Astronomy and space
Latest articles
Winter wonder worlds: an exploration of other planets’ seasons
Astrophysicist and comic artist Eleanor Spring takes a tour through some of the seasonal extremities experienced on exoplanets
The ten-billion-dollar gamble: Why the JWST’s delays were a boon for exoplanet science
Exoplanets weren’t really a thing when the James Webb Space Telescope was on the drawing boards in the mid-1990s. Now they’re an integral part of its mission, explains Keith...
Latest news
Read article: NASA launches first dedicated X-ray mission to study the polarization of extreme cosmic objects
NASA launches first dedicated X-ray mission to study the polarization of extreme cosmic objects
The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer will investigate active galactic nuclei, quasars, pulsars and supernova remnants.
Read article: NASA launches first-of-a-kind DART mission to deflect asteroid
NASA launches first-of-a-kind DART mission to deflect asteroid
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test craft aims to demonstrate how ‘kinetic impact’ can change an asteroid’s path in space
Read article: Astro2020 Decadal Survey calls for ‘great observatory’ to succeed Hubble
Astro2020 Decadal Survey calls for ‘great observatory’ to succeed Hubble
Influential US Astro2020 panel recommends a space-based telescope operating from ultraviolet to near infra-red to be launched in the mid-2040s
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
Electromagnets could help clean up space junk
New technique uses induction to manipulate objects made from non-magnetic metals
Superionic ice phases could explain unusual magnetic fields around Uranus and Neptune
New work sheds fresh light on conductive types of ice that form at high temperatures and pressures
Exoplanet orbits tilted 90° by unseen object
Future observations could provide insights into how planetary systems form and evolve
Merging neutron stars create more gold than collisions involving black holes
Study suggests that kilonova events are more effective at r-process nucleosynthesis
Huge haul of fast radio bursts hints at astrophysical origins
FAST telescope detects over 1600 mysterious events in just two months
Elements may have been forged on Earth, as well as in space
New research describes fusion mechanisms that could take place inside the "Earth factory"
Explore more in astronomy and space
Read article: The ten-billion-dollar gamble: How the JWST will see deep into the universe’s past
The ten-billion-dollar gamble: How the JWST will see deep into the universe’s past
Imaging the earliest galaxies and observing the life cycle of others are high on the James Webb Space Telescope’s to-do list, as Keith Cooper explains
Read article: The ten-billion-dollar gamble: The JWST’s micro-scale windows on the universe
The ten-billion-dollar gamble: The JWST’s micro-scale windows on the universe
Keith Cooper explains how an array of tiny-but-tough microshutters will enable the James Webb Space Telescope to perform astronomical surveys
Read article: The ten-billion-dollar gamble: Keeping the JWST cool
The ten-billion-dollar gamble: Keeping the JWST cool
A cryogenic system that can operate unattended for years in deep space is a tall order – and a key ingredient in the James Webb Space Telescope’s mission, writes Keith Coope...
Read article: The ten-billion-dollar gamble: How the JWST shields itself from the Sun
The ten-billion-dollar gamble: How the JWST shields itself from the Sun
Unfurling the James Webb Space Telescope’s tennis-court-sized sunshield will be one of the mission’s most nail-biting moments, writes Keith Cooper
Read article: The ten-billion-dollar gamble: The JWST’s magnificent mirrors
The ten-billion-dollar gamble: The JWST’s magnificent mirrors
How do you fit a 6.5-metre mirror into a rocket fairing just 4.57 metres wide? Very carefully, explains Keith Cooper
Read article: The ten-billion-dollar gamble: What the JWST will do (and why it’s taken so long)
The ten-billion-dollar gamble: What the JWST will do (and why it’s taken so long)
With the long-awaited launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) just days away, Keith Cooper explores the mission’s troubled history and exciting future
Read article: Materials science conserves 500-year-old warship, new gravitational-wave discoveries by LIGO–Virgo
Materials science conserves 500-year-old warship, new gravitational-wave discoveries by LIGO–Virgo
In this podcast we chat with the chief executive of the Mary Rose Trust and LIGO–Virgo physicists at Cardiff University
Read article: How Vera Rubin broke barriers and convinced the astronomy community that dark matter exists
How Vera Rubin broke barriers and convinced the astronomy community that dark matter exists
Emma Chapman reviews Bright Galaxies, Dark Matter, and Beyond: the Life of Astronomer Vera Rubin by Ashley Jean Yeager
Read article: Compositions of exoplanets and their stars have a surprising relationship, study reveals
Compositions of exoplanets and their stars have a surprising relationship, study reveals
Study highlights the difference between super Earths and super Mercuries
Read article: Black-hole laser could have quantum computing applications
Black-hole laser could have quantum computing applications
Proposed device uses superconducting technology
Read article: Donna Strickland on her life-changing Nobel prize, previewing #BlackInPhysics week, nuclear fusion in stars
Donna Strickland on her life-changing Nobel prize, previewing #BlackInPhysics week, nuclear fusion in stars
In this episode we also chat about how to avoid professional burnout
Read article: Searching for signs of alien technologies
Searching for signs of alien technologies
Astronomers are looking for the technosignatures of advanced civilizations
Read article: Scanning the cosmos for signs of alien technology
Scanning the cosmos for signs of alien technology
The idea of scouring the skies for signs of technosignatures from advanced civilizations is gaining momentum, as David Appell discovers
Read article: Quantum imaging techniques could help find exoplanets
Quantum imaging techniques could help find exoplanets
Hypothesis testing methods improve direct imaging
Read article: NASA’s Lucy mission launches to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids
NASA’s Lucy mission launches to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids
The $1bn craft will carry out several fly-bys to study these so-called ‘fossils’ of the solar system
Read article: Inferno-like exoplanet has ionized calcium in its atmosphere
Inferno-like exoplanet has ionized calcium in its atmosphere
WASP-76b is much hotter or windier than previously thought
Read article: NASA hit by resignation over its handling of investigation into telescope renaming
NASA hit by resignation over its handling of investigation into telescope renaming
NASA branded 'pathetic' over its response to calls to rename the James Webb Space Telescope
Read article: ‘Superbubble’ region of star formation was created by supernovae, study suggests
‘Superbubble’ region of star formation was created by supernovae, study suggests
Study provides new insights into nearby molecular clouds
Related jobs
Related events
- Optics and photonics | Conference SPIE Photonics West 2022 22—27 January 2022 | San Francisco, US
- Quantum | Virtual event Openness as a resource: accessing new quantum states with dissipation 31 January — 4 February 2022
- Medical physics | Workshop Perfusion MRI: From Head to Toe 4—7 February 2022 | Los Angeles, US
Copyright © 2021 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors