Astronomy News
Fri Jan 04, 2019 12:20pm
The initial findings from the New Horizons spacecraft's flyby at Ultima Thule have been released by NASA scientists, although the majority of data is yet to come.
Fri Dec 21, 2018 3:37pm
At 05:33GMT on New Year’s Day 2019, NASA’s New Horizons made a flyby of the Kuiper Belt Object known as Ultima Thule.
Ahead of the encounter we spoke to Ramy El-Maarry from Birkbeck, University of London, who worked with ESA’s Rosetta team before joining New Horizons as a science team collaborator.
Words by Elizabeth Pearson
Fri Dec 21, 2018 11:24am
Apollo 8, the first crewed mission to circle the Moon, is best remembered for its Earthrise photo, and for the Christmas message its crew broadcast to the world from orbit on Christmas Eve, 1968. Apollo 8's Commander, Frank Borman, spoke to us from his home in Billings, Montana about how, for him, escaping Earth's gravitational pull for the first time was much more about winning the Cold War than space exploration.
Words by Jamie Carter.
Thu Dec 20, 2018 4:32pm
As the NASA spacecraft flies past the Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule, Paul Abel reveals what New Horizons has already shown us about the dwarf planet it passed in 2015.
Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:35am
The changing features of Jupiter's stripes are well-known among astronomers. A team at the University of Leicester has been attempting to discern a pattern in meteorological events at the planet's equator.
Tue Dec 18, 2018 12:48pm
Saturn is one of the most striking sights in our Solar System, not least because of its prominent rings. But new research suggests the rings might be disappearing at a surprising rate.
Mon Dec 17, 2018 12:45pm
A heliacal rising or an alignment of planets - what might the star of Bethlehem have been? Nigel Henbest explores this enduring mystery.
Tue Dec 11, 2018 1:27pm
Water has been spotted across the surface of asteroid Bennu by NASA's OSIRIS REX spacecraft. The probe will spend several years investigating the space rock, eventually returning a sample to Earth in 2023.
Mon Dec 10, 2018 5:51pm
NASA's Voyager 2 probe has passed through the heliopause, making it the second spacecraft to enter interstellar space.
Mon Dec 10, 2018 10:19am
On Christmas Eve 1968, the first mission to the Moon changed how we view our home planet forever.
Elizabeth Pearson tells the story of the first manned lunar return.
Tue Dec 04, 2018 9:56am
The Kepler space telescope may have run out fuel, but for NASA scientists there is alot of important work yet to be done.
We spoke to Kepler scientist Geert Barentsen to find out what the mission has achieved, and what lies ahead.
Mon Dec 03, 2018 12:19pm
Dark matter remains one of the unsolved mysteries in astronomy. In an excerpt from The Beginning and the End of Everything, a new book by Dr Paul Parsons, the author explores how the concept was first conceived.
Fri Nov 30, 2018 2:58pm
Looking for a Christmas present for the astronomer or space fan in your life, or in need of a good read to take you away from the festive hubbub?
We present our favourite 12 books from the past year of reviews in BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
Fri Nov 30, 2018 12:58pm
The only recorded case of a person being injured by a meteor happened on this day 64 years ago. What followed was a bizarre legal case about who owned the space rock.
Thu Nov 29, 2018 11:41am
Enter our competition to win one of three copies of Hasselblad & the Moon Landing, a new book that looks at the history of the Apollo 11 mission through the lens of the famous Hasselblad cameras.
PLEASE NOTE THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.
Mon Nov 26, 2018 1:24pm
NASA's latest Mars mission will attempt to discover the secrets that lie beneath the surface of the Red Planet.
Elizabeth Pearson reveals how InSight will operate, and what NASA scientists hope to learn.
Thu Nov 22, 2018 12:17pm
In the latest episode of the Radio Astronomy podcast, the BBC Sky at Night Magazine team look back on their favourite space stories of the year, and find out how to capture images of Mars that can be used for science.
Thu Nov 22, 2018 10:53am
The Kepler space telescope has now retired, and it's safe to say it has changed our view of the Universe forever.
But, as this archive 2009 interview with then Kepler principal investigator Bill Borucki reveals, the project was initially difficult to get off the ground.
Wed Nov 21, 2018 11:44am
The residents of Beddgelert in North Wales were surprised when, one day in 1949, a meteorite crashed through the roof of a local hotel. The event has gone down in local history.
Katrin Raynor Evans, librarian at Cardiff Astronomical Society, reveals the story of the Beddgelert meteorite.
Tue Nov 20, 2018 1:59pm
Jack Clemons is a spaceflight engineer who worked throughout the Apollo and Shuttle missions helping astronauts return safely to Earth.
We spoke to Jack about the excitment of the Apollo era, the workings of NASA Mission Control and where spaceflight might take humanity next.
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