Your essential guide to the many breathtaking wonders of the universe
22 April 2023
An abridged inventory of everything there is in the universe – from rogue planets and exomoons to supernovae, supermassive black holes and the cosmic web.
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Premium
Found 20 results for dwarf planet
How JWST could find signs of alien life in exoplanet atmospheres
9 November 2022
The James Webb Space Telescope can peer into alien skies like never before. With six potentially habitable planets within its sights, astronomers are entering a new era in the search for biology beyond our solar system
The hunt for habitable ocean worlds beyond our solar system
24 October 2022
Astronomers think that planets covered in water, with oceans hundreds of metres deep, could be relatively common in our galaxy. Now the race is on to find one
7 big questions the James Webb Space Telescope is about to answer
6 July 2022
NASA has just released the first full-colour image from the James Webb Space Telescope. Here’s what it is looking at first – and how it will address the biggest mysteries of the universe
Is our solar system a cosmic oddity? Evidence from exoplanets says yes
1 December 2021
When we started finding planetary systems around other stars we thought many of them would be like ours. We’ve now found hundreds – and it’s so far, so wrong
Chris Mason interview: Let's tweak human DNA for life on other planets
14 July 2021
To become an interplanetary species, we may have to genetically engineer ourselves to be more resilient, says geneticist Chris Mason. He has a 500-year plan for life away from Earth
Alien plants: The search for photosynthesis on other worlds
5 May 2021
Looking for signs of life in exoplanet atmospheres is fraught with uncertainty. But now that we can detect polarised light reflected directly off other worlds, we could spot unmistakable evidence of photosynthesis
Is there an ancient black hole at the edge of the solar system?
31 March 2021
Hints of a hefty source of gravity beyond Pluto sparked the search for a possible “Planet Nine”. Now, some astronomers think it could instead be a black hole from the big bang, offering a rare glimpse into the early universe
There are weird volcanoes everywhere we look in the solar system
2 December 2020
Bizarre volcanoes that ooze ice magma or explode like geysers reveal the geological rumblings beneath other worlds. Some might even provide the spark for alien life
We can harness the solar wind to sail to the farthest corners of space
28 October 2020
Rockets eventually run out of fuel, which limits how far they can go. But now we are mastering the art of solar sailing, we can expect to keep exploring into distant, uncharted space
