Astronomer’s paradise or a light pollution hell? We reposition our Solar System to find out
Deep Space
Deep Space
Space Exploration
Parker Solar Probe Update: Spacecraft remains intact after close encounter
The Parker Solar Probe recently made the closest approach to the Sun by any other spacecraft before it
Deep Space
Can black holes make exotic materials?
Could black holes be a factory for unusual material at their hearts?
FutureTech
What is a Dyson Sphere?
Meet the future technology that could harness power and energy from a star in the most unusual way
Solar System
New equation can more accurately predict space weather
The Kappa equation accounts for the space plasma particle distributions and characterises their thermodynamic behaviour
Solar System
What would happen if a black hole entered our Solar System?
Hint: it doesn’t end well for Earth…
Deep Space
Astronomers witness aftermath of white and brown dwarf collision
The short-lived blaze of glory was witnessed on Earth in 1670 as a nova, which is now known as CK Vulpeculae
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
Solar System
Did Herschel see Uranus’ rings?
It’s a mystery that has baffled astronomers for many years
Astronomy
Why are lunar eclipses red?
Why does the Moon sport a reddish tint during a lunar eclipse?
Solar System
What path do comets follow through the Solar System?
We find out the type of route a comet takes through the solar neighbourhood
Solar System
Astronomers simulated the coronal appearance during the Great American Eclipse
Correctly matching models to reality can help astronomers foresee any disturbances in space weather that could potentially damage technology and harm astronauts
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
Solar System
Astronomers watch the Sun through a microwave lens
Observing the Sun’s microwave emission has revealed new information about the star’s solar flares
Astronomy
Heroes of Space: Nicolaus Copernicus
The Polish astronomer who revolutionised our understanding of the Earth’s place in the Solar System.
Space Exploration
NASA Parker Solar Probe blasts off for mission to ‘touch the Sun’
Hours before the rise of the very star it will study, the car-sized spacecraft launched from Florida to begin its journey
FutureTech
Parker Solar Probe: NASA’s Sun-skimming spacecraft
Things are heating up at NASA as Solar Probe Plus prepares to take a plunge into the Sun
Solar System
Blue meteoric crystals reveal the Sun’s volatile beginning
Microscopic ice-blue crystals called hibonite showed that the early Sun was extremely active, peppering the Solar System with energetic particles
Deep Space
How loud would stars be if space was full of air?
If we could hear in space, how far from a star would we need to be to hear it?
Astronomy
What is absolute and apparent magnitude?
How do we measure the brightness of objects in the night sky?