Astronomy news

Uk astronaut Tim Peake gives the thumbs up onboard the International Space Station. Credit: ESA/NASA

Tim Peake retires from ESA astronaut corp

Light pollution is hiding the dimmest stars from our night sky. Credit: Dneutral Han / Getty

‘Sky-rocketing’ light pollution is reducing the number of stars visible in the night sky

Three near-Earth asteroids including potentially hazardous 2022 AP7 were spotted hiding in the glare of the Sun. Credit: DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/Spaceengine

Largest potentially hazardous asteroid found hiding in the inner Solar System

Light trails left by BlueWalker 3 over the Nicholas U Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/IAU/SKAO/NSF/AURA/R. Sparks

Launch of bright satellites has astronomers calling for protection of our night sky

A view of Venus through a Canon SX610HS hand-held camera and (inset) through an 80mm refractor telescope captured by Roger Samworth from his upstairs window in Warwickshire, UK, 12 November 2018.

See Venus return to the evening sky this month

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites will be visible for long stretches of the night. Credit: SpaceX

What is the future of megaconstellations?

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner approaches the International Space Station, 20 May 2022. Credit: Bob Hines/NASA

These are the big space missions to watch out for in 2023

spaceport cornwall virgin orbit plane

First launch from UK soil ends in failure

Dozens of previously obscured galaxies in the ‘zone of avoidance’ have now come to light . Artist's illustration. Credit: ICRAR

Dust from the Milky Way has been hiding a cluster of galaxies – until now

Electric Wizardry by Shane Turgeon, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Category: Aurorae. Equipment: Canon 1DX camera, 14mm f/2.5, ISO 1000, 6-second exposure

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023 opens for entries

Virgin Orbit spaceport cornwall launch

Virgin Orbit to launch first orbital spaceflight from UK soil tonight

Image of a girl observing the Moon through her telescope.

2023 is set to be a spectacular year for observing the Moon

Artist's impression of Gaia BH1, the closest known black hole to Earth. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/Spaceengine/M. Zamani

Astronomers discover the closest known black hole to Earth

What would happen if Earth's magnetic field flipped? Credit: Elen11 / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Scientists discover how a reversal of Earth’s magnetic field could affect our climate

Stuart Atkinson braved the cold at 05:45 UTC on 7 December 2022 to capture this (cropped) image of Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF. Equipment: Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera, iOptron sky tracker, 80-300mm lens at 300.

Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF, January 2023