Astronomy

Disney has revealed its third animated Star Wars anthology series, which takes us deeper into the galaxy's darkest corners through the eyes of two infamous bounty hunters.

Fram2 crew was surprised to not see any evidence of human activity at the South Pole from 285 miles above.

This temporary pacemaker, smaller than a grain of rice, could regulate the heart less invasively

In about 5 billion years, our Sun will run out of fuel and expand, possibly engulfing Earth. These end stages of a star’s life can be utterly beautiful – as is the case with this planetary nebula called the Helix Nebula. Astronomers study these objects by looking at all kinds of light. This images show X-rays from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (magenta), optical light data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (orange, light blue), infrared data from the European Southern Observatory VISTA telescope (gold, dark blue), and ultraviolet data from GALEX (purple) of the Helix Nebula.

The European Space Agency's new documentary short tackles the question of whether space debris has reached crisis level.

After a stellar Yankees win on Saturday, torpedo bats are in the spotlight. Is there science behind these baseball bats?

A more precise definition of the second is crucial to all sorts of physical measurements – but to get there, scientists have to pack up their extraordinarily fragile optical clocks and take them on tour

A more precise definition of the second is crucial to all sorts of physical measurements – but to get there, scientists have to pack up their extraordinarily fragile optical clocks and take them on tour

Private launch companies Rocket Lab and Stoke Space have been selected to compete for future U.S. national security space launches.

New Trump administration tariffs on imported goods could exacerbate a shortage of parts used by the energy industry

A company in the Netherlands says it has perfected a way to create "graft chimeras" with the skin of one plant and the innards of another

A company in the Netherlands says it has perfected a way to create "graft chimeras" with the skin of one plant and the innards of another

From robot rights to ageing and climate change, this month’s science fiction squares up to the big topics, with new titles from authors including Nick Harkaway and Eve Smith

From robot rights to ageing and climate change, this month’s science fiction squares up to the big topics, with new titles from authors including Nick Harkaway and Eve Smith

A natural experiment in Wales showed that a shingles vaccine might lower the risk of developing dementia

Scientists have successfully fermented miso aboard the International Space Station, marking the first deliberate food fermentation in space that may open up new culinary possibilities for astronauts on long-term missions.

“The risks of remaining silent at this defining time are far greater than the risks of speaking out,” says one scientist regarding the Trump administration’s attacks on science

This streaming deal is a great alternative to Disney Plus as you can get three months of Starz for just $2.99 and watch Marvel content for less.

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This image shows Webb’s recent observation of the asteroid 2024 YR4 using both its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). Data from NIRCam shows reflected light, while the MIRI observations show thermal light.

On 8 March 2025, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope turned its watchful eye toward asteroid 2024 YR4, which we now know poses no significant threat to Earth in 2032 and beyond.

This is the smallest object targeted by Webb to date, and one of the smallest objects to have its size directly measured.

Observations were taken to study the thermal properties of 2024 YR4, including how quickly it heats up and cools down and how hot it is at its current distance from the Sun. These measurements indicate that this asteroid does not share properties observed in larger asteroids. This is likely a combination of its fast spin and lack of fine-grained sand on its surface. Further research is needed, however this is considered consistent with a surface dominated by rocks that are roughly fist-sized or larger.

Asteroid 2024 YR4 was recently under close watch by the team at ESA's Near Earth Objects Coordination Centre, located in Italy. Planetary defence experts from the Agency's Space Safety programme worked with NASA and the international asteroid community to closely watch this object and refine its orbit, which was eventually determined to not pose a risk of Earth impact. Read details on this unusual campaign via ESA's Rocket Science blog and in news articles here and here.

Webb’s observations indicate that the asteroid measures roughly 60 meters (comparable to the height of a 15-story building).

The new observations from Webb not only provide unique information about 2024 YR4’s size, but can also complement ground-based observations of the object's position to help improve our understanding of the object’s orbit and future trajectory.

Note: This post highlights data from Webb science in progress, which has not yet been through the peer-review process.

[Image description: A collage of three images showing the black expanse of space. Two-thirds of the collage is taken up by the black background sprinkled with small, blurry galaxies in orange, blue, and white. There are two images in a column at the right side of the collage. On the right side of the main image, not far from the top, a very faint dot is outlined with a white square. At the right, there are two zoomed in views of this area. The top box is labeled NIRCam and shows a fuzzy dot at the center of the inset. The bottom box is labeled MIRI and shows a fuzzy pinkish dot.]