History of astronomy
Astronomers may finally have worked out what the Star of Bethlehem was, and why it behaved so strangely in the sky
There's an equation that calculates the chances of life existing beyond Earth. Here's what it says
In 1961 American scientist Frank Drake came up with a formula for predicting how many alien civilisations could be in our Galaxy.
A US historian looked at the history of UFO sightings. This is what he found.
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Ancient texts described a strange object in the sky. Astronomers have just worked out what it was
These are nine of the strangest and most incredible stories from the history of spaceflight
The history of space exploration is full of amazing stories. Here are some of the weirdest, funniest and most thought-provoking tales from space history so far.
The rocket that carried Americans into space. A history of the Saturn V rocket, and why it disappeared
The story and facts behind the Saturn V rocket that launched human beings to the Moon.
Interview | Voyager scientist Linda Morabito
Linda Morabito reveals how she made one of the Voyager mission's biggest discoveries: a volcano on Jupiter's moon Io.
Spaceflight history | Who were the Mercury 7?
A guide to NASA's Mercury Project and the Mercury 7 astronauts who became the first Americans to fly into space and orbit Earth.
From Galileo to Hubble, these are six of the greatest, most famous telescopes in history
Patrick Moore's pick of the telescopes that, in their time, reigned supreme and led to ‘quantum leaps’ in science.
Vintage Sagan, vintage Voyager. NASA video shows historic conference where Solar System photo is shown for the first time
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.
Remastered photos show the golden era of American crewed spaceflight in dazzling new light
Andy Saunders' latest book, Gemini and Mercury Remastered, restores archive NASA imagery with modern technology
The face on Mars, from conspiracy to debunking. How this Martian feature sparked decades of conjecture
Five fantastical visions of Mars that exist only in our imagination
The story of the Chelyabinsk meteorite
It's 10 years since the Chelyabinsk spacerock fell to Earth. What have we learned over the past decade?
How Uranus was discovered
Who discovered Uranus, when was it first observed and how did the planet get its name? Find out in our guide to the history of Uranus's discovery.
The Wow! signal: a message from an extra-terrestrial civilisation?
15 August 2022 marks the 45th anniversary of the Wow! signal. But are we any closer to discovering what it really was?
Who really invented the telescope? And no, it wasn't Galileo. This is the true story of astronomy's beginnings
Hale–Bopp gets all the glory, but not many remember another beautiful comet that graced our skies the year before
Another heatwave is coming this weekend. Are these the dog days of summer? And what does the phrase mean?
How the Moon may have played a role in the building of Stonehenge
New US quarter coin honours astronomer whose work radically transformed our understanding of the Universe
12 ancient stones, tombs and temples across the world that align with the Sun at the solstice
The history of the Soyuz rocket
Iain Todd explores the history of the Soyuz: one of space engineering’s greatest achievements.