Science
Black holes, dark matter, gravitational waves and exoplanets: find out how astronomy is unlocking the secrets of the Universe.
Eye On The Sky | Active galaxy jets resemble Star Wars TIE Fighter
This isn't a TIE Fighter, but an active galaxy 500 million lightyears away propelling out jets at nearly the speed of light.
Astronomy explained | What is a planetary nebula?
What is a planetary nebula, and what do we know about their beautiful structures?
5 ways we can prove Earth is round, not flat
Astronomers have known that Earth is a globe for thousands of years, and there are tested methods to prove this is the case.
The closest known black hole to Earth is a stone's throw away, just 1,600 lightyears distant
Dormant black hole Gaia BH1 lies only 1,600 lightyears away, making it the closest known black hole to Earth.
"Mercury and Venus will be consumed, likely Earth will be as well." This is what will happen when the Sun dies
Studying the remains of a planet orbiting a dying star could reveal clues as to what will happen at the end of the Sun’s life.
Interview | Astrophysicist Dr Katie Mack
Have you ever contemplated the end of the Universe? Astrophysicist Katie Mack has. A lot. We spoke to her to find out more about the end of everything.
Whether flying, driving or even walking, how long does it take to travel to Mars?
How long would it take to drive or walk to Mars, and how long does it take actual space missions?
Roche limit explained
Webb detects farthest black hole collision ever seen, looking back to a period shortly after the Big Bang
Webb Telescope's image of galaxy system ZS7 reveals the farthest black hole collision ever seen, just 780 million years after the Big Bang.
Juno images of Jupiter's icy moon Europa suggest a subsurface ocean, wandering icy shell and rupturing plumes
New images of icy moon Europa reveal some intriguing features.
Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime caused by cosmic collisions, and provide a new way of observing the Universe
What are gravitational waves, and what can they tell us about the Universe?
Biggest 3D map of the Universe is taking shape, and is already firming up the known expansion rate of the cosmos
Mysterious 'butterfly' in space is largest planet-forming disk ever seen, around a star four times as massive as the Sun
IRAS 23077 is likely the largest planet-forming disk ever seen, and is located about 1,000 lightyears from Earth.
How small can a star be? The smallest known star ever discovered is only slightly bigger than Saturn
The smallest star ever discovered has been found by astronomers in a search that could help us find extraterrestrial life.
What causes peaks in activity on the Sun? Scientists are still trying to fully understand the 11-year Solar Cycle
The Solar Cycle peaks and troughs roughly every 11 years, and is an indicator of a rise and fall in activity as observe on the surface of the Sun.
Powerful bursts from the surface of the Sun, are coronal mass ejections really dangerous?
Outbursts from the Sun destroying telecommunications systems may sound Hollywood, but history says otherwise.
A week of rapid solar flares. NASA spacecraft captured bursts on the Sun in the run-up to the aurora display (video)
Beautiful x-ray image shows vent channelling material away from the supermassive black hole at the centre of our Galaxy
Staggeringly beautiful image reveals the chaos at the centre of our Galaxy.
On Friday night the sky danced, and we'll be talking about it for years to come. The great aurora of 10 May 2024
Bands, rays and arcs of green and purple. This is what causes the different shapes and colours of the aurora
The shifting face of Earth’s cosmic light show is miraculous to see. Melanie Windridge explains the science behind the aurora.
Astronomers compared old Hubble data with new and found new supernovae and black holes in the early Universe
Comparing old Hubble data to today is revealing distant active galaxies.
Webb discovers evidence of an atmosphere around a rocky super-Earth planet orbiting a Sun-like star
Understanding the Universe: what we know and the many secrets we've yet to discover
In this article from the archives, Patrick Moore contemplates how far we've come in our understanding of the Universe, and how far we've yet to go.
Observing the invisible. How astronomers use the electromagnetic spectrum to explore the Universe
We can learn so much more about space and the Universe by observing objects in wavelengths other than optical light.