History of astronomy

Women astronomers with Moon craters named after them.

5 women astronomers with Moon craters named after them

An Albanian postage stamp showing Laika the space dog. Credit: Blank Archives/Getty Images

Space History Animals in space

Linda Morabito’s computer displays the image in which Io’s volcanic plume was revealed. Image provided by Bill Peters and used with permission.

Volcanoes on Io: an interview with Voyager scientist Linda Morabito

BAME astronomers in front of a starry sky

Astronomy in the wake of Black Lives Matter

The Milky Way arches over Llyn y Dywarchen lake, Snowdonia National Park. Credit: Matt Gibson / Getty Images

How the Milky Way got its name: a guide to astronomical misnomers

Comet McNaught over South Australia. Credit: John White Photos / Getty Images

10 great comets of recent times

Story Musgrave during the first of five spacewalks to repair Hubble in 1993. Credit: NASA

‘How we fixed Hubble’: An interview with former astronaut Story Musgrave

Astronaut Story Musgrave prepares to be elevated to the top of Hubble to install protective covers on its pointing control system, during the mission to repair Hubble. Credit: NASA

What was wrong with Hubble’s mirror, and how was it fixed?

Diagram of the Hubble Space Telescope from 1981. Credit: Lockheed Missiles and Space Company (Lockheed Martin).

How did the Hubble Space Telescope come about?

Astronaut Steven L. Smith, payload commander, prepares to use a 35mm camera during the final space walk of the STS-103 mission. Credit: NASA/ESA

Why did astronauts service the Hubble Space Telescope?

Astronaut Mike Massimino at the commander's station on Space Shuttle Atlantis. Credit: NASA

‘How we serviced Hubble’: astronaut Mike Massimino on fixing the famous space telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope pictured following a successful service mission carried out via Space Shuttle Discovery Credit: NASA/ESA

Hubble at 30 Marking 3 decades of the famous telescope

Viking image of Mars

What did astronomers believe about Mars before the Space Age?

Launch of Apollo 4 atop the first Saturn 5 Moon rocket. Credit: NASA

The history of the Saturn V rocket

Comet Hale-Bopp, photographed by Alan Hale, Cloudcroft, New Mexico, 1996. Credit: Alan Hale (used with permission)

Comet Hale-Bopp: the story of a visitor from the edge of the Solar System