New Scientist - Space https://www.newscientist.com/ https://www.newscientist.com/build/images/ns-logo-scaled.ed2dc11a.png https://www.newscientist.com daily 1 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2480956-earliest-galaxy-ever-seen-offers-glimpse-of-the-nascent-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 20 May 2025 19:00:08 +0100 The galaxy MoM-z14 dates back to 280 million years after the big bang, and the prevalence of such early galaxies is puzzling astronomers 2480956-earliest-galaxy-ever-seen-offers-glimpse-of-the-nascent-universe|2480956 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2480740-astronomers-double-down-on-claim-of-strongest-evidence-for-alien-life/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 20 May 2025 11:44:42 +0100 Are there aliens living on the exoplanet K2-18b? Some astronomers believe they have evidence for molecules on the planet that must have a biological origin, but others disagree 2480740-astronomers-double-down-on-claim-of-strongest-evidence-for-alien-life|2480740 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2480602-strange-sticky-dark-matter-could-be-lurking-in-a-distant-galaxy/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 19 May 2025 12:00:18 +0100 Dark matter is thought to only interact through gravity, which is why it is so difficult to spot, but now evidence is growing for a type of dark matter that can also stick to itself 2480602-strange-sticky-dark-matter-could-be-lurking-in-a-distant-galaxy|2480602 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26635430-800-already-know-the-big-dipper-theres-more-to-this-group-of-stars/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 14 May 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Most of us can spot the group of stars known as the Plough or the Big Dipper. But there’s more to explore here, says Abigail Beall mg26635430-800-already-know-the-big-dipper-theres-more-to-this-group-of-stars|2479655 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2480410-risk-of-a-star-destroying-the-solar-system-is-higher-than-expected/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 16 May 2025 12:00:27 +0100 Stars that pass close to the solar system could pull planets out of alignment, sending them hurtling into the sun or out into space 2480410-risk-of-a-star-destroying-the-solar-system-is-higher-than-expected|2480410 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26635430-300-a-doe-eyed-look-at-space-exploration-is-inadequate-for-the-zeitgeist/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 14 May 2025 19:00:00 +0100 In highly politicised times, is living off-world something we should entertain, let alone do? Adriana Marais's futurist dream Out of This World and Into the Next feels tone deaf mg26635430-300-a-doe-eyed-look-at-space-exploration-is-inadequate-for-the-zeitgeist|2479640 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2480137-one-half-of-the-moon-is-hotter-than-the-other/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 14 May 2025 17:00:48 +0100 Anomalies in the moon’s gravitational field suggest our satellite’s insides are warmer on one side than the other – which means that its interior is asymmetric 2480137-one-half-of-the-moon-is-hotter-than-the-other|2480137 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2479677-alien-megastructures-would-likely-self-destruct-before-we-spot-them/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 12 May 2025 13:00:57 +0100 Dyson spheres, a type of huge megastructure designed to capture the energy output of a star, would be a sign of an alien civilisation – if we can find one before they disappear 2479677-alien-megastructures-would-likely-self-destruct-before-we-spot-them|2479677 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2479634-was-a-famous-supernova-an-alien-invader-from-another-galaxy/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 09 May 2025 18:00:07 +0100 Kepler's Supernova, seen in 1604, is one of the most famous exploding stars ever seen, and now astronomers think it may have been an interloper from another galaxy 2479634-was-a-famous-supernova-an-alien-invader-from-another-galaxy|2479634 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2479550-failed-soviet-probe-will-soon-crash-to-earth-and-we-dont-know-where/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 08 May 2025 22:20:41 +0100 Kosmos 482, a Soviet spacecraft that never made it beyond Earth’s orbit on its way to Venus, is due to come crashing down on 9 or 10 May 2479550-failed-soviet-probe-will-soon-crash-to-earth-and-we-dont-know-where|2479550 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2478344-dark-energy-bombshell-sparks-race-to-find-a-new-model-of-the-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 02 May 2025 13:00:46 +0100 ‘Shocking’ results from a major astronomical study have raised doubts about the standard model of cosmology, forcing scientists to consider new ways of understanding dark energy and gravity 2478344-dark-energy-bombshell-sparks-race-to-find-a-new-model-of-the-universe|2478344 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26635401-600-how-astonishing-observatories-could-do-big-physics-from-the-moon/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 23 Apr 2025 17:00:00 +0100 As humanity prepares to return to the moon, scientists also have ideas for huge lunar experiments that could revolutionise astrophysics mg26635401-600-how-astonishing-observatories-could-do-big-physics-from-the-moon|2477154 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2477928-signs-of-alien-life-on-exoplanet-k2-18b-may-just-be-statistical-noise/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 24 Apr 2025 17:49:21 +0100 Last week astronomers reported hints of biological activity on a distant planet, but a re-analysis of their data suggests the claimed molecules may not be there at all 2477928-signs-of-alien-life-on-exoplanet-k2-18b-may-just-be-statistical-noise|2477928 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2477594-powerful-blasts-of-x-rays-could-reveal-a-black-hole-waking-from-sleep/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:00:16 +0100 Unusual signals called quasi periodic eruptions appear to come from black holes, but we don't know what creates them. Now astronomers have seen the most powerful one of these signals ever, and have a new idea about their cause 2477594-powerful-blasts-of-x-rays-could-reveal-a-black-hole-waking-from-sleep|2477594 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2477392-claims-of-alien-life-are-overhyped-and-miss-the-real-accomplishment/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 18 Apr 2025 18:14:03 +0100 Whenever there’s even a slight chance that an exoplanet shows signs of biological activity, people understandably get excited – but it’s never been aliens, and we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, not this time or the next, says Chris Lintott 2477392-claims-of-alien-life-are-overhyped-and-miss-the-real-accomplishment|2477392 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2476091-most-accurate-space-clock-to-launch-and-count-down-to-destruction/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 18 Apr 2025 10:00:16 +0100 A network of Earth's best clocks will be synchronised with the most accurate one ever sent into space. But the device has a short shelf life: it will burn up in the atmosphere at the end of the decade as the ISS deorbits 2476091-most-accurate-space-clock-to-launch-and-count-down-to-destruction|2476091 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2477290-will-we-ever-have-confirmation-of-life-outside-our-solar-system/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 17 Apr 2025 17:07:19 +0100 The report of possible biosignatures on the exoplanet K2-18b is exciting, but we are a long way from establishing beyond doubt that there is life on such a distant world 2477290-will-we-ever-have-confirmation-of-life-outside-our-solar-system|2477290 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2477008-astronomers-claim-strongest-evidence-of-alien-life-yet/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 17 Apr 2025 01:01:56 +0100 On a faraway planet, the James Webb Space Telescope has picked up signs of molecules that, on Earth, are produced only by living organisms – but researchers say we must interpret the results cautiously 2477008-astronomers-claim-strongest-evidence-of-alien-life-yet|2477008 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2477039-exoplanet-found-in-odd-perpendicular-orbit-to-brown-dwarf-star-pair/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 16 Apr 2025 20:00:10 +0100 It is rare to find brown dwarf stars orbiting in pairs, and this pair has an even more unusual exoplanet companion 2477039-exoplanet-found-in-odd-perpendicular-orbit-to-brown-dwarf-star-pair|2477039 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2476805-the-race-to-visit-the-asteroid-making-the-closest-pass-by-earth/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 16 Apr 2025 19:00:16 +0100 Space agencies from the US, Europe and Japan are all making plans to visit the asteroid Apophis when it makes an extremely close flyby in 2029 to learn how to deflect others like it 2476805-the-race-to-visit-the-asteroid-making-the-closest-pass-by-earth|2476805 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2476328-how-to-spot-the-2025-lyrids-and-eta-aquarids-meteor-showers/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 15 Apr 2025 17:00:56 +0100 The Lyrids and Eta Aquarids meteor showers can both be seen starting in late April, with viewing opportunities in both the northern and southern hemispheres 2476328-how-to-spot-the-2025-lyrids-and-eta-aquarids-meteor-showers|2476328 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26635380-600-how-to-spot-haumea-one-of-the-solar-systems-strangest-objects/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 09 Apr 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Pluto isn’t the only dwarf planet in our solar system's outer reaches. Now is an ideal time to look for the egg-shaped Haumea, says Abigail Beall mg26635380-600-how-to-spot-haumea-one-of-the-solar-systems-strangest-objects|2475120 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2476056-ringworld-extract-read-a-section-from-larry-nivens-timeless-classic/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 11 Apr 2025 10:30:13 +0100 In this extract from the classic science fiction novel, the latest read for the New Scientist Book Club, we meet Ringworld’s protagonist Louis Wu, as he travels a future Earth 2476056-ringworld-extract-read-a-section-from-larry-nivens-timeless-classic|2476056 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2475330-can-amazons-soon-to-launch-kuiper-satellites-rival-musks-starlink/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 09 Apr 2025 17:11:47 +0100 Amazon is aiming to launch its first operational satellites today to provide speedy internet connections in remote regions, but it will still take some time to catch up with its main competitor, SpaceX's Starlink   2475330-can-amazons-soon-to-launch-kuiper-satellites-rival-musks-starlink|2475330 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2475523-how-long-is-a-day-on-uranus-slightly-longer-than-we-thought-it-seems/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 08 Apr 2025 11:46:58 +0100 Thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope, we now know that a day on Uranus lasts for 28 seconds longer than previously thought – a difference that could be crucial in planning future missions to the gas giant 2475523-how-long-is-a-day-on-uranus-slightly-longer-than-we-thought-it-seems|2475523 https://www.newscientist.com/video/2475308-astronomer-reviews-the-sci-fi-movies-that-get-creative-with-physics/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 07 Apr 2025 20:00:27 +0100 Space is a favourite setting for many Hollywood films, but just how accurate are their portrayals? Patricia Skelton, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, sheds some light on the scientific rigour of her favourite movies. For example, during an explosive space battle scene in Star Trek, a crew member is tossed out into space … 2475308-astronomer-reviews-the-sci-fi-movies-that-get-creative-with-physics|2475308 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2474089-quantum-eavesdropping-could-work-even-from-inside-a-black-hole/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 31 Mar 2025 13:00:25 +0100 An eavesdropper hiding inside a black hole could still obtain information about quantum objects on its outside, a finding that reveals how effectively black holes destroy the quantum states near their event horizons 2474089-quantum-eavesdropping-could-work-even-from-inside-a-black-hole|2474089 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2474931-we-could-make-solar-panels-on-the-moon-by-melting-lunar-dust/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 03 Apr 2025 17:00:31 +0100 Researchers used a synthetic version of moon dust to build working solar panels, which could eventually be created within – and used to power – a moon base of the future 2474931-we-could-make-solar-panels-on-the-moon-by-melting-lunar-dust|2474931 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2474255-nasa-cut-420-million-for-climate-science-moon-modelling-and-more/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 01 Apr 2025 18:35:06 +0100 Under pressure from Elon Musk’s DOGE task force, NASA is cancelling grants and contracts for everything from lunar dust research to educational programmes 2474255-nasa-cut-420-million-for-climate-science-moon-modelling-and-more|2474255 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2474150-asteroid-2024-yr4-could-still-hit-the-moon-jwst-observations-reveal/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 28 Mar 2025 15:21:45 +0000 Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to observe asteroid 2024 YR4, which earlier this year seemed to be at risk of hitting Earth in 2032. Earth is now safe, but astronomers are cheering on a possible collision with the moon 2474150-asteroid-2024-yr4-could-still-hit-the-moon-jwst-observations-reveal|2474150 https://www.newscientist.com/video/2474340-watch-the-partial-solar-eclipse-from-londons-royal-observatory/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Sat, 29 Mar 2025 10:02:38 +0000 On 29 March, a partial solar eclipse will pass over Canada and parts of northern Europe, including London.  Thanks to our friends at the Royal Observatory in London, we can experience this celestial event guided by their astronomers. Want to see a total eclipse? Why not join one of our Discover eclipse tours 2474340-watch-the-partial-solar-eclipse-from-londons-royal-observatory|2474340 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2474071-little-red-dots-seen-by-jwst-might-be-a-kind-of-black-hole-star/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:00:10 +0000 Red specks in the early universe are puzzling astronomers, but a proposed explanation suggests they are the progenitors of supermassive black holes 2474071-little-red-dots-seen-by-jwst-might-be-a-kind-of-black-hole-star|2474071 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2474034-weve-spotted-auroras-on-neptune-for-the-first-time/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:40:35 +0000 After nearly 36 years of searching, astronomers have finally confirmed Neptune has auroras, thanks to data from the James Webb Space Telescope 2474034-weve-spotted-auroras-on-neptune-for-the-first-time|2474034 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2473890-an-early-hint-of-cosmic-dawn-has-been-seen-in-a-distant-galaxy/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 26 Mar 2025 16:00:56 +0000 A galaxy inside a bubble may be evidence that the universe was starting to become transparent 330 million years after the big bang 2473890-an-early-hint-of-cosmic-dawn-has-been-seen-in-a-distant-galaxy|2473890 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535353-900-is-our-cosmos-just-a-membrane-on-the-edge-of-a-far-stranger-reality/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 19 Mar 2025 16:00:00 +0000 String theory may be our best attempt at a theory of everything, except that it can't describe an expanding universe like ours. Now a radical new twist on the idea could finally fix that – but it requires us to completely reimagine reality mg26535353-900-is-our-cosmos-just-a-membrane-on-the-edge-of-a-far-stranger-reality|2472635 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2473170-nasa-has-made-the-first-radio-telescope-observations-on-the-moon/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 21 Mar 2025 14:00:28 +0000 The Odysseus spacecraft made a rough landing on the moon last year, toppling over and rendering much of its equipment unusable, but an onboard NASA radio telescope called ROLSES-1  was able to make some observations 2473170-nasa-has-made-the-first-radio-telescope-observations-on-the-moon|2473170 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472310-german-company-set-for-first-commercial-rocket-launch-from-europe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 21 Mar 2025 12:00:09 +0000 Isar Aerospace is preparing to launch its Spectrum rocket from a base in Norway, which would make it the first orbital launch from continental Europe outside Russia 2472310-german-company-set-for-first-commercial-rocket-launch-from-europe|2472310 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2471743-dark-energy-isnt-what-we-thought-and-that-may-transform-the-cosmos/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 19 Mar 2025 22:00:41 +0000 Our current best theories of the universe suggest that dark energy is making it expand faster and faster, but new observations from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument suggest this mysterious force is actually growing weaker 2471743-dark-energy-isnt-what-we-thought-and-that-may-transform-the-cosmos|2471743 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2471894-euclid-space-telescope-captures-26-million-galaxies-in-first-data-drop/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 19 Mar 2025 11:00:40 +0000 The European Space Agency has released the first batch of large-scale images from the Euclid space telescope, which astronomers have already used to find hundreds of strong gravitational lenses 2471894-euclid-space-telescope-captures-26-million-galaxies-in-first-data-drop|2471894 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472541-weird-meteorite-may-be-relic-of-lost-planet-that-no-longer-exists/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 18 Mar 2025 18:00:34 +0000 A meteorite discovered in north-west Africa in 2023 didn’t come from a large asteroid or any of the known planets of the solar system – but it might have formed on a planet that was destroyed long ago 2472541-weird-meteorite-may-be-relic-of-lost-planet-that-no-longer-exists|2472541 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472144-best-ever-map-of-early-universe-is-double-edged-sword-for-cosmologists/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 18 Mar 2025 16:00:20 +0000 The finest ever map of the cosmic microwave background - the faint evidence of the universe's early form - has yielded precise confirmation of the age of the cosmos and its rate of expansion. But for some scientists, the findings offer a frustrating lack of clues to major cosmological mysteries 2472144-best-ever-map-of-early-universe-is-double-edged-sword-for-cosmologists|2472144 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472570-new-evidence-microbes-played-a-role-in-mysterious-markings-on-mars/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 18 Mar 2025 15:00:44 +0000 There are a couple potential explanations for distinctive markings found on a Martian rock, but new evidence suggests they are most likely to be related to microbial activity 2472570-new-evidence-microbes-played-a-role-in-mysterious-markings-on-mars|2472570 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472525-dust-devils-on-mars-produce-lightning-like-zaps-of-electricity/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 18 Mar 2025 13:00:32 +0000 NASA’s Perseverance rover recorded unusual sounds as a Martian dust devil passed directly over the robotic vehicle in 2021, and we now know they came from electrical activity in the storm 2472525-dust-devils-on-mars-produce-lightning-like-zaps-of-electricity|2472525 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472440-most-quakes-on-mars-happen-during-the-summer-and-we-dont-know-why/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 17 Mar 2025 17:00:08 +0000 NASA’s InSight lander recorded surprisingly large quakes that indicate Mars is more seismically active than we first thought. Mysteriously, they only happen during Martian summers 2472440-most-quakes-on-mars-happen-during-the-summer-and-we-dont-know-why|2472440 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472319-rolling-boulders-on-titan-could-threaten-nasas-dragonfly-mission/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:00:31 +0000 The wind on Saturn's largest moon is strong enough to blow around rocks of up to half a metre in diameter, which could put NASA's upcoming Dragonfly mission at risk 2472319-rolling-boulders-on-titan-could-threaten-nasas-dragonfly-mission|2472319 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472195-how-a-start-up-plans-to-mine-the-moon-for-a-rare-form-of-helium/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 17 Mar 2025 12:00:26 +0000 A private moon mission planned for 2027 will be the first step towards commercial lunar mining of rare and expensive helium-3 2472195-how-a-start-up-plans-to-mine-the-moon-for-a-rare-form-of-helium|2472195 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472476-giant-milky-way-like-galaxy-formed-unusually-soon-after-the-big-bang/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 17 Mar 2025 10:00:36 +0000 The Big Wheel, discovered using the James Webb Space Telescope, formed just 2 billion years after the big bang - surprisingly early for a spiral galaxy of a similar size to our Milky Way 2472476-giant-milky-way-like-galaxy-formed-unusually-soon-after-the-big-bang|2472476 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472334-starlink-satellite-part-hit-a-canadian-farm-when-it-fell-from-orbit/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 14 Mar 2025 15:07:24 +0000 A failed launch left a batch of Starlink satellites in the wrong orbit last year, and it appears that a fragment of one fell to Earth and hit a farm in Canada. Thankfully, no one was injured 2472334-starlink-satellite-part-hit-a-canadian-farm-when-it-fell-from-orbit|2472334 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472224-nasa-may-have-to-cancel-major-space-missions-due-to-budget-cuts/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 13 Mar 2025 17:57:55 +0000 Potential cuts of up to 50 per cent of NASA's science budget could mean cancelling missions including the Hubble Space Telescope and the Voyager probes 2472224-nasa-may-have-to-cancel-major-space-missions-due-to-budget-cuts|2472224 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472063-hera-asteroid-mission-takes-stunning-images-of-marss-moon-deimos/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 13 Mar 2025 11:28:04 +0000 A mission to survey the results of a deliberate crash between an asteroid and a NASA spacecraft has taken stunning images of Mars and its moon Deimos 2472063-hera-asteroid-mission-takes-stunning-images-of-marss-moon-deimos|2472063 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2471954-quartz-crystals-on-mars-could-preserve-signs-of-ancient-life/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 13 Mar 2025 08:00:15 +0000 NASA’s Perseverance rover found large crystals of quartz with a high purity on Mars, which probably had to have formed in the presence of hot water 2471954-quartz-crystals-on-mars-could-preserve-signs-of-ancient-life|2471954 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2471071-saturn-gains-128-moons-giving-it-more-than-the-other-planets-combined/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 11 Mar 2025 20:20:38 +0000 Saturn has dozens of new moons, bringing it to a total of 274. All of the new moons are between 2 and 4 kilometres wide, but at what point is a rock too small to be a moon? 2471071-saturn-gains-128-moons-giving-it-more-than-the-other-planets-combined|2471071 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2471749-the-asteroid-bennu-is-even-weirder-than-we-thought/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 11 Mar 2025 20:11:08 +0000 Analysis of samples brought back to Earth from the asteroid Bennu reveal that it has a bizarre chemical make-up and is unusually magnetic 2471749-the-asteroid-bennu-is-even-weirder-than-we-thought|2471749 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535332-000-the-cosmic-landscape-of-time-that-explains-our-universes-expansion/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 04 Mar 2025 16:00:00 +0000 A strange new conception of how time warps across the universe does away with cosmology's most mysterious entity, dark energy mg26535332-000-the-cosmic-landscape-of-time-that-explains-our-universes-expansion|2470586 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2471098-speeding-star-offers-a-rare-glimpse-of-the-milky-ways-galactic-centre/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 07 Mar 2025 14:00:23 +0000 A star has been spotted shooting away from the heart of our galaxy at around 500 kilometres per second, giving astronomers clues about a group of stellar objects that are hard to observe directly 2471098-speeding-star-offers-a-rare-glimpse-of-the-milky-ways-galactic-centre|2471098 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535330-200-eerie-image-of-a-space-bound-rocket-among-photo-contest-finalists/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 05 Mar 2025 18:00:00 +0000 This photograph of a Soyuz rocket bathed in mist was selected as a finalist for the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 competition mg26535330-200-eerie-image-of-a-space-bound-rocket-among-photo-contest-finalists|2470361 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2471172-the-athena-lander-reached-the-moon-but-seems-to-have-fallen-over/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 06 Mar 2025 21:52:42 +0000 Intuitive Machines's Athena spacecraft has landed on the surface of the moon, but it seems to have fallen over and we don't yet know if it will be able to drill for ice 2471172-the-athena-lander-reached-the-moon-but-seems-to-have-fallen-over|2471172 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2470771-two-huge-black-holes-merged-into-one-and-went-flying-across-the-cosmos/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:00:36 +0000 A supermassive black hole that doesn't appear to be where we would expect seems to be travelling at more than a thousand kilometres per second – the result of a giant cosmic collision 2470771-two-huge-black-holes-merged-into-one-and-went-flying-across-the-cosmos|2470771 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2470957-the-solar-system-was-once-engulfed-by-a-vast-wave-of-gas-and-dust/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 05 Mar 2025 11:55:28 +0000 The stars as seen from Earth would have looked dimmer 14 million years ago, as the solar system was in the middle of passing through clouds of dust and gas 2470957-the-solar-system-was-once-engulfed-by-a-vast-wave-of-gas-and-dust|2470957 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2470466-the-first-water-may-have-formed-surprisingly-soon-after-the-big-bang/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 04 Mar 2025 16:00:16 +0000 Water is an essential part of life on Earth, and possibly elsewhere – and now it we know it may have formed not long after the start of the universe 2470466-the-first-water-may-have-formed-surprisingly-soon-after-the-big-bang|2470466 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2470534-blue-ghost-spacecraft-makes-second-ever-commercial-landing-on-the-moon/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 03 Mar 2025 11:15:59 +0000 The second-ever commercial landing on the moon comes amid a flurry of lunar exploration activity that will see around a dozen missions this year alone 2470534-blue-ghost-spacecraft-makes-second-ever-commercial-landing-on-the-moon|2470534 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2470149-spacecraft-may-need-to-be-dirtier-to-keep-astronauts-healthy/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 27 Feb 2025 16:00:39 +0000 There may be logic in keeping spacecraft as sterile as possible, but this could inadvertently be affecting astronauts' health 2470149-spacecraft-may-need-to-be-dirtier-to-keep-astronauts-healthy|2470149 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2470069-how-to-see-every-planet-in-the-solar-system-at-once-this-week/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 27 Feb 2025 11:31:04 +0000 For a few evenings around 28 February, every planet in the solar system will be visible in the night sky, thanks to a rare great planetary alignment. Here's how to make sure you don't miss this planetary parade. 2470069-how-to-see-every-planet-in-the-solar-system-at-once-this-week|2470069 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2469866-medicines-made-in-space-set-to-touch-down-in-australian-outback/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 25 Feb 2025 14:26:50 +0000 Varda, a US firm planning to manufacture pharmaceuticals in low Earth orbit, is expecting its second capsule to return to Earth this week 2469866-medicines-made-in-space-set-to-touch-down-in-australian-outback|2469866 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2469712-intuitive-machines-lunar-lander-athena-set-to-blast-off-to-the-moon/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 24 Feb 2025 14:59:53 +0000 A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is about to launch a number of missions, including a private lunar lander, a lunar satellite for NASA and a prospecting probe for an asteroid-mining company 2469712-intuitive-machines-lunar-lander-athena-set-to-blast-off-to-the-moon|2469712 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2469535-huge-thunderstorm-on-jupiter-captured-in-best-detail-ever-seen/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:25 +0000 NASA's Juno spacecraft swooped in for a close look at a massive thunderstorm on Jupiter, revealing that it may have similarities to storms on Earth 2469535-huge-thunderstorm-on-jupiter-captured-in-best-detail-ever-seen|2469535 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535310-900-when-did-time-begin-hint-it-wasnt-at-the-big-bang/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 18 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000 You may think that time started 13.8 billion years ago at the birth of the universe, but physicists with alternative definitions of time have other ideas mg26535310-900-when-did-time-begin-hint-it-wasnt-at-the-big-bang|2468497 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2469516-asteroid-2024-yr4-will-now-almost-certainly-miss-earth-in-2032/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:54:55 +0000 New observations have dramatically reduced the chances of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth in 2032, lowering the risk to minimal levels, but its extraordinarily close approach will offer astronomers the chance to examine it in detail 2469516-asteroid-2024-yr4-will-now-almost-certainly-miss-earth-in-2032|2469516 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2468917-gigantic-star-has-gone-through-a-rapid-transformation-and-may-explode/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 20 Feb 2025 10:00:07 +0000 A red supergiant star appears to have changed in just a few years – an astronomical blink of an eye – which suggests it may be getting ready to explode in a supernova 2468917-gigantic-star-has-gone-through-a-rapid-transformation-and-may-explode|2468917 https://www.newscientist.com/video/2469211-jonathan-mcdowell-is-the-archivist-of-world-spaceflight-knowledge/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 19 Feb 2025 15:45:36 +0000 Jonathan McDowell has been a load-bearing part of the world’s spaceflight knowledge for more than four decades. His monthly newsletter on the industry –  Jonathan’s Space Report – details all upcoming launches and has become an essential resource for everyone from keen amateurs to space professionals, while his library of space industry information and ephemera, … 2469211-jonathan-mcdowell-is-the-archivist-of-world-spaceflight-knowledge|2469211 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2468890-odds-of-asteroid-2024-yr4-hitting-earth-in-2032-have-fallen-again/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 18 Feb 2025 12:11:31 +0000 Asteroid 2024 YR4 has a small chance of hitting Earth in 2032, but as astronomers make more observations about its trajectory, the odds of a collision are being refined 2468890-odds-of-asteroid-2024-yr4-hitting-earth-in-2032-have-fallen-again|2468890 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2468994-astronomers-uncover-the-topsy-turvy-atmosphere-of-a-distant-planet/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 18 Feb 2025 16:00:04 +0000 The gas giant WASP-121b, also known as Tylos, has an atmospheric structure unlike any we have ever seen, and the fastest winds on any planet 2468994-astronomers-uncover-the-topsy-turvy-atmosphere-of-a-distant-planet|2468994 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535311-000-when-did-the-first-galaxies-form-earlier-than-we-thought-possible/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 18 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000 By looking ever further back in time, the James Webb Space Telescope is at last revealing the first galaxies – and a very strange young cosmos mg26535311-000-when-did-the-first-galaxies-form-earlier-than-we-thought-possible|2468498 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2468335-meet-the-man-who-single-handedly-tracks-every-spaceflight-mission-ever/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 14 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000 For more than 40 years, Jonathan McDowell has tirelessly catalogued the space industry. Now he is planning to retire, and looking to pass on his extensive collection of knowledge 2468335-meet-the-man-who-single-handedly-tracks-every-spaceflight-mission-ever|2468335 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2468311-tiny-dwarf-galaxy-might-house-a-supermassive-black-hole/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:30:12 +0000 Fast-moving stars zooming through our galaxy might have been slingshotted from a black hole inside the neighbouring Large Magellanic Cloud 2468311-tiny-dwarf-galaxy-might-house-a-supermassive-black-hole|2468311 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2467956-maybe-nasas-sls-should-be-cancelled-but-not-by-elon-musk/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 11 Feb 2025 22:00:08 +0000 Critics have been calling for NASA to cancel its extremely pricey Space Launch System rocket for ages, but now that it seems to be facing the axe from Elon Musk’s government efficiency task force, it may be time to think again 2467956-maybe-nasas-sls-should-be-cancelled-but-not-by-elon-musk|2467956 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2467730-theres-a-tiny-chance-the-asteroid-headed-for-earth-could-hit-the-moon/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 10 Feb 2025 18:40:44 +0000 If asteroid 2024 YR4 does smash down on the lunar surface, the explosion might be visible from Earth and would leave a new crater on the near side of the moon 2467730-theres-a-tiny-chance-the-asteroid-headed-for-earth-could-hit-the-moon|2467730 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2467413-stunning-image-shows-the-closest-ever-einstein-ring/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 10 Feb 2025 08:00:40 +0000 Albert Einstein himself thought that the eponymous Einstein ring would be impossible to observe, but the Euclid telescope has picked one up just 600 million light years from Earth 2467413-stunning-image-shows-the-closest-ever-einstein-ring|2467413 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2467509-distant-exoplanet-may-be-the-most-volcanic-world-ever-found/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:00:36 +0000 A rocky planet less than half the mass of Earth seems to have an atmosphere made almost entirely of sulphur dioxide – this could be due to a huge amount of volcanic activity 2467509-distant-exoplanet-may-be-the-most-volcanic-world-ever-found|2467509 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2467487-astronomers-have-spotted-the-largest-known-object-in-the-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 07 Feb 2025 19:09:07 +0000 The Quipu superstructure is enormous, spanning 1.4 billion light years – and it could violate one of our fundamental assumptions about the universe 2467487-astronomers-have-spotted-the-largest-known-object-in-the-universe|2467487 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2465961-how-meteorites-are-rewriting-the-history-of-the-solar-system/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 10 Feb 2025 11:00:01 +0000 There are many theories about how dynamics in the early solar system led to the cosmic neighbourhood we now inhabit, but beyond computer simulations, direct evidence to support them is hard to come by – that's where meteorites come in 2465961-how-meteorites-are-rewriting-the-history-of-the-solar-system|2465961 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535290-800-why-we-must-investigate-phobos-the-solar-systems-strangest-object/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Mars's moon Phobos is so strange that no one knows how it formed. But a forthcoming mission could solve this mystery - and a host of other puzzles connected to the solar system's deep past mg26535290-800-why-we-must-investigate-phobos-the-solar-systems-strangest-object|2466438 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535290-600-would-we-recognise-alien-intelligence-asks-adrian-tchaikovsky-novel/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 05 Feb 2025 18:00:00 +0000 In Shroud, Adrian Tchaikovsky's intriguing new novel, two women marooned on a strange moon encounter alien life – and struggle to recognise intelligence in other beings, finds Emily H. Wilson mg26535290-600-would-we-recognise-alien-intelligence-asks-adrian-tchaikovsky-novel|2466426 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2467169-asteroid-2024-yr4-may-hit-earth-in-2032-how-worried-should-we-be/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:01:01 +0000 The risk of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth seems to be creeping up as astronomers gather more data, but does that mean we should be scrambling to prepare for an impact in 2032? 2467169-asteroid-2024-yr4-may-hit-earth-in-2032-how-worried-should-we-be|2467169 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535290-300-a-thrilling-guide-to-the-indiana-jones-like-world-of-meteorite-hunting/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 05 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Hunting for meteorites can be a high-octane race as private collectors and scientists go head-to-head, reveals a new book by New Scientist features editor Joshua Howgego mg26535290-300-a-thrilling-guide-to-the-indiana-jones-like-world-of-meteorite-hunting|2466423 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2466148-grand-canyons-formed-on-moon-in-minutes-after-colossal-asteroid-strike/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 04 Feb 2025 16:00:29 +0000 Two canyons that splay out from a vast asteroid crater on the moon may have been quickly formed by chains of impacts that followed the initial one 2466148-grand-canyons-formed-on-moon-in-minutes-after-colossal-asteroid-strike|2466148 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2466498-most-detailed-survey-of-particles-around-the-sun-reveals-new-mysteries/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 03 Feb 2025 15:00:13 +0000 More than a decade of data about the particles zipping around our sun could be used to solve many mysteries, from the behaviour of individual particles to the history of our solar system – while raising new questions 2466498-most-detailed-survey-of-particles-around-the-sun-reveals-new-mysteries|2466498 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535280-700-how-to-spot-bodes-galaxy-this-month/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:00:00 +0000 We will never get an image of the Milky Way from above, but M81 or Bode's galaxy is a good stand-in – and now is a great time to see it, says Leah Crane mg26535280-700-how-to-spot-bodes-galaxy-this-month|2465649 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2466186-building-sized-asteroid-has-a-small-chance-of-hitting-earth-in-2032/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 29 Jan 2025 21:18:29 +0000 The asteroid is unlikely to be cause for concern, but its detection has triggered planetary defence response procedures for the first time 2466186-building-sized-asteroid-has-a-small-chance-of-hitting-earth-in-2032|2466186 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535280-100-these-interstellar-spaceship-designs-are-wildly-impractical/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Scientists’ ideas for travelling to the stars range from the the wholly improbable to the hugely expensive and very difficult, says Ed Regis mg26535280-100-these-interstellar-spaceship-designs-are-wildly-impractical|2465633 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2465519-habitable-planets-could-have-formed-at-the-dawn-of-the-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 27 Jan 2025 11:00:29 +0000 Worlds with liquid water could have formed just 200 million years after the big bang from the remains of the earliest supernovae 2465519-habitable-planets-could-have-formed-at-the-dawn-of-the-universe|2465519 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535270-700-the-physicist-trying-to-build-humanitys-lunar-future-with-moon-dirt/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 22 Jan 2025 14:00:00 +0000 When it comes to sending humans back to the moon, knowing how to work with the regolith that coats the ground will be make-or-break. Phil Metzger is studying how to mitigate its dangers and use it as a crucial resource mg26535270-700-the-physicist-trying-to-build-humanitys-lunar-future-with-moon-dirt|2464519 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2464640-how-to-see-all-the-solar-systems-planets-in-the-night-sky-at-once/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Mon, 20 Jan 2025 16:19:14 +0000 All seven of the other planets in our solar system are about to become visible at once in a great planetary alignment – here’s how to spot the celestial show 2464640-how-to-see-all-the-solar-systems-planets-in-the-night-sky-at-once|2464640 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2464934-incredible-images-show-the-moment-spacexs-starship-exploded/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 21 Jan 2025 13:45:45 +0000 James Temple was "in the right place at the right time" to take these dramatic images of SpaceX's Starship's seventh flight test disintegrating above the Atlantic Ocean 2464934-incredible-images-show-the-moment-spacexs-starship-exploded|2464934 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2464958-an-alien-planet-has-winds-that-blow-at-33000-kilometres-per-hour/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 21 Jan 2025 13:21:40 +0000 Observations of WASP-127b, a giant gas exoplanet more than 500 light years from Earth, suggest it has phenomenally high wind speeds 2464958-an-alien-planet-has-winds-that-blow-at-33000-kilometres-per-hour|2464958 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2464596-weird-icy-balls-in-space-could-be-a-totally-new-kind-of-star/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Tue, 21 Jan 2025 08:00:35 +0000 After a close look with a powerful radio telescope, astronomers are still puzzled by a pair of objects with strange characteristics first spotted in 2021 2464596-weird-icy-balls-in-space-could-be-a-totally-new-kind-of-star|2464596 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535264-000-rereading-the-best-science-fiction-writers-of-all-time-iain-m-banks/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 15 Jan 2025 18:00:00 +0000 At his best, Iain M. Banks could be extraordinarily stylish, inventive and downright funny. So how does his genre-redefining science fiction stand up to the test of time? Emily H. Wilson rereads the greats mg26535264-000-rereading-the-best-science-fiction-writers-of-all-time-iain-m-banks|2463817 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2464539-blue-origin-vs-spacex-who-is-winning-the-battle-of-the-rockets/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 17 Jan 2025 14:00:33 +0000 Blue Origin and SpaceX both launched rockets on 16 January, but while Jeff Bezos's company saw a launch success with New Glenn, Elon Musk's Starship exploded. What does this mean for the future of the space industry? 2464539-blue-origin-vs-spacex-who-is-winning-the-battle-of-the-rockets|2464539 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2464336-read-an-extract-from-adrian-tchaikovskys-alien-clay/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Fri, 17 Jan 2025 09:00:59 +0000 In the opening to Adrian Tchaikovsky's science fiction novel Alien Clay, the latest read for the New Scientist Book Club, our hero wakes from years of space travel to a terrifying new reality 2464336-read-an-extract-from-adrian-tchaikovskys-alien-clay|2464336 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535260-300-extraordinary-images-reveal-the-mysteries-of-mars/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=space Wed, 15 Jan 2025 18:00:00 +0000 From windswept craters to frigid ice caps, explore Martian landscapes through the eyes of NASA’s orbiters, probes and rovers mg26535260-300-extraordinary-images-reveal-the-mysteries-of-mars|2463576