Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Observatory marks 230 years of recording weather
The building holds the longest sequence of continuous weather data anywhere in the UK and Ireland.
Meet Skydweller: A solar-powered drone that can fly for 90 days straight — it's wider and 160 times lighter than a Boeing 747
Skydweller is a solar-powered drone that can fly for up to three months without landing, with researchers hoping to one day achieve much longer flight times.
Behold, 'The Beast': Gigantic animal-like plasma plume 13 times wider than Earth hovers over the sun
Astrophotographers have snapped stunning shots of a giant shapeshifting solar prominence, dubbed "The Beast," which appeared over the sun's northeastern limb on July 12 and rained impossibly fast fire over...
Largest known Martian meteorite on Earth sells for $5.3 million at auction
The largest known Martian meteorite, NWA 16788, has been sold at auction for $5.3 million. The hefty chunk of the Red Planet, which weighs 54 pounds, could help unravel new...
'Ice cube' clouds discovered at the galaxy's center shouldn't exist — and they hint at a recent black hole explosion
Twin orbs of superhot plasma at the Milky Way's center known as the "Fermi bubbles" contain inexplicable clouds of cold hydrogen, new research reveals. They could help scientists figure out...
Best spotting scopes in 2025 for birdwatching and wildlife observation
In time for Prime Day, we've rounded up the best spotting scopes, which offer greater magnification than binoculars.
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS transforms into a giant 'cosmic rainbow' in trippy new telescope image
New photos, including a striking technicolor timelapse, show off the newly discovered interstellar object 3I/ATLAS as it shoots toward us through the solar system.
Giant meteor impact may have triggered massive Grand Canyon landslide 56,000 years ago
Researchers have found a link between two geological events in iconic locations of the U.S. Southwest that scientists previously didn't think had anything to do with each other.
Astronomers discover monster exoplanet hiding in 'stellar fog' around young star
A monster exoplanet as big as 10 times the size of Jupiter has emerged from the stellar gas and dust surrounding a young star, thanks to the telescope tag team...
Earth's magnetic field is weakening — magnetic crystals from lost civilizations could hold the key to understanding why
Artifacts from the Iron Age have revealed an intense historical magnetic anomaly in the Middle East. Could using a similar approach elsewhere help us unravel the mysteries of Earth's magnetic...
In a cosmic first, astronomers spot a new planet system being born around an alien star
Astronomers spotted a baby star displaying the very first signs of planet formation in the zone surrounding it, similar to how our own solar system was born.
James Webb telescope reveals 'Sleeping Beauty' galaxies in the early universe — snoozing where they weren't supposed to exist
Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered dormant galaxies with a wide range of masses in the first billion years after the Big Bang, moving one...
Vision problems emerge as astronauts spend months in orbit
When astronauts began spending six months and more aboard the International Space Station, they started to notice changes in their vision. For example, many found that, as their mission progressed,...
Scientists have detected the largest black hole merger yet. What it is and why it matters
It was a bump in the night. A big one. Astronomers revealed on Monday that two massive black holes collided producing another one that is 225 times the mass of...
Want a big piece of Mars? It could be yours — for $4M US
For sale: a 25-kilogram rock. Estimated auction price: $2 million to $4 million US. Why so expensive? It's the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth.
Astronomers capture 1st close-up photograph of new interstellar visitor
Using the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, astronomers have captured the first detailed image of our third known cosmic interloper.
Spacewalking cosmonauts release 3-D-printed satellite
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Spacewalking cosmonauts set free the world's first satellite made almost entirely with a 3-D printer on Thursday....
Chasing eclipses across the globe is a way of life for some
WASHINGTON (AP) -- While Monday's total solar eclipse in the U.S. will be a once-in-a-lifetime sky show for millions, there's a small group...
Earth views from Cupola during Ignis mission
Video: 00:00:40 View of Earth as seen by ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski inside the seven-windowed cupola, the International Space Station's "window to the world".The European Space Agency-built Cupola is the favourite place...
Vigil: ESA’s space weather reporter in deep space
Video: 00:01:51 Space weather ‘reporter’ Vigil will be the world’s first space weather mission to be permanently positioned at Lagrange point 5, a unique vantage point that allows us to see solar activity...
Earth from Space: Circles in the desert
Image: This image from Copernicus Sentinel-1 shows circular agricultural structures near Tabarjal, in the barren desert of northern Saudi Arabia.
New Apollo Earthrise view shows Juice’s RIME working well
When the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) flew past our Moon in August 2024, its Radar for Icy Moon Exploration (RIME) instrument listened to radio wave echoes...
Federal Chancellor of Austria welcomed to ESA Headquarters
Image: On Friday 18 July, His Excellency Christian Stocker, Federal Chancellor of Austria, visited ESA Headquarters in Paris receiving a tour of the site from Director General Josef Aschbacher.It was the Chancellor’s first...
Under Pluto's Sunny Skies, You'd Have to Wear Shades
Despite being some six billion kilometers away, the sun from Pluto would be a dazzling sight to behold—carefully, that is
Sculptures about to Land on the Moon Join a Long History of Lunar Art
A lunar lander nicknamed Odie carries 125 small moon sculptures by artist Jeff Koons that could become the first authorized artwork on the moon
JWST Solves Decades-Old Mystery of Nearby Supernova
Scientists have finally found the compact object at the heart of the famous supernova of 1987, and it’s not a black hole
First Commercial Moon Landing Returns U.S. to Lunar Surface
Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission is the first U.S. soft landing on the moon since Apollo 17. It’s also a sign of private industry’s growing role in space
JWST Is Tracking Down the Cosmic Origins of Earth's Water
New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope are exposing the pathways that water takes to reach terrestrial planets