Pleiades row: the fault in our star measurements
Either our understanding of how stars form needs a big overhaul, or one of the current missions of the European…
BySpace
Discover our collection of articles, providing fascinating insights into space exploration and the wonders of the universe.
The curious case of space plankton
It’s increasingly becoming clear that space is a more hospitable environment than was assumed.
By
Japan readies space probe for mission to chase asteroid and shoot it with a cannon
Following on from the mixed success of the ambitious Hayabusa-1 mission, Japanese space scientists are almost ready to try again…
By
Hunting the rocky rubber duck: how comet-chasing Rosetta could change history
This ball of rock and ice formed at the same time as our solar system and should, if predictions are…
By
This is (maybe) how we’d have colonised the Moon if the Soviet Union had got there first
This fascinating documentary from 1965 shows what Soviet scientists hoped would be possible with colonisation of the Moon.
By
Rosetta becomes the first spacecraft to ever go into orbit around a comet
After a ten year chase, Rosetta became the first ever spacecraft to intercept and go into orbit around a comet…
By
Neil Armstrong’s life: Searching for rocket man
Erica Wagner on a new biography of the space pioneer.
By
The Emirates paves way for a Middle East space programme with its mission to Mars
The United Arab Emirates now has its own space agency, and plans to launch a mission to Mars by 2021.
By
Look at this amazing picture of Jupiter’s moon Europa
This colourised picture of Europa is just beautiful.
By
An island appeared in a lake on a moon around Saturn, then disappeared
A mysterious island has materialised in a methane lake on Saturn’s largest moon – only to vanish just weeks later.
By
Never forget Colin Pillinger – and all he did for the UK space industry
Hopefully, we'll soon be launching a mission to Mars from the UK.
By
In search of the notorious Big G: why we still know so little about gravity
Gravity is pathetic and so is our understanding of it.
By
Explorers … or nosy parkers
The planetary scientist Collin Pillinger has died aged 70 following a brain haemorrhage. In a piece for the NS in…
By
Largest ever space camera is ready to map a billion stars
The European Space Agency's Gaia telescope is so powerful, it see stars with power akin to measuring the width of…
ByFurther evidence has emerged that Mars still has some liquid water
Scientists analysing images of Mars have found even more signs that, in rare circumstances, Mars may have water flowing across…
ByThis is what it looks like to fly past the Earth in a spaceship
Nasa's Juno probe flew past us in October, capturing footage of the Earth and Moon moving through space.
ByPrivate space companies are eyeing the Moon’s resources for mining
The race to develop lunar landers that can prospect for valuable minerals, mine them, and send them back to Earth,…
ByWhy Comet Ison is not an epic fail
Who’d be a comet in this era of rolling news coverage and internet commentary?
ByMeteorite impacts leave behind time-capsules of ecosystems
Glass beads that form inside hot meteors as they fall to Earth capture particles from the atmosphere, creating a kind…
ByWatch: this is what Mars looked like 3.7 billion years ago
While it seems to be a dead planet today, in the past the Red Planet would have felt very much…
By