Telescopes at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory near La Serena, Chile.
Guillaume Doyen/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Controlled experiments are impossible in astronomy, as are direct measurements of physical properties of objects outside our solar system. So how do astronomers know so much about them?
A visualisation of the huge, glowing planetary body produced by a planetary collision.
Mark Garlick
The discovery provides a way to study the birth of an entirely new planet in real time.
Comet Hale-Bopp was visible from Earth in 1997.
E. Kolmhofer, H. Raab; Johannes-Kepler-Observatory, Linz, Austria
There’s a flurry of excitement every time a comet comes into view from Earth. But what are these celestial objects, and where do they come from?
Astronomers can estimate ages for stars outside the Solar System, but not planets.
Corbis Historical via Getty Images
Measuring the ages of planets and stars is tricky. An observational astrophysicist describes the subtle clues that provide good estimates for how old different space objects are.
The exoplanet K2-18b might host a water ocean.
Credits: Illustration: NASA, CSA, ESA, J. Olmsted (STScI), Science: N. Madhusudhan (Cambridge University)
The results are intriguing, but analysing the atmospheres of exoplanets is no easy task.
Impact cratering, caused by meteorites colliding with planetary surfaces, is one of the most fundamental cosmic processes.
Eshma/Shutterstock
Studying impact craters can broaden our understanding of the Earth’s evolution and life, as well as its possible future.
A colour-exaggerated view of Saturn backlit by the sun.
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
New research suggests Saturn’s rings may be surprisingly young.
New research shows that the destructive merging of a star and a planet expels huge amounts of gas, as shown in this artist’s impression.
K. Miller/R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC)
Stars begin to expand when they run out of fuel and can become thousands of times larger, consuming any planets in the way. For the first time, astronomers have witnessed one such event.
SolarSystemScope.com
There’s nothing weird happening with Mercury. In fact, most days of the year there’s at least one planet in retrograde.
Eight planets, including Earth, revolve around our Sun.
Illustration by Tobias Roetsch/Future Publishing via Getty Images
It all starts with a cloud of gas and dust.
There are many pieces of evidence to help explain why the Earth spins, and some major mysteries.
Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/DigitalVision via Getty Images
An astronomer takes us on a tour of the universe to learn about the birth of stars and planets and how they get their spin.
Discover how a picture of the sky can become a symphony.
Chandra X-ray Observatory
Since ancient times, the stars have been set to music. Modern technology now enables scientists to convert images of space into real compositions.
Elena11/Shutterstock
Believe it or not, this sort-of happened before in Earth’s history – and now we have the Moon.
Concept illustration for research robots that could bring samples of Mars rocks to Earth-based labs.
(NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Sophisticated equipment on the Perseverance rover is helping answer some of the many questions researchers have about Mars’ geology over time.
An artist’s concept of an astronaut walking on Mars. But what would happen if the astronaut weren’t wearing a space helmet?
cokada/E+ via Getty Images
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and one of our closest neighbors in space. But it’s not a very welcoming place for an Earthling to visit.
Pluto, the largest of the dwarf planets. This image was taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft.
NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI
The dwarf planets in our Solar System are cold, dark, far away and full of surprises.
New research confirms how particles from space can be sent careening down into Earth’s atmosphere to create the aurora, filling in a missing piece in how this stunning natural phenomenon is generated.
Terry Zaperach/NASA
The sun has entered a phase causing more chances to see the northern lights in the UK, an expert explains.
The locations of 115 candidate free floating planets in the region between Upper Scorpius and Ophiuchus.
European Southern Observatory
Some planets are rejected by the Solar System that gave birth to them.
An artistic representation of 10 hot Jupiters, studied with the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes.
(NASA/ESA)
Clouds, hellish temperatures, endless nights? Characterizing the atmosphere of exoplanets, planets that orbit stars other than the sun, is a formidable task.
An artist’s impression of the exoplanet WASP-76b, which is hot enough to vaporize metals.
(European Southern Observatory/M. Kornmesser)
On the ultra-hot exoplanet WASP-76b, metal is vaporized in the heat. Studying the atmosphere of extreme planets will reveal more wild and weird weather.