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![Mars as seen from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fqTcjZ9Y4Yvt8JhwdkKeEP-320-80.jpg)
How to watch the full Wolf Moon 'swallow' Mars in the sky tonight — no telescope required
By Gretchen Rundorff last updated
Tonight (Jan. 13), bright Mars will disappear behind the full Wolf Moon for several hours before reappearing on the other side. It's the only lunar occultation of Mars visible from the U.S. this year. Here's how to get the most out of it.
![a black and white flyby close-up of Mercury's cratered surface](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S5je5WiyVF2J29C43jh4U4-320-80.jpg)
See Mercury's frigid north pole in extraordinary new images from the BepiColombo spacecraft
By Stephanie Pappas published
A joint Japanese-European mission to Mercury just made its sixth flyby of the planet, revealing stunning close-ups of the permanently shadowed craters at Mercury's north pole.
![Frozen sand dunes sit locked in place in Mars' northern hemisphere, stuck until the spring thaw melts their icy shells](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6fy6CzX8vqo8KdRJYXs8GG-320-80.jpg)
Giant 'kidney beans' spotted in Mars satellite images could point to signs of water and life
By Damien Pine published
A NASA satellite has spotted frozen "kidney beans" on Mars' sand dunes trapped in place until springtime. Photographing them can help us determine if there was ever enough water on Mars to sustain life.
![A photo of a spiral galaxy](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oXAxcp8ddMPDfreD5HgBNa-320-80.jpg)
Space photo of the week: The tilted spiral galaxy that took Hubble 23 years to capture
By Jamie Carter published
In this special Hubble image 23 years in the making, the sparkling spiral galaxy UGC 10043 reveals the secrets of its unusually big bulge.
![An illustration of an asteroid in space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KcHcQQYSD2rnE3NGusNKGN-320-80.jpg)
Enormous, mountain-size asteroid will be visible from Earth this weekend in rare 'once in a decade' event
By Brandon Specktor published
The enormous near-Earth asteroid (887) Alinda has made its closest approach to our planet in decades, and it's about to peak in brightness in a rare once-in-a-decade event. Here's how to watch it live this weekend.
![A close up image of the sun's surface with added magnetic field lines](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7jayXJqMFEKziWvnBA8eMF-320-80.jpg)
X-class solar flares hit a new record in 2024 and could spike further this year — but the sun isn't entirely to blame, experts say
By Harry Baker published
There were significantly more X-class solar flares in 2024 than any other year for at least three decades. The arrival of solar maximum was a key reason for the spike, but other factors were also at play.
![A photo of Mars shining brightly in the night sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2Lcs3GLiKv3CFTQWLNTprL-320-80.jpg)
Mars at opposition: See the Red Planet at its best and brightest this week — or wait until 2027
By Jamie Carter last updated
As Mars approaches opposition this week, it will become a dazzling spectacle in the night sky. See it at its best now, or wait until 2027.
![A winter scene with a single tree covered in snow and a full moon](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uHR8toqKWRDw9arUU5bTPi-320-80.jpg)
The full Wolf Moon rises tonight (Jan. 13). Here's how to watch it block Mars from the sky.
By Jamie Carter published
The Wolf Moon — the first full moon of the year and of winter in the Northern Hemisphere — rises tonight, but will be best seen on Jan. 14, shortly after it has occulted Mars.
![Photomontage of tubes containing Martian samples that NASA plans to bring back to Earth.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kPe7qEXHhPQde34yaLW5gV-320-80.jpg)
Mars rock samples may contain evidence of alien life, but can NASA get them back to Earth?
By Patrick Pester published
NASA will explore two different strategies for fetching Mars rocks collected by the Perseverance rover, and there's a chance these samples contain evidence of alien life.
![An artistic image of the outline of the human body in front of a cosmic image](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GPjJMBc6e6YJZtwz3kPrSG-320-80.jpg)
Most of the atoms in your body left the Milky Way on a 'cosmic conveyor belt' long before you were born, new study reveals
By Harry Baker published
New research suggests that most of the atoms within the human body likely spent part of their lives drifting beyond the Milky Way on a cosmic "conveyor belt," before eventually returning to our galaxy.
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