It was a prime year for gazers of the greater Cosmos. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) saw its first full year of operation in 2023, and the venerable Hubble Space Telescope is still trucking, 33 years strong. NASA’s sungrazing Parker Solar Probe peered at our home star while massive ground-based telescopes mapped distant galaxies. The European Space Agency finally got its dark universe-studying Euclid space telescope into deep space.

Given all that astronomical hardware, it would be more of a surprise if 2023 did not yield a bevy of stunning and sublime images of the Solar System and beyond. Here are our picks for the 12 best space images of the year.

If your favorite cozy game is like a cup of hot chocolate, then in 2023, the genre reached its whipped-cream peak. Google searches for the term have never been higher, and even The New York Times is recommending chill video games like Disney Dreamlight Valley and Alto’s Adventure to soothe your mind and help you unwind once you’re bored of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley.

The secret to cozy games, however, is that they’re not just relaxing, they’re actually good for your brain. Inversespoke to several experts to unpack the science of chill gaming and talked to the indie developers pushing the limits of where the genre can go next.