The UK is leading the development of one of the core instruments of the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a mission to search for Earth-like planets and study their atmospheres. The observatory aims to answer whether we are alone in the universe with technological advances and scientific breakthroughs.
Scientists have focused on a specific frequency range, known as the 'water hole,' to search for alien signals. A new study suggests that high-frequency radio telescopes could play an important role in future SETI programs and may provide an alternative avenue for detecting technological signals.
A geomagnetic storm highlighted weaknesses in UK infrastructure, with scientists calling for better monitoring and forecasting to protect critical systems. The May 2024 storm caused relatively minor disruption but was a one-in-13-year event, highlighting the need for improved preparedness.
Astronomers discovered high-speed 'bullets' of oxygen-rich gas shooting out of the only known helium nova in Milky Way, confirming binary system responsible for rare stellar explosion. The discovery provides unprecedented opportunity to study one of universe's rarest types of stellar explosions.
Researchers found that galaxies with slowly rotating stellar haloes are more likely to have experienced a major disc flip, where the galaxy's disc changed its orientation by more than 90 degrees. This discovery provides clues about how the Milky Way assembled and may offer indirect hints about the motion of its invisible dark matter halo.
A new study found evidence of rising temperatures in Mars' lower atmosphere when solar storms and global dust storms coincided. Researchers detected unusual heating patterns that could not be explained by the storm alone, suggesting a complex atmospheric environment on Mars.
A new UK-built instrument, MAGIC, will measure the Sun's magnetic field much farther upstream than current real-time space weather monitors. This mission aims to extend advance warning of severe solar storms from tens of minutes to several hours.
Scientists predict Solar Cycle 26's strength by analyzing sunspots at a newly-identified 'switch-off' point. This method gives a longer lead time than current methods, allowing for potential improvements in understanding the solar dynamo and predicting space weather.
Researchers developed an ultra-black coating to reduce light pollution from satellites, making their surfaces significantly fainter. The coating, Vantablack® 310, reflects only around two per cent of incoming light, reducing bright flashes produced by reflective satellite surfaces.
An international team of astrophysicists has confirmed the universe's expansion is accelerating, contradicting a recent claim that it was slowing down. The researchers used Type Ia supernovae to determine the acceleration of the cosmos, with no flaw in the widely-accepted theory of dark energy.
Researchers have discovered a 'galaxy-killing wind' that could explain the origin of massive dead galaxies in the early universe. Using JWST and ALMA, they imaged a galaxy one billion years after the Big Bang, revealing a huge plume of cold gas extending far away from it.
Astronomers have found strong evidence that young red dwarf stars can swallow their own nearby planets. The study, published in Monthly Notices of the Astronomical Society, suggests that six different red dwarfs had engulfed Earth-like rocky planets, providing a fresh burst of lithium to their atmospheres.
Scientists have found that the Sun's internal 'biorhythm' has undergone significant changes over the past 40 years, with solar magnetic activity becoming more tightly confined near the surface. This discovery suggests the Sun may be entering a new phase of activity that could impact space weather.
Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies, tiny satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, can reflect conditions of the early universe, shedding light on galaxy formation and dark matter. Simulations suggest these small galaxies are sensitive to early radiation environment and can probe the universe's earliest climate.
The COLIBRE simulations successfully reproduce real galaxies in the present-day universe and early universe as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope. The models include cold gas and cosmic dust, which strongly affect galaxy appearance in telescopes.
A new study reveals the Milky Way's southern halo is up to 12% warmer than the northern half due to an internal combustion engine-like effect caused by the Large Magellanic Cloud. The compression of gas in this process heats up, affecting the temperature difference between the two regions.
Researchers pinpoint 45 rocky worlds with potential to support life, including TRAPPIST-1 d and e, Proxima Centauri b, and Kepler 186f. The study also explores the boundaries of habitability using exoplanets with unusual orbits.
Researchers believe a gigantic ring system surrounding a brown dwarf or super-Jupiter could have blocked the star's light, causing an extremely rare fading star phenomenon. The dimming lasted nearly 200 days, making it one of the longest ever observed.
Researchers propose an alternative explanation for the galactic centre: an enormous clump of mysterious dark matter exerting gravitational influence. The model also explains the galaxy's large-scale rotation and predicts a unique cosmic structure.
Astronomers have captured a vivid portrait of a 'reborn' black hole, likened to the eruption of a 'cosmic volcano', in the radio galaxy J1007+3540. The black hole's newly ignited jets are being bent and distorted by the massive galaxy cluster environment.
New research reveals the structure of matter surrounding supermassive black holes has changed over cosmic time, challenging a fundamental assumption about their behavior. The study combines new X-ray observations to explore the relation between X-ray and ultraviolet light intensity of an unprecedentedly large sample of quasars.
A new study using advanced computer simulations has shed light on the mysterious chemical history of the Milky Way. Researchers found that galaxies like the Milky Way can develop two distinct chemical sequences through various mechanisms, challenging previous assumptions about the role of cosmic gas flows and galaxy mergers.
A new study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society suggests that the universe's expansion may have started to slow rather than accelerate at an ever-increasing rate. The findings cast doubt on the long-standing theory of dark energy, which is believed to be driving distant galaxies away increasingly faster.
Astronomers have discovered the most powerful and distant 'odd radio circle' (ORC) known so far, located nearly at redshift ~0.94. The ORC is linked to superwind outflows from spiral host radio galaxies.
Researchers found cosmic dust with crystalline structures and PAHs in the Butterfly Nebula, revealing how rocky planets form. The discovery provides a clearer picture of planetary nebula formation.
New research suggests Jupiter's core is actually formed through gradual absorption of heavy and light materials as the planet grew, rather than a massive collision. This dilute core structure blends into the surrounding layers without a sharp boundary.
Astronomers have identified an extremely rare hierarchical quadruple star system consisting of a pair of cold brown dwarfs orbiting two young red dwarf stars. The discovery provides a unique cosmic laboratory for studying these mysterious objects, which are too big to be considered planets but also lack the mass to be full-fledged stars.
Researchers have discovered a potentially massive black hole, 36 billion solar masses, in the Cosmic Horseshoe galaxy. The discovery was made using a combination of gravitational lensing and stellar kinematics, allowing for more certainty about the mass of this black hole than previous measurements.
A newly discovered interstellar object named 3I/ATLAS is likely to be the oldest comet ever seen, possibly predating our solar system by more than three billion years. The 'water ice-rich' visitor is travelling on a steep path through the galaxy and may be over seven billion years old.
Women and ethnic minority groups continue to be underrepresented in astronomy and geophysics, with 97% of permanent staff being white. Despite efforts to increase representation, the fields still struggle with low numbers of female professors and senior lecturers, but show some improvement among postdoctoral researchers.
Researchers discovered over 15,000 kilometers of ancient riverbeds on Mars, suggesting that the planet may have experienced warm and wet conditions for a geologically relevant period. The presence of fluvial sinuous ridges indicates that flowing water was once widespread in Noachis Terra.
M-MATISSE aims to unravel Mars' magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere using two identical spacecraft. The mission could provide crucial insights into the planet's habitability and evolution.
A UK-backed mission, VERVE, is set to search and map gases rich in hydrogen that shouldn't be present on Venus. The probe will investigate potential biomarkers phosphine and ammonia, which could indicate the presence of microbial lifeforms.
The UK is launching its first solar storm monitor, UK-ODESSI, to strengthen its position in space weather observation and forecasting. The mission will deploy a suite of homegrown scientific instruments on a low-cost spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, including a coronagraph and high-energy particle instrument.
Researchers suggest our galaxy might sit in a large, local void that makes the cosmos expand faster here than elsewhere. The 'sound of the Big Bang' supports this idea by distorting baryon acoustic oscillations, which provide a standard ruler for charting cosmic expansion history.
A UK-led mission plans to recreate artificial solar eclipses in space to study the Sun's atmosphere and shed light on space weather. The MESOM mission would use a mini-satellite and the Moon's shadow to capture unprecedented views of the Sun's corona.
Astronomers aim to unlock secrets of the 'Cosmic Dawn' by sending a miniature spacecraft to detect faint signals from hydrogen in early universe. The UK-led CosmoCube mission would observe from far side of Moon, creating a quiet spot to listen for an 'ancient whisper'.
Research suggests that airport radar systems and military operations can inadvertently reveal our existence to potential advanced alien civilizations due to hidden electromagnetic leakage. Worldwide aviation hubs like Heathrow and Gatwick emit signals strong enough to be detected by telescopes up to 200 light-years away.
Researchers have detected planet-forming 'pebbles' around two young stars, DG Tau and HL Tau, revealing large reservoirs of pebbles out to at least Neptune-like orbits. This discovery offers an early glimpse into the formation of planetary systems and may help understand how planets are formed.
Researchers have found evidence of a new population of faint galaxies hidden in the far-infrared sky, which could break current models of galaxy numbers and evolution. The discovery was made using data from the Herschel Space Observatory, which revealed a deeper image of the universe than ever before.
Astronomers have discovered a cosmic anomaly that challenges our understanding of the universe, revealing a spiral galaxy harboring a supermassive black hole billions of times the Sun's mass. This discovery forces us to rethink how galaxies evolve and how supermassive black holes grow in them.
A new study suggests that violent supernovae caused at least two mass extinction events in Earth's history, including the late Devonian and Ordovician extinctions. Researchers believe a nearby supernova could have stripped the planet's atmosphere of ozone, sparking acid rain and exposing life to harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Researchers found a remarkable X-ray flash in archived Chandra Observatory data, hinting at possible explanations: X-ray burst, magnetar flare, or new cosmic event. The discovery showcases the potential of AI for scientific breakthroughs in astronomical archives.
Researchers developed a new algorithm that combines fibre optic data with traditional seismometer measurements to improve earthquake detection. The approach works well even in noisy environments and can be applied to any fibre network, enabling more detailed and effective seismic monitoring networks.
A team of physicists and astronomers found that the Universe is expanding in a more varied way than previously thought, making dark energy unnecessary. The new evidence supports the timescape model of cosmic expansion, which attributes differences in stretching light to calibration issues rather than dark energy.
Researchers found evidence of magnetic fields in the core of a merging galaxy, which could regulate star formation and explain why some galaxies form stars more efficiently than others. The discovery provides a new understanding of galaxy mergers and their role in shaping the universe.
Astronomers have observed a massive galaxy collision sparked by a speeding galaxy traveling at 2 million mph. The collision has been seen in unprecedented detail using the William Herschel Telescope Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (WEAVE) wide-field spectrograph.
A new theoretical model estimates the probability of intelligent life emerging in our Universe and potentially in multiverse scenarios. The model suggests that the observed dark energy density in our Universe is not the most likely to support life, but a higher density would still be compatible.
Astronomers have discovered a 'weird' and unprecedented galaxy in the early Universe, with its gas outshining its stars. This phenomenon could provide clues about how galaxies evolved between the Big Bang and familiar galaxies.
Astronomers have recorded hundreds of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in a massive global effort that rivals the 250-year-old Messier catalogue. The collection includes 64,813 photometric observations and showcases collaborative research across nations.