Space

The latest discoveries from space agencies and astronomers as they explore galaxies, black holes, exoplanets, and more. Also learn about night sky watching events right here on the home planet.

Latest in Space

This artist’s concept visualizes a kilonova – an explosion that happens when two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole collide and merge. When these collisions happen, a fraction of the resulting debris is ejected as jets, which move near the speed of light. The remaining debris produces hot, glowing, neutron-rich clouds that forge heavy elements, like gold and platinum. Researchers will mine data from NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will survey the same areas of the sky every few days, to identify kilonovae. Roman’s extensive data will help astronomers better identify how often these events occur, how much energy they give off, and how near or far they are.
Black Holes

NASA’s new Roman Space Telescope aims to discover 100,000 cosmic explosions

By Andrew Paul

a red meterorite from mars
Mars

Largest chunk of Mars on Earth sells for $5.3 million

By Laura Baisas

This is HOPS-315, a baby star where astronomers have observed evidence for the earliest stages of planet formation. These observations show that hot minerals are beginning to solidify. In orange we see the distribution of carbon monoxide, blowing away from the star in a butterfly-shaped wind. In blue we see a narrow jet of silicon monoxide, also beaming away from the star. These gaseous winds and jets are common around baby stars like HOPS-315.
Space Telescope

For the first time, astronomers spot the beginning of a solar system

By Laura Baisas

a full moon rises over rusty-colored mountains
Deep Space

18 awesome images from the 2025 Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards

By Popular Science Team

These images, showing ejecta around the impacted near-Earth asteroids, were taken during the approach (with Didymos to the upper left) and departure (Didymos to the upper right) of DART's companion spacecraft, LICIACube, which flew past a few minutes after the impact and imaged the aftermath. The ejecta field consists of an asymmetric cone of dust that exhibits streamers and filaments, as well as over a hundred meter-sized boulders that were ejected in preferred directions.
NASA

Crashing into an asteroid creates chaotic space boulders

By Laura Baisas

Masked boobies on Johnston Atoll
Space X

Pacific island wildlife refuge spared from SpaceX rocket project

By Andrew Paul

Red sprite above Earth in photo taken from International Space Station
International Space Station

Mysterious red sprite erupts in new astronaut photo

By Andrew Paul

Portrait of Galileo Galilei
Sun

Ultra-rare first edition book from Galileo heading to auction

By Andrew Paul

In this artist's impression we see the planet HIP 67522 b sending a wave of energy down the magnetic field lines towards the surface of its host star. Where the wave meets the end of the magnetic field line at the star's surface, it triggers a massive flare. Credit: Danielle Futselaar (www.artsource.nl/)
Exoplanets

Astronomers detect first known ‘death wish’ planet

By Andrew Paul

This image, taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), shows the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5. These are the expanding remains of a star that exploded hundreds of years ago in a double-detonation – the first photographic evidence that stars can die with two blasts. The data were captured with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the VLT. MUSE allows astronomers to map the distribution of different chemical elements, displayed here in different colours. Calcium is shown in blue, and it is arranged in two concentric shells. These two layers indicate that the now-dead star exploded with a double-detonation.
Solar System

Massive ‘double detonation’ spotted by astronomers for the first time

By Laura Baisas

Full GOTO-North node under the skies of La Palma.
Space Telescope

Rare cataclysmic exploding star spotted by citizen scientists

By Andrew Paul

Artist illustration of an asteroid in space
Space Telescope

Asteroid 2024 YR4 might smash into the moon

By Andrew Paul

a meteor falls in the night sky near a statue of buddha
Space

July stargazing: Buck Moon, Lāhainā Noon, and meteorites (soon)

By Tom Hawking

a movie poster for the film project hail mary
Space

Watch the first trailer for ‘Project Hail Mary’

By Popular Science Team

A composite image of the Andromeda spiral galaxy
Deep Space

NASA offers dazzling new sights (and sounds) of the Andromeda galaxy

By Andrew Paul

Scanning electron micrograph of the number 15 grain of sample plate C0105-042 from Ryugu, in which djerfisherite was discovered.
Deep Space

Deep space asteroid sample contains unexpected ingredient

By Andrew Paul

Jupiter on a black background
Space

What would happen if you tried to land on a gas giant?

By RJ Mackenzie

This image shows a detailed, thousand-colour image of the Sculptor Galaxy captured with the MUSE instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Regions of pink light are spread throughout this whole galactic snapshot, which come from ionised hydrogen in star-forming regions. These areas have been overlaid on a map of already formed stars in Sculptor to create the mix of pinks and blues seen here.
Space

Sculptor Galaxy shines in 1,000 spectacular colors

By Laura Baisas

Large truck towing ANITA atmospheric survey system in Antarctica
Deep Space

Physicists can’t explain mysterious radio wave emissions in Antarctica

By Andrew Paul

ESA's Flyeye telescope at first light test outside
Space Telescope

Bug-eyed telescope ready to find Earth-smashing asteroids

By Andrew Paul