Scientists have released one of the most precise measurements ever made of how matter is distributed across the universe today. When the universe began, matter was flung outwards, gradually forming the planets, stars and galaxies. By carefully putting together a map of that matter today, scientists can try to understand the forces that shaped the […]
An asteroid the size of a small truck will pass by Earth tonight, making one of the closest approaches to the planet ever recorded. Asteroid 2023 BU will zoom over the southern tip of South America at about 12.27am on Friday, only 2,200 miles above the Earth’s surface. It will be well within the orbit […]
A premature shutdown in the rocket during the first attempt to launch satellites into orbit from the UK was behind the mission failure, Virgin Orbit has said. After taking off from Spaceport Cornwall, the Virgin Orbit plane flew to 35,000ft over the Atlantic Ocean, where it jettisoned the rocket containing nine small satellites towards space. […]
An attempt to make British space history by launching a rocket into orbit from UK soil has ended in failure after suffering an “anomaly” during the flight. After taking off from Cornwall, the Virgin Orbit plane flew to 35,000ft over the Atlantic Ocean where it jettisoned the rocket containing nine small satellites towards space. Organisers […]
A US-French satellite that will map almost all of the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers has rocketed into orbit. The pre-dawn launch aboard a SpaceX rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California capped a highly successful year for Nasa. Nicknamed SWOT — short for Surface Water and Ocean Topography — the satellite is needed […]
A Nasa rover has recorded the sound of a red dust devil whizzing past on Mars. The 10-second first-of-its-kind audio was released on Tuesday and captures not only rumbling gusts of up to 25mph but also the pinging of hundreds of dust particles against the rover Perseverance. It sounds similar to dust devils on Earth […]
A London photographer has beaten more than a million rivals to clinch a place on the first civilian trip to the moon. Rhiannon Adam, 37, who was born in Cork and is based in Hackney, is among eight artists and creatives picked by Japanese billionaire entrepreneur and art collector Yusaku Maezawa to be part of […]
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 […]
