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Magnetism likely played a key role in early solar system formation

Astronomers discover unusual 10-sided atmospheric wave on Saturn

Astronomers estimate the decagon-shaped wave may still be evolving

Image of a decagon atmospheric wave on Saturn

‘Lid’ of asteroid dust smothered and burned the dinosaurs, say scientists

Heat and fire may have caused the mass extinction of Cretaceous creatures

Latest news

NASA launches Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to shed light on the dark universe

Launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope

Astronomers express outrage after regulators approve ‘space mirror’ permit

Vera C Rubin Observatory kicks off 10-year quest to map the cosmos

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Research headlines

Radiation shielding vest could reduce cancer risk for astronauts on deep space missions

Testing the AstroRad vest inside the Orion spacecraft

Betelgeuse is not alone

VLT images of Betelgeuse and its companion, superimposed over a starry background and the outline of the constellation Orion

‘Little red dots’ could herald the birth of supermassive black holes

Fast radio bursts reveal that the universe’s ‘missing matter’ is found far from galaxies

Counterintuitive finding could help us better understand how highly energetic galactic activities impact the formation of cosmological structures

Has vacuum birefringence been seen at long last?

Polarized X-rays from magnetar could be first direct observation of quantum effect

Frame-dragging measurement around the Earth sets new precision record

Laser-ranging technique proves Einstein right again

Physicists extend Hawking’s black hole laws to dynamical objects

Thermodynamics can describe the mechanics of black holes that change over time

Transit-based exoplanet survey finds its first microlensing exoplanet

Additional planetary signals may be hidden in TESS data, say astronomers

Thermal imaging technique helps overcome a major problem for gravitational-wave astronomy

Correcting heat-induced distortions in interferometer mirrors will dramatically increase the sensitivity of gravitational-wave detectors

Explore more in astronomy and space

With e-MERLIN facing the axe, what next for Jodrell Bank and UK astronomy?

Exploring the fallout from STFC funding cuts that have left one of the UK’s most iconic scientific facilities facing an uncertain future

Aerial view of Jodrell Bank Observatory, surrounded by fields and hedges

The 12 August 2026 partial solar eclipse as seen from the Isle of Wight

Sean G Ryan snaps an astronomical spectacle that captured the public imagination

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Careers at the frontier of space technology

The European Space Agency recruits from all over Europe (and beyond) to further its mission of peacefully exploring and using space for the benefit of everyone

New image captures glowing shock waves in the Helix Nebula

Data were taken with the MOTHRA telescope, which is still under construction

Knowing through uncertainty: probability and the evolution of our cosmos

Chrysi Malouchou Kanellopoulou reviews The Random Universe: How Models and Probability Help us Make Sense of the Cosmos by Andrew H Jaffe

Astronomers capture highest-resolution image ever of the Sun’s surface

Picture reveals tiny plasma whirlpool-like patterns that have never been seen before

Physicists find unexpected connection between black hole mergers and thermodynamics

Properties of a merger remnant can be predicted using a simple entropy-maximization principle

Artist's impression of two black holes merging, sending out gravitational waves

Bringing physics down to Earth through rocket science

Keith Cooper reviews It’s (Just) Rocket Science: Exploring Physics Through Spaceflight Missions by Trisha Muro

GPS particle detectors track space radiation over two decades

Cross calibration combines data from 25 satellites

Discovery of giant ‘exosatellite’ challenges our notion of what makes a moon

In a novel three-tiered hierarchical system, the star CD-35 2722 is orbited by a brown dwarf that, in turn, is orbited by a newly discovered exosatellite candidate

Scientists discover sugar in interstellar space

The first detection of sugar in the interstellar medium could shed more light on how life began on Earth

Composite image showing erythrulose in an interstellar gas cloud

Super-loud gravitational waves offer a new way to study black hole event horizons

Region near the "surface of no return" was previously only accessible with theoretical models

Artist's impression of the region of space around a black hole's event horizon. A doughnut-shaped region of space warps and blurs the starry black background

First medical X-ray images taken in space achieve diagnostic quality

Diagnostic X-ray images recorded during an orbital spaceflight exhibited similar contrast and spatial resolution to those taken preflight on Earth

Hand radiographs recorded in space and on Earth

Metasurface grating gives solar telescopes a boost

New optical device could fly on future space missions that study solar magnetic fields and space weather

Photo of a person's gloved hand using tweezers to hold a transparent disk that contains a greyish circle 6 mm across, as shown by a 25 mm scale bar superimposed on the photo

Satellite-based sensor system designed to detect nuclear weapons in space

Proposed inspector satellite could one day provide a means for verifying the Outer Space Treaty

Powerful cosmic winds may have destroyed galaxies in the early universe

Astronomers discover a huge plume of gas streaming out of a galaxy during rapid star formation

Artist's impression of a galaxy with a huge plume of gas blowing out of it. The galaxy appears as a cluster of bright light against the blackness of space, and dark purple jets are coming out of either side of it

Does the Bullet Cluster contain a lot less dark matter than we thought?

New analysis of JWST observations suggests that the Bullet Cluster of galaxies might only have half as much dark matter as previously believed

**‘Amaze, amaze, amaze’: in Project Hail Mary, science and friendship save the day**

Andrew Glester and Tushna Commissariat delve into the science and story of Project Hail Mary

Spaceships from the movie Project Hail Mary

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Related events

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
Astronomy and space | Conference Eighth Spacetime Conference 14—17 September 2026 | Albena, Bulgaria

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