Space

Space missions have long exemplified humankind's indomitable spirit and boundless ambition. Once the reserve of nations, space is fact opening up to commercial enterprises and could soon be the must-go destination for tourists – provided the accumulation of debris doesn't turn Earth's orbit into a no-go zone. All this comes as missions beyond the Moon provide greater insights into our solar system and more powerful telescopes give us a glimpse at exoplanets light years away. New Atlas keeps you up to date with the latest space news and fantastic images from all corners of the Universe.

Space Audio available

Bizarre celestial object spotted is one of the rarest in the galaxy

Michael Irving May 21, 2019

The cosmos is full of strange things, like planets made of diamond, mysterious radio bursts and quasars that shine like 600 trillion Suns. Now astronomers have spotted a bizarre star that may prove to be one of the rarest objects ever, with maybe as few as five or six of them in the galaxy.

A white dwarf star, which is at the heart of the strange new object

Space

NASA invites you to put your name on the Mars 2020 rover

Anthony Wood May 22, 2019

Members of the public can now sign up to have their name accompany NASA’s much anticipated Mars 2020 rover as it unravels the secrets of the Red Planet. The names will not be stored digitally within a chip, but instead etched upon one by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Artist's impression of the Mars 2020 rover on the surface of the Red Planet

Space Audio available

Arthritic astronaut mice suggest space travel is bad for your joints

David Szondy May 21, 2019

An examination of the tissues of rodents that orbited the Earth in a Russian spacecraft revealed that the reduced load on their joints caused the breakdown of cartilage and signs of arthritis-like degradation.

Based on mice studies, damage to joint cartilage may be added to the list of health ...

Space Audio available

How a huge impact may have given the Moon two faces

Michael Irving May 21, 2019

Observations have shown that the “back” of the Moon has a thicker crust and an extra layer of material compared to the side that faces Earth. Now, simulations have revealed one possible, explosive explanation – an impact with a huge object early on in the Moon’s life.

An illustration of a collision between two huge celestial bodies, similar to that now theorized to ...

Space Audio available

Pluto may have a subsurface ocean thanks to layer of gas insulation

David Szondy May 20, 2019

If there is a subsurface sea on Pluto, why hasn't it frozen solid? According to computer simulations devised by researchers from Japan’s Hokkaido University and elsewhere, it may be that the hypothetical Plutonian sea may remain liquid thanks to an insulating gas layer keeping in the heat.

Natural color images of Pluto taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015

Space Feature

Apollo 10: The mission that paved the way for the Moon landing

David Szondy May 18, 2019

Fifty years ago and a quarter of a million miles away, three astronauts carried out the dress rehearsal for one of the greatest events in human history. On May 18, 1969, Apollo 10 lifted off. Its mission: to return to the Moon and pave the way for the Apollo 11 lunar landing two months later.

Apollo 10 was the final rehearsal for the Apollo 11 landing in 1969

Space

Hubble captures the good side of a stunning, scarred "two-faced" galaxy

Michael Irving May 17, 2019

Hubble has been photographing the cosmos for 30 years now, but it still manages to surprise us with some absolutely breathtaking shots. Case in point, the latest image shows the two-faced galaxy NGC 4485, which still bears the stunning scars of a close call with another galaxy millions of years ago.

The galaxy NGC 4485 appears normal on the left side, but on the right it bears ...

Space Audio available

NASA's Lunar orbiter finds crash site of Beresheet lander

David Szondy May 16, 2019

A photographic search by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has discovered the crash site of the Israeli Beresheet moon lander. By making a series of comparison images, the hunt confirmed the area where the privately operated unmanned spacecraft impacted the lunar surface on April 11, 2019.

Space

NASA's Artemis mission plans to put the first woman on the Moon by 2024

Nick Lavars May 14, 2019

NASA has filled in some of the blanks concerning its return to the Moon, today giving the mission a name and declaring plans to put the first woman on the lunar surface by 2024.

The Moon as seen by the Galileo deep-space probe in 1992

Space Audio available

"Stellar baby boom" may have given birth to half the Milky Way's stars

Michael Irving May 13, 2019

Scientists have been poring over the Gaia galactic census of Milky Way stars for about a year. Now, a team of researchers has found evidence of a “stellar baby boom,” a short period of time in which more than half the stars in the thin disc were born.

Gaia's all-sky-view, showing the clear center of the Milky Way and the galactic disc