Astronomy and space
Latest developments
Cosmic microwave background pioneer George Smoot dies aged 80
Smoot and John Mather discovered tiny temperature fluctuations in the CMB
Ask me anything: Scott Bolton – ‘It’s exciting to be part of a team that’s seeing how nature works for the first time’
Planetary scientist Scott Bolton describes his working life at the helm of NASA’s Jupiter-exploring Juno mission
Latest news
Read article: NASA launches IMAP mission to provide real-time space weather forecasts
NASA launches IMAP mission to provide real-time space weather forecasts
IMAP will also map the boundary of the heliosphere, a huge protective bubble in space created by the Sun
Read article: Rainer Weiss: US gravitational-wave pioneer dies aged 92
Rainer Weiss: US gravitational-wave pioneer dies aged 92
Weiss was instrumental in the discovery of gravitational waves in 2015
Read article: NASA launches TRACERS mission to study Earth’s ‘magnetic shield’
NASA launches TRACERS mission to study Earth’s ‘magnetic shield’
NASA has successfully launched a mission to explore the interactions between the Sun’s and Earth’s magnetic fields. The Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRAC...
Read article: UK ‘well positioned’ to exploit space manufacturing opportunities, says report
UK ‘well positioned’ to exploit space manufacturing opportunities, says report
Report says companies see 'huge advantages' in making drugs, harvesting stem cells and growing crystals in space
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Research headlines
Extremely stripped star reveals heavy elements as it explodes
Observation sheds light on the life and death of stars
Starlink satellite emissions interfere with radio astronomy
Largest-ever survey shows new regulations on unintended transmissions are needed, say researchers at Australia’s Curtin University
Exoplanets suffering from a plague of dark matter could turn into black holes
Surveying exoplanets could provide a new way to hunt for superheavy dark-matter particles
Laser-driven implosion could produce megatesla magnetic fields
Simulations of improved technique generate fields as strong as those found near neutron stars
Space ice reveals its secrets
Simulations and experiments indicate that the low-density amorphous ice found on comets and icy moons is not, in fact, entirely amorphous
Too-close exoplanet triggers flares from host star
New observations are the first direct evidence of planets influencing their stars rather than just passively orbiting them
Explore more in astronomy and space
Read article: Imagining alien worlds: we explore the science and fiction of exoplanets
Imagining alien worlds: we explore the science and fiction of exoplanets
Keith Cooper chats about has new book in this podcast
Read article: Training for the stars: Rosemary Coogan on becoming an astronaut
Training for the stars: Rosemary Coogan on becoming an astronaut
Inside the training, science and imagination that inspire ESA’s new generation of astronauts
Read article: Andromeda image bags Royal Observatory Greenwich prize
Andromeda image bags Royal Observatory Greenwich prize
The image – The Andromeda Core – showcases the core of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) in exceptional detail
Read article: If you met an alien, what would you say to it?
If you met an alien, what would you say to it?
Hamish Johnston reviews Do Aliens Speak Physics? by Daniel Whiteson and Andy Warner
Read article: Celebrating 10 years of gravitational waves
Celebrating 10 years of gravitational waves
The Einstein Telescope could usher in a new age of gravitational-wave astronomy
Read article: Juno: the spacecraft that is revolutionizing our understanding of Jupiter
Juno: the spacecraft that is revolutionizing our understanding of Jupiter
PI Scott Bolton talks about the mission’s discoveries and endurance in this podcast
Read article: Big data helps Gaelic football club achieve promotion following 135-year wait
Big data helps Gaelic football club achieve promotion following 135-year wait
Astrophysics PhD student from County Armagh in Northern Ireland combined his passion for science with Gaelic football
Read article: Cosmic chemistry: Ewine van Dishoeck shares her zeal for astrochemistry
Cosmic chemistry: Ewine van Dishoeck shares her zeal for astrochemistry
Our podcast guest is a Kavli Prize in Astrophysics laureate
Read article: Big data, big wins: how solar astrophysics can be a ‘game-changer’ in sports analytics
Big data, big wins: how solar astrophysics can be a ‘game-changer’ in sports analytics
Joe McEntee explores the surprising links between solar physics and sports science
Read article: MOND versus dark matter: the clash for cosmology’s soul
MOND versus dark matter: the clash for cosmology’s soul
From Bohemian solutions and binary battles to new parameters and novel experiments, the dark matter vs MOND clash rages on
Read article: New experiment uses levitated magnets to search for dark matter
New experiment uses levitated magnets to search for dark matter
Although it hasn’t detected dark matter yet, its developers say it offers an alternative path that is worth exploring
Read article: Earth-shaking waves from Greenland mega-tsunamis imaged for the first time
Earth-shaking waves from Greenland mega-tsunamis imaged for the first time
New analysis of satellite altimetry data reveals that trapped waves called seiches were responsible for anomalous seismic signals in 2023
Read article: A cosmic void may help resolve the Hubble tension
A cosmic void may help resolve the Hubble tension
Baryon acoustic oscillations point to area of low density surrounding the Milky Way
Read article: Diversity in UK astronomy and geophysics declining, finds survey
Diversity in UK astronomy and geophysics declining, finds survey
Diversity in UK astronomy and geophysics has reduced in recent years, with the fields becoming more white
Read article: Spacecraft can navigate using light from just two stars
Spacecraft can navigate using light from just two stars
Observations from space and Earth reveal location and heading of New Horizons
Read article: Astronomers observe the biggest booms since the Big Bang
Astronomers observe the biggest booms since the Big Bang
"Extreme nuclear transients" from tidally disrupted heavy stars release more energy than 100 supernovae
Read article: Black holes could act as cosmic supercolliders
Black holes could act as cosmic supercolliders
Particles orbiting a black hole could collide at colossal energies, generating collision products that may offer valuable insights for particle physics
Read article: Space rock quest: meet the people hunting meteorites
Space rock quest: meet the people hunting meteorites
Iain Dale-Trotter reviews The Meteorite Hunters: On the Trail of Extraterrestrial Treasures and the Secrets Inside Them by Joshua Howgego
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