Three Chinese astronauts have landed back on Earth after spending six months working to complete construction of the Tiangong station, state TV has reported. A capsule carrying commander Chen Dong and astronauts Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe touched down at a landing site in the Gobi Desert in northern China at approximately 12.10pm, China Central […]
Nasa’s Orion capsule has passed within 80 miles of the moon in the final big stage ahead of its record-breaking lunar orbit. The close approach occurred as the crew capsule and its three test dummies passed on the far side of the moon during a slingshot manoeuvre. Because of a half-hour communication blackout, flight controllers […]
Nasa’s Webb Space Telescope is finding bright, early galaxies that until now were hidden from view, including one that may have formed a mere 350 million years after the cosmic-creating Big Bang. Astronomers said that if the results are verified, this newly discovered throng of stars would beat the most distant galaxy identified by the […]
Astronomers have found that planet formation in the young Solar System started much earlier than previously thought. According to the research, the building blocks of planets started growing at the same time as their parent star. A study of some of the oldest stars in the Universe suggests planets like Jupiter and Saturn begin to […]
A capsule has delivered several tons of supplies to the International Space Station despite a jammed solar panel. The shipment arrived two days after launching from Virginia. Only one of the cargo ship’s two round solar panels opened following lift-off. Flight controllers tried in vain to open the stuck panel, but managed to draw enough […]
The ghostly remains of a giant star reveal a tapestry of colours and waves. After a massive star’s life ended in a powerful explosion some 11,000 years ago, the wispy structure of pink and orange clouds is all that remains. When the biggest stars reach the end of their lives, they often go out with […]
China has launched the third and final module to complete its permanent space station, realizing a more than decade-long endeavour to maintain a constant crewed presence in orbit. Mengtian was blasted into space at 3:39pm local time from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Centre on the southern island province of Hainan. A large crowd of amateur […]
Scientists are analysing the data from two large meteorite impacts on Mars, with aim of understanding more about how the red planet formed. The space rocks crashed into the Martian surface at different times in the latter half of 2021, resulting in two large craters upwards of 130 metres in diameter. Nasa’s InSight lander – […]
University scientists have developed a system which could help astronomers find Earth-like planets – and it is powered by a laser similar to those sold in shops for a few pounds. Researchers at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University have produced a device powered by a green laser similar to laser pointers sold for less than £5. But […]
UK scientists believe they have identified the source of one of the rarest meteorites to ever fall on Earth. The Ivuna meteorite landed in Tanzania in December 1938 and was subsequently split into a number of samples – one of which is housed at the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London. Based on an analysis […]
