Astronomy and space Archives

Astronomy and space

Home » Astronomy and space

Latest developments

Long-distance quantum sensor network advances the search for dark matter

A net made from faintly glowing filaments and bright nodes appears poised to scoop up a dark-purple region of space

Quantum memories could help make long-baseline optical astronomy a reality

Single-photon interferometry achieved over 1.5 km

Ancient reversal of Earth’s magnetic field took an extraordinarily long time

Field-flipping event 40 million years ago in the Eocene epoch lasted 70,000 years

Latest news

India announces three new telescopes in the Himalayan desert

Artist's impression of the NLST observatory

‘Relief’ as industrial megaproject in Chile that threatened world’s darkest skies is cancelled

ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert

European Space Agency unveils first images from Earth-observation ‘sounder’ satellite

Physics World Jobs

Whether you’re still working out your career pathway or have a specific role in mind, we’re here to help. Bringing a diverse range of opportunities for jobseekers at all career stages, we’ll help you take the next step in your career and find your perfect job.

Research headlines

2D materials help spacecraft electronics resist radiation damage

Composite image showing a spacecraft launch, a diagram of circuits, and an excerpt from the sheet music of the "Anthem of Fudan University"

Black hole is born with an infrared whimper

Illustration of a newly formed black hole

Earthquake-sensing network detects space debris as it falls to Earth

Graphic showing the path of space debris re-entering the atmosphere. The re-entry path is shown in bright yellow with contours fading to dark purple, and is superimposed on a brown-green-and-black contour plot of the terrain beneath it. A curved horizon in the background indicates that the image is shown from the perspective of someone looking down on the planet from space

Samples from the far side of the Moon shed light on lunar asymmetry

Unusual isotopic ratio in samples brought back by Chang'e-6 reveals clues about the early history of Earth's satellite

Unusual astronomical event might be a ‘superkilonova’

Merger of two neutron stars in the aftermath of a supernova may have been observed for the first time, though questions remain

Interactions between dark matter and neutrinos could resolve a cosmic discrepancy

Finding challenges the standard model of cosmology

New cosmic map will put dark-matter theories to the test

COSMOS-Web uses JWST’s enhanced imaging capabilities

Uranus and Neptune may be more rocky than icy, say astrophysicists

Novel modelling approach suggests that the traditionally ice-rich image of these planets may be skewed

Hot ancient galaxy cluster challenges current cosmological models

Observations of the thermal energy in a baby galaxy cluster 12.4 billion light-years away suggest much more energetic early cluster growth than current theories assume

Explore more in astronomy and space

Asteroid deflection: why we need to get it right the first time

Aerospace engineer Rahil Makadia on the danger of asteroid “keyholes”

Photo of Rahil Makadia at an alpine lake

Cosmic time capsules: the search for pristine comets

Ancient icy wanderers like comet 3I/ATLAS, spotted in July 2025, can reveal secrets of our cosmic origins

Small white dot with a blue halo. Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS observed by the Hubble telescope

Astronomer Daniel Jaffe named president of the Giant Magellan Telescope project

Jaffe will be aiming to secure the funding necessary to complete the $2.5bn telescope

Gravitational lensing sheds new light on Hubble constant controversy

Astronomers calculate new value for the universe's expansion

A montage of eight time-delay gravitational lens systems. There is an entire galaxy at the centre of each image, and bright points in rings around them.

Mission to Mars: from biological barriers to ethical impediments

Emma Chapman reviews Becoming Martian: How Living in Space Will Change Our Bodies and Minds by Scott Solomon

Two adults and a child wearing spacesuits on a red planet with biodomes in the background

Solar storms could be forecast by monitoring cosmic rays

Forbush decrease effect is tracked between the Sun and Earth

CERN team solves decades-old mystery of light nuclei formation

ALICE collaboration identifies three-phase process that allows particles to form despite energetically unfavourable conditions

Image showing a neutron and a delta particle emerging from a white flash. The neutron and the delta particle both contain three quarks, represented by colourful spheres. Arrows indicate that the neutron and the delta subsequently undergo a reaction that produces a deuteron (a neutron-proton pair) and a pion.

Quantum information theory sheds light on quantum gravity

Our podcast guest is Alex May of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Motion through quantum space–time is traced by ‘q-desics’

Subtle quantum effects could be observed in how particles traverse cosmological distances

Artist's impression of how quantum deviations could affect the motion of a particle through the cosmos

Components of RNA among life’s building blocks found in NASA asteroid sample

Samples from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu found to contain molecules and compounds vital to the origin of life

Bio-essential sugars found in asteroid Bennu samples

Astronomers observe a coronal mass ejection from a distant star

Burst from M-dwarf star could be powerful enough to strip the atmosphere of any planets that orbit it, with implications for the search for extraterrestrial life

An artist’s impression of a large red star releasing a bright, explosive burst of light. Swirling red and orange patterns surround the star, suggesting intense activity. In the background, a smaller blue planet appears with a faint, wispy trail extending away from it, indicating its atmosphere being blown off. The scene is set against a dark space backdrop dotted with stars.

Galactic gamma rays could point to dark matter

Spectrum from the Milky Way’s halo matches WIMP annihilation

Light pollution from satellite mega-constellations threaten space-based observations

Study finds 96% of images from planned telescopes could be compromised

Bring gravity back down to Earth: from giraffes and tree snakes to ‘squishy’ space–time

Emma Chapman reviews Crush: Close Encounters with Gravity by James Riordon

child sat cross legged on grass with a book on their lap and windfall apples by their feet

Quantum gravity: we explore spin foams and other potential solutions to this enduring challenge

Bianca Dittrich of the Perimeter Institute is our podcast guest

Photograph of Bianca Dittrich at the Perimeter Institute

Did cannibal stars and boson stars populate the early universe?

Objects formed by exotic particles could have created primordial black holes

Accelerator experiment sheds light on missing blazar radiation

Measurement discounts loss from plasma instabilities

The Fireball experiment installed in the HiRadMat irradiation area at CERN

Plasma bursts from young stars could shed light on the early life of the Sun

New multi-temperature coronal mass ejection observations might help us better understand how life emerged and evolved on Earth

Related jobs

Related events

Education and outreach | Conference Pittcon 2026 7—11 March 2026 | San Antonio, US
Particle and nuclear | Workshop 26th Hellenic School and Workshops on Elementary Particle Physics and Gravity 19 April — 21 September 2026 | Corfu, Greece
Astronomy and space | Meeting UK Space Weather and Space Environment Meeting IV 14—17 September 2026 | Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

Reset your password

Registration complete