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Future moon missions probably won't carry astronauts - here's why

Future moon missions probably won't carry astronauts - here's why

8 July 2019

Unlike the Apollo missions, the new era of moon exploration might be about mining, tourism or art. The reason we pick to return will define the moon's future


Nocturnal sun artwork

Bright skies at night: The riddle of the nocturnal sun

19 December 2017

Before artificial lights blinded our sight, reports of nights as bright as day were common. What lay behind the phenomenon was a mystery – until now


We may have just seen the first comet from another solar system

We may have just seen the first comet from another solar system

25 October 2017

An icy comet just hurtled past the sun on a strange path that suggests it came from outside our solar system, making it the first such interloper we've ever spotted


Gale Crater on Mars

Methane burps on young Mars helped it keep its liquid water

2 October 2017

The mystery of how water on Mars lasted for millions of years may come down to methane explosions that warmed the planet enough to melt ice and make rivers flow


Slingshot around Titan is the beginning of the end for Cassini

Slingshot around Titan is the beginning of the end for Cassini

11 September 2017

The Cassini spacecraft is passing by Titan on its final nosedive into Saturn. Plenty has been revealed about Saturn’s largest moon on Cassini’s 20-year mission


desert

Stripy ponds in the Utah desert help green the bone-dry land

6 September 2017

Multicoloured patchwork ponds in this desert play a key part in tapping sources of potassium chloride, a vital fertiliser


An asteroid named after Florence Nightingale whizzed past Earth on 1 September

Asteroid Florence buzzes Earth in closest fly-by since 1890

4 September 2017

A 4.4-kilometre-wide space rock whizzed past Earth on its closest orbit in over a century. This asteroid won’t get this close again until after 2500


Hidden pockets of turbulent gas fuel stars in far-off galaxies

Hidden pockets of turbulent gas fuel stars in far-off galaxies

30 August 2017

Galactic winds once thought to slow star formation may be driving the creation of new stars in distant galaxies, challenging long held beliefs about galaxy evolution


Weird ancient burst of light in the sky turns out to be a nova

Weird ancient burst of light in the sky turns out to be a nova

30 August 2017

Six centuries ago, Korean astronomers recorded a bright spot in the night sky. A 25-year hunt for that star has settled a debate about how classical novae behave


New Scientist Default Image

Huge impact could have smashed early Earth into a doughnut shape

31 May 2017

Many rocky worlds may have spent time as a newly named planetary form called a synestia – a loosely connected blob of molten rock and dust with a dented middle


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