Astronomy

Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to observe asteroid 2024 YR4, which earlier this year seemed to be at risk of hitting Earth in 2032. Earth is now safe, but astronomers are cheering on a possible collision with the moon

Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to observe asteroid 2024 YR4, which earlier this year seemed to be at risk of hitting Earth in 2032. Earth is now safe, but astronomers are cheering on a possible collision with the moon

Swarms of satellites launched by SpaceX and other companies are disrupting astronomical observations. Here's how scientists are coping

Video: 00:15:30

Meet Arnaud Prost—aerospace engineer, professional diver, and member of ESA’s Astronaut Reserve. From flying aircraft to getting a taste of spacewalk simulation, his passion for exploration knows no bounds.

In this miniseries, we take you on a journey through the ESA Astronaut Reserve, diving into the first part of their Astronaut Reserve Training (ART) at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) near Cologne, Germany. Our “ARTists” are immersing themselves in everything from ESA and the International Space Station programme to the European space industry and institutions. They’re gaining hands-on experience in technical skills like spacecraft systems and robotics, alongside human behaviour, scientific lessons, scuba diving, and survival training.

ESA’s Astronaut Reserve Training programme is all about building Europe’s next generation of space explorers—preparing them for the opportunities of future missions in Earth orbit and beyond.

This interview was recorded in November 2024. 

You can listen to this episode on all major podcast platforms.

Keep exploring with ESA Explores!

Learn more about Arnaud’s PANGAEA training here.

Hiroyasu Tsukamota has developed a deep-learning-based guidance and control framework called Neural-Rendezvous that could allow spacecraft to safely encounter interstellar objects.

Week in images: 24-28 March 2025

Discover our week through the lens

The crew of SpaceX's pioneering Fram2 mission includes a polar explorer, a marine technology scientist, a filmmaker and a bitcoin magnate.

There are a number of ways that exoplanets have been discovered over recent years but a team of astronomers have been exploring other ways. One particular exciting method is to hunt for them by finding their magnetospheres! Earth and Jupiter are a great example of planets that are surrounded by strong magnetospheres that interact with solar activity and when they do, they release radio emissions. The team of researchers have been demonstrating just how they could detect Jupiter’s radio emissions using simulated data. Not only would they be able to detect it, but they could also measure its rotation and even detect interactions with its moons!

The long-standing question of how animals came to have an anus may have been solved by studies of which genes are active during development in various animals

The long-standing question of how animals came to have an anus may have been solved by studies of which genes are active during development in various animals

In a first, physicists have directly seen Hofstadter’s butterfly—a long-sought-after fractal in the quantum realm

Video: 00:05:23

For over a decade, ESA’s Gaia mission has mapped our galaxy with stunning precision—rewriting the story of the Milky Way. As its mission enters a new phase, we look back at its most groundbreaking discoveries.

When the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in December 2021, one of its primary purposes was to see the first galaxies in the Universe forming just a few million years after the Big Bang. In true JWST style though, it has surpassed all expectations and now, a team of astronomers think they have gone even further back, seeing one galaxy clearing the early fog that obscured the Universe! The image represents a point in time 330 million years after the Big Bang and reveals a bright hydrogen emission from the fog surrounding a galaxy. It was somewhat unexpected though as current models predict it would have been blown away long ago!

Here's everything you need to know to make the most of the partial solar eclipse on March 29, as the moon takes a 'bite' out of the sun.

One of the brightest galaxies in planet Earth's sky is similar in size

You'd think the Pacman Nebula would be eating stars, but actually it is forming them.

What causes a blue band to cross the Moon during a lunar eclipse?

If the full Moon suddenly faded, what would you see?

This was once a beach -- on ancient

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