Space

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Illustration of tractor beam in space
Sci-fi inspired tractor beams are real, and could solve a major space junk problem Researchers are developing a real-life tractor beam, with the goal of pulling defunct satellites out of geostationary orbit to alleviate the space junk problem.
Check out our best binoculars for stargazing. In this image, a man is standing behind his car using a pair of binoculars to look at the stars.
Best binoculars for stargazing 2023: Spot stars and galaxies View our top picks of for the best binoculars for stargazing and astronomy, and peer into the cosmos whilst staying grounded.
a space crew eating food around a table
'The forbidden space meal': What happens if you need to be a cannibal on Mars? "In the wrong circumstances, a spacecraft is a platform full of hungry people surrounded by temptation. Is it wrong to waste such a neatly packaged meal?"

Latest about Space

Illustration of a wooden square satellite as it orbits the earth.

NASA and Japan to launch world's 1st wooden satellite as soon as 2024. Why?

By Ben Turner published

The magnolia wood LignoSat is an attempt to make space junk biodegradable. NASA and Japan's space agency (JAXA) could launch it as soon as 2024.

Space Exploration
A single bright meteor from the Geminid meteor shower of December 2017, dropping toward the horizon in Ursa Major. Gemini itself and the radiant of the shower is at top centre. Leo is just rising at bottom centre. Procyon is at upper right.

The fiery Leonid meteor shower peaks this weekend. Here's how to watch.

By Jamie Carter published

Up to 15 "shooting stars" per hour may be visible in dark skies as the Leonid meteor shower peaks Friday and Saturday (Nov. 17 and 18).

Meteoroids
An image of the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, which scientists think is spinning as fast as it can.

Supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way is approaching the cosmic speed limit, dragging space-time along with it

By Robert Lea published

Supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* is spinning nearly as fast as it can, dragging the very fabric of space-time with it and shaping the heart of the Milky Way.

Black Holes
The planets and larger moons to scale with the Sun.

Why are things in space round?

By Donavyn Coffey published

Why are most planets and moons (mostly) spherical?

Space
A diagram showing the transformation from a normal dwarf galaxy to an ultra-compact dwarf galaxy.

Tiny galaxies that had their stars stolen could be a 'missing link' in cosmic evolution

By Robert Lea published

More than 100 observed galaxies are being disrupted and stripped of their outer layers, transforming them into fossil-dense, ultra-compact dwarf galaxies.

Astronomy
Any asteroid larger than 165 feet (50 m) across is capable of breaching Earth's atmosphere and striking the ground. The sun's glare could be blinding us to thousands of them.

'Planet killer' asteroids are hiding in the sun's glare. Can we stop them in time?

By Brandon Specktor published

In the glare of the sun, an unknown number of near-Earth asteroids move on unseen orbits. A new generation of space telescopes could be our best defense against potential disaster.

Asteroids
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare — as seen in the bright flash on the top right — on Oct. 2, 2022. The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares and which is colorized in orange.

The sun may be smaller than we thought

By Stephanie Pappas published

New calculations suggest the sun is a few fractions of a percent smaller than previously estimated, and that could change how we study it.

The Sun
Illustration of asteroids approaching Earth.

NASA's most wanted: The 5 most dangerous asteroids in the solar system

By Robert Lea published

What asteroids pose the greatest risk of hitting Earth, how probable is an impact, and how much destructive power would such collisions have?

Asteroids
We see an enormous, fiery asteroid falling through Earth's atmosphere and very nearly hitting our blue planet

Could scientists stop a 'planet killer' asteroid from hitting Earth?

By Brandon Specktor published

If a mile-wide asteroid is discovered hurtling toward Earth, our survival might depend on launching 1,000 spacecraft — or one well-placed nuke.

Asteroids
The Crab Nebula. An oval nebula with complex structure against a black background. On the nebula’s exterior, particularly at the top left and bottom left, lie curtains of glowing red and orange fluffy material. Its interior shell shows large-scale loops of mottled filaments of yellow-white and green, studded with clumps and knots.

Space photo of the week: James Webb telescope finds a secret at the Crab Nebula's heart

By Jamie Carter published

The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed the most detailed image so far of the Crab Nebula, a gorgeous supernova remnant of a star that exploded 1,000 years ago.

Space Exploration
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