The European Southern Observatory (ESO) just released its photo of the week. This image, acquired by the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, shows the RCW 36 nebula, located about 2,300 light-years away in the Vela Constellation. But to observers, it looks like a cosmic hawk spreading its wings: the dark clouds at the center resembling the hawk's head and body, and the filaments extending to the right and left serving as the wings. And in a nice twist, the image itself was acquired by the High Acuity Wide-field K-band Imager-1 (HAWK-1) instrument on the VLT.
Space News & Blog Articles
Mars orbiters witness solar superstorm striking the Red Planet: 'The timing was extremely lucky'
The ESA's Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft watched as a superstorm that ravaged Earth also struck the Red Planet.
20% off at Amazon, this super-cool Lego Marvel Iron Spider-Man Bust has never been cheaper
Can't wait for Spider-Man: Brand New Day? Make the wait a little less painful, with 20% off this seriously super Lego Marvel Iron Spider-Man Bust.
SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg SFB Sunday
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East to begin the Starlink 17-18 mission on Sunday, March 8, 2026. Image: SpaceX
Update March 8, 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the 25 Starlink satellites.
NASA wants to accelerate its Artemis missions to the moon. It will need to drop some big hardware to do it.
A big restructuring of NASA's plans to land astronauts on the moon is adding missions and speeding up the timeline, but some hardware might have to be cut loose in the process.
The Marathon Collector’s Edition nails the assignment as Bungie's sci-fi shooter finally launches
As Bungie’s extraction shooter welcomes players to Tau Ceti IV, we’ve taken a good look at its hefty collector’s edition.
Cosmic Hawk spreads its wings| Space photo of the day for March 6, 2026
The Milky Way nebula RCW 36 resembles a stunning cosmic bird of prey in an incredible Very Large Telescope image.
Did Earth life actually begin on Mars? Asteroid impacts could let microbes planet-hop, study suggests
"Life might actually survive being ejected from one planet and moving to another."
Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 70AZ beginner telescope review
This Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 70AZ is best for observing planets and the moon.
Making New Solar Activity Connections From Old Data
Astronomers gain new key insights from old solar observations.
Nightfox Whisker night vision binoculars review
Are the Nightfox Whisker the best Nightfox night vision binoculars yet?
Crush the Rebels for less with money off this menacing, mid-sized Lego Star Wars AT-AT
This Lego Star Wars AT-AT walker only debuted in January 2026 and you can already save 5% on this shelf-sized but still seriously impressive set.
Stunning Mars image highlights one of Red Planet's oldest cratered regions
Newly released Mars images offer a detailed look at one of the Red Planet's oldest, most heavily cratered regions, a landscape shaped by billions of years of impacts, volcanism and erosion.
Enjoy 'For All Mankind' spinoff series 'Star City' anywhere with these VPN deals — save 74% off and a bonus free $50 Amazon voucher
NordVPN comes recommended as the best VPN service, and offers online security and convenience, now with a $415 discount and a $50 Amazon voucher.
Watch Japan's 1st HTV-X cargo craft leave the International Space Station today
Japan's new HTV-X cargo spacecraft will depart the International Space Station today (March 6) after a four-month stay, and you can watch the action live.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, March 6 – 15
Bright Jupiter highlights the Gemini stick-figure twins standing on either side of it. Down below, the Winter Triangle balances on its Sirius point.
Earth from Space: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Image: These two views from Copernicus Sentinel-2 reveal the landscape transformation in the area around Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
Meet ESA’s newest female leadership
This year for International Women’s Day, we showcase some of the women from the European Space Agency’s most recent female leadership recruits: Céline Begon, Christine Boelsche, Céline Folsché and Ildiko Raczne Szoke.
New AI Hub to empower space-enabled connectivity
New AI Hub to empower space-enabled connectivity
Mars Express Images Reveal Mars' Pockmarked Surface
The ESA's Mars Express probe has been surveying Mars from orbit for more than twenty years. The way it has mapped the surface using its High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) has drastically changed the way we see the Red Planet. In a recent article, the ESA shared a series of HRSC images highlighting the heavily cratered region known as Arabia Terra. The study of Martian craters offers insight into Mars' geology, meteorology, and its long and turbulent history. The images were generated from the camera's digital terrain model and the nadir and colour channels.

