The First 100 Days on Mars: How NASA’s Perseverance Rover Will Begin Its Mission
With the space agency’s latest rover set to touch down on February 18, here is the agenda for its initial months
Stories by Jonathan O'Callaghan
Alien Hunters Discover Mysterious Signal from Proxima Centauri
Strange radio transmissions appear to be coming from our nearest star system. Now scientists are trying to work out what is sending them
Fresh Data from Gaia Galaxy Survey Gives Best Map Ever of the Milky Way
The European Space Agency telescope is allowing our Milky Way to be studied like never before
Quantum Time Twist Offers a Way to Create Schrödinger’s Clock
Physicists describe a way to merge quantum theory with Einstein’s special theory of relativity—and even a method to test it experimentally
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Seeks to Grab a Piece of Asteroid Bennu
The spacecraft’s first attempt to gather material from the space rock’s surface could become the largest nonlunar sample return in history
A NASA Probe May Have Found Signs of Life on Venus 40 Years Ago
Data from an old NASA mission to our sister planet may contain overlooked evidence for the gas phosphine, a potential biosignature
Water on Mars: Discovery of Three Buried Lakes Intrigues Scientists
Researchers say they have detected a group of lakes hidden under the Red Planet’s icy surface
Japan Prepares for Hayabusa2’s Daring Return to Earth
In December the spacecraft will swing past our planet and drop off samples collected from an ancient asteroid
Summer on Mars: NASA’s Perseverance Rover Is One of Three Missions Ready to Launch
A new generation of orbiters, landers and rovers will study the Red Planet as never before, setting the stage for returning pristine samples to Earth
A Hydrogen Iceberg from a Failed Star Might Have Passed through Our Solar System
The interstellar visitor ‘Oumuamua, discovered in 2017, may represent an entirely new type of astrophysical object, two astronomers say
Astronomers May Have Found the Closest Black Hole to Earth
At just 1,000 light-years away, an object in a nearby star system could be our nearest known black hole—but not everyone is convinced
Astronomers May Have Captured the First Ever Image of Nearby Exoplanet Proxima C
It could be an unprecedented view of a world in the closest planetary system to our own, but uncertainties aplenty remain
COVID-19 Shutdown May Obscure Mysteries of Cracked Interstellar Comet
Pristine alien material from the object 2I/Borisov is being exposed to space for the first time—but the coronavirus pandemic is stopping astronomers from watching it
Apollo Rock Samples Heat Up Moon Formation Debate
A new study suggests there are key differences between the compositions of Earth and its natural satellite, with significant implications for lunar history
China’s Moon Rover Takes a Deeper Look at the Far Side
Radar data from the Chang’e-4 mission show multiple debris layers under the rover, recording eons of lunar history
Physicists Come Closer to Answering Question of Antimatter’s Scarcity
Researchers have confirmed a long-predicted key similarity between hydrogen and antihydrogen
Home Star Stunner: Best Ever Images of Solar Surface Herald New Era
Scientists have released the first pictures from a new telescope in Hawaii, one of three missions expected to redefine our understanding of our home star in the 2020s
Ending in 2020, NASA’s Infrared Spitzer Mission Leaves a Gap in Astronomy
Delays to the James Webb Space Telescope will result in at least a yearlong hiatus in space-based infrared observations
The FCC’s Approval of SpaceX’s Starlink Mega Constellation May Have Been Unlawful
A new paper suggests that the agency broke U.S. environmental law in its approval of the satellites and that if it were to be sued in court, it would likely lose
Swirling Magnetic Fields Hint at Origins of Spiral Galaxy Shapes
The formation of spiral galaxies remains an open question in astronomy, but a new study offers a fresh look into how these structures emerge
