It's quite a challenge to make an Earth-like world. You need enough mass to hold an atmosphere and generate a good magnetic field, but not so much mass that you hang on to light elements such as hydrogen and helium. You also need to be close enough to your star that you remain comfortably warm, but not so warm that all your water gets baked away. And then you need an abundance of short-lived radioisotopes (SLRs).
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Space.com headlines crossword quiz for week of Dec. 29, 2025: Which meteor shower peaks in early January?
Test your space smarts with our weekly crossword challenge, crafted from Space.com's biggest headlines.
2025's extreme weather had the jet stream's fingerprints all over it, from flash floods to hurricanes
First, instead of moving storms quickly eastward, the sluggish jet stream stalled storm systems in place, causing prolonged downpours and flash flooding.
Can scientists detect life without knowing what it looks like? Research using machine learning offers a new way
If nonliving materials can produce rich, organized mixtures of organic molecules, then the traditional signs we use to recognize biology may no longer be enough.
The largest sun of 2026 rises today as Earth draws closest to our parent star
Earth reaches its closest point to the sun in its 2026 orbit on Jan. 3.
The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks tonight, but will the full 'Wolf Moon' outshine the show?
The Quadrantids are known for producing bright "fireball" meteors that can outshine the brightest planets
Using Webb, Canadian Astronomers Shed Light on the Milky Way's Turbulent Past
The Milky Way has a long and fascinating history that extends back to the early Universe - ca. 13.61 billion years ago. In that time, it has evolved considerably and merged with other galaxies to become the galaxy we see today. In a recent study, a team of Canadian astronomers has created the most detailed reconstruction of how the Milky Way evolved from its earliest phases to its current phase. Using data provided by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the team examined 877 galaxies whose masses and properties closely match what astronomers expect the Milky Way looked like over time ("Milky Way twins").
'Star Trek' warps into 2026 with epic 'Space For Everybody' Rose Parade float
2026 is a special year for creator Gene Roddenberry's iconic "Wagon Train To The Stars" sci-fi franchise as it celebrates its 60th anniversary seeking out new life and new civilizations!
Live coverage: SpaceX opens 2026 with launch of Cosmo-SkyMed Earth observation satellite for Italy
The Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation Flight Model 3 spacecraft is pictured prior to being encapsulated within a pair of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 payload fairings. Image: SpaceX
SpaceX is ringing in the new year with a Falcon 9 rocket launch slated for Friday evening from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Why do I need a VPN?
A VPN, or virtual private network, is great for online safety and accessing content while travelling. It's worth getting, but why? Scroll down to find out.
Watch SpaceX launch the 1st mission of 2026 tonight
SpaceX will launch the first mission of 2026 tonight (Jan. 2), and you can watch the action live.
SpaceX lowering orbits of 4,400 Starlink satellites for safety's sake
SpaceX will soon lower the orbits of about 4,400 Starlink satellites, to decrease the threat they pose to other spacecraft and reduce space traffic overall.
16 upcoming sci-fi shows to be excited for in 2026
Entertainment is the final frontier, as you experience everything from Starfleet to the Green Lantern Corps and Godzilla in 2026.
2026 is the year humanity will finally go back to the moon
It's happening. We are going.
Northern lights may be visible in 18 states tonight
Auroras may be visible from Alaska to Illinois as an incoming coronal mass ejection could disrupt Earth's magnetic field and trigger geomagnetic storm conditions.
The 1st full moon of 2026 rises tonight! Here's what to expect from January's supermoon Wolf Moon
Don't miss January's Wolf Moon rise over the eastern horizon tonight, as the first full moon of 2026.
Solar Flares and Stellar Flares Hit Different
The Sun is not only our closest stellar neighbor, it's also the star we understand the most. As we've observed it over the centuries, we've learned that the Sun is not an immortal constant. It goes through active and quiet cycles, it has become warmer over geologic time scales, and it occasionally batters the Earth with solar flares. We've generally thought that other main sequence stars behave in much the same way, but when it comes to solar flares, that isn't always true.
Astronomers detect rare 'free floating' exoplanet 10,000 light-years from Earth
Astronomers have detected a "free floating" rogue planet the size of Saturn drifting through the Milky Way some 10,000 light-years from Earth.
The Quadrantid Meteors and Earth at Perihelion Usher in the New Skywatching Year
An elusive meteor shower kicks off the skywatching year for 2026.
Why Astronomy Needs a Giant in the Canary Islands
Size matters when it comes to telescopes. The bigger they are, the farther they can see. Prioritizing constructing large ones is therefore high on the priority list for many observational organizations. But doing so comes at a cost, and not just in terms of money. Finding a suitable site can be a challenge, and that has been particularly true for the effort to build a 30-meter telescope in the Northern hemisphere. A new paper, available in pre-print on arXiv by Francesco Coti Zelati of the Spanish Institute of Space Sciences in Barcelona and his co-authors, makes the argument for building it at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma in the Canary Islands.
Nature carves colossal snowman in Siberia | Space photo of the day for Jan. 2, 2026
Do you want to build a snowman?
