Aerospace

Astronomers discover ultra-dense ‘super-Earth’ that’s as heavy as lead

An international team of scientists has found a fascinating new planetary system around a star similar to our sun. The system, located about 750 light-years...

The best way to find planet nine might be hundreds of tiny telescopes

Ever since William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781, astronomers have been eager to find new planets on the outer edge of the solar system. But...

A new look at the most ancient light in the universe

In the earliest moments of the Universe, the first photons were trapped in a sea of ionized gas. They scattered randomly with the hot nuclei...

Astronomers defy the zone of avoidance to find hundreds of new galaxies

There is a region of the sky where astronomers fear to look. Filled with dark clouds of dust, it hides an unseen mass. A mass...

Pentagon’s latest UFO report identifies hotspots for sightings

The Pentagon office in charge of fielding UFO reports says that it has resolved 118 cases over the past year, with most of those...

Astronomers map the shape of a black hole’s corona for the first time

If you were lucky enough to observe a total eclipse, you are certain to remember the halo of brilliant light around the Moon during...

Two supermassive black holes on the verge of a merger

In March 2021, astronomers observed a high-energy burst of light from a distant galaxy. Assigned the name AT 2021hdr, it was thought to be...

How life could live under the ice on Mars

Mars has been a fascination to us for centuries. Early observations falsely gave impressions of an intelligent civilisation but early visiting probes revealed a...

Discovery of three ‘red monster’ galaxies challenges ideas about the early universe

An international team of scientists led by the University of Geneva has discovered three ultra-massive galaxies that formed just a billion years after the...

Ancient meteorite reveals evidence of liquid water on Mars 742 million years ago

A team of scientists has found evidence of liquid water on Mars from 742 million years ago in a Martian meteorite known as the...