Mysterious X-ray flares on Jupiter come from magnetic field vibrations

Jupiter blasts out strange X-ray flares that have gone unexplained for decades, and the mystery has…

Virgin Galactic may finally send Richard Branson to space on 11 July

Richard Branson, billionaire founder of the space plane company Virgin Galactic, has been planning to go…

Crab nebula blasted out some of highest-energy gamma rays ever seen

Astronomers examining the Crab nebula have found the second highest-energy gamma ray ever spotted, which may…

How to spot the Milky Way in the night sky

The dark skies around the new moons of 10 July and 8 August are perfect for…

NASA is trying a 'risky' fix for the ageing Hubble Space Telescope

NASA will attempt what has been described as a “risky” fix for the Hubble Space Telescope…

Radio waves from black holes in some young galaxies change rapidly

Some young galaxies with black holes in their centre change their emissions of radio waves far…

Planets in close orbit around stars may be safe from dangerous flares

Common M-dwarf stars seem to generate flares on their surface at latitudes above 55 degrees –…

Solar sail spacecraft could be used to intercept interstellar objects

We rarely get more than a fleeting look at interstellar objects that enter our solar system,…

The hunt for extraterrestrial life is about to enter a new era

We haven’t found proof of life on other planets, but a wave of new telescopes will…

Amazing astronomy images shortlisted for photo prize

This spellbinding selection of images  are among the shortlisted entries for this year’s Astronomy Photographer of…