Space Page 5

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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Gigantic "ghost" galaxy spotted circling the Milky Way

Michael Irving November 13, 2018

Astronomers have spotted a mysterious “ghost” galaxy orbiting the Milky Way. Huge but extremely faint, the oddball galaxy has been named Antlia 2, and it might just be weird enough to force us to rethink what we know about galactic physics and dark matter.

The new galaxy, named Antlia 2 (right) is extremely faint compared to the Milky Way (middle) ...

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Hubble snaps clearest ever shots of cataclysmic cosmic collisions

Michael Irving November 11, 2018

Galaxies smash into each other on a pretty regular basis, usually merging together. Using data and observations from Hubble and the Keck Observatory, astronomers have now imaged the late stages of this incredibly slow process for the first time.

Astronomers have observed pairs of supermassive black holes closer to colliding than ever before

Space

Preferred landing site for ExoMars 2020 rover mission revealed

David Szondy November 11, 2018

When the ExoMars 2020 mission touches down on the Red Planet, it will most likely be at Oxia Planum. This area near the Martian equator was recommended for the ESA-Roscosmos rover because it provides the best chances for finding signs of life balanced against the need for a safe landing zone.

Close up view of Oxia Planum, which has been selected as the preferred landing site for ...

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Parker Solar Probe singed but safe after historic close encounter with the Sun

David Szondy November 8, 2018

Mission control at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab confirmed receiving the Parker Solar Probe's status beacon on November 7 after it came within 15 million miles (24 million km) of the Sun's surface on November 5.

Artist's impression of the Parker Solar Probe

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Could we – and should we – build a laser lighthouse to make first contact with aliens?

Michael Irving November 6, 2018

Whether there’s life beyond Earth is one of the most profound questions we can ask. Making ourselves easier to find could be part of our first contact strategy. A new MIT study outlines a way to use existing or near-future tech to build a kind of laser lighthouse to signal to our cosmic neighbors.

An MIT study proposes building a laser lighthouse to signal to alien astronomers up to 20,000 ...

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13.5 billion year old star was born just after the Big Bang - and it’s in our neighborhood

Michael Irving November 4, 2018

Astronomers have identified one of the oldest stars ever found, which appears to be just one generation removed from the beginning of the universe itself. Being relatively close to Earth, the find could mean our galactic neighborhood is much older than previously thought.

Ultra metal-poor stars such as HD 140283 (pictured) are among the oldest known stars still surviving, ...

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Sun sets on Dawn spacecraft's asteroid belt mission

David Szondy November 1, 2018

After 11 years exploring the asteroid belt, NASA's Dawn mission has come to the end. The space agency confirmed that all contact has been lost with the deep space probe after it failed to make two scheduled communications with the Deep Space Network (DSN) on October 31 and November 1, 2018.

Artist's concept showing Dawn arriving at the dwarf planet Ceres

Space

Australian observatory hunts Earth-like planets by watching for wobbling stars

Michael Irving November 1, 2018

A new exoplanet hunting tool has been installed onto an Australian telescope. Dubbed Veloce, the instrument looks out for the wobble of a star caused by the gravitational tug of orbiting planets, and it specializes in red dwarfs, the most common type of star in the universe.

The Anglo-Australian Telescope in Siding Spring Observatory is home to a new planet-hunting instrument

Space

Faulty sensor identified as cause of aborted Soyuz launch

David Szondy November 1, 2018

Roscosmos announced today that manned Soyuz flights to the International Space Station (ISS) will resume on December 3, 2018 after an investigation into the aborted October 11 launch of the Soyuz-FG LV/ Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft found a faulty sensor in the first stage of the rocket was to blame.

The Soyuz MS-10 lifting off from Baikonur

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How dying stars could reignite with help from enigmatic class of black hole

Michael Irving October 31, 2018

A white dwarf is one of the last stages of life for stars of a certain size, and it’s all downhill from there. But supercomputer simulations run by astronomers at LLNL suggest that these dying stars could be reignited by a close encounter with an enigmatic class of black hole.