The day marks a celebration of the ‘Pale Blue Dot’ – and the spacecraft keeping a watchful eye on climate change and human impacts
News
News
Space Exploration
BepiColombo is officially on its way to Mercury
The space probe that will investigate the Solar System’s innermost planet has finally departed the orbit of Earth
Solar System
Another clue has been found about Mars’ methane mystery
Methane on Mars could be the calling card for microbial life on the Red Planet
Solar System
Hubble has been watching Neptune’s enormous storm come back into the fold
Comparing the storms on the gas giants Jupiter and Neptune act can tell us interesting details about their formation and evolution
Solar System
Rosetta’s comet was moulded from the stress of its rotation
The comet’s unusual distinct dual-lobe shape has been a mystery since its initial discovery, and holds clues as to its formation
Astronomy
Heroes of Space: Eugene Parker
His work in the field of solar physics changed our understanding of the Sun
Deep Space
Gaia updates astronomers on nearby galactic collision
The latest Gaia data reveals how the Milky Way, Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies will collide in the future
Deep Space
Distant galaxies could hold the true answer to cosmic expansion
A team of astronomers found there might be more to the early expansion of the Universe by studying quasars
Solar System
Rosetta detected the birth of a baby bow shock
Rosetta flew through the bow shock before it had fully formed, offering a unique perspective on comets in the Solar System
Deep Space
A ghostly galaxy has been found just next door
The Gaia satellite has spotted an enormous ‘ghost’ galaxy lurking on the outskirts of the Milky Way
Deep Space
Can black holes make exotic materials?
Could black holes be a factory for unusual material at their hearts?
Space Exploration
Can astronauts land on a comet?
Sophie Allan at the National Space Centre looks at whether astronauts can land on the surface of comets – our Solar System’s travelling space snowballs
Astronomy
The event that changed the Milky Way
ESA’s Gaia found evidence in the night sky that points to the fact our galaxy did not form alone
News
Construction on new exoplanet hunter PLATO begins
The mission will not only seek new planets but will also investigate the properties of their host stars, and determine the planetary masses, sizes and ages with unprecedented accuracy
Space Exploration
Reflecting on the Rosetta mission
On the second anniversary of Rosetta’s conclusion, astronomers look back on what was learnt and what’s still to come
Solar System
How have Venus and Earth managed to keep their atmospheres?
Find out why only two of the inner planets have a shield from harmful space radiation
Deep Space
Distant exoplanet “weighed” by space observatories
Prolonged data collect by ESA’s Gaia and Hipparcos satellites revealed the mass of exoplanet Beta Pictoris b
Deep Space
Do we live in a multiverse?
Could the cosmos be part of many more universes?
Space Exploration
BepiColombo Update: The launch date has been selected for the Mercury mission
Europe’s first mission to Mercury will target the early morning of 19 October 2018 for launch, Arianespace and ESA have recently announced
Solar System
Liquid water ‘lake’ found on Mars
Radar data points to a pond buried under layers of ice and dust in the south polar region of the Red Planet