Astronomy

A team of researchers has cracked the code for building space telescopes with mirrors the size of a soccer field, not from perfectly figured glass, but from liquid floating in zero gravity! The new research reveals how a 50-metre liquid mirror telescope could maintain its optical quality for decades despite the constant slewing motions needed to observe different stars, with deformations taking years to propagate from the edges toward the centre. The idea could enable the next generation of space telescopes capable of directly imaging Earth-like planets around other stars, potentially answering the ultimate question: are we alone in the universe?

A team of scientists are preparing to use NASA's upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory to answer one of the most profound questions of all time: How does life begin? Rather than searching for individual signs of life, the team plan to study patterns across dozens of exoplanets to test competing theories about the origins of life; from scenarios where life is so rare we might be alone within 33 light-years, to theories predicting that life emerges wherever basic conditions exist. This approach could transform perhaps our oldest question into testable science, potentially revealing whether our biosphere is an accident or part of a universe teeming with life.

Prime Day finished on July 11 and there are still some late savings on telescopes and binoculars, but they won't last forever.

Astrophotographer Philippe Tosi captured explosive Ellerman bombs on the sun's surface as an active sunspot turned toward Earth.

The Sony A7R V mirrorless camera plunges to just $3200 at Walmart, a staggering $1000 saving that eclipses Amazon's Prime Day price!

As the newest Superman film hits theaters, we cast our X-ray vision back on every live-action incarnation of the Fortress of Solitude, from its 1978 debut to its 2025 return.

"July Manhattanhenge is what I call the goodbye to the grid."

It's the last day of Amazon Prime Day and some of these deals are ending tonight. Grab some new optics in time to see Saturn's rings!

We tested the YGiTK Northern Galaxy Lights Projector and loved its multifunctionality and near-silent operation — today's your last chance to save 26%.

Jared Isaacman, the billionaire private astronaut who until recently was on track to lead NASA, is donating $15 million to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center for its Space Camp programs.

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has said she will hold a hearing on geoengineering as conspiracy theories have swirled around cloud seeding after the recent floods in Texas

Earth may be safe from an impact by the asteroid 2024 YR4, but it still has a chance of striking the moon. This lunar impact could pose a risk to space tech and astronauts.

You can save a massive $165 on the DJI Air 3, one of the best camera drones, which we think is the perfect balance of power and portability.

The Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon set is a faithful reproduction of the most legendary Star Wars starship; you'll have to make the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs to grab one, though.

If NASA must pull back, Europe is ready to step up — and do so with open arms.

The test encountered an anomaly.

Week in images: 07-11 July 2025

Discover our week through the lens

A drop in shipping emissions has caused a surge in warming at the Great Barrier Reef, fuelling calls for drastic actions such as marine cloud brightening to lower the risk of coral bleaching