Subscribe now
A spotter's guide to the Milky Way's most badly behaved stars

A spotter's guide to the Milky Way's most badly behaved stars

18 December 2019

There are around a hundred billion stars in the Milky Way, and most are rather humdrum – but the oddballs are so strange that they challenge our understanding of physics


Astronaut on Moon

Moon rocks can tell us where life could thrive beyond the solar system

8 July 2019

Moon rocks collected by the Apollo missions contain a pristine record of Earth's history. Reading it can teach us where best to look for habitable exoplanets


10 mysteries of the universe: Is our solar system normal?

10 mysteries of the universe: Is our solar system normal?

19 September 2018

Puffball planets the density of polystyrene are just some of the oddities we’ve spied in other solar systems – is our own backyard the exception, not the rule?


10 mysteries of the universe: What is dark matter?

10 mysteries of the universe: What is dark matter?

19 September 2018

It’s invisible, and yet the motions of galaxies suggest it must be there. But a recent discovery has just deepened the mystery of the universe we cannot see


Europa

Cassini's legacy: Where next in the search for alien life

11 September 2017

Without Cassini and its forebears we would never have guessed life may lurk in the cold outer reaches of the solar system – now we know just where to look


When is a black hole not a black hole? When it’s a boson star

When is a black hole not a black hole? When it’s a boson star

12 July 2017

Astronomers are confident they know what the mysterious massive object at the Milky Way’s heart is – but our first direct view this year could bring a shock


Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop