup because of its pure entertainment value and captivating performances from Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy.

This should have been given a full theatrical release, but we don't make those decisions and can only gently complain about them. The handsome pair of actors play sniper specialists from enemy countries who must each take a long shift on opposite sides of a massive trench where some unnatural monsters apparently lurk below.

While guarding this mysterious gorge, these good-looking sharpshooters inevitably fall in love and join forces to contain the marauding creatures. Director Scott Derrickson ("Doctor Strange") delivers a good old-fashioned action fright flick that is both charming and rewarding on a particular level that doesn’t demand much heavy lifting.

9. Lilo & Stitch

Cast: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Hannah Waddingham, Chris Sanders | Director: Dean Fleischer Camp | Watch on: Disney+

One of the most massive hits of 2025, pulling in over $1 billion and only recently surpassed by "Zootopia 2" as the top box office performer of the year, "Lilo & Stitch" is a delightful live-action sci-fi adventure adapted from the beloved 2002 Disney animated feature.

This makeover movie stays pretty true to the original and revolves around Lilo (Maia Kealoha), a six-year-old, hula-loving Hawaiian surfer girl who adopts a furry blue alien creature named Stitch, who was created as a biological weapon. Agents from the United Galactic Federation soon arrive to retrieve their test subject, and some wacky island mischief ensues.

Director Dean Fleischer Camp keeps things cute and charming, and the result is a successful remake that also stands on its own. Actor Chris Sanders also adds to the finished product by reprising his role voicing Stitch!

8. Bugonia

Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias | Director: Yorgos Lanthimos | Watch on: Peacock

The Human Resistance kidnaps a corporate hotshot played by Emma Stone, believing she’s an extraterrestrial residing on Earth and masquerading as a powerful Big Pharma CEO.

The pair of beekeeping conspiracy nuts played by Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis are insistent that she’s alien royalty from the Andromeda galaxy and try to prevent her from contacting her mothership. What follows is an engrossing battle of wits that leads to some shocking revelations about the fractured reality of humanity.

Director Yorgos Lanthimos offers viewers a quirky, delirious descent into the troubled minds of conspiracy theorists and makes you question the real truth, no matter how outlandish it might seem.

7. Lost in Starlight

Cast: Kim Tae-ri, Hong Kyung, Sharon Kwon, Ahn Young-mi | Director: Han Ji-won | Watch on: Netflix

The second animated feature on this compilation, Lost in Starlight is a touching romantic sci-fi fable from Korea that might have been unfairly overlooked if not for it debuting on Netflix.

South Korean director Han Ji-Won presents an uplifting cosmic story of star-crossed lovers that is a refreshing diversion deserving of the added attention for the holidays and beyond. This engaging tale of the scientist astronaut Nan-young and a struggling musician named Jay becomes a heart-wrenching drama when Nan-young joins a mission to Mars, and their long-distance bond is tested.

The film also delivers a catchy soundtrack of original K-pop songs courtesy of CIFIKA, Meego, John Park, Wave to Earth's Kim Daniel, and many more.

6. Superman

Cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi | Director: James Gunn | Watch on: HBO Max

As one of the most-anticipated installments of the summer, director James Gunn delivers a perfectly respectable superhero blockbuster that introduced the world to a very Henry Cavill-looking David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. And you know what? We dig it.

Stuffed to the breaking point with an inspired cast and a brighter message of hope, "Superman" sports many of the hallmarks we've come to love in Gunn’s "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies. At times, there are simply too many characters flitting about the production, and it often lacks the edge of Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel."

Nevertheless, there's a lot to love here, especially Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho, and, of course, the super-pup Krypto.

5. 28 Years Later

Cast: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams | Director: Danny Boyle | Watch on: Netflix

Zombies are back, baby (well, sort of!) and just as ferocious as ever when director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland returned to the franchise they created back in 2002 with "28 Days Later."

An underrated sequel, "28 Weeks Later," followed in 2007, but the sci-fi horror property lay fallow until the creative duo brought it back to life. The plot unfurls 30 years after the Rage Virus spread through England as a boy and his dad travel from the safe harbor of their remote island for a perilous hunting mission.

Starring Jodie Comer, Alfie Williams, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes, 28 Years Later opens the gates for a whole new trilogy and its dash of British folk horror paired with the evolutionary existence of a new "Alpha" breed of the infected. The trailer alone, with its vintage 1915 recital of Rudyard Kipling's "Boots" poem, is simply chilling!

4. Predator: Killer of Killers/Predator: Badlands

Cast: (Killer of Killers) Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa, Rick Gonzalez/ (Badlands) Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Reuben de Jong | Director: Dan Trachtenberg | Watch on: Hulu

For this pick, we’re giving you a combo pack of pure Predator goodness from director Dan Trachtenberg that provides two great Predator projects that taste great together.

Hulu’s animated anthology, "Killer of Killers," gives fans more of the savage intensity and bloodlust that the classic sci-fi franchise has traditionally been known for. "Badlands" is a different creature altogether and operates as a slightly humorous buddy pic with a runt Yautja warrior being tested on a hunting expedition on a dangerous planet and a chatty Weyland-Yutani android tagging along on its back due to its limb loss.

Together, these titles provide a good dose of the new Predator property as imagined by the Disney braintrust at 20th Century Studios... for better and perhaps for worse, depending on your preference.

3. Ash

Cast: Eiza González, Aaron Paul, Iko Uwais, Kate Elliott | Director: Flying Lotus | Watch on: Shudder

With its evolving Lovecraftian sci-fi nightmares, this phantasmagoric indie entry directed by filmmaker and hip-hop artist Flying Lotus is a must-watch for any serious genre fan.

Set on a hostile exoplanet where an alien species has already staked a terraforming claim, it's a stylish horror tale of a doomed rescue mission that often defies traditional linear narratives.

The striking color-splashed visuals alone are worthy of a serious viewing, and Fly-Lo's retro synthwave score sets the dreamy mood perfectly. It carries an infectious grindhouse appeal and dark video game-inspired scares that lingers with you long after the end credits roll!

2. The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn | Director: Matt Shakman | Watch on: Disney+

With "The Fantastic Four: First Steps", we have finally broken the decades-old curse of Marvel's First Family having terrible movies.

Director Matt Shakman and a spirited cast inhabit a colorful, retro-futuristic New York City of the 1960s, as Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, The Thing, and The Human Torch combat the planet-munching entity called Galactus and his shimmery herald, the Silver Surfer.

Beautifully balanced with humor and heart, this Fantastic Four might not have lit up the box office or incited critics to gush over its many merits, but it's a solid step in the right direction as Marvel Studios regroups on its way to next year's "Avengers: Doomsday" with Robert Downey as the diabolical Marvel Comics villain, Victor von Doom.

1. Frankenstein

Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz | Director: Guillermo del Toro | Watch on: Netflix

While some sci-fi fans might balk at the inclusion of director Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein" on this diverse parade of winners, the subject matter and source material do fall squarely into a broad definition of the science fiction genre.

Isaac Asimov once explained it as being related to Humankind and its relationship to speculative technology and alternative science. Mary Shelley's 1818 novel fuses Gothic horror with unholy scientific experiments, and in del Toro's hands, the graphic details of Oscar Isaac's mad creation are on full display.

The elegant sets and lavish costume designs are stunning, as is Jacob Elordi's multi-faceted performance as the intelligent wretch stitched together from corpses. It’s a haunting epic, both romantic and tragic, with enough atmosphere and artistic touches to satisfy the most discriminating of tastes.

The Trump administration only entered office at the beginning of this year, but has already shaken up the world of academic research and the structure of major science organizations such as NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An interstellar comet strayed into our solar system and scientists have been rushing to study this sample from beyond ever since (even during a government shutdown).

Satellites are crowding Earth orbit, the northern lights are suddenly visible to people who would never normally expect to see them, and we even went through one of the shortest days in history. We saw black holes devouring stars in new ways, witnessed experts fight over whether an exoplanet called K2-18b is actually exhibiting signs of life right before NASA's Perseverance rover found a possible biosignature of its own, and waited patiently for a new observatory to drop its first images — and that barely scratches the surface of it.

But I was curious about something. With so many massive cosmic stories competing for attention, which ones resonated the most? What space questions were people Googling? What sounded too good to miss?

To find out, I dug into our metrics and searched for the 12 most read stories of 2025. Here's what I found.

12. China reached out to NASA to avoid a potential satellite collision in 1st-of-its-kind space cooperation

Possible satellite accidents and surprising international space cooperation kick off this list; At number 12, is a story that perhaps offered a glimpse of a more collaborative future in orbit that can drown out our Kessler Syndrome worries.

This year, officials with the Chinese National Space Agency did something unexpected: They reached out to NASA after detecting a potential satellite traffic collision, suggesting NASA hold its satellite still while they figure out a maneuver. While NASA has sent such alerts to China before, the reverse hadn't happened until now.

On one hand, there's something to be said here about how many satellites are traversing Earth orbit (so many that space traffic control is moving toward normalcy!) and, on the other, it shows China's space capabilities may have leveled up once more. Detecting and tracking potential collisions requires sophisticated space situational awareness, something long dominated by the U.S.

Read the full article here.

11. Big lake in Quebec suddenly disappears, satellite finds

The headline of this Space Photo of the Day from August is certainly worth a double-take, so I'm not terribly shocked it's on this list.

The short explanation for what happened here is that the land surrounding a lake in Quebec collapsed inward on itself, causing the lake's water to drain suddenly and triggering landslides with little to no warning. Families with the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi, an Indigenous community in Quebec, were devastated by the loss of their traditional hunting, fishing and campgrounds.

Read the full article here.

10. James Webb Space Telescope takes 1st look at interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with unexpected results

Of course comet 3I/ATLAS had to make this list. It's one of the most fascinating cosmic serendipities to happen in recent memory.

Comets are very cool in and of themselves, but what's special about 3I/ATLAS is that it came from beyond our solar system — hence, its "interstellar" title – and it's only the third confirmed object to enter our corner of the cosmos from elsewhere. Scientists are trying to learn as much as possible about this so-called "invader" before it leaves forever, and in this article, you can see data about the comet captured by the James Webb Space Telescope — a highly revered, infrared-light-catching instrument that launched on Christmas Day in 2021.

Read the full article here.

9. Earth will spin faster today to create 2nd-shortest day in history

The second shortest day on record took place this year on July 22, but it was only 1.34 milliseconds shorter. The record didn't last long; it was broken again on Aug. 5.

What causes these variations? Well, Earth's rotation isn't perfectly constant because of variables like the gravitational pull of the moon on our planet, masses on our planet itself shifting (like its liquid core) and seasonal changes. And even though we can't actually feel the difference in rotation, it's maybe nice to know that forces beyond the context of our reality are shifting and aligning to keep our clocks ticking and our journey through the universe a healthy cruise.

Read the full article here.

8. Failed Soviet Venus lander Kosmos 482 crashes to Earth after 53 years in orbit

It was a bittersweet moment on May 10 this year, when a Soviet-era spacecraft, Kosmos 482, plunged back to Earth after more than five decades in orbit.

Kosmos 482's destiny was to ride the tides around Venus, but because of a failure during launch, the spacecraft never made it past our planet's orbit. And for the last five decades, it had remained in limbo there, unable to continue its journey or return home, until gravity closed the chapter.

At last, it's home.

Read the full article here.

7. Russian 'Noah's Ark' satellite carrying 75 mice and 1,500 flies lands back on Earth

Speaking of in-orbit objects that returned home, so did a spherical Russian spacecraft carrying 75 mice, 1,500 flies, microorganisms and plant seeds spent 30 days in orbit, exposing its living cargo to cosmic radiation and microgravity before returning to Earth.

While 10 mice died and some flies didn’t survive, most of the animals came back alive, giving scientists valuable insight into how living organisms cope with spaceflight.

Read the full article here.

6. Cosmonaut removed from SpaceX's Crew 12 mission for violating national security rules: report

In early December, an investigative report from Russian news site The Insider revealed that cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev was removed from SpaceX's Crew 12 mission after allegedly leaking confidential SpaceX documentation and photos.

This mission, scheduled to launch to the International Space Station as early as February, now lists cosmonaut Andrei Fedyayev as Artemyev's replacement on the four-person crew.

Read the full article here.

5. Scientists analyze 76 million radio telescope images, find Starlink satellite interference 'where no signals are supposed to be present'

And on the note of SpaceX, the rise of satellite megaconstellations spearheaded by Elon Musk's company continues to make headlines for the negative impact it has on astronomy observations. Though other satellites are contributors to the issue of signal interference in night sky images — notably AST SpaceMobile's Bluewalker 3 — SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites are quite the polluters in this domain. There are over 10,000 deployed satellites, with more on the way.

This article is one of several that investigate how bad the Starlink effect is on astronomy, and how much worse it could get. A new study from this month, for instance, suggests satellite constellations like Starlink could obscure most space telescope observations by the late 2030s.

Read the full article here.

4. What time is Sept. 7 blood moon total lunar eclipse?

Number four on this list represents several blood moon stories from this year, as humanity's desire to view our lunar friend became quite clear to me while we searched through our most-read stories.

The blood moon, for context, happened because a total lunar eclipse was visible across Asia and Europe overnight from Sept. 7 through Sept. 8. The moon’s deep red hue appeared as it passed through Earth's shadow, with the exact shade shaped by conditions in Earth's atmosphere — a process explained in detail through an accompanying infographic.

It's also hard to forget how much the 2024 total solar eclipse captivated the world; it would seem space traffic is just as mesmerizing as space traffic control to us.

Read the full article here.

3. NASA's Perseverance rover hits the Mars rock gold mine: 'It has been all we had hoped for and more'

The Perseverance rover had some major wins this year while scouring the Martian surface for clues about the history of the Red Planet. One of them is the absolute bounty of peculiar rocks it found at a spot near Jezero Crater called "Witch Hazel Hill."

While exploring the region, the rover uncovered intriguing specimens, including once-molten rocks and, for the first time, material from the crater rim itself. One particularly prized sample, dubbed Silver Mountain, captivated scientists with its unusual textures — and will likely remain a highlight of the mission for years to come.

Read the full article here.

2. Northern lights may be visible in these 23 US States June 1

Similar to the deal with the blood moon conglomerate, this article represents all the northern lights stories that were running off the charts this year.

The current solar cycle has been kind enough to allow humans across the world to see the northern lights right in their backyards, even if they don't live in the frigid polar areas of our globe. And after getting a taste of what it's like to see these surreal light shows, it appears to have become a chase for many.

What'll happen when a solar cycle doesn't treat us this well in the future? Hello darkness my old friend?

Read the full article here.

1. Trump's signing of 'One Big Beautiful Bill' includes $85 million to move space shuttle Discovery from Smithsonian to Texas

Welcome to our number one most-read story this year: A rundown of how the Trump administration's "Big Beautiful Bill" allocated money to move the iconic space shuttle Discovery (currently located at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.) to Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas.

This idea has been met with much disdain from experts, in part because it would entail sort of chipping up Discovery into different pieces. Not to mention, it'd be pretty hard to complete the task — and the money involved could theoretically be used for other stuff.

It's fitting to have this story at our top spot because of how science has been flipped upside down this year due to changes implemented by the Trump administration. Several of Space.com's stories in 2025 have been dedicated to peeling back the layers of how the administration — since taking office at the start of this year — has led to mass layoffs of scientists, language changes on scientific websites, an increase in quiet censorship and arguably illegal moves from major organizations like NASA.

Considering the amount of dramatic news we see on this list alone, both directly and indirectly, it will be interesting to see what our 2026 "most read stories" list will look like.

Read the full article here.

We don't know what dark matter is, even though we strongly suspect it exists. We see circumstantial evidence for it everywhere, from the rotation rates of galaxies to the growth of the largest structures in the cosmos. For decades, cosmologists have thought dark matter is some sort of exotic particle that was previously unknown to the Standard Model of particle physics. This strange particle would not interact with light, or really much of anything else, except through its gravitational influence.

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

It could be that dark matter isn't made of zillions of tiny particles flying through the universe. Instead, it could be composed of bunched-up collections of much larger objects. In particular, the researchers behind a new study, published in November 2025 in the open access server arXiv, investigated two kinds of exotic objects.

The first is known as a boson star. In this model, dark matter is made of an ultra-ultra-ultra light particle — potentially millions of times lighter than neutrinos, the lightest known particles. They would be so light that their quantum nature would make them appear more like waves at galactic scales than like individual particles. But these waves would sometimes bunch up and collect on themselves, pulling together with their own gravity, without collapsing.

Another possibility is called Q-balls. In this model, dark matter isn't a particle at all but rather a quantum field that soaks all of space and time. Due to a special property of this field, it could occasionally pinch off, creating gigantic, stable, lump-like balls that wander the cosmos like a floating piece of flour in gravy that hasn't been mixed well.

Both boson stars and Q-balls, which live under the more general heading of exotic astrophysical dark objects (EADOs), are difficult to detect. They're large — roughly star-size — but they do not emit light of their own, making them nearly invisible in our scans of the cosmos.

But astronomers have discovered a way that EADOs can betray their presence: microlensing. If a Q-ball or boson star were to pass between us and a distant star, the strong gravity of the EADO would cause the light from the star to act as a gravitational lens. From our perspective, it would make the star appear to suddenly jump into position and then quickly return to normal.

So all we'd have to do is stare at a whole bunch of stars for a really long time and hope we get lucky. Thankfully, we have just the instrument for the job. The Gaia space telescope's mission was to do just that: stare at a whole bunch of stars for a really long time.

The astronomers behind the study propose a campaign using Gaia data to search for Q-balls and boson stars by looking for their unique, "smoking gun" signal of sudden jumps in stellar positions. Depending on how many are out there, Gaia may have observed up to several thousand EADOs.

But if they're not out there, then this same campaign would produce stringent limits on Q-balls' and boson stars' contributions to the overall dark matter picture. No matter what, staring into the dark would teach us something.

If you look across space with a telescope, you'll see countless galaxies, most of which host large central black holes, billions of stars and their attendant planets. The universe teems with huge, spectacular objects, and it might seem like these massive objects should hold most of the universe's matter.

But the Big Bang theory predicts that about 5% of the universe's contents should be atoms made of protons, neutrons and electrons. Most of those atoms cannot be found in stars and galaxies – a discrepancy that has puzzled astronomers.

If not in visible stars and galaxies, the most likely hiding place for the matter is in the dark space between galaxies. While space is often referred to as a vacuum, it isn't completely empty. Individual particles and atoms are dispersed throughout the space between stars and galaxies, forming a dark, filamentary network called the "cosmic web."

Throughout my career as an astronomer, I've studied this cosmic web, and I know how difficult it is to account for the matter spread throughout space.

In a study published in June 2025, a team of scientists used a unique radio technique to complete the census of normal matter in the universe.

The census of normal matter

The most obvious place to look for normal matter is in the form of stars. Gravity gathers stars together into galaxies, and astronomers can count galaxies throughout the observable universe.

The census comes to several hundred billion galaxies, each made of several hundred billion stars. The numbers are uncertain because many stars lurk outside of galaxies. That's an estimated 10²³ stars in the universe, or hundreds of times more than the number of sand grains on all of Earth's beaches. There are an estimated 10⁸² atoms in the universe.

However, this prodigious number falls far short of accounting for all the matter predicted by the Big Bang. Careful accounting indicates that stars contain only 0.5% of the matter in the universe. Ten times more atoms are presumably floating freely in space. Just 0.03% of the matter is elements other than hydrogen and helium, including carbon and all the building blocks of life.

Looking between galaxies

The intergalactic medium – the space between galaxies – is near-total vacuum, with a density of one atom per cubic meter, or one atom every 35 cubic feet. That's less than a billionth of a billionth of the density of air on Earth. Even at this very low density, this diffuse medium adds up to a lot of matter, given the enormous, 92-billion-light-year diameter of the universe.

The intergalactic medium is very hot, with a temperature of millions of degrees. That makes it difficult to observe except with X-ray telescopes, since very hot gas radiates out through the universe at very short X-ray wavelengths. X-ray telescopes have limited sensitivity because they are smaller than most optical telescopes.

Deploying a new tool

Astronomers recently used a new tool to solve this missing matter problem. Fast radio bursts are intense blasts of radio waves that can put out as much energy in a millisecond as the Sun puts out in three days. First discovered in 2007, scientists found that the bursts are caused by compact stellar remnants in distant galaxies. Their energy peters out as the bursts travel through space, and by the time that energy reaches the Earth, it is a thousand times weaker than a mobile phone signal would be if emitted on the moon, then detected on Earth.

Research from early 2025 suggests the source of the bursts is the highly magnetic region around an ultra-compact neutron star. Neutron stars are incredibly dense remnants of massive stars that have collapsed under their own gravity after a supernova explosion. The particular type of neutron star that emits radio bursts is called a magnetar, with a magnetic field a thousand trillion times stronger than the Earth's.

Even though astronomers don't fully understand fast radio bursts, they can use them to probe the spaces between galaxies. As the bursts travel through space, interactions with electrons in the hot intergalactic gas preferentially slow down longer wavelengths. The radio signal is spread out, analogous to the way a prism turns sunlight into a rainbow. Astronomers use the amount of spreading to calculate how much gas the burst has passed through on its way to Earth.

Puzzle solved

In the new study, published in June 2025, a team of astronomers from Caltech and the Harvard Center for Astrophysics studied 69 fast radio bursts using an array of 110 radio telescopes in California. The team found that 76% of the universe's normal matter lies in the space between galaxies, with another 15% in galaxy halos – the area surrounding the visible stars in a galaxy – and the remaining 9% in stars and cold gas within galaxies.

The complete accounting of normal matter in the universe provides a strong affirmation of the Big Bang theory. The theory predicts the abundance of normal matter formed in the first few minutes of the universe, so by recovering the predicted 5%, the theory passes a critical test.

Several thousand fast radio bursts have already been observed, and an upcoming array of radio telescopes will likely increase the discovery rate to 10,000 per year. Such a large sample will let fast radio bursts become powerful tools for cosmology. Cosmology is the study of the size, shape and evolution of the universe. Radio bursts could go beyond counting atoms to mapping the three-dimensional structure of the cosmic web.

Pie chart of the universe

Scientists may now have the complete picture of where normal matter is distributed, but most of the universe is still made up of stuff they don't fully understand.

The most abundant ingredients in the universe are dark matter and dark energy, both of which are poorly understood. Dark energy is causing the accelerating expansion of the universe, and dark matter is the invisible glue that holds galaxies and the universe together.

Dark matter is probably a previously unstudied type of fundamental particle that is not part of the standard model of particle physics. Physicists haven't been able to detect this novel particle yet, but we know it exists because, according to general relativity, mass bends light, and far more gravitational lensing is seen than can be explained by visible matter. With gravitational lensing, a cluster of galaxies bends and magnifies light in a way that's analogous to an optical lens. Dark matter outweighs conventional matter by more than a factor of five.

One mystery may be solved, but a larger mystery remains. While dark matter is still enigmatic, we now know a lot about the normal atoms making up us as humans, and the world around us.

A streaming device is something, usually a box or a stick, that connects to your TV (usually via HDMI) and displays apps that are installed through Wi-Fi connectivity, once you're connected.

Here, we've put four of the top options on the market head-to-head to determine which is the best streaming device for you. If you're someone who has subscriptions to several of the best streaming services, or you're someone who doesn't buy DVDs and Blu-Rays anymore, having access to all your accounts in one place can be really helpful, and knowing which is the best device for that is certainly helpful.

We compare and contrast the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku Ultra, Apple TV and Google TV Streamer for their viewing quality, audio, price and design to determine which is the top option for you. So, for key specs, overviews and analysis on the best streaming devices on the market, keep reading.

Visual Quality

In order to get the most out of your streaming device, you'll need a device (i.e. a TV/laptop etc) that can support the visual quality the streaming device offers. These days, the best streaming devices all support 4K viewing, although some support it better than others.

If you do have a TV, or another device that supports 4K viewing, you'll be pleased to hear that the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku Ultra, Apple TV and Google TV Streamer all offer 4K visuals. The Apple TV device offers the best picture with its 4K HDR ability, which means it offers 4K viewing, with improved contrast and brightness.

The Roku Ultra offers 4K UHD as a maximum resolution, whereas the Google TV Streamer offers a genuine 4K resolution and the Fire TV stick can play 4K HDR at 60FPS. All of this means you get high-quality visuals from each, but the Apple TV device is technically ahead, marginally, of the others.

The extra detail of 4K UHD compared to standard 4K viewing is subtle, but it is the difference between a 3,840 x 2160 and a 4,096 x 2160 resolution. Typically, to the average viewer, this won't make any noticeable difference, but there are more pixels and a slightly finer picture produced in 4K viewing as opposed to 4K UHD.

Audio Quality

It's all well and good viewing something with clear visual quality, but your experience will be ruined if the sound is terrible, so the audio quality is almost, if not just as, important as the visual quality.

Again, the Apple TV streaming device is marginally ahead of the rest, thanks to its Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio feature. Spatial Audio means you get a 3D audio atmosphere, so the audio sounds like it's coming from different, specific points.

All the other streaming devices in this article offer regular Dolby Atmos audio quality. That's still an outstanding feature. It's much better than standard audio, and it means that the audio comes across with more depth and height, leading to a more impressive audio experience. The difference is that the Apple TV's Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio offers a slightly more immersive audio experience.

Power and Available Apps

Unsurprisingly, as the Apple TV 4K is the premium option in this clash of the best streaming devices, it has the best tech internally to keep it running smoothly. It features 4GB of RAM and an A 15 bionic chip to help it load apps quicker and run faster than previous generations. You can also get up to 128GB of storage, so you can download and use more than enough apps to satisfy your streaming needs.

The Google TV Streamer is a close second with 4GB of RAM, and a quad-core processor. The reason this comes a close second to the Apple TV 4K is due to its storage size; at just 32GB, it's enough to use some apps, but not nearly as much as you get in the Apple model. Still, it performs well and costs less.

The Amazon Fire TV Stick marks a drop in processing power as it has a quad-core processor, but only 2GB of RAM and only up to 16GB of internal storage. Now, this is enough to get by, and get by sufficiently, but it's clear that it doesn't have the same firepower as the competition.

Then we have the Roku Ultra, not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but with 2GB of RAM and an ARM Cortex A 55 CPU, it has all you need to perform well, without boasting the same firepower as the Google or the Apple models.

In terms of the apps available on each device, there are no notable absentees. All of the above have all major streaming services available to access, with the exception of some regional options in some cases. That's a huge part of what makes these four stand out; you're truly able to access the streaming services you would want to access, all in one place.

Price

When it comes to actually having to pay for everything you've read above, which costs a premium and which is great value?

Well, perhaps unsurprisingly, the premium model, the Apple TV 4K, costs the most. With options costing up to $149, it's comfortably the most expensive on this list. But considering it's also the best overall, maybe it isn't as steep as expected, depending on how much you are willing to spend on a streaming device.

The value option here is undoubtedly the Amazon Fire TV Stick. There are different options available, ranging from the $35 mark to $60. It's important to remember that these are regularly on sale if you're buying from Amazon, so you probably won't have to pay full price.

In between these, we find the Roku Ultra, which will set you back around $100, but is regularly on sale and it's the same for the Google TV Streamer. Again, we have seen it on sale occasionally.

Verdict

Now that we've pitted four of the best streaming devices against each other, we can't sit on the fence and say they're all good; it's down to what you want. While different people will have different preferences, we think the Apple TV 4K is the best streaming device out there.

Its internal storage, power and processor allow for a top streaming experience. Its visuals, audio and loading capabilities put it a little ahead of the competition. However, it is comfortably the most expensive option out there.

If you're looking for value, or something that's going to do everything you need and want with a friendly price tag, the Amazon Fire TV Stick is the option you want to pick. Of course, if you don't want a stick and you want an actual box, the Roku Ultra is a great choice as it's regularly on sale for a price that competes with the Fire TV Stick. And, if you're an Android user, or you see a great offer, the Google TV Streamer becomes a top choice. But, overall, the Apple TV 4K reigns supreme here.

We've seen it all, from big-budget, AAA titles like The Outer Worlds 2 and DOOM: The Dark Ages to plucky indie projects like Routine and Citizen Sleeper 2. Almost every genre is represented on this list too, with strategy games and RPGs sitting proudly alongside first-person shooters and fighting games.

If you'd rather look forward into the future, you can also check out our upcoming space and sci-fi games list, which showcases everything we're hyped about that's coming in 2026 and beyond. If you think we missed anything, sound off in the comments. Now, let's dive into our Space's best sci-fi and space games of 2025.

10. The Outer Worlds 2

Release date: October 29, 2025 | Platforms: PC (Windows), PS5, Xbox Series X/S | Developer: Obsidian Entertainment

The Outer Worlds blasted off in late 2025 to surprisingly little fanfare, but most players agree it's a big upgrade over the original space-set RPG. With a far more comedic tone, larger maps (across several planets) to explore, and flexible dialogue and progression systems, it packed almost everything we could've wanted from a follow-up.

The story follows an all-new custom character — an Earth Directorate agent — tasked with uncovering what's causing destructive rifts that are spreading across the galaxy. As you'd expect from an Obsidian game, the narrative is shaped by your decisions and actions, with character builds offering all sorts of bonus options to deal with delicate situations. The replay value is high, as long as the mix of FPS action and open-ended exploration clicks with you.

9. Dune: Awakening

Release date: June 10, 2025 | Platform: PC (Windows) | Developer: Funcom

Though it's not directly connected to Denis Villeneuve's massive movie adaptations, Dune: Awakening puts much of their aesthetic to good use and manages to capture the harsh, but beautiful wonder of Arrakis.

As an online survival game, it doesn't break a lot of new ground, but Frank Herbert's universe's unique traits and elements give it a different flavor from the get-go and refresh the familiar MMO gameplay loop.

In a gaming landscape full of always-online MMOs worth exploring in depth, Arrakis' treacherous sands and its more populated locales are alluring in ways even the biggest Dune fans weren't expecting at first. With a focus on base-building, factions, and tales that expand on the characters and lore we already knew, Dune: Awakening finds its own balance and rewards persistent groups of players.

As a solo adventurer, there's also fun to be had, but prepare yourself for a more nomadic playstyle, making use of powers and gadgets to avoid direct conflict. Just remember: Do not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.

8. DOOM: The Dark Ages

Release date: May 15, 2025 | Platforms: PC (Windows), PS5, Xbox Series X/S | Developer: id Software

Taking on entire demonic armies of hell never gets old, especially when we get to step into the big stompy boots of the mighty Doom Slayer (or Doomguy for the OG fans). This year, DOOM: The Dark Ages gave us an extremely metal prequel that — while a bit too lore and cutscene-heavy — presented more surprising tricks and gameplay refreshes to keep the long-running FPS series alive and kicking butt.

But wait, this is a sci-fi list; doesn't DOOM: The Dark Ages have a medieval setting? Yes, but it also contains plenty of plasma guns, rocket launchers, spaceships, and whatnot. It expertly mixes dark fantasy and sci-fi elements, and the art direction alone makes it an adventure worth embarking on.

Some say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but id Software has proven all the doubters wrong once again. Sure, it's not as inspired as the best DOOM games, but few shooter formulas have remained this fun and iconic for so long.

7. Marvel Cosmic Invasion

Release date: December 1, 2025 | Platforms: PC (Windows & Linux), PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 1/2 | Developer: Tribute Games

Another big favorite that arrived right before the end of the year was Marvel Cosmic Invasion. Tribute Games is no stranger to knocking out excellent side-scrolling blasts from the past (but they're modern releases), so expectations were high.

With a fun cast of heroes borrowed from across Marvel's history, and enough combos and special moves to carry the adventure to the finish line, it's one of our favorite modern beat 'em ups and no doubt one of the year's best sci-fi games overall.

Annihilus, an often-overlooked Marvel villain, also gets much-deserved time to shine in this pixelated cosmic odyssey, with his insectoid Annihilation Wave at the center of the galaxy-wide chaos that also showcases other famous bad guys like Knull and Galactus. A lesser version of Marvel Cosmic Invasion could've been one-note, but Tribute Games went for broke with both the roster of playable characters and the selection of enemies and locations. The result is an amazing celebration of the more space-oriented side of the Marvel universe.

6. Terminator 2D: NO FATE

Release date: December 12, 2025 | Platforms: PC (Windows), PS4/5, Xbox One & Series X/S, Nintendo Switch | Developer: Bitmap Bureau

We recently ran through the Terminator games that are actually good, since most of them… you know, suck. We can add another entry to that list, though, as Bitmap Bureau's Terminator 2D: NO FATE is a certified banger. It leans hard on the retro vibes and refreshes the side-scrolling formula with some new tricks.

At first glance, it might look like an old-fashioned throwback with pure arcade DNA you can beat in one sitting, but with alternate story paths and plenty of unlockable modes that make achievement-hunting a blast, Terminator 2D: NO FATE surprises without diluting its pick-up-and-play nature. The pixel art is gorgeous; the controls are smooth; and the mission variety keeps the experience dynamic during its short runtime. James Cameron's 1991 sci-fi action masterpiece finally has a game tie-in worthy of its legacy.

5. Tempest Rising

Release date: April 24, 2025 | Platform: PC (Windows) | Developer: Slipgate Ironworks

Slipgate Ironworks surprised us in 2025 with Tempest Rising, an excellent sci-fi real-time strategy game. At first glance, it looks very Command & Conquer influenced, but once you get past the obvious homages, you'll discover Tempest Rising is so much more.

With two very asymmetrical playable factions (and the promise of stranger additions on the horizon), this RTS leans hard on its sci-fi elements, and the moment-to-moment fun factor is higher because of it.

The story takes us into an alternate history Earth where two factions battle over the control of territory and the mysterious Tempest resource, which has enabled all sorts of technological advancements. The complexity quickly ramps up, and the two distinct campaigns know how to keep things engaging in the long run. After that, of course, it's all about offline skirmishes and, if you're brave enough, dueling online opponents. With robust base-building, solid combat mechanics, and well-designed units, Tempest Rising now sits comfortably among the RTS classics.

4. Routine

Release date: December 4, 2025 | Platforms: PC (Windows), Xbox One & Series X/S | Developer: Lunar Software

Entertainment Editor Ian here for this entry. I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to horror games, but I will soldier through when the aesthetic is on point. So, as a fan of the retrofuturistic, tapepunk look of movies like Alien, Routine necessitated me putting on my big boy pants and wading in.

I'm glad I did too, because Routine is a masterclass in visual styling, world-building, and tension. The opening half of the game plays out like the android sections of Alien Isolation, as you avoid killer space robots while figuring out what happened to the crew of the moon base you were sent to repair.

Then something else arrives, and we're a family-friendly website, which means I can't use the torrent of curse words that I would normally use to describe it here, so I'll just say "flip that thing, flip it right to heck". You'll spend a bit more time than is ideal hiding under a desk, waiting for enemies to move so you can proceed, but this minor pacing quibble aside, Routine is absolutely deserving of your time.

3. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Release date: June 26, 2025 | Platform: PS5 | Developer: Kojima Productions

Death Stranding 2 is unlike anything else out there. If you're looking for conventional stories and characters, look elsewhere because this is a Hideo Kojima game. He's a weird guy, but you can't deny the man's ability to craft stylish and intriguing games. If you vibe with that, this bold sequel is one of the year's best releases.

Death Stranding 2 has a bigger focus on player freedom than the original, letting you tackle deliveries across difficult landscapes in more interesting ways. As a result, much of the original's monotony was nullified, but what about the rest?

Well, it's hard to describe the plot, and even harder to do so without spoiling anything. But in this off-beat post-apocalypse, where mysterious hostile creatures roam the Earth and communities seek to reconnect via the Chiral Network, porter Sam Bridges and his allies seek to help Australian colonies 11 months after the USA-set original game. With a bigger focus on combat and vehicles in between long walks, it really stands on its own and continues to be a unique experience. It's not for everyone, but it rewards the curious.

2. Split Fiction

Release date: March 6, 2025 | Platforms: PC (Windows), PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 | Developer: Hazelight Studios

After winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards back in 2021, Hazelight Studios went to work on their next ground-breaking co-op title. The result was Split Fiction, a bonkers co-op adventure that takes us through a smorgasbord of both fantasy and science fiction worlds, honoring the past and present of the genres across gaming, movies, and books.

In this loopy adventure – which can be played in split-screen or online co-op – two aspiring writers are trapped inside stories they've written when a company tries to shamelessly steal their creative ideas. This might sound familiar in our age of AI slop generated using stolen works, but the game's execution is at least more entertaining than Big Tech's attempts to destroy the internet.

With light cycles and laser cannons featuring alongside dragons and magical powers, there's never a dull moment in Split Fiction. The sheer variety of ideas, distinct sequences, and set pieces it throws at you is simply mind-blowing. Dust off that second controller, call a friend, and play this one — you owe it to yourself.

1. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Release date: January 31, 2025 | Platforms: PC (Windows & macOS), PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch | Developer: Jump Over The Age

Citizen Sleeper 2 was one of our most anticipated games for 2025, and launching back in January, it was a fantastic way to start the year.

This dice-driven RPG is a standalone sequel to the original (which you should definitely also check out), building upon everything that made the original great. It's part role-playing game, part choose-your-own-adventure book in disguise, and your mileage will depend on your tolerance for reading in your games, but the story it tells is worth the effort.

It's not just a book, though — it's built on the foundation of decision-making and dice-rolling that Dungeons & Dragons fans know and love. You play as an escaped android trying to survive a cold, cyberpunk future amongst the stars.

Due to its board game-like design, the idea is to go through Citizen Sleeper 2 several times, experiencing different outcomes and digging up tales and discoveries you may have missed the first time around. The simple gameplay means that repeating runs is never a slog, so it's perfect for gamers who prefer the more relaxing side of the medium.

Just don't expect the writing to go so easy on you; Citizen Sleeper 1 & 2 are heavy explorations of transhumanism, the gig economy, and the pressure corporate control puts on all of us. Happy holidays, everyone!!!!

What's that new opportunity? We're not sure yet, but it's guaranteed to be "Something interesting," Bruno wrote on social media after the Dec. 22 announcement.

Bruno took the reigns as ULA president and CEO in August 2014, overseeing the company, a collaboration between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, as it launched its Atlas V rockets and retired its Delta rocket family. He oversaw the development of new booster, the Vulcan Centaur rocket, which ULA plans to use as a workhorse vehicle.

During Bruno's term, ULA fought to contend with launch competitor SpaceX, which successfully landed a Falcon 9 booster for the first time in 2015 to lower costs through reusability. SpaceX now regularly launches and lands Falcon 9 rockets and has flown over 160 times this year. ULA eventually hopes to recover and reuse only part of the Vulcan rocket, its BE-4 first stage engines built by Blue Origin.

"It has been a great privilege to lead ULA through its transformation and to bring Vulcan into service. My work here is now complete and I will be cheering ULA on," Bruno wrote on X.

"Finished the mission I came to do," he added. "Great people. Great rocket. New things coming."

In a statement, Robert Lightfoot and Kay Sears, the ULA board chairs for Lockheed Martin and Boeing, respectively, thanked Bruno for over a decade of service.

"We are grateful for Tory’s service to ULA and the country, and we thank him for his leadership," Lightfoot and Sears wrote in the statement.

ULA's board has appointed Boeing veteran John Elbon as interim CEO as the search for a new leader begins.

"We have the greatest confidence in John to continue strengthening ULA’s momentum while the board proceeds with finding the next leader of ULA," Lihtfoot and Sears wrote.

What is it?

The U.S. Space Force is the newest branch of the United States military, established to organize, train, and equip forces responsible for operations in space. As satellites and space-based systems have become essential to communication, navigation, national security, and economic stability, space has evolved into a distinct operational domain, alongside land, sea, air and cyberspace.

Since its creation, the Space Force has focused on defining not just missions and capabilities, but also identity. Traditions, ranks, culture, and symbols all play a role in shaping a service that must simultaneously honor military heritage and adapt to the technical, rapidly changing nature of space operations. One of the most visible elements of that identity is the service dress uniform.

Where is it?

The image was captured at Maxwell Air Force Base, in Alabama.

Why is it amazing?

The photograph connects long-standing military customs — such as formal graduation portraits and service dress — with the modern mission of space operations. This blend underscores how the Space Force draws from established military values while preparing for challenges unique to space.

Service dress uniforms are worn during ceremonies, official events, and moments of public representation. Seeing Space Force officers in their own distinctive uniform reinforces the service's legitimacy and permanence, both within the Department of Defense and in the public eye.

As these newly commissioned Guardians move on to their first assignments, the image stands as a reminder that even in the era of space-based missions and digital warfare, tradition, identity, and human commitment remain central to military service.

Want to learn more?

You can learn more about the US Space Force and military projects.

The 48%-lit moon will appear roughly halfway up the southern sky in the hours following sunset. Saturn will show up as a brilliant star less than four degrees to the lower left of the lunar disk. For scale, your three middle fingers held at arm's length span about five degrees of sky.

A pair of 10x50 binoculars should easily fit both Saturn and the moon within the same field of view, while revealing an assortment of fascinating surface features on Earth's natural satellite, which will appear almost half-lit just one day shy of its first quarter phase on Dec. 27.

Look to the upper region of the lunar crescent to find the menacing form of the Aristotles crater with its eastern rim bathed in impenetrable shadow. The Eudoxus crater is visible just beneath and beyond the dark expanses of Mare Serenitatis (the Sea of Serenity) and Mare Tranquilitatis (the Sea of Tranquility), which served as the landing site of the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing.

A telescope with a 6-inch (152 millimeter) aperture will begin to reveal the razor-thin profile of Saturn's rings, as they rest oriented edge-on to Earth following the gas giant's ring plane crossing in March. Astronomy filters can also aid in revealing details in Saturn's upper atmosphere, which appears divided into distinct multi-colored cloud bands that circle the gas giant at 1,600 feet (500 meters) per second.

Want to get a closer look at the diverse menagerie of worlds populating our solar system? Then be sure to browse our picks of the best telescopes for exploring the night sky, along with our guides to picking the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography, if you want to immortalize your stargazing sessions.

Editor's Note: If you capture an image of the moon with Saturn and want to share it with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The milestone, reached just three decades after the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of the first planet orbiting a sunlike star in 1995, is largely the result of the planet-hunting power of NASA's Kepler space telescope and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

The growing tally reflects how dramatically humanity's view of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, has expanded — and how diverse its planetary population has turned out to be.

Far from mirroring the relatively flat, orderly architecture of our own solar system, new observations and more detailed reexaminations of familiar worlds revealed entire classes of planets with no counterparts at home — super-Earths, mini-Neptunes and hot Jupiters — as well as worlds on contorted orbits that are forcing astronomers to rethink how planets form and evolve.

As the year comes to a close, here's a look back at some of the most intriguing, puzzling and rule-breaking exoplanets astronomers studied in 2025. These worlds illustrate both how far exoplanet science has come and how much there still is to learn.

"Tatooine" worlds

More "Tatooine-like" worlds leapt from science fiction into the exoplanet database this year, as astronomers identified multiple planets orbiting two suns — sometimes in configurations that challenge the basic rules of planetary formation.

The strangest of these worlds emerged in April, when a team reported the discovery of 2M1510 (AB) b, a planet orbiting two brown dwarfs, which are often called "failed stars" because they're not massive enough to ignite nuclear fusion.

Located about 120 light-years from Earth, the world orbits above and below the poles of its two stars, rather than along the usual flat plane. The discovery team inferred the planet's presence using the Very Large Telescope in Chile, after detecting an unusual backward wobble in the brown dwarfs' orbits. This was a gravitational clue that the researchers said could be explained only by a hidden, steeply inclined planet that was possibly knocked into place by a stellar flyby long ago.

Later in the year, a different team discovered three Earth-size planets orbiting the compact binary system TOI-2267, just 73 light-years from Earth. Using data from TESS, the team found that all three worlds transit both stars, even though such tightly bound stellar pairs are thought to be gravitationally unstable environments for planet formation.

Adding to the haul, two independent teams identified HD 143811 (AB) b, a massive planet that had been hidden in archival data for years. Captured by the Gemini Planet Imager on the Gemini South telescope in Chile, the world orbits a young twin-star system about 446 light-years from Earth. Though it's roughly six times the size of Jupiter, the planet is only 13 million years old and still glows with heat left over from its formation.

The alien world's host stars whirl around each other every 18 days, while the planet itself traces a slow, 300-year orbit around both. The contrast of a fast-dancing binary and a distant, lumbering giant poses a lingering mystery of how such a massive planet formed and survived in such a dynamically complex system.

The search for life on K2-18b

The exoplanet K2-18b arguably became one of 2025's loudest exoplanet flash points after renewed claims of possible life swiftly ignited scientific debate.

The world made headlines in April when a University of Cambridge-led team announced what it called its strongest evidence yet for potential biosignature gases in the planet's atmosphere. Using new transit spectra from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the researchers argued that the data were consistent with dimethyl sulfide, and possibly dimethyl disulfide — gases that on Earth are strongly associated with marine biology. The findings, the team argued, bolstered the case that the planet could support life on an ocean-covered world they described as potentially "teeming with life."

Within weeks, however, independent analyses challenged that interpretation. One group showed that nonbiological gases, including propyne, could reproduce the same spectral features without invoking life, while another concluded that the JWST signal was too noisy or too weak to draw definitive conclusions.

The debate also drew attention to the limits of JWST, which was conceived before the discovery of exoplanets and is now being pushed to the edge of its capabilities to study one.

Still, researchers emphasize that K2-18b remains a high-value target for understanding sub-Neptunes, a class of planets absent from our solar system. Additional JWST transits already in hand may yet clarify what, if anything, the planet's atmosphere is truly revealing.

"If the ultimate result of this story is that the public is more circumspect about future claims of life detection, that's not a terrible thing," Eddie Schwieterman, an assistant professor of astrobiology at the University of California, Riverside, who was not involved with the research, told Space.com.

Dashed hopes for TRAPPIST-1e's habitability

New analyses of TRAPPIST-1e, one of seven Earth-size planets orbiting a cool red dwarf star about 40 light-years from Earth, suggest the planet may lack a substantial atmosphere, complicating hopes that it could support life-friendly liquid water.

Earlier JWST observations hinted at methane in the planet's atmosphere, raising the possibility of complex chemistry or even biological activity. Follow-up studies, however, indicated those signals were likely contaminated by the star itself.

Computer simulations showed that any methane on TRAPPIST-1e would be rapidly destroyed by intense ultraviolet radiation, surviving only about 200,000 years — not nearly long enough for geological processes to replenish it.

Variations in the signal from transit to transit further suggest that if an atmosphere exists at all, it remains extremely difficult to detect — a reminder that even the most promising worlds can defy easy answers.

A clearer look at Proxima Centauri

In 2025, astronomers sharpened their view of the planetary system around Proxima Centauri — the sun's closest stellar neighbor, which lies just 4.2 light-years away — thanks to a powerful new instrument designed to hunt worlds around small, cool stars.

The Near-Infrared Planet Searcher (NIRPS), a new high-resolution spectrograph installed at La Silla Observatory in Chile, delivered its first science results in July.

A team led by Alejandro Mascareño of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands in Spain confirmed the presence of Proxima b, an Earth-size planet known to orbit within the star's habitable zone, thereby validating the instrument's capabilities.

NIRPS also confirmed a smaller planet, Proxima d, and helped rule out a previously claimed third world, thus refining the census of the nearest planetary system.

The results also marked a technical milestone. For the first time, astronomers reached the precision needed to detect the faint gravitational pull of small, rocky planets around red dwarf stars, which emit most of their light at infrared wavelengths — making instruments like NIRPS valuable in the search for Earth-like planets beyond our solar system.

The tails of disintegrating worlds

This year, astronomers discovered rare exoplanets that orbit so close to their stars that they have long tails of material. These worlds are caught in a fleeting moment, in cosmic terms, before they disintegrate.

One such world, BD+05 4868 Ab, was spotted by TESS about 140 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Pegasus. The planet completes a full orbit every 30.5 hours, circling its star at a distance roughly 20 times closer than Mercury orbits the sun. At such proximity, intense stellar heat vaporizes material from the planet's surface, which then streams into space, forming a blazing, comet-like tail. That tail is enormous, stretching up to 5.6 million miles (9 million kilometers), or about half the planet's orbit.

The discovery team estimates that the planet sheds the equivalent of a Mount Everest's worth of material every orbit and could completely disintegrate within 1 million to 2 million years. The dust in the tail may contain material from the planet's crust, its mantle or even its core, which would give scientists a rare opportunity to study the internal composition of a distant world — something normally far beyond observational reach.

Another team used JWST to study a very different kind of planetary tail around the ultrahot Jupiter WASP-121b, also known as Tylos, located about 858 light-years from Earth. Instead of shedding rock, the planet is losing its atmosphere. JWST revealed two enormous helium tails spanning nearly 60% of the planet's orbit — one trailing behind, pushed back by stellar radiation and wind, and a second, rarer leading tail curved ahead of the planet, likely drawn inward by the star's gravity.

A lava world that refuses to go bare

Astronomers using JWST found an atmosphere clinging to a planet that, by all conventional rules, should be completely airless.

The world, TOI-561b, is a small, scorching lava planet that orbits one of the oldest stars in the Milky Way so closely that its year lasts less than a single Earth day.

Tidally locked, with one side permanently facing its star, the planet reaches surface temperatures of more than 3,140 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1,726 degrees Celsius) — hot enough to melt rock — and is old enough that any primordial atmosphere should have escaped long ago.

Yet JWST observations suggest the planet's dayside is cooler than expected for a bare, airless rock, pointing to the presence of a substantial atmosphere that may have persisted for billions of years and is redistributing heat around the planet.

If confirmed, the finding would mark the strongest evidence yet for a long-lived atmosphere on a hot, rocky world that is neither massive nor temperate, challenging assumptions about the extreme conditions in which planetary atmospheres can survive.

The birth and death of an alien world

This year, astronomers observed two cosmic moments that bookend the life of a planet.

In one study, astronomers captured a never-before-seen view of a planet forming about 437 light-years from Earth.

The observations, taken with the Magellan Telescopes in Chile and the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona, show the alien world as a faint, purple dot embedded within a ring-shaped gap in a dusty disk around its star. The forming world, WISPIT 2b, is just 5 million years old, yet it is already about five times as massive as Jupiter, and it's sitting within a clearing in the disk as it gathers dust and gas to grow.

Astronomers have long suspected that such gaps mark the presence of newborn planets, but this is the first time one has been directly observed actively carving out its orbit. The team also identified a second candidate planet closer to the star, hinting that this system may be building multiple worlds at once.

Closer to Earth, another team captured a glimpse of a dead star's remains. Observations of the white dwarf LSPM J0207+3331, the dense remnant of a long-gone massive star about 145 light-years from Earth, reveal the ongoing destruction of a planetary relic — possibly a body roughly 120 miles (193 km) wide — being torn apart by the star's intense gravity.

Using telescopes in Chile and Hawaii, astronomers detected heavy elements recently deposited on the white dwarf's surface, which they say is evidence that the debris was accreted within the past 35,000 years and may still be falling in today.

The findings suggest that gravitational forces that shift as the star decays can destabilize surviving planets and smaller bodies such as asteroids, thereby triggering collisions and sending fragments spiraling inward to their destruction.

The trick with a new telescope is not to chase everything at once; the best gift you can give yourself when starting in astronomy is patience. Your first nights should be about getting comfortable: setting up, choosing the right magnification and aiming at bright, forgiving targets rather than hunting for “faint fuzzies” in a night sky you cannot yet navigate.

If you haven't purchased your telescope yet, our experts have tested and rated the best telescopes you can buy, even if you're looking for a telescope for beginners.

Setting up for the first time

Before you think about what to look at, make sure your telescope is ready to use while it’s still light outside. Use the instructions in the box to assemble it, taking your time to get it right. Take it outside and level the tripod, tighten all the clamps, familiarize yourself with what the various knobs and levers do, and which direction they move, and — perhaps most importantly — get your finder aligned by using a distant object, such as a tree. Once what you see in the finder and eyepiece are identical, you’re ready to use it for astronomy. Setting up in daylight also gives the telescope time to cool down before night arrives; a cold telescope will give you sharper views.

Finding the moon

The first thing most new telescope owners want to do is to get a close-up of the moon. Luckily, the last week of December 2025 is the sweet spot for observing the moon in the evening, helping you learn your way around a telescope. The moon is waxing from a thick crescent in the southwest on Christmas Day through to first quarter on Dec. 27, when it’s half-lit and visible in the south after dark. It will be easy to find as soon as it gets dark — about 30 minutes after sunset — so it's perfect for practising pointing and focusing on the moon's bright limb.

Most beginner telescopes come with two eyepieces — 10mm and 25mm. Start with the low-power 25mm eyepiece, whose low magnification and wide field of view are handy for locating objects. If you have a red dot finder, point it at the moon, and a bright light will appear in the eyepiece. Adjust the focus until it becomes sharp. Concentrate your gaze on the terminator, the dividing line between light and dark on the moon, and you’ll see shadowed craters and mountains. Now is the time to switch to the medium-power 10mm eyepiece.

Try to get your telescope on the moon before it reaches first quarter phase, after which the shadows get shorter. Full moon is not the best time to point a telescope at the moon because the light is flat and so bright, but it can be fun during a moonrise.

Navigating the night sky

Patterns of stars that make up constellations are irrelevant to a telescope because it sees straight through them, right? Not so. Using a telescope properly is only possible once you know the basic geography of the night sky — so think of constellations as regions, counties or states, within which are objects of interest such as star clusters, galaxies and nebulae.

In late December and January evenings from the Northern Hemisphere, constellations including Orion, Taurus, Auriga and Gemini dominate the southeast sky. In late 2025 and early 2026, Jupiter is shining brightly within this region, too. Together, they form a ready-made roadmap for a new telescope owner to navigate. With the naked eye, find Orion’s Belt, trace up to bright Capella in Auriga and over to the Pleiades open cluster (M45) in Taurus.

From the Southern Hemisphere, Orion appears the other way up and in the northeast, with Taurus nearby. Bright stars Sirius and Canopus blaze low in the south, with the Southern Cross rising beneath.

Once the major constellations become familiar, dropping a telescope on a cluster or nebula within becomes much easier.

Observing planets

Can you tell the difference between a planet and a star? It’s easy — planets don’t twinkle because they are much larger disks rather than mere points of light. Planets are some of the most rewarding objects for a new telescope owner, and this season is all about Jupiter and Saturn. Through late December 2025 and into January 2026, the giant planet is blazing in the night sky; on Jan. 10, 2026, it reaches opposition, when Earth is directly between Jupiter and the sun. That’s when it’s closest, largest and brightest in our sky.

You don’t need to hit that exact date – a few weeks either side is fine. Step outside in the early evening, look east for the brightest “star” that doesn’t twinkle (clue: it’s close to the “twins” of Gemini, Castor and Pollux), center it in the finder, then put it in the 25mm eyepiece. Once you’ve got a clean, sharp disk, swap to the 10mm eyepiece. You may see one or two dark cloud bands and up to four tiny moons — Ganymede, Callisto, Europa and Io — lined up beside the planet. Since it’s close to opposition, Jupiter is “up” all night in January.

Saturn is the other planet on show, but you should try to catch it early in the evening. It’s lower and fainter than Jupiter, hanging in the southwestern sky shortly after sunset, but even a modest telescope will show its iconic ring pattern (currently edge-on). As with Jupiter, locate it using the red dot finder and the low-power eyepiece before swapping to high-power. With steady seeing (astro-speak for a lack of turbulence in Earth's atmosphere), you may spot Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, shining nearby.

Well-known targets in the Northern Hemisphere

The winter night sky north of the equator has many classic sights ideal for first-time telescope users:

Orion Nebula (M42) in Orion

The Pleiades (M45) open cluster in Taurus

Double Cluster (NGC 869 and NGC 884) in Perseus

Beehive Cluster (M44) in Cancer

Crab Nebula (M1) in Taurus

Andromeda Galaxy (M31) in Andromeda

Well-known targets in the Southern Hemisphere

If you’re under southern skies, the same December-January period has its own list of showpieces:

Orion Nebula (M42) in Orion

The Pleiades (M45) open cluster in Taurus

Carina Nebula (NGC 3372)

Southern Pleiades (IC 2602)

Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC)

Omega Centauri (NGC 5139)

Where to point your telescope at next

You’ve used your telescope for the first time. You’ve seen the moon up close (what a sight!) and how it changes phase, watched Jupiter at opposition and ticked off a handful of bright star clusters and spectacular nebulae. That’s an incredible way to begin, but don’t rush the next part. Spend time gradually building up your knowledge and experience, taking advantage of any clear nights — preferably the dark, moonless nights between the last quarter moon and the new moon. What begins as an overwhelming infinity of stars soon becomes a map — and with time, a landscape you know well — once you start observing it regularly through a telescope.

The Arctic is transforming faster and with more far-reaching consequences than scientists expected just 20 years ago, when the first Arctic Report Card assessed the state of Earth's far northern environment.

The snow season is dramatically shorter today, sea ice is thinning and melting earlier, and wildfire seasons are getting worse. Increasing ocean heat is reshaping ecosystems as non-Arctic marine species move northward. Thawing permafrost is releasing iron and other minerals into rivers, which degrades drinking water. And extreme storms fueled by warming seas are putting communities at risk.

The past water year, October 2024 through September 2025, brought the highest Arctic air temperatures since records began 125 years ago, including the warmest autumn ever measured and a winter and a summer that were among the warmest on record. Overall, the Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the Earth as a whole.

For the 20th Arctic Report Card, we worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an international team of scientists and Indigenous partners from across the Arctic to track environmental changes in the North – from air and ocean temperatures to sea ice, snow, glaciers and ecosystems – and the impacts on communities.

Together, these vital signs reveal a striking and interconnected transformation underway that’s amplifying risks for people who live there.

A wetter Arctic with more extreme precipitation

Arctic warming is intensifying the region's water cycle.

A warmer atmosphere increases evaporation, precipitation and meltwater from snow and ice, adding and moving more water through the climate system. That leads to more extreme rainstorms and snowstorms, changing river flows and altering ecosystems.

The Arctic region saw record-high precipitation for the entire 2025 water year and for spring, with the other seasons each among the top-five wettest since at least 1950. Extreme weather – particularly atmospheric rivers, which are long narrow "rivers in the sky" that transport large amounts of water vapor – played an outsized role.

These wetter conditions are reshaping snow cover across the region.

Snow and ice losses accelerate warming, hazards

Snow blankets the Arctic throughout much of the year, but that snow cover isn’t lasting as long. In 2025, snowpack was above average in the cold winter months, yet rapid spring melting left the area covered by snow far smaller than normal by June, continuing a six-decade decline. June snow cover in recent years has been half of what it was in the 1960s.

Losing late spring snow cover means losing a bright, reflective surface that helps keep the Arctic cool, allowing the land instead to be directly warmed by the sun, which raises the temperature.

Sea ice tells a similar story. The year's maximum sea ice coverage, reached in March, was the lowest in the 47-year satellite record. The minimum sea ice coverage, in September, was the 10th lowest.

Since the 1980s, the summer sea ice extent has shrunk by about 50%, while the area covered by the oldest, thickest sea ice – ice that has existed for longer than four years – has declined by more than 95%.

The thinner sea ice cover is more influenced by winds and currents, and less resilient against warming waters. This means greater variability in sea ice conditions, causing new risks for people living and working in the Arctic.

The Greenland Ice Sheet continued to lose mass in 2025, as it has every year since the late 1990s. As the ice sheet melts and calves more icebergs into the surrounding seas, it adds to global sea-level rise.

Mountain glaciers are also losing ice at an extraordinary rate – the annual rate of glacier ice loss across the Arctic has tripled since the 1990s.

This poses immediate local hazards. Glacial lake outburst floods – when water that is dammed up by a glacier is suddenly released – are becoming more frequent. In Juneau, Alaska, recent outburst floods from Mendenhall Glacier have inundated homes and displaced residents with record-setting levels of floodwater.

Glacier retreat can also contribute to catastrophic landslide impacts. Following the retreat of South Sawyer Glacier, a landslide in southeast Alaska's Tracy Arm in August 2025 generated a tsunami that swept across the narrow fjord and ran nearly 1,600 feet (nearly 490 meters) up the other side. Fortunately, the fjord was empty of the cruise ships that regularly visit.

Record-warm oceans drive storms, ecosystem shifts

Arctic Ocean surface waters are steadily warming, with August 2025 temperatures among the highest ever measured. In some Atlantic-sector regions, sea surface temperatures were as much as 13 degrees Fahrenheit (7.2 Celsius) above the 1991-2020 average. Some parts of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas were cooler than normal.

Warm water in the Bering Sea set the stage for one of the year's most devastating events: Ex-Typhoon Halong, which fed on unusually warm ocean temperatures before slamming into western Alaska with hurricane-force winds and catastrophic flooding. Some villages, including Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, were heavily damaged.

As seas warm, powerful Pacific cyclones, which draw energy from warm water, are reaching higher latitudes and maintaining strength longer. Alaska's Arctic has seen four ex-typhoons since 1970, and three of them arrived in the past four years.

The Arctic is also seeing warmer, saltier Atlantic Ocean water intrude northward into the Arctic Ocean. This process, known as Atlantification, weakens the natural layering of water that once shielded sea ice from deeper ocean heat. It is already increasing sea ice loss and reshaping habitat for marine life, such as by changing the timing of phytoplankton production, which provides the base of the ocean food web, and increasing the likelihood of harmful algal blooms.

From ocean "borealization" to tundra greening

Warming seas and declining sea ice are enabling southern, or boreal, marine species to move northward. In the northern Bering and Chukchi seas, Arctic species have declined sharply – by two-thirds and one-half, respectively – while the populations of boreal species expand.

On land, a similar "borealization" is underway. Satellite data shows that tundra vegetation productivity – known as tundra greenness – hit its third-highest level in the 26-year record in 2025, part of a trend driven by longer growing seasons and warmer temperatures. Yet greening is not universal – browning events caused by wildfires and extreme weather are also increasing.

Summer 2025 marked the fourth consecutive year with above-median wildfire area across northern North America. Nearly 1,600 square miles (over 4,000 square kilometers) burned in Alaska and over 5,000 square miles (over 13,600 square kilometers) burned in Canada's Northwest Territories.

Permafrost thaw is turning rivers orange

As permafrost – the frozen ground that underlies much of the Arctic – continues its long-term warming and thaw, one emerging consequence is the spread of rusting rivers.

As thawing soils release iron and other minerals, more than 200 watersheds across Arctic Alaska now show orange discoloration. These waters exhibit higher acidity and elevated levels of toxic metals, which can contaminate fish habitat and drinking water and impact subsistence livelihoods.

In Kobuk Valley National Park in Alaska, a tributary to the Akillik River lost all its juvenile Dolly Varden and slimy sculpin fish after an abrupt increase in stream acidity when the stream turned orange.

Arctic communities lead new monitoring efforts

The rapid pace of change underscores the need for strong Arctic monitoring systems. Yet many government-funded observing networks face funding shortfalls and other vulnerabilities.

At the same time, Indigenous communities are leading new efforts.

The Arctic Report Card details how the people of St. Paul Island, in the Bering Sea, have spent over 20 years building and operating their own observation system, drawing on research partnerships with outside scientists while retaining control over monitoring, data and sharing of results. The Indigenous Sentinels Network tracks environmental conditions ranging from mercury in traditional foods to coastal erosion and fish habitat and is building local climate resilience in one of the most rapidly changing environments on the planet.

The Arctic is facing threats from more than the changing climate; it's also a region where concerns of ecosystem health and pollutants come sharply into view. In this sense, the Arctic provides a vantage point for addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

The next 20 years will continue to reshape the Arctic, with changes felt by communities and economies across the planet.

From Mesopotamian sky-watchers to Renaissance revolutionaries, early astronomers laid the groundwork for everything we know about the universe today. Their tools were rudimentary, but their insights were profound.

Many of these early astronomers worked at the intersection of philosophy, religion, and mathematics. Their discoveries weren't just scientific, they were cultural turning points that redefined humanity's place in the universe. Some were celebrated in their time; others were silenced, only to be vindicated centuries later.

Whether you're a seasoned stargazer or just dipping your toes into the cosmic unknown, this puzzle is your launchpad into the brilliant legacy of early astronomy.

Try it out below and see how well you score!

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and cloud services has led to a massive demand for computing power. The surge has strained data infrastructure, which requires lots of electricity to operate. A single, medium-sized data center here on Earth can consume enough electricity to power about 16,500 homes, with even larger facilities using as much as a small city.

Over the past few years, tech leaders have increasingly advocated for space-based AI infrastructure as a way to address the power requirements of data centers.

In space, sunshine – which solar panels can convert into electricity – is abundant and reliable. On Nov. 4, 2025, Google unveiled Project Suncatcher, a bold proposal to launch an 81-satellite constellation into low Earth orbit. It plans to use the constellation to harvest sunlight to power the next generation of AI data centers in space. So, instead of beaming power back to Earth, the constellation would beam data back to Earth.

For example, if you asked a chatbot how to bake sourdough bread, instead of firing up a data center in Virginia to craft a response, your query would be beamed up to the constellation in space, processed by chips running purely on solar energy, and the recipe sent back down to your device. Doing so would mean leaving the substantial heat generated behind in the cold vacuum of space.

As a technology entrepreneur, I applaud Google's ambitious plan. But as a space scientist, I predict that the company will soon have to reckon with a growing problem: space debris.

The mathematics of disaster

Space debris – the collection of defunct human-made objects in Earth's orbit – is already affecting space agencies, companies and astronauts. This debris includes large pieces, such as spent rocket stages and dead satellites, as well as tiny flecks of paint and other fragments from discontinued satellites.

Space debris travels at hypersonic speeds of approximately 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 km/h) in low Earth orbit. At this speed, colliding with a piece of debris the size of a blueberry would feel like being hit by a falling anvil.

Satellite breakups and anti-satellite tests have created an alarming amount of debris, a crisis now exacerbated by the rapid expansion of commercial constellations such as SpaceX's Starlink. The Starlink network has more than 7,500 satellites, which provide global high-speed internet.

The U.S. Space Force actively tracks over 40,000 objects larger than a softball using ground-based radar and optical telescopes. However, this number represents less than 1% of the lethal objects in orbit. The majority are too small for these telescopes to reliably identify and track.

In November 2025, three Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station were forced to delay their return to Earth because their capsule had been struck by a piece of space debris. Back in 2018, a similar incident on the International Space Station challenged relations between the United States and Russia, as Russian media speculated that a NASA astronaut may have deliberately sabotaged the station.

The orbital shell Google's project targets – a Sun-synchronous orbit approximately 400 miles (650 kilometers) above Earth – is a prime location for uninterrupted solar energy. At this orbit, the spacecraft's solar arrays will always be in direct sunshine, where they can generate electricity to power the onboard AI payload. But for this reason, Sun-synchronous orbit is also the single most congested highway in low Earth orbit, and objects in this orbit are the most likely to collide with other satellites or debris.

As new objects arrive and existing objects break apart, low Earth orbit could approach Kessler syndrome. In this theory, once the number of objects in low Earth orbit exceeds a critical threshold, collisions between objects generate a cascade of new debris. Eventually, this cascade of collisions could render certain orbits entirely unusable.

Implications for Project Suncatcher

Project Suncatcher proposes a cluster of satellites carrying large solar panels. They would fly with a radius of just one kilometer, each node spaced less than 200 meters apart. To put that in perspective, imagine a racetrack roughly the size of the Daytona International Speedway, where 81 cars race at 17,500 miles per hour – while separated by gaps about the distance you need to safely brake on the highway.

This ultradense formation is necessary for the satellites to transmit data to each other. The constellation splits complex AI workloads across all its 81 units, enabling them to "think" and process data simultaneously as a single, massive, distributed brain. Google is partnering with a space company to launch two prototype satellites by early 2027 to validate the hardware.

But in the vacuum of space, flying in formation is a constant battle against physics. While the atmosphere in low Earth orbit is incredibly thin, it is not empty. Sparse air particles create orbital drag on satellites – this force pushes against the spacecraft, slowing it down and forcing it to drop in altitude. Satellites with large surface areas have more issues with drag, as they can act like a sail catching the wind.

To add to this complexity, streams of particles and magnetic fields from the Sun – known as space weather – can cause the density of air particles in low Earth orbit to fluctuate in unpredictable ways. These fluctuations directly affect orbital drag.

When satellites are spaced less than 200 meters apart, the margin for error evaporates. A single impact could not only destroy one satellite but send it blasting into its neighbors, triggering a cascade that could wipe out the entire cluster and randomly scatter millions of new pieces of debris into an orbit that is already a minefield.

The importance of active avoidance

To prevent crashes and cascades, satellite companies could adopt a leave no trace standard, which means designing satellites that do not fragment, release debris or endanger their neighbors, and that can be safely removed from orbit. For a constellation as dense and intricate as Suncatcher, meeting this standard might require equipping the satellites with "reflexes" that autonomously detect and dance through a debris field. Suncatcher's current design doesn't include these active avoidance capabilities.

In the first six months of 2025 alone, SpaceX's Starlink constellation performed a staggering 144,404 collision-avoidance maneuvers to dodge debris and other spacecraft. Similarly, Suncatcher would likely encounter debris larger than a grain of sand every five seconds.

Today's object-tracking infrastructure is generally limited to debris larger than a softball, leaving millions of smaller debris pieces effectively invisible to satellite operators. Future constellations will need an onboard detection system that can actively spot these smaller threats and maneuver the satellite autonomously in real time.

Equipping Suncatcher with active collision avoidance capabilities would be an engineering feat. Because of the tight spacing, the constellation would need to respond as a single entity. Satellites would need to reposition in concert, similar to a synchronized flock of birds. Each satellite would need to react to the slightest shift of its neighbor.

Paying rent for the orbit

Technological solutions, however, can go only so far. In September 2022, the Federal Communications Commission created a rule requiring satellite operators to remove their spacecraft from orbit within five years of the mission's completion. This typically involves a controlled de-orbit maneuver. Operators must now reserve enough fuel to fire the thrusters at the end of the mission to lower the satellite's altitude, until atmospheric drag takes over and the spacecraft burns up in the atmosphere.

However, the rule does not address the debris already in space, nor any future debris, from accidents or mishaps. To tackle these issues, some policymakers have proposed a use-tax for space debris removal.

A use-tax or orbital-use fee would charge satellite operators a levy based on the orbital stress their constellation imposes, much like larger or heavier vehicles paying greater fees to use public roads. These funds would finance active debris removal missions, which capture and remove the most dangerous pieces of junk.

Avoiding collisions is a temporary technical fix, not a long-term solution to the space debris problem. As some companies look to space as a new home for data centers, and others continue to send satellite constellations into orbit, new policies and active debris removal programs can help keep low Earth orbit open for business.

The eerie green glow illuminating the cleanroom wasn't festive lighting but the result of a long exposure combined with a small indicator lamp on the wall, an unassuming signal that the airflow in the room was just right.

In its own way, it looked a bit like a high-tech holiday scene: dim lights, hushed voices, and a priceless object being checked one last time before a long journey.

What is it?

The Roman Space Telescope is one of NASA's next great observatories, designed to explore some of the biggest questions in modern astronomy. From probing the mysterious nature of dark energy to discovering thousands of new exoplanets, Roman will survey the universe with a wide-field view far beyond what previous space telescopes have achieved.

To do this science, Roman will employ extraordinarily sensitive optics, especially its primary mirror. Even microscopic dust particles or residues can scatter light and degrade observations. That's why inspections take place in cleanrooms that are cleaner than hospital operating theaters, under lighting conditions carefully chosen to reveal what the naked eye might otherwise miss.

Ultraviolet light causes certain contaminants to fluoresce, making them easier to spot. The team's slow, methodical work under flashlights and UV lamps ensures that the mirror meets the strict standards required for spaceflight. It's meticulous, patient labor — more "silent night" than spotlight moment — but it is essential to the telescope's future success.

Where is it?

This image was taken at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Why is it amazing?

Once Roman launches in late 2026 or early 2027, there will be no opportunity to wipe down a mirror or redo an inspection. Every careful check on Earth protects years of future science.

As Roman moves closer to launch, images like this remind us that the science of space telescopes starts in cleanrooms, with flashlights, UV light and people dedicated to making sure humanity's next window on the universe is as clear as possible.

Want to learn more?

You can learn more about the Roman Space Telescope and astronomy.

They may not be home for Christmas, but astronauts in space are finding their own way to make the season bright. They've even hung their space stockings by the airlock with care.

Four astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) are sending their best Christmas wishes to Earth as they orbit our planet. NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman and Chris Williams and Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have sent a video Christmas card home as they and three other crewmates spend the holidays 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth.

"Greetings to planet Earth, all of our friends and family, from Expedition 74 aboard the International Space Station, flying high above," said Fincke, who commands the Expedition 74 crew on the ISS. "Thinking of you during this holiday season."

While Fincke and his crewmates miss their loved ones on Earth, they are finding joy in a different kind of family.

"It's also a little bit sad because we're not with our families at the time, but actually we are," Fincke said. "We're with our space family, so we're okay. And we're looking forward to spending the holidays together."

The astronauts will celebrate in orbit alongside their Mission Control support teams all across Earth, from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to centers in Japan, Europe and Russia, he added.

Expedition 74 flight engineer Chris Williams, one of the newest arrivals to the ISS, said the astronauts are finding ways to put a zero-gravity spin on Christmas traditions. After all, he arrived at the station on another holiday: Thanksgiving.

"So as you can see, we've got a little bit of decoration here," Williams said in the video as he showed off a display adorning the small airlock hatch inside the space station's Japanese Kibo laboratory. "We've got a little tree, and we've also hung some boots by the airlock with cheer."

Astronauts on the International Space Station have been spending Christmas in space for 25 years (the first crew took up residence in November 2000), and the first Christmas off Earth was in 1968 during NASA's epic Apollo 8 mission to orbit the moon. But being away from home is not a new experience for astronauts, even before they joined NASA.

Cardman, a geobiologist by training who conducted research in Antarctica and on sea expeditions, said this year is hardly the first time she and her crewmates have spent the holidays away from home.

"It's so special for us to share the holidays with each other here in orbit, and with all of the teams taking care of us on the ground," she added. "So we also want to say a great thank you to the families who are lending these crew members to us, and a thank you to those in Mission Control who will spend their holidays taking care of us, and to their families at home as well."

Still, it may be hard for a certain jolly old elf to reach the ISS.

"I think we may be orbiting a little higher than Santa is flying, though," Cardman said.

JAXA astronaut Yui said the support from friends, family and Mission Control are a boon for him and his crewmates during the holidays. He's looking forward to sharing a taste of Japanese Christmas with his crewmates this year.

"Probably, I'll provide a lot of Japanese food for you guys to celebrate the holiday season," Yui said.

Fincke, Cardman, Williams and Yui are four of seven astronauts currently living aboard the ISS. Cosmonauts Oleg Platanov, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev, all flight engineers with Russia's Roscosmos space agency, round out the crew but did not appear in the video Christmas card.

"So from all of us aboard the International Space Station to all of you, we would like to wish you the happiest of holiday seasons, the happiest of Christmas," Fincke said. "Merry Christmas, and a happy, happy New Year."

So, gather your friends and family and join us on a Christmas night sky tour featuring glistening constellations, bright planets and, of course, where to find the moon on this silent night.

Did you get a new telescope, binoculars or a camera for Christmas? Then be sure to check out our guide featuring expert advice on how to begin your amateur astronomy journey, or read up on how to photograph the night sky, or the lunar surface. Those new to the night sky may also want to peruse our roundups of the best astronomy smartphone apps, which use augmented reality technology to help you find specific stars, planets, or deep sky objects with ease.

What to look out for in the Christmas night sky

The hours following sunset on Dec. 25 offer a wealth of naked-eye astronomy targets that can put even the most glitzy Christmas lights to shame, especially when viewed from a dark sky location.

Look to the southwestern horizon soon after nightfall to find the delicate 35%-lit waxing crescent moon shining low in the winter sky. Saturn shines nearby as a bright "evening star" less than 15 degrees to the moon's upper left. For reference, the width of your fist held at arm's length accounts for roughly 10 degrees of sky, while the span of your three middle fingers is approximately 5 degrees.

A 6-inch telescope will help reveal several of Saturn's largest moons, including Rhea, Titan, Tethys and Dione. Sadly, the gas giant's sweeping ring system will appear as little more than a thin line, thanks to its current edge-on alignment with Earth following a ring plane crossing in March earlier this year.

The moon's thickening crescent will appear beautiful to the unaided eye, while a telescope will allow you to explore the vast, smooth expanses of Mare Crisium and Mare Fecunditatis — two prominent solidified lava plains that scar the moon's Earth-facing side.

Both Saturn and the moon will set shortly after 11 p.m. local time for viewers in the U.S.

Next, turn your gaze to the eastern sky to find mighty Jupiter shining among the stars of the constellation Gemini, close to Castor and Pollux — which represent the heads of the twin brothers depicted in the celestial formation.

Jupiter will be the second brightest object in the night sky on Dec. 25 — after the moon — and so will be easy to spot as it makes its way overhead east to west over the course of the night. The famous constellation Orion will be visible twinkling to its right throughout, with the stars of the Hyades and Pleiades open star clusters visible above in the constellation Taurus, the bull.

Finally, turn your eyes north to find Polaris — the "North Star" — shining roughly 40 degrees above the horizon (its altitude matches your latitude, so it will appear lower or higher depending on where you are). You can pinpoint Polaris using your smartphone astronomy app, or by finding one of the most recognizable asterisms in the night sky, the Big Dipper, and using it as a guide to point the way.

First, locate the "pan" of the Big Dipper in the constellation Ursa Major, which sits low on the northern horizon after sunset. Next, draw a line from the star representing the outer base of the pan, known as Merak, up through the star representing the pouring lip, which astronomers call Dubhe. Follow that line out into space and the next bright star you find will be the North Star!

The entire sky will appear to revolve around this one point of light as the night plays out, presenting a stunning anchor for anyone hoping to capture a time-lapse "star-trail" portrait of the Christmas sky.

We hope you enjoyed this short tour of the night sky and from everyone at Space.com, we wish you a merry Christmas!

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

In recent years, astronomers have become increasingly interested in a theoretical particle known as the axion, which was concocted decades ago to solve a challenging problem with the strong nuclear force. After initial attempts to find it in particle collider experiments turned up empty, however, the idea sunk into the background.

But further research revealed that the axion could be a contender to explain the mystery of dark matter. Theorists realized that there might be ways for axions to flood the universe but so far evade direct detection.

Just because this little particle would be largely invisible, it doesn't mean it would go completely unnoticed in the universe. In a pre-print paper published in November 2025 in the open access server arXiv, researchers reported a way to test axion models using old archival data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Although they didn't find any evidence for axions, they beat other attempts and gave us a much clearer picture of what is and isn't allowed in this universe.

The targets for this study were white dwarfs — the dense, dim cores of dead stars. A single white dwarf can pack the mass of the sun into an object smaller than Earth, making white dwarfs among the most exotic objects in the universe. Crucially, white dwarfs support themselves against collapse through something called electron degeneracy pressure, in which a huge sea of free-floating electrons resists collapse because, according to quantum mechanics, electrons can never share the same state.

Some models of how axions might behave say these particles could be created by electrons: If an electron were moving quickly enough, it would trigger the formation of an axion. And because the electrons deep inside a white dwarf are moving very, very quickly — at nearly the speed of light — as they buzz around in their tight confines, they could produce a lot of axions.

The axions would then go speeding off, leaving the white dwarf altogether. This production of escaping axions would rob the white dwarf of energy. And because white dwarfs don't produce energy on their own, this would cause them to cool off faster than they would otherwise.

The researchers fed this model of axion cooling into a sophisticated software suite that can simulate the evolution of stars and how their temperature and brightness change as their interiors evolve.

This model allowed the researchers to predict the typical temperature of a white dwarf, given its age, both with and without axion cooling. With the results in hand, they turned to data of the globular cluster 47 Tucanae collected with Hubble. Global clusters are crucial because all of the white dwarfs in them were born at roughly the same time, giving the astronomers a large sample to study.

In short, the researchers found no evidence for axion cooling in the white dwarf population. But their results did give brand-new constraints on the ability for electrons to produce axions: They can't do it more efficiently than once every trillion chances.

This result doesn't rule out axions entirely, but it does say it's unlikely that electrons and axions directly interact with each other. So, if we're going to keep searching for axions, we're going to have to find even more clever ways to look.

Of course, these two rank among the best Lego Star Wars sets available, in our opinion, but if Star Wars isn't necessarily your thing, you could check out the best Lego Marvel sets and best Lego space sets.

Below, we take a look at the size, the design, the features, the price and everything in between for these two behemoths, to determine which is the better set. These two sets are a collector's dream and would be the centerpiece of any collection, but both offer more than what meets the eye, making them great display models with playable options.

• Read our UCS Millennium Falcon review

UCS Millennium Falcon versus UCS Death Star: Size and Dimensions

Since its release in 2017, the Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon has reigned supreme as the largest and highest piece count Lego Star Wars set on the market. That is, until the UCS Death Star came out in October 2025.

The Lego Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon measures at 8 x 33 x 23 inches (height x length x width) when finished and it comes with 7,541 pieces. These pieces build the model, which is a commanding centerpiece model, thanks to its impressive size, and put together several playable features. It has seven standing legs, so it doesn't need a display stand to be perfectly balanced.

If you thought that was impressive, wait until you check out the UCS Death Star. Measuring at 28 x 32 x 11 inches (height x width x depth), it has a larger total area than the Millennium Falcon, and with 9,023 pieces, it comes with nearly 1,500 more pieces. It also comes with 28 more minifigures (38 compared to 10) and the range is more satisfying, with different Luke Skywalkers and Han Solos, as well as Darth Vader, Obi-Wan, The Emperor, Chewbacca, Princess Leia and more.

If size is important to you, or at least a considerable factor in deciding which is better, then overall, you'd have to go with the UCS Death Star. It literally has more pieces, minifigures and takes up more space. However, we all know that size isn't the only thing to consider in a Lego set, and we'll get into what both sets offer, outside of sheer size alone, below.

UCS Millennium Falcon versus UCS Death Star: Design and Features

If the substance of a Lego set is a key factor in whether or not you get it, then you'll want to take note of what both sets offer. Perhaps surprisingly, then again, maybe not given the price tags, there's more than meets the eye with both sets. While they're both stand-out display models, they do have playable features.

The Millennium Falcon has plenty of movable parts and purpose-built spaces to fit minifigures inside. A lowerable boarding ramp, a concealed canon, removable hull panels, a cockpit with space for four minifigures with a removable canopy, seven standing legs, sensor dishes and laser canons all feature on the exterior.

Other features on the Millennium Falcon include, but are not limited to, an engine room, a hidden floor compartment, escape pod hatches, an engineering console, a fully rotating quad laser canon, a doorway with passageway decoration and more. All of this is included with the stunning detail of the overall look of this model when complete.

The Death Star is considerably different. That's because its interior is always on display as the set is a look inside the Death Star, as opposed to the exterior of the model. With this set, you get different rooms showcasing iconic scenes throughout the original trilogy. This includes, but is not limited to, the Emperor's Throne Room, the trash compactor room, the hangar, the tractor beam, which Obi-Wan deactivates, the room from where the laser to destroy Alderaan is fired, the roundtable where Darth Vader utters the immortal words, "I find your lack of faith disturbing" and more. An ideal set to build while watching the Star Wars movies in order, perhaps.

On top of the rooms, several playable features appear in this set, too. The trash compactor's walls move, there's a retractable bridge in the room with Luke and Leia's escape from Stormtroopers and there's a fully functional elevator. Interestingly, this Death Star set is a slice of the Death Star and quite literally a circle with a bit of depth and split into sections for rooms, whereas the Millennium Falcon is the complete ship with removable panels for interior play.

UCS Millennium Falcon versus UCS Death Star: Price

If you're on a budget, look away now. These sets are the two most expensive Lego Star Wars sets on the market, and both price tags are clear representation of the size, detail and collector-target audience of the sets.

The Millennium Falcon set cost $849.99 upon its release in 2017 and while there are occasionally Lego Star Wars deals to reduce this price tag, it does still cost this much. Unfortunately, the Death Star is even more expensive at $999.99 upon its release, and we're yet to see discounts on this set.

UCS Millennium Falcon versus UCS Death Star: Verdict

So, the 7,541-piece Millennium Falcon or the 9,023-piece Death Star, which is better? On the one hand, you have a spaceship, a complete model, jam-packed with detail, some fan-favorite minifigures and lots of hidden features and playable features, too. On the other hand, a larger set with more obvious playable options, with triple the minifigures and the recreation of several iconic scenes.

On balance, we think the UCS Millennium Falcon reigns supreme as the best Lego Star Wars set credits can buy. It's too stunning to ignore. 7,541 pieces is still a substantial number, and the volume of surprising and playable features all adds up. Not to mention, its retail price is $150 less, and it's a complete model, not just a slice or an inside look of the real thing.

We don't want to put you off the UCS Death Star set, and if you're a collector, you shouldn't be. But, we think the Millennium Falcon is just too much to ignore, and if you're weighing up these two titans of the Lego Star Wars world, the UCS Millennium Falcon is the best there is.

The sensor is called AVIRIS-5 (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer-5), and it comes from technology developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) back in the 1970s. About the size of a microwave, AVIRIS-5 fits inside the nose of one of NASA's ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft. The sensor's first iteration was employed in 1986, and JPL has worked to improve it ever since.

AVIRIS-5 is one of the newest tools in a joint research project from NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) called GEMx. The project is designed to search for surface traces of critical minerals, which are central to manufacturing consumer electronics and military technology.

GEMx is an ongoing project. One of the reasons why deserts are an ideal spot for mineral spectroscopy is because few trees grow there. Since 2023, the joint team has covered more than 366,000 square miles (950,000 square kilometers) in the vast expanse of the American West.

Many of the minerals that the GEMx project is trying to find have "unique chemical structures," that reflect different wavelengths of light. By detecting this reflected light, AVIRIS-5 is able to uncover the "spectral fingerprints" that are specific to the critical minerals.

The USGS defines critical minerals as those that have "significant consequences for the economic or national security of the U.S." These include aluminum, lithium, zinc, graphite, tungsten and titanium. Minerals such as these are used in the manufacturing supply chains for crucial technologies such as semiconductors, solar electricity systems or electric vehicle batteries.

In March 2025, the White House issued an Executive Order to boost the production of these minerals "to the maximum possible extent," stating that American national and economic security are "now acutely threatened by our reliance upon hostile foreign powers' mineral production"

Aside from helping hunt for critical minerals, spectrometers similar to AVIRIS-5 that JPL has designed over the years have also been used on spacecraft to help NASA scientists understand more about planets in our solar system, like Mars, Mercury, and Pluto.

"One is en route to Europa, an ocean moon of Jupiter, to search for the chemical ingredients needed to support life," a JPL spokesperson wrote in a statement.

Dana Chadwick, a JPL Earth system scientist, envisions many more uses for the new sensor besides hunting minerals in the desert.

"The breadth of different questions you can take on with this technology is really exciting, from land management to snowpack water resources to wildfire risk," Chadwick said in a statement. "Critical minerals are just the beginning for AVIRIS-5."

The country has already smashed its previous record for launches in a calendar year (68, set in 2024), amassing more than 80 orbital launch attempts at time of reporting, with a couple of weeks still to go. Two of these launches ended in failure, both from commercial launch providers, but the venerable Long March rocket series continued a long, failure-free run dating back to 2020.

China hit a major milestone in 2025 with the country's first launch and landing attempt of a reusable orbital rocket. Commercial company Landspace successfully sent its first Zhuque 3 rocket into orbit, but the first stage landing effort ended in spectacular failure during the landing burn. To end the year, China is looking to launch its new reusable Long March 12A rocket in late December as China closes in on attaining reusable launch capabilities, a decade after SpaceX successfully landed a Falcon 9 first stage for the first time.

Chinese space successes in 2025

Driving some of this growth in launches are the country's two megaconstellations: the national Guowang project and the Shanghai-backed Thousand Sails constellation, both of which are to consist of more than 10,000 satellites each. These are China's response to SpaceX's Starlink and other Western low Earth orbit communications constellations. There were 15 launches this year for Guowang alone, but expect launches for these projects to increase in 2026.

One area of major progress for China in 2025 was its crewed lunar program. The country aims to land a pair of its astronauts on the moon before 2030 and this year saw some of the first major hardware tests for the ambitious project. Key tests included testing a shortened stage of the new moon rocket, a liftoff and landing test in simulated lunar conditions for the Lanyue crew lander, and a pad abort test for the crew spacecraft. This progress has contributed to concerns in the U.S. that China will land its astronauts on the moon before America can return to the lunar surface with Artemis 3.

China also made a launch to deep space, with the Tianwen 2 near-Earth asteroid sample return mission launching in May and now on its way to the mysterious asteroid Kamo'oalewa. The spacecraft is expected to reach the asteroid in July 2026, providing us with images and eventually samples of another new world. Tianwen 2 is China's second deep space exploration mission, following the 2020 Tianwen 1 Mars rover and orbiter. Incidentally, the orbiter for that mission is still active and in October, captured images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS; one of the major space events of the year.

Closer to Earth, China also appeared to have completed a pioneering satellite refueling in geostationary orbit, high above the equator. The test could mark a breakthrough for extending spacecraft lifetimes, reducing debris, and bringing strategic flexibility.

China resolves 1st spaceflight emergency

Not everything went according to plan for China in 2025. The country planned three missions to its Tiangong space station in 2025: the crewed Shenzhou 20 and Shenzhou 21 missions, which launched in April and October respectively, and the Tianzhou 9 cargo spacecraft in July.

These plans were upended, however, when routine checks found an external crack in a Shenzhou 20 spacecraft viewport window on Nov. 5, likely caused by space debris, just before it was due to carry its three astronauts back to Earth. The spacecraft was deemed not to be safe to carry astronauts through the heat of reentry, meaning emergency protocols were initiated.

The Shenzhou 20 astronauts instead returned to Earth in the recently-arrived Shenzhou 21 spacecraft, while the Shenzhou 22 spacecraft — on standby for just a scenario at Jiuquan spaceport — was readied in 16 days and launched to Tiangong uncrewed to provide a lifeboat for the Shenzhou 21 astronauts. The incident was the first major human spaceflight emergency for China, with its orderly response quickly solving the crisis.

The year ahead for Chinese space missions

China's already accelerating launch rate is only likely to increase in 2026, with further reusable rocket test flights and landing attempts, megaconstellation launches, and the continued expansion of its spaceports, particularly in Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert, the Hainan commercial launch pads, and the maritime spaceport in the Eastern province of Shandong.

There will also be flagship missions. The second half of the year will see the launch of the Chang'e 7 robotic lunar mission, which will target a landing at the lunar south pole and aim to seek out water-ice. There will also be a joint space weather mission, named SMILE, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the European Space Agency (ESA), launching in the spring.

China will also take new steps in human spaceflight in 2026. The country will send a pair of missions to Tiangong, namely Shenzhou 23 and Shenzhou 24. One of these is expected to carry the first International astronaut from Pakistan to the space station. The stay is expected to be short, launching on a Shenzhou as part of a three-person crew, and returning days later with two Chinese astronauts returning to Earth after their six-month-long stay in orbit. That will leave one Chinese astronaut from the completed mission to stay in orbit for a further six months, becoming the first Chinese astronaut to spend an entire year in orbit continuously.

Maybe the most closely watched and consequential missions will be related to China's crewed moon plans. China plans debut flights for its Long March 10 rocket and the Mengzhou spacecraft in 2026, with success being crucial to achieving its goal of landing its astronauts on the moon before 2030.

Using the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have imaged the largest and most chaotic site of planetary birth humanity has ever seen.

Appearing like a stunning cosmic bat, this protoplanetary disk, located around 1,000 light-years away, stretches out for around 400 billion years, around 40 times the size of our solar system, out to the ring of cometary bodies known as the Kuiper belt.

This protoplanetary disk with an infant star at its heart has the official designation IRAS 23077+6707, but also has the incredible nickname "Dracula’s Chivito." But it isn't just its staggering size and unique nickname that make IRAS 23077+6707 so remarkable.

"The level of detail we're seeing is rare in protoplanetary disk imaging, and these new Hubble images show that planet nurseries can be much more active and chaotic than we expected," team leader Kristina Monsch of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) said in a statement. “We're seeing this disk nearly edge-on, and its wispy upper layers and asymmetric features are especially striking."

Monsch added that both Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have glimpsed similar structures in other disks, but Dracula's Chivito provides astronomers with an exceptional perspective that allows them to trace its substructures in visible light at an unprecedented level of detail.

"This makes the system a unique, new laboratory for studying planet formation and the environments where it happens," Monsch continued.

The unsymmetrical appearance of the gas and dust lanes in Dracula's Chivito in this stunning Hubble image indicates that dynamic processes are occurring within the disk as its morphology is gradually shaped by interactions with its surroundings.

"We were stunned to see how asymmetric this disk is," team member Joshua Bennett Lovell, also an astronomer at the CfA, said. "Hubble has given us a front row seat to the chaotic processes that are shaping disks as they build new planets — processes that we don't yet fully understand but can now study in a whole new way."

Not only does this give scientists a better picture of planetary birth, but Dracula's Chivito also offers a look at what the solar system may have looked like when it was forming planets 4.6 billion years ago, albeit on a much larger scale.

"In theory, IRAS 23077+6707 could host a vast planetary system,” said Monsch. “While planet formation may differ in such massive environments, the underlying processes are likely similar.

"Right now, we have more questions than answers, but these new images are a starting point for understanding how planets form over time and in different environments."

By the way, in case you are wondering, the "Dracula" element of this protoplanetary disk's nickname is a playful reference to the Transvaniian heritage of one of the team members behind this research. Meanwhile, a "Chivito" is a massive steak sandwich, an iconic national dish from Uruguay, the homeland of another of the crew of scientists.

Don't panic, Drac, that's "steak," not "stake."

In late December 1968, NASA astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders launched to the moon aboard Apollo 8, becoming the first humans to break free of Earth's gravity and travel to another world.

The moon of 1968 was different from the one that shines today. In a year scarred by assassinations, social upheaval, and a grinding war in Vietnam, the moon became something more than a distant celestial body. It emerged as a symbol of hope, national purpose and American resolve. Just as the nation was seemingly spinning out of control and being drained of the last ounces of its spirit, the moon suddenly came within its grasp.

In a bold decision, stunning in both its simplicity and audacity, NASA chose to "bet the farm" to blunt Soviet lunar ambitions in the space race to the moon. Still recovering from 1967's devastating Apollo 1 launch pad fire that killed three astronauts (including Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom), the space agency abandoned its careful, methodical building-block approach of increasingly complex Apollo Earth orbital missions and threw a "Hail Mary pass."

Hail Mary to the moon

Around Christmas 1968, the United States would launch Apollo 8 to orbit the moon on the first crewed flight of the Saturn V – then the most powerful rocket ever built – in a small spacecraft powered by a single engine that absolutely had to work.

It was brilliant. It took guts. And it was extraordinarily risky.

No space mission before or since had such a clear and uncomplicated objective. Two and a half hours after launch came words never before spoken during a space mission: "Apollo 8, you are GO for TLI" (trans-lunar insertion). They were "go" for the moon.

Historian Dwayne A. Day, who has written extensively on Cold War space history and intelligence programs, places NASA's decision in perspective.

"Frank Borman has said a CIA report (contending the Soviet Union was planning a manned lunar flyby by year's end) led to Apollo 8's mission to orbit the moon. But nothing I’ve found proves that," Day said. "What is clear is that the Lunar Module wasn't ready, and NASA wasn't going to hold Apollo 8 on the ground. In the moon race, NASA had the gas pedal pressed to the floor and it didn't matter if the Soviet Union was gaining on them in their rear-view mirror, they were not going to slow down."

After a 3-day journey, Borman, Lovell, and Anders fired Apollo 8's single Service Propulsion System engine to slow their spacecraft as it approached the moon, allowing lunar gravity to capture them into orbit.

From just 60 miles above the surface, the astronauts became the first humans to gaze upon the moon’s stark mountains and cratered plains. Then came a moment none of them expected: the blue marble of earth rising above the lunar horizon. In a single photograph — the now-iconic "Earthrise" — humanity saw itself from a quarter-million miles away, fragile and alone in the darkness.

On Christmas Eve, the crew aimed their black-and-white television camera at the lunar surface, broadcasting grainy images of craters and ancient seas drifting silently below. As families around the world paused their holiday celebrations, the astronauts unexpectedly began reading from the Book of Genesis: "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the Earth…"

The fusion of ancient scripture, the spirit of the season, and the stark beauty of the moon transformed the television broadcast into an indelible moment. For many, Christmas Eve 1968 would forever be remembered as "the lunar Christmas."

As the new year approached, the gallant crew of Apollo 8 returned safely to Earth, their mission hailed as an inspirational and extraordinary accomplishment. Time Magazine halted its presses to name Borman, Lovell, and Anders "Men of the Year." A telegram to the astronauts captured the mood succinctly: "You saved 1968."

Andrew Chaikin, author of "A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts," later reflected on the Apollo era.

"How could the most futuristic thing humans had ever done be so far in the past? In the narrative of the Space Age, Apollo is a chapter that feels jarringly out of sequence."

Artemis 2 to the moon

Today, NASA stands on the edge of a new lunar chapter. Artemis 2 — the first crewed mission of the Artemis program — is scheduled for launch in early 2026. The 10-day flight will carry astronauts around the moon to test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket in deep space.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will become the first humans to venture to the vicinity of the moon since 1972 aboard their Orion spacecraft, fittingly named "Integrity."

Glen E. Swanson, former Johnson Space Center chief historian and author of the just-published book "Inspired Enterprise: How NASA, the Smithsonian, and the Aerospace Community Helped Launch Star Trek" draws a direct parallel between Apollo 8 and today's challenges.

"Apollo 8 was about leaving the Earth and Apollo 11 was about arriving at the moon," Swanson said. "As we look from the vantage point of time, now that over half a century has passed since both of these events occurred, one might pause and ask which was more important?"

Swanson invokes the oft-repeated phrase "If we can land a man on the moon we can …" What can we do now as a nation other than sit by and watch others, such as China, go back to where we once were but can't now immediately return even if we tried?"

"Apollo was politics at its best and, as a result, NASA has both succeeded and suffered because of it," Swanson said. "It succeeded with its signature event - the technologically stunning and audaciously bold achievement of landing on the moon. But it has paid a very high price for that feat, especially when it came to formulating sustained long-range plans for human spaceflight."

Day strikes a similar note in comparing Apollo 8 to Artemis 2.

"History doesn't echo, but sometimes it rhymes," he said. "Some historians have claimed that Apollo 8 was the real end of the moon race. But that's only because the Soviet Union had no chance of landing a cosmonaut on the moon before Apollo 11."

"Today, we have a similar but different situation — NASA could send humans around the moon again, but China could still beat Artemis 3 to land on the moon. Will that really matter? It could symbolize Chinese ascendancy in technology. But we have many different measures of technological supremacy compared to the 1960s, so it's unclear that the impact will be as great as the first race to the moon."

NASA's big comeback?

Fast forward to 2025, there are serious issues affecting NASA. As the current administration proposed slashing its budget, the agency lacked a full-time administrator for 11 months before Jared Issacman’s confirmation on Dec. 17. Morale among its workforce is at a low ebb; many highly skilled and valued staff members have either been furloughed or simply walked away. A respected group of former astronauts have warned such reductions could put crew safety at higher risk. These combined factors raise the specter of what NASA's future will look like.

Still, Apollo 8 offers a reminder that leadership in space is not defined solely by who arrives first, but by who dares to move forward when the outcome is uncertain. In 1968, three astronauts carried a divided world to the moon and, in doing so, helped a weary planet rediscover its sense of possibility. As Artemis 2 prepares to depart on a voyage "From the Earth to the Moon," the question is not whether history can be repeated but whether its quiet courage can be summoned again.

The holiday season evokes majestic memories of family, friends, gifts, and… the Predator?! Wait, that last one doesn't sound right, but it's true. Everyone's favorite intergalactic trophy hunting species has a Christmas connection, as he battled Santa Claus' reindeer in a forgotten animated short titled "The Predator Holiday Special."

Directed by David Brooks and Alex Kamer from a script by Matthew Senreich (of "Robot Chicken" fame) and Matt Motschenbacher, the stop-motion actioner kicks off in an unassuming manner in the North Pole, as Santa's elf Sprinkles (Xander Mobus) brushes the reindeer Blitzen (Dave B. Mitchell) and discusses their exciting plans for Christmas Eve.

Blitzen spots three red laser dots pointed in their direction, so he shoves the elf out of harm's way, whips out a heavy-duty gun, and opens fire in the direction of the presumed threat. It doesn't end well for Blitzen, though, as the Predator shows up and blasts a hole through the beloved reindeer. What? Did you expect the Yautja to offer it grass, or a bowl of water?

What follows is a pulsating hunting mission, as Sprinkles runs for the hills but appears to fall victim to the rabid Yautja's sharp blades. Santa's trusty reindeer – all kitted out like they have posters of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch Schaefer above their beds – assemble in a coordinated military fashion, but their efforts prove to be futile, since the Predator savages and makes mincemeat out of them.

It's glory kills galore, as the hunter recreates some of the franchise's most brutal moments with the reindeer. All those weapons and training seemed to be lost on them, with the chances of "Reindeer vs. Predator" replacing "Alien vs. Predator" as the mega-money crossover evaporating with each dead reindeer.

Now, the heart-in-throat anxiety pounds faster and harder, as the Yautja approaches Santa's house. This is it – Christmas is about to be cancelled, folks! The Grinch cheers from his home on Mount Crumpit. Or maybe not. Jolly ol' Saint Nick (Keith Silverstein) steps out to face the enemy, and he has an ace up his sleeve: Larry the reindeer! Like a force of nature out of every single '80s action movie and powered by the testosterone of Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Van Damme, Larry unloads on the Predator, sending him to the great big trophy hunting museum in the sky.

Of course, Santa and Larry celebrate accordingly by reenacting the iconic handshake between Dutch and Al Dillion (Carl Weathers) from 1987's "Predator."

Then more Predators show up. Uh-oh! Actually, scratch that. They're here to take away their deceased clan member, and one of them even leaves a basket of decorated eggs with Santa. Aw! The kind gesture does nothing to endear the gift givers to the North Pole residents, as Sprinkles returns and unleashes the fury of John Wick on the remaining Predators.

Related: Predator movies ranked, from worst to best

Despite Santa and his crew having the Yautja's number here, the creatures have the last laugh, thanks to a carefully placed Trojan horse: The basket of eggs. In the final scene of the film, one of the eggs opens up to reveal it's an Ovomorph, indicating that a Facehugging Xenomorph is imminent here. Drats! And sadly, in the North Pole, no one can hear you scream…

Where did this idea even come from? According to Senreich's comments to Entertainment Weekly, it was born out of "a random hangout moment." Then, the concept evolved into chucking the Predator into the world of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"-styled animation, because nothing screams Christmas quite like a Yautja hunt in the North Pole.

Ultimately, "The Predator Holiday Special" was created as a neat promo to drum up anticipation for the home release of Shane Black's "The Predator," which arrived in December 2018. Who could have guessed that this barely two-minute short was better than all 108 minutes of Black's baffling blockbuster that almost sent the Yautja into extinction?

The special is still available to watch on YouTube, so make it a holiday tradition like watching the best Christmas movie of all time (Die Hard, obviously) every year. If you'd rather check out some more serious Predator movies, they're all available to watch on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (UK).

If you're going to be out of the country this holiday season, you can still watch your streaming service of choice using a VPN. You'll be able to connect to the service you've paid for, no matter where you are (on Earth, it won't work in space, sorry).

There are loads of great VPN services out there, but if you're looking for a recommendation, NordVPN is our top pick.

Such scenes are uncommon in satellite records from this region, where clouds often obscure the surface.

What is it?

Since Captain James Cook first reported two closely spaced islands in 1775 — later named Candlemas and Vindication — the region has remained largely inaccessible. Persistent cloud cover, harsh seas, and extreme weather make direct observation rare. As a result, satellites have become the primary way scientists study these islands, monitoring volcanic activity, glaciation, erosion, and atmospheric behavior in one of Earth’s least disturbed environments.

Thanks to fewer clouds, the satellite was able to observe some of Candlemas Island's features, including Lucifer Hill and Medusa Pool.

Where is it?

The image was taken above Candlemas and Vindication Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Why is it amazing?

Using satellite images like this one, scientists can understand how volcanic islands evolve in extreme climates. Candlemas Island itself began as two separate islands that merged centuries ago. Its southeastern portion is an older, heavily eroded stratovolcano now mantled in ice, while its northwestern side hosts younger lava flows radiating from cinder cones like Lucifer Hill. Historical accounts describe eruptions and steam clouds as recently as the 20th century, suggesting that volcanic heat and glacial ice have long coexisted here in tension.

The image also highlights the dominant role of erosion. Vindication Island shows no evidence of recent volcanism. Instead, steep cliffs and reduced land area testify to the power of waves, freezing temperatures and storms, forces that slowly dismantle volcanic edifices once tectonic energy subsides.

The clouds themselves are also part of the story. The South Sandwich Islands are famous for producing striking wave clouds, created when strong winds are forced upward by steep terrain. These atmospheric patterns, occasionally visible from space, provide insight into air flow and stability in remote oceanic environments, data useful for both weather and climate studies.

Want to learn more?

You can learn more about Earth-observing satellites and climate change.

It is therefore no surprise that just as black holes grip light (and everything else, for that matter) they grip the attention of scientists and the general public, too. And 2025 has been no exception, with the year bringing forth some intriguing and jaw-dropping scientific breakthroughs regarding these cosmic titans.

So, as we prepare for 2026 and the scientific advances it will deliver, Space.com presents you with some of our favorite black hole advances announced over the last 12 months.

1. James Webb Space Telescope spots rapidly feeding "little red dot"

In November, astronomers revealed they used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to discover a voraciously feeding and rapidly growing supermassive black hole in the infant universe. Existing just 570 million years after the Big Bang, this black hole sits at the heart of the galaxy CANUCS-LRD-z8.6, a so-called "little red dot" galaxy, or a class of small, bright and extremely distant objects the JWST has been routinely discovering since it began observations in 2022

"This discovery is truly remarkable. We've observed a galaxy from less than 600 million years after the Big Bang, and not only is it hosting a supermassive black hole, but the black hole is growing rapidly — far faster than we would expect in such a galaxy at this early time," discovery team leader Roberta Tripodi of the University of Ljubljana FMF in Slovenia said in a statement at the time. "This challenges our understanding of black hole and galaxy formation in the early universe and opens up new avenues of research into how these objects came to be."Read more about CANUCS-LRD-z8.6 and its supermassive black hole inhabitant here.

2. This black hole is a runaway!

Sticking with the JWST, in December, astronomers used the $10 billion space telescope to confirm the first sighting of a runaway supermassive black hole. This cosmic titan weighs in at 10 million times the mass of the sun and is rocketing through space at a staggering 2.2 million miles per hour (3.5 million kilometers per hour), which is 3,000 times the speed of sound at sea level here on Earth.

The runaway supermassive black hole is pushing forward a literal galaxy-size "bow-shock" of matter in front of it, as well as dragging a 200,000 light-year-long tail behind it that is gathering gas and actively birthing stars.

"It boggles the mind!" discovery team leader Pieter van Dokkum of Yale University told Space.com. "The forces that are needed to dislodge such a massive black hole from its home are enormous. And yet, it was predicted that such escapes should occur!"

Read more about this cosmic runaway here.

3. Black hole tornadoes at the heart of the Milky Way

Not all supermassive black holes are associated with violent activity. Take our own supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), which sits at the heart of the Milky Way. Unlike other black holes, Sgr A* isn't greedily feasting on gas, dust and stars, but rather exists on a diet that scientists have related to a human consuming one grain of rice every million years.However, in March 2025, scientists revealed that it isn't all quiet at the heart of our galaxy. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/ submillimeter Array (ALMA), a team of astronomers discovered "space tornadoes" raging around Sgr A*, revolutionizing our view of the Galactic Center and the nature of "quiet" black holes.

"Our research contributes to the fascinating Galactic Center landscape by uncovering these slim filaments as an important part of material circulation," team member Xing Lu of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory said in a statement. "We can envision these as space tornados: they are violent streams of gas, they dissipate shortly and they distribute materials into the environment efficiently."

Read more about these space tornadoes here.

4.

The Milky Way's supermassive black hole was noisier than usual back in January 2025, when astronomers used the JWST to observe it throwing out highly energetic flares.

This represented the first time astronomers had seen flares from Sgr A* in the mid-infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, with the team behind these observations using them to better model outflows from supermassive black holes in research released in November.

"The mid-infrared data is exciting because, thanks to the new JWST data, we can close the gap between the radio and near-infrared regimes, which had been a 'gaping hole' in the spectrum of Sgr A*," Sebastiano von Fellenberg of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, told Space.com. "On the one hand, our mid-infrared flare looks like a typical near-infrared flare, so we now know flares also occur in the mid-infrared regime — and this isn't trivial as, for instance, the radio variability looks quite different, and we do not see pronounced flare-like peaks in the light curve."

Read more about this discovery here.

5. Supermassive black hole experiences 134-million-mph 'burp.'

If you thought Christmas dinner gave you a massive case of indigestion, spare a thought for the black hole at the heart of spiral galaxy NGC 3783. In December, scientists revealed they had witnessed the supermassive black hole in NGC 3783 burping out a jet of material at a staggering 134 million miles per hour (216 million kilometers per hour), which is about 20% the speed of light.

The eruption of plasma was preceded by a flare of X-rays spotted by European Space Agency (ESA) XRISM X-ray telescope, with follow-up observations performed by NASA's XMM-Newton spacecraft, helping to measure the scale and structure of this tumultuous cosmic storm.

"Windy active galactic nuclei also play a big role in how their host galaxies evolve over time and how they form new stars," team member and ESA research fellow Camille Diez, a coauthor of the study, in a recent press release. "Because they're so influential, knowing more about the magnetism of active galactic nuclei, and how they whip up winds such as these, is key to understanding the history of galaxies throughout the universe."

Someone pass the Pepto.

Read more here.

6. The power of 10 trillion suns

In any other year, the supermassive black hole mentioned above would probably scoop the award for most striking outburst, but not in 2025. This year, that accolade goes to a flare designated J2245+3743, spotted erupting from a supermassive black hole located in the center of a galaxy 10 billion light-years away from Earth.

What made this flare so amazing isn't just the fact that it is the most distant black hole flare ever seen, but also that it is pumping out energy equivalent to the output of 10 trillion suns! That is 30 times more energetic than the previous most energetic flare, the wonderfully named "Scary Barbie" spotted back in 2018. The flare is believed to be the result of a star wandering too close to this supermassive black hole, which has the mass of 500 million suns.

The fact that J2245+3743 is ongoing indicates that this black hole is still swallowing this doomed star, with discovery team member Matthew Graham of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) likening the situation to "a fish only halfway down the whale's gullet."

Read more here.

7. Astronomers discover the universe's oldest and most distant black hole…

In August, scientists revealed they have the most distant and earliest supermassive black hole. Sitting in a galaxy designated CAPERS-LRD-z9, another one of those JWST little red dots, this beast with a mass equivalent to 300 million suns, is seen as it was just 500 million years after

"When looking for black holes, this is about as far back as you can practically go," Anthony Taylor, a postdoctoral fellow at the Cosmic Frontier Center at the University of Texas at Austin, who led the discovery, said in a statement. "We're really pushing the boundaries of what current technology can detect."

Read more here.

8. …And the biggest black hole (maybe)?

August was a big month for black hole discoveries — not only did astronomers discover the most ancient black hole as mentioned above, but in the same month a separate team of researchers announced they have discovered what may turn out to be the most massive black hole ever seen.

Located in one of the most massive galaxies ever seen and 5 billion light-years from Earth, this black hole seems to have a mass equivalent to 36 billion suns. Measuring the mass of such a massive body at this kind of distance is tough, and this supermassive black hole has tough competition from Phoenix A, the central black hole of the Phoenix cluster, estimated to have a mass somewhere in the region of 100 billion suns.

"This is amongst the top 10 most massive black holes ever discovered, and quite possibly the most massive," Thomas Collett, study author and a professor at the University of Portsmouth in England, said in a statement.

Read more here.

Who knows, maybe 2026 will deliver an even more massive black hole, or a brighter flare, or something we can't even currently comprehend. Whatever the case, it is certain that Space.com will be there for every exciting and mind-blowing discovery.