New Scientist - Space / /build/images/ns-logo-scaled.ed2dc11a.png daily 1 /article/2523230-how-to-spot-the-lyrid-meteor-shower-tonight/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:24:32 +0100 The Lyrid meteor shower will soon hit its peak. Here's how to spot it, including by using the New Scientist stargazing companion 2523230-how-to-spot-the-lyrid-meteor-shower-tonight|2523230 /article/2522686-what-to-read-this-week-emma-chapmans-mind-expanding-radio-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:00:40 +0100 An imaginative and compelling book reveals how radio waves help us tune in to our universe – and even search for alien civilisations, says Karmela Padavic-Callaghan 2522686-what-to-read-this-week-emma-chapmans-mind-expanding-radio-universe|2522686 /article/2520008-largest-ever-map-of-universe-captures-47-million-galaxies-and-quasars/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:00:45 +0100 The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has finished the most detailed survey of the universe to date, and the resulting map will help researchers understand an apparent weakening of dark energy 2520008-largest-ever-map-of-universe-captures-47-million-galaxies-and-quasars|2520008 /article/2522785-weve-caught-a-comet-switching-its-spin-direction-for-the-first-time/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:00:37 +0100 A small comet has been spotted slowing down and then speeding up again – but in the opposite direction, which we have never seen before 2522785-weve-caught-a-comet-switching-its-spin-direction-for-the-first-time|2522785 /article/2522636-nasas-artemis-ii-mission-was-a-historic-success/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Sat, 11 Apr 2026 02:20:21 +0100 The astronauts of the Artemis II mission around the moon have made it home safely to Earth, marking the end of a triumphant mission and the beginning of a longer road to stay on the moon 2522636-nasas-artemis-ii-mission-was-a-historic-success|2522636 /article/2522280-the-most-stunning-pictures-from-artemis-iis-flyby-of-the-moon/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 07 Apr 2026 18:26:58 +0100 The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission have captured extraordinary views of the moon, including close-ups of the far side and a breathtaking solar eclipse 2522280-the-most-stunning-pictures-from-artemis-iis-flyby-of-the-moon|2522280 /article/2522113-the-artemis-ii-astronauts-have-flown-around-the-moon/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:24:59 +0100 Four NASA astronauts have now travelled further from Earth than any humans before them, as they flew around the moon during the Artemis II mission on 6 April 2522113-the-artemis-ii-astronauts-have-flown-around-the-moon|2522113 /article/2522015-we-may-have-seen-a-dirty-fireball-star-explosion-for-the-first-time/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:00:47 +0100 An incredibly powerful flash of X-rays spotted by the Einstein Probe telescope appears to be a kind of explosion first theorised more than 30 years ago 2522015-we-may-have-seen-a-dirty-fireball-star-explosion-for-the-first-time|2522015 /article/2521924-we-may-have-just-glimpsed-the-universes-first-stars/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:25:22 +0100 A galaxy spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope, known as Hebe, that existed just 400 million years after the big bang appears to contain extremely pure and young stars 2521924-we-may-have-just-glimpsed-the-universes-first-stars|2521924 /article/2521666-historic-artemis-ii-launch-sends-astronauts-bound-for-the-moon/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:00:26 +0100 Four astronauts have begun a 10-day journey around the moon and back again, the first crewed flight to the moon since 1972 2521666-historic-artemis-ii-launch-sends-astronauts-bound-for-the-moon|2521666 /article/2521539-astronauts-are-ready-to-return-to-the-moon-on-artemis-ii-mission/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:57:34 +0100 NASA’s Artemis II mission will be the first time humans have been around the moon in half a century, and its next launch window opens on 1 April 2521539-astronauts-are-ready-to-return-to-the-moon-on-artemis-ii-mission|2521539 /article/2521185-why-the-lack-of-water-on-mars-is-so-mysterious/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:00:04 +0100 An accounting of all the water that should have been and gone on Mars’s surface has come up with a discrepancy that shows just how little we understand the Red Planet’s hydrological history 2521185-why-the-lack-of-water-on-mars-is-so-mysterious|2521185 /article/2521138-i-almost-drowned-in-space-when-my-helmet-filled-with-water/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:00:21 +0000 During his second-ever spacewalk, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano felt water creeping across his face – and knew he could be moments from drowning inside his helmet 2521138-i-almost-drowned-in-space-when-my-helmet-filled-with-water|2521138 /article/2520960-we-could-protect-earth-from-dangerous-asteroids-using-a-huge-magnet/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 27 Mar 2026 11:00:55 +0000 A new spacecraft concept called NOVA could keep asteroids from hitting our planet by using a huge magnet to gradually pull them apart while shifting their trajectories 2520960-we-could-protect-earth-from-dangerous-asteroids-using-a-huge-magnet|2520960 /article/2521097-why-kim-stanley-robinsons-red-mars-is-still-a-classic-34-years-on/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 27 Mar 2026 09:15:38 +0000 As the New Scientist Book Club reads Kim Stanley Robinson’s science-fiction novel in April, George Bass digs into why this 1992 book still feels so relevant today 2521097-why-kim-stanley-robinsons-red-mars-is-still-a-classic-34-years-on|2521097 /article/2520296-read-an-extract-from-kim-stanley-robinsons-sci-fi-classic-red-mars/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 27 Mar 2026 09:15:20 +0000 This is the opening of Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, the New Scientist Book Club read for April, as humans come to the planet to settle it 2520296-read-an-extract-from-kim-stanley-robinsons-sci-fi-classic-red-mars|2520296 /article/2520503-earth-may-have-formed-from-two-separate-rings-around-the-sun/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 24 Mar 2026 18:00:35 +0000 Our solar system’s rocky planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars – may have formed from two rings around the young sun, rather than a single disc 2520503-earth-may-have-formed-from-two-separate-rings-around-the-sun|2520503 /article/2520265-mysterious-comet-disintegration-caught-by-telescope-after-lucky-break/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:04:25 +0000 Catching a comet in the process of falling apart is difficult, but a coincidence let astronomers see one in more detail than ever before using the Hubble Space Telescope – and revealed a mystery 2520265-mysterious-comet-disintegration-caught-by-telescope-after-lucky-break|2520265 /article/2520088-weve-spotted-a-huge-asteroid-spinning-impossibly-fast/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:00:40 +0000 Astronomers have found a 710-metre-wide asteroid that spins once every 1.9 minutes, so fast that it should have spun itself apart 2520088-weve-spotted-a-huge-asteroid-spinning-impossibly-fast|2520088 /article/2520020-private-company-to-land-on-asteroid-apophis-as-it-flies-close-to-earth/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:52:28 +0000 Apophis will be visited by multiple spacecraft – including landers – when it skims past Earth in three years 2520020-private-company-to-land-on-asteroid-apophis-as-it-flies-close-to-earth|2520020 /article/mg26935870-200-captivating-space-images-show-how-it-has-inspired-us-through-the-ages/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000 An upcoming book from presenter and author Dallas Campbell collects both iconic and lesser-known images of space, from illustration to photography mg26935870-200-captivating-space-images-show-how-it-has-inspired-us-through-the-ages|2519300 /article/2519933-fluorescent-ruby-like-gems-have-been-found-on-mars-for-the-first-time/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:00:06 +0000 The Perseverance rover has found tiny crystals that seem to be rubies or sapphires inside pebbles on Mars, where they have never been seen before 2519933-fluorescent-ruby-like-gems-have-been-found-on-mars-for-the-first-time|2519933 /article/2518966-maggie-aderins-dream-to-walk-by-the-footprints-of-neil-armstrong/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:00:44 +0000 Space scientist Maggie Aderin talks telescopes, neurodiversity and being underestimated with Rowan Hooper on the New Scientist podcast, as her memoir Starchild comes out 2518966-maggie-aderins-dream-to-walk-by-the-footprints-of-neil-armstrong|2518966 /article/2519428-3i-atlas-interstellar-comet-has-water-unlike-any-in-our-solar-system/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 17 Mar 2026 07:00:42 +0000 The levels of a heavy form of hydrogen in 3I/ATLAS are 30 to 40 times higher than in Earth's oceans, suggesting the comet has a cold and distant origin 2519428-3i-atlas-interstellar-comet-has-water-unlike-any-in-our-solar-system|2519428 /article/2519423-the-asteroid-ryugu-has-all-of-the-main-ingredients-for-life/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:00:10 +0000 All five of the canonical nucleobases – the underpinnings of DNA, RNA and life on Earth – have been found in samples from the asteroid Ryugu 2519423-the-asteroid-ryugu-has-all-of-the-main-ingredients-for-life|2519423 /article/2519272-what-does-it-mean-if-the-universe-has-extra-dimensions/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:00:04 +0000 Dimensions beyond the four we’re familiar with could solve a host of problems in physics and cosmology. Columnist Leah Crane explores what a higher-dimensional universe might be like – and how we could find out if we live in one 2519272-what-does-it-mean-if-the-universe-has-extra-dimensions|2519272 /article/2517730-why-a-peruvian-mountain-is-becoming-an-impossible-particle-detector/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:00:16 +0000 Deep canyons in the Andes are the perfect location to catch the most energetic particles in the universe. Carlos Argüelles-Delgado reveals how these intergalactic envoys could help prove the quantum nature of gravity 2517730-why-a-peruvian-mountain-is-becoming-an-impossible-particle-detector|2517730 /article/2518683-mystery-whippet-space-explosion-is-the-brightest-of-its-kind/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:00:27 +0000 A rapidly brightening burst of light called AT 2024wpp, or "the Whippet", is baffling astronomers. One explanation is that it is the result of an exotic star falling into a black hole 2518683-mystery-whippet-space-explosion-is-the-brightest-of-its-kind|2518683 /article/2517610-what-is-a-galaxy-thats-a-surprisingly-difficult-question-to-answer/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:00:50 +0000 Figuring out what really counts as a galaxy could give us insights into dark matter and potentially shake up astrophysics, cosmology and particle physics, says columnist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 2517610-what-is-a-galaxy-thats-a-surprisingly-difficult-question-to-answer|2517610 /article/2518324-seti-may-have-missed-alien-signals-because-of-space-weather/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:26:50 +0000 SETI has spent decades listening for a sharp, well-defined radio signal that could indicate it was sent by distant intelligent life. Now researchers believe that space weather could distort and blur such signals – meaning SETI has been scanning for the wrong thing 2518324-seti-may-have-missed-alien-signals-because-of-space-weather|2518324 /article/mg26935851-300-why-cosmology-seems-to-be-caught-in-a-vibe-shift/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000 Whether you call it a vibe shift or a paradigm shift, physicists must be ready to challenge their fundamental understanding of the universe without fear or nostalgia mg26935851-300-why-cosmology-seems-to-be-caught-in-a-vibe-shift|2517806 /article/2517964-why-yuri-gagarin-wasnt-the-first-in-space-and-who-beat-him-to-it/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 06 Mar 2026 09:00:03 +0000 Everyone knows Yuri Gagarin as the first person to go to space. But was he? Literary historian Vladimir Brljak tells the tale of the intrepid balloonists who first flew beyond the blue terrestrial sky, challenging the definition of where our world begins to end 2517964-why-yuri-gagarin-wasnt-the-first-in-space-and-who-beat-him-to-it|2517964 /article/2515689-a-bizarre-type-of-black-hole-could-solve-three-cosmic-mysteries-in-one/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:00:27 +0000 Black holes that turn matter into energy could explain dark energy and answer two other cosmic questions. Now, the challenge is to find them 2515689-a-bizarre-type-of-black-hole-could-solve-three-cosmic-mysteries-in-one|2515689 /article/2515631-a-crisis-in-cosmology-may-mean-hidden-dimensions-really-exist/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:00:49 +0000 Physicists are scrambling to understand why dark energy is weakening. In a surprising twist, we must now reconsider the possibility that our reality contains extra dimensions 2515631-a-crisis-in-cosmology-may-mean-hidden-dimensions-really-exist|2515631 /article/mg26935851-200-adrian-tchaikovskys-new-children-of-time-novel-is-brilliant/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000 The latest novel in this entirely original science-fiction series features a human-size mantis shrimp as an "uplifted" species. It's ambitious and fantastic, says sci-fi columnist Emily H. Wilson mg26935851-200-adrian-tchaikovskys-new-children-of-time-novel-is-brilliant|2517523 /article/2515195-the-bombshell-results-that-demand-a-new-theory-of-the-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:00:29 +0000 Last year, our most detailed map of the universe yet suggested our understanding of dark energy has been wrong for decades. The shock result is reigniting the search for a better cosmic story 2515195-the-bombshell-results-that-demand-a-new-theory-of-the-universe|2515195 /article/2518205-nasa-changed-an-asteroids-orbit-around-the-sun-for-the-first-time/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 06 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000 NASA’s DART mission slammed into the small asteroid Dimorphos in 2022, and the impact slowed its orbit around the larger Didymos – and also the pair’s path around the sun 2518205-nasa-changed-an-asteroids-orbit-around-the-sun-for-the-first-time|2518205 /article/2518409-chemistry-clues-could-detect-aliens-unlike-any-life-on-earth/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 06 Mar 2026 18:00:42 +0000 Looking for molecular evidence of life on other worlds is tricky, but a test based on the reactivity of carbon compounds could be a useful indicator 2518409-chemistry-clues-could-detect-aliens-unlike-any-life-on-earth|2518409 /video/2518038-new-simulations-reveal-what-happened-at-the-beginning-of-the-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 04 Mar 2026 19:00:15 +0000 Numerical relativity uses supercomputers to simulate conditions occuring at the start of the universe, answering some of the biggest questions, like, how did the universe begin? 2518038-new-simulations-reveal-what-happened-at-the-beginning-of-the-universe|2518038 /article/2516974-crisis-in-cosmology-if-weve-got-dark-energy-wrong-what-could-it-be/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:00:25 +0000 This is a New Scientist special package about shock results that have upended cosmology. What do they mean for our models of the universe, and what are the alternative explanations? 2516974-crisis-in-cosmology-if-weve-got-dark-energy-wrong-what-could-it-be|2516974 /article/2517451-nasas-artemis-moon-exploration-programme-is-getting-a-major-makeover/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 27 Feb 2026 16:24:28 +0000 As it faces yet another set of delays, NASA’s Artemis programme is being shaken up, delaying an actual moon landing in favour of smaller, faster steps forward 2517451-nasas-artemis-moon-exploration-programme-is-getting-a-major-makeover|2517451 /article/2517120-how-worried-should-you-be-about-an-asteroid-smashing-into-earth/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 27 Feb 2026 10:38:31 +0000 The dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid, but does that mean we risk suffering the same fate - and should you be worried about the possibility? Leah Crane sets the matter straight 2517120-how-worried-should-you-be-about-an-asteroid-smashing-into-earth|2517120 /article/mg26935840-200-amazing-sneak-peek-of-nasas-spacesuit-tests-as-moon-mission-nears/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000 NASA crew members practise emergency rescue drills in a 40-foot-deep pool simulating the lunar surface, as part of tests on a new generation of spacesuit, the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit mg26935840-200-amazing-sneak-peek-of-nasas-spacesuit-tests-as-moon-mission-nears|2516487 /article/2516799-how-to-see-six-planets-in-the-sky-at-once-in-rare-celestial-alignment/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:00:53 +0000 Nearly all of the solar system’s planets are about to file across the night sky in a planetary alignment, and it will be visible from anywhere on Earth 2516799-how-to-see-six-planets-in-the-sky-at-once-in-rare-celestial-alignment|2516799 /article/mg26935840-300-what-to-read-this-week-ripples-on-the-cosmic-ocean-by-dagomar-degroot/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000 From ice ages to asteroid strikes, an epic book shows how important it has been for humans to look outwards. Alex Wilkins surveys a climate historian's cosmic sweep mg26935840-300-what-to-read-this-week-ripples-on-the-cosmic-ocean-by-dagomar-degroot|2516488 /article/2516975-spacexs-1-million-satellites-could-avoid-environmental-checks/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:00:32 +0000 The environmental impact of SpaceX's planned gargantuan mega-constellation is still being grappled with, but the FCC isn’t required to study it 2516975-spacexs-1-million-satellites-could-avoid-environmental-checks|2516975 /article/2516424-saturns-rings-may-have-formed-after-a-huge-collision-with-titan/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 24 Feb 2026 08:00:24 +0000 Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, may have been even more instrumental to the system’s evolution than we thought, forming its rings, shaping its moons and even affecting the planet itself 2516424-saturns-rings-may-have-formed-after-a-huge-collision-with-titan|2516424 /article/2514293-weve-glimpsed-before-the-big-bang-and-its-not-what-we-expected/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 16 Feb 2026 16:00:10 +0000 The big bang wasn’t the start of everything, but it has been impossible to see what came before. Now a new kind of cosmology is lifting the veil on the beginning of time 2514293-weve-glimpsed-before-the-big-bang-and-its-not-what-we-expected|2514293 /article/2516378-weve-spotted-the-strongest-microwave-laser-in-the-known-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:00:41 +0000 Colliding galaxies can create a beam of focused microwave radiation known as a maser, and astronomers have discovered the brightest one ever seen 2516378-weve-spotted-the-strongest-microwave-laser-in-the-known-universe|2516378 /article/2516306-search-for-radio-signals-finds-no-hint-of-alien-civilisation-on-k2-18b/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:00:38 +0000 Planet K2-18b, an apparent water world 124 light years away, has been seen as a promising location in the search for aliens, but telescopes on Earth failed to pick up any radio transmissions 2516306-search-for-radio-signals-finds-no-hint-of-alien-civilisation-on-k2-18b|2516306 /article/mg26935830-100-artists-gaze-into-space-in-stunning-new-exhibition/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000 A new show at the Royal West of England Academy brings together a series of works that interweave art and science mg26935830-100-artists-gaze-into-space-in-stunning-new-exhibition|2515553 /article/2516077-is-our-galaxys-black-hole-actually-made-of-dark-matter/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 19 Feb 2026 12:00:36 +0000 An exotic type of dark matter could explain some of the characteristics of our galaxy’s central supermassive black hole, but many cosmologists are leery of the idea 2516077-is-our-galaxys-black-hole-actually-made-of-dark-matter|2516077 /article/mg26935832-100-spruce-trees-stumped-sigh-when-it-comes-to-predicting-eclipses/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000 Feedback enjoys the debunking of a study that suggested a 2022 solar eclipse had been "anticipated" by a bunch of trees mg26935832-100-spruce-trees-stumped-sigh-when-it-comes-to-predicting-eclipses|2515815 /article/2515874-scientists-want-to-put-a-super-laser-on-the-moon/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 17 Feb 2026 18:00:05 +0000 An ultrastable laser could enable extremely precise timing and navigation on the moon, and the cold, dark craters near the lunar poles would be the ideal location for it 2515874-scientists-want-to-put-a-super-laser-on-the-moon|2515874 /article/2515390-can-we-ever-know-the-shape-of-the-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:00:42 +0000 The shape of the cosmos depends on a balance of two competing forces: the pull of gravity and the expansion driven by dark energy. Columnist Leah Crane explores what observations tell us about how much universe is out there and whether it’s shaped like a sheet, a saddle or something else entirely 2515390-can-we-ever-know-the-shape-of-the-universe|2515390 /article/2515430-weird-inside-out-planet-system-may-have-formed-one-world-at-a-time/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:00:07 +0000 The planets around a nearby star seem to be in the wrong order, hinting that they formed through a different mechanism than the familiar one by which most systems grow 2515430-weird-inside-out-planet-system-may-have-formed-one-world-at-a-time|2515430 /article/2514908-gravitational-wave-signal-proves-einstein-was-right-about-relativity/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 09 Feb 2026 18:00:12 +0000 Ripples in space-time from a pair of merging black holes have been recorded in unprecedented detail, enabling physicists to test predictions of general relativity 2514908-gravitational-wave-signal-proves-einstein-was-right-about-relativity|2514908 /article/2514419-synchronised-volcanic-eruptions-on-io-hint-at-a-spongy-interior/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 06 Feb 2026 14:00:46 +0000 Five volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io erupted simultaneously, spewing a mind-boggling amount of lava onto the surface and giving us clues to what may lie underneath 2514419-synchronised-volcanic-eruptions-on-io-hint-at-a-spongy-interior|2514419 /article/mg26935811-100-a-new-brief-history-of-the-universe-paints-a-wide-picture/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 04 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000 Nearly 40 years after Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time, Sarah Alam Malik's epic exploration of the cosmos reflects a changed landscape around science in the 21st century, finds Alison Flood mg26935811-100-a-new-brief-history-of-the-universe-paints-a-wide-picture|2513935 /article/mg26935810-100-why-elon-musk-has-misunderstood-the-point-of-star-trek/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 04 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000 As Elon Musk and Pete Hegseth talk about wanting to make Star Trek real, long-time fan Chanda Prescod-Weinstein says they've misconstrued the heart of the story mg26935810-100-why-elon-musk-has-misunderstood-the-point-of-star-trek|2513800 /article/2514106-why-did-spacex-just-apply-to-launch-1-million-satellites/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:06:48 +0000 SpaceX says it wants to deploy an astronomical number of data centres in orbit to supply power for artificial intelligence, but the proposal might not be entirely serious 2514106-why-did-spacex-just-apply-to-launch-1-million-satellites|2514106 /article/2513924-a-huge-cloud-of-dark-matter-may-be-lurking-near-our-solar-system/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:32:29 +0000 For the first time, researchers have found what seems to be a cloud of dark matter about 60 million times the mass of the sun in our galactic neighbourhood 2513924-a-huge-cloud-of-dark-matter-may-be-lurking-near-our-solar-system|2513924 /article/2513184-the-best-map-of-dark-matter-has-revealed-never-before-seen-structures/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:00:51 +0000 JWST has created a map of dark matter that is twice as good as anything we have had before, and it may help unravel some of the deepest mysteries of the universe 2513184-the-best-map-of-dark-matter-has-revealed-never-before-seen-structures|2513184 /article/2512470-spacexs-starlink-dodged-300000-satellite-collisions-in-2025/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 23 Jan 2026 10:00:33 +0000 The company’s mega-constellation is having to perform a huge number of manoeuvres to prevent a collision in Earth orbit 2512470-spacexs-starlink-dodged-300000-satellite-collisions-in-2025|2512470 /article/2512635-marss-gravity-may-help-control-earths-cycle-of-ice-ages/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 26 Jan 2026 08:00:32 +0000 Despite its small size, Mars seems to have a huge impact on the orbital cycles that govern Earth’s climate, especially those that cause ice ages 2512635-marss-gravity-may-help-control-earths-cycle-of-ice-ages|2512635 /article/mg26935791-600-how-to-spot-the-lunar-x-and-v/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000 Time it right each month, and you can spot two fleeting tricks of light on the lunar surface. Abigail Beall is planning ahead mg26935791-600-how-to-spot-the-lunar-x-and-v|2512263 /article/mg26935790-600-peter-f-hamiltons-latest-is-an-epic-slice-of-sci-fi-with-one-flaw/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000 Peter F. Hamilton’s new book A Hole in the Sky is set on a troubled ark ship hundreds of years into its voyage, with fantastic plot twists and turns. I'm a big Hamilton fan, but one aspect of the novel proved alienating for me, says Emily H. Wilson mg26935790-600-peter-f-hamiltons-latest-is-an-epic-slice-of-sci-fi-with-one-flaw|2511935 /article/2508561-our-solar-system-is-extremely-weird-best-ideas-of-the-century/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:00:08 +0000 Realising that our solar system isn’t like most others out there has helped astronomers rewrite the story of how it formed 2508561-our-solar-system-is-extremely-weird-best-ideas-of-the-century|2508561 /article/2508569-filming-the-universes-biggest-dramas-best-ideas-of-the-century/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:00:52 +0000 Astronomers used to rely on chance to catch a glimpse of fleeting explosions in space. A fresh approach to watching these flashes has completely transformed astronomy 2508569-filming-the-universes-biggest-dramas-best-ideas-of-the-century|2508569 /article/mg26935790-500-new-scientist-recommends-avatar-fire-and-ash-especially-the-whale/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000 The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week mg26935790-500-new-scientist-recommends-avatar-fire-and-ash-especially-the-whale|2511934 /article/2512328-satellites-could-use-magnetic-fields-to-avoid-collisions/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:00:05 +0000 Two or more satellites could communicate and manoeuvre around one another using magnetic fields, although getting the technique to work at scale in space might be tricky 2512328-satellites-could-use-magnetic-fields-to-avoid-collisions|2512328 /article/2512150-mars-once-had-a-vast-sea-the-size-of-the-arctic-ocean/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 20 Jan 2026 12:00:37 +0000 Spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet have helped researchers map out an ancient coastline that surrounded a large ocean billions of years ago 2512150-mars-once-had-a-vast-sea-the-size-of-the-arctic-ocean|2512150 /article/2512066-star-appears-to-have-vanished-in-a-failed-supernova/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 19 Jan 2026 14:00:54 +0000 It is theoretically possible for a particularly massive star to collapse in on itself to form a black hole rather than exploding in a supernova, and we might now have seen the process in action 2512066-star-appears-to-have-vanished-in-a-failed-supernova|2512066 /article/2512097-the-most-important-second-in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 19 Jan 2026 13:00:09 +0000 In the 13.8 billion years that our universe has been around, some moments stand out over others – for the most exciting and impactful one, we have to go back to the very beginning, says cosmology columnist Leah Crane 2512097-the-most-important-second-in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe|2512097 /article/2511777-earliest-ever-supernova-sheds-light-on-the-first-stars/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 16 Jan 2026 12:00:58 +0000 The James Webb Space Telescope has picked up the light from a massive star that exploded about a billion years after the birth of the universe 2511777-earliest-ever-supernova-sheds-light-on-the-first-stars|2511777 /article/2511576-distant-little-red-dot-galaxies-may-contain-baby-black-holes/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 15 Jan 2026 18:00:19 +0000 Since launching in 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope has found hundreds of distant and apparently bright galaxies dubbed "little red dots", and now it seems they may each carry a baby black hole 2511576-distant-little-red-dot-galaxies-may-contain-baby-black-holes|2511576 /article/2511484-china-has-applied-to-launch-200000-satellites-but-what-are-they-for/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:00:58 +0000 A Chinese application to the International Telecommunications Union suggests plans for the largest satellite mega constellation ever built – but something else might be going on here 2511484-china-has-applied-to-launch-200000-satellites-but-what-are-they-for|2511484 /video/2511639-supermassives-to-fuzzballs-every-black-hole-type-explained/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 14 Jan 2026 22:38:17 +0000 Black holes don’t just bend space and time. They also expose where our understanding of reality begins to break.  In this video, we explore supermassives, wormholes, gravastars and much more 2511639-supermassives-to-fuzzballs-every-black-hole-type-explained|2511639 /article/2510937-nasa-is-performing-an-unprecedented-medical-evacuation-from-the-iss/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 09 Jan 2026 18:00:43 +0000 One of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station is undergoing a “medical situation”, forcing NASA to bring the crew home early for the first time ever 2510937-nasa-is-performing-an-unprecedented-medical-evacuation-from-the-iss|2510937 /article/2510842-knitted-satellite-launching-to-monitor-earths-surface-with-radar/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 09 Jan 2026 13:00:27 +0000 A standard industrial knitting machine has been modified to produce fabrics from tungsten wire coated in gold, which are used to form the dish on the CarbSAR satellite 2510842-knitted-satellite-launching-to-monitor-earths-surface-with-radar|2510842 /article/mg26935770-100-im-calling-it-2026-is-going-to-be-the-year-of-the-galaxy/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 07 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000 We are going to be getting a lot of exciting new information about galaxies in 2026, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, who can't wait to see what it can tell us mg26935770-100-im-calling-it-2026-is-going-to-be-the-year-of-the-galaxy|2510018 /article/2510539-super-low-density-worlds-reveal-how-common-planetary-systems-form/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:00:33 +0000 Most planetary systems contain worlds larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, and the low-density planets around one young star should help us understand how such systems form 2510539-super-low-density-worlds-reveal-how-common-planetary-systems-form|2510539 /article/2509769-the-first-quantum-fluctuations-set-into-motion-a-huge-cosmic-mystery/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 06 Jan 2026 18:00:44 +0000 The earliest acoustic vibrations in the cosmos weren’t exactly sound – they travelled at half the speed of light and there was nobody around to hear them anyway. But Jim Baggott says from the first moments, the universe was singing 2509769-the-first-quantum-fluctuations-set-into-motion-a-huge-cosmic-mystery|2509769 /article/2509494-the-first-commercial-space-stations-will-start-orbiting-earth-in-2026/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:00:42 +0000 For nearly three decades, the International Space Station has been the only destination in low Earth orbit, but that will change this year. Could it be the start of a thriving economy in space? 2509494-the-first-commercial-space-stations-will-start-orbiting-earth-in-2026|2509494 /article/2508106-bepicolombo-mission-will-start-to-unpick-mercurys-secrets-in-2026/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 30 Dec 2025 18:00:29 +0000 The BepiColombo mission has been on its way to Mercury since 2018 and will finally start orbiting the planet and taking X-ray images in the second half of 2026 2508106-bepicolombo-mission-will-start-to-unpick-mercurys-secrets-in-2026|2508106 /article/2509277-rare-exoplanet-alignment-set-for-2026-but-we-are-likely-to-miss-it/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:00:38 +0000 An exosyzygy – an alignment of three celestial objects around another star – is predicted to happen later this year, but it seems likely that we won't see it happen 2509277-rare-exoplanet-alignment-set-for-2026-but-we-are-likely-to-miss-it|2509277 /article/2509976-weird-clump-in-the-early-universe-is-piping-hot-and-we-dont-know-why/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 05 Jan 2026 16:00:51 +0000 A galaxy cluster in the early universe is 10 times hotter than it ought to be, which may reshape how we think these enormous structures formed 2509976-weird-clump-in-the-early-universe-is-piping-hot-and-we-dont-know-why|2509976 /article/mg26935760-100-why-im-going-to-reap-the-mental-health-benefits-of-stargazing-in-2026/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 30 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Navigating the night sky can have a positive effect on our well-being. This will be the year I learn the constellations, resolves Michael Brooks mg26935760-100-why-im-going-to-reap-the-mental-health-benefits-of-stargazing-in-2026|2509339 /article/2509631-gargantuan-black-hole-may-be-a-remnant-from-the-dawn-of-the-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 02 Jan 2026 12:00:18 +0000 Astronomers were puzzled by a black hole around 50 million times the mass of the sun with no stars, spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope – now simulations suggest it could be a primordial black hole, something we have never seen before 2509631-gargantuan-black-hole-may-be-a-remnant-from-the-dawn-of-the-universe|2509631 /article/2509858-rare-saturn-sized-rogue-planet-is-first-to-have-its-mass-measured/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 01 Jan 2026 19:00:40 +0000 Researchers have confirmed the mass of a free-floating planet thanks to a lucky convergence of ground- and space-based telescopes 2509858-rare-saturn-sized-rogue-planet-is-first-to-have-its-mass-measured|2509858 /article/2505029-2026-mars-mission-will-set-out-to-solve-the-mystery-of-its-moons/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 30 Dec 2025 18:00:10 +0000 The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will be launching the Martian Moons eXploration mission next year, which should finally tell us how Mars acquired the moons Phobos and Deimos 2505029-2026-mars-mission-will-set-out-to-solve-the-mystery-of-its-moons|2505029 /article/2509529-three-supermassive-black-holes-have-been-spotted-merging-into-one/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 31 Dec 2025 12:00:27 +0000 Astronomers have found a system of three supermassive black holes, all actively feeding, that appear to be combining into a single system – a rare event that will help elucidate the physics of complex mergers 2509529-three-supermassive-black-holes-have-been-spotted-merging-into-one|2509529 /article/2509810-star-that-seemed-to-vanish-more-than-130-years-ago-is-found-again/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 30 Dec 2025 19:00:44 +0000 In 1892, astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard thought he saw a bright star near Venus, but then it vanished. We may now know why 2509810-star-that-seemed-to-vanish-more-than-130-years-ago-is-found-again|2509810 /article/2507988-the-century-long-hunt-for-the-gigantic-meteorite-that-vanished/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 30 Dec 2025 16:00:07 +0000 A soldier returned from the Sahara desert in 1916 with a wild story about a meteorite that dwarfed all others. Over 100 years of hunting yielded nothing – but now twin brothers think they have solved the puzzle 2507988-the-century-long-hunt-for-the-gigantic-meteorite-that-vanished|2507988 /article/2507009-the-essential-guide-to-proving-weve-found-alien-life/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 22 Dec 2025 16:00:37 +0000 From mudstones on Mars to strange gases in exoplanet atmospheres, tentative evidence for extraterrestrial life is starting to come thick and fast. But when we've found it, how will we know for sure? 2507009-the-essential-guide-to-proving-weve-found-alien-life|2507009 /article/2502714-was-2025-the-year-we-found-signs-of-past-life-on-mars/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 26 Dec 2025 11:00:39 +0000 Tantalising signs of past microbial life showed up on Mars this year, but to truly know whether they contain the answer to the biggest question in the universe, we will need to bring samples back to Earth 2502714-was-2025-the-year-we-found-signs-of-past-life-on-mars|2502714 /article/2500310-more-than-100-moons-were-discovered-in-our-own-solar-system-in-2025/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 24 Dec 2025 11:00:17 +0000 Astronomers discovered a new moon of Uranus and hundreds of moons around Saturn over the past year, and there may be many more yet to be found 2500310-more-than-100-moons-were-discovered-in-our-own-solar-system-in-2025|2500310 /article/2506398-the-best-space-pictures-of-2025-from-supernovae-to-moon-landings/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 23 Dec 2025 14:00:37 +0000 The year’s most memorable moments from astronomy and space exploration include a double-detonating supernova, a private moon landing and a stunning lunar eclipse 2506398-the-best-space-pictures-of-2025-from-supernovae-to-moon-landings|2506398 /article/2509155-europas-thick-ice-may-hinder-the-search-for-life-in-its-oceans/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 23 Dec 2025 08:00:33 +0000 The liquid ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa appears to be completely sealed off from the planet’s surface, which may reduce the chances of finding life there 2509155-europas-thick-ice-may-hinder-the-search-for-life-in-its-oceans|2509155 /article/2503481-hopes-of-finding-aliens-were-raised-in-2025-but-quickly-faded/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 22 Dec 2025 11:00:48 +0000 Astronomers thought they had seen the "first hints of life on an alien world" this year, but they disappeared under closer scrutiny 2503481-hopes-of-finding-aliens-were-raised-in-2025-but-quickly-faded|2503481