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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.

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New algorithm digs up 18 Earth-like exoplanets from old Kepler data

Michael Irving May 23, 2019

Another 18 exoplanets have been added to the haul, but the difference this time is that all of them are roughly Earth-sized – much smaller than the Neptune-sized average found so far. The discovery was made in old data, using a new and more sensitive algorithm.

An artist's impression of an Earth-sized exoplanet

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Watery ancient Venus could have been rendered uninhabitable by its own oceans

Michael Irving May 22, 2019

Studies have shown that billions of years ago Venus might have been just as habitable as Earth. So what happened? New research has found that if ancient Venus was home to vast oceans, tidal drags may have slowed down the rotation of the planet and let it bake into the lifeless world we know today.

Simulations suggest that if ancient Venus had an ocean, tidal forces may have slowed the planet's ...

Space

Most of Earth's water came from a cosmic collision that formed the Moon

David Szondy May 22, 2019

According to research by planetologists at the University of Münster, the collision with a Mars-sized planetoid that formed the Moon 4.4 billion years ago brought with it almost all the water that makes our planet habitable.

Isotope analysis indicates that Earth's water may have arrived when the Moon was formed

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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

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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

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...