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Someone using one of the best telescopes
Best telescopes 2025: Observe galaxies, nebulas and planets Find the best telescopes to unlock the wonders of the night sky and view lunar occultations, celestial conjunctions and planetary parades in January.
Huge, red "super-Jupiter" exoplanet orbits its star.
What's the largest planet in the universe? Astronomers have found planets that are twice as wide as Jupiter and more than 10 times as heavy, but there's a limit to how big planets can get.
An artist's illustration of the James Webb Space Telescope.
James Webb Space Telescope quiz: How well do you know the world's most powerful telescope? The James Webb Space Telescope can look deeper (and earlier) into the cosmos than any telescope before it. How much do you know about this wonder of technology and its incredible findings?

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'That's Zero Folks!': Asteroid 2024 YR4 is no longer a hazard

By Patrick Pester published

The likelihood of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth in 2032 rose and fell last week. NASA's impact odds are now so slim that the asteroid is no longer a hazard on the Torino asteroid scale.

Asteroids
An artist's illustration of the Voyager 1 probe travelling into the Oort Cloud.

NASA supercomputer reveals strange spiral structure at the edge of our solar system

By Ben Turner published

The mysterious Oort cloud is the source of many of our solar system's comets, but astronomers still have no idea what it looks like. Now, new simulations may have given them a first glimpse.

Space

Space photo of the week: James Webb telescope reveals mysterious 'light echo' in the broken heart of Cassiopeia

By Shreejaya Karantha published

Beautifully captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), this image shows interstellar gas and dust lit up by a dead star in Cassiopeia.

Astronomy

James Webb Space Telescope reveals how a cosmic 'Phoenix' cools off to birth stars

By Robert Lea published

"The Phoenix cluster has the largest reservoir of hot, cooling gas of any galaxy cluster."

Astronomy

China is building a space telescope to rival the JWST — and it could survive in orbit decades longer

By Paul Sutter published

Chinese scientists have announced details on the upcoming China Space Station Telescope (CSST), a cutting-edge observatory that will rival the JWST.

Space Exploration

'Just the tip of the iceberg': Why risky asteroids like 2024 YR4 will pester Earth for decades to come

By Patrick Pester published

The world is watching as NASA tweaks the odds that asteroid 2024 YR4 will hit Earth. But how threatening is YR4, and how does it compare to other potentially hazardous space rocks?

Asteroids

Asteroid YR4 impact odds plummet as NASA changes threat level of 'city-killer'

By Patrick Pester published

NASA has been changing the odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth in recent days, but the latest shift significantly downgrades the asteroid's threat level and makes a moon strike more likely.

Asteroids
An artist's illustration of three black holes merging.

Scientists may have just discovered 300 of the rarest black holes in the universe

By Ben Turner published

How black holes grow to monstrous scales is one of astronomy's prevailing enigmas. A new record-breaking dataset, which reveals 300 potential 'missing link black holes', could help to unravel it.

Black Holes
The Milky Way's central region, where Sagittarius and the group of ancient stars can be found, above Telluride, Canada.

Beginner's guide to astrophotography

By Kimberley Lane last updated

Learn how to capture the night sky — tips on choosing the best camera and lens, plus advice on camera settings, choosing a good location and apps to help plan your shoot.

Space

NASA just changed the odds of asteroid YR4 hitting Earth in 2032 yet again

By Patrick Pester published

NASA increased the chances of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth to 1 in 32, or 3.1%, on Tuesday, but they're now back down to 1 in 67, or 1.5%.

Asteroids
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