Iceland volcano erupts! See a livestream here

After weeks of earthquakes, an Iceland volcano began erupting powerfully on December 18, 2023. It was a bigger eruption than volcanologists had predicted!

The strange case of 2 missing giant exomoons (and maybe others)

Astronomers in Germany say that 2 possible giant exomoons probably don't actually exist. That's disappointing, but there are still some other candidates.

Birds with backpacks to help study Earth’s atmosphere

Birds with backpacks: a new study from NASA's 'Internet of Animals' shows that high-flying great frigatebirds can provide detailed sampling of the atmosphere.

Orion the Hunter and the Milky Way on December evenings

The constellation Orion the Hunter is very easy to find. If you have a dark sky, you can also see the luminous band of the Milky Way running behind it.

Geminid meteor shower 2023: Cool photos!

See the best photos of the Geminid meteor shower of 2023 from our talented community of photographers, from all over the world.

Emperor penguins: A report from the Antarctic

EarthSky friend Eliot Herman took a trip to the Antarctic, where he had the opportunity to see emperor penguins. Read his report and enjoy his amazing images.

Watery plumes on Enceladus could hold signs of life

Do the plumes on Enceladus contain evidence of life from the moon's ocean? A new study shows that amino acids could survive and be detectable by spacecraft.

Does Chiron have rings? Or ring mimics?

A new study suggests that the possible rings around the centaur Chiron in the outer solar system are instead "evolving material" that mimics rings.

Will humpback whales train us to communicate with aliens?

SETI researchers are studying how humpback whales communicate. This may eventually help us communicate with non-human intelligence of an alien civilization.

10 tips for watching the Geminids in 2023

The Geminids make up a rich and much-loved annual meteor shower that peaks in mid-December. Here are 10 tips for watching the Geminids in 2023.