WELCOME

Issue 128

LAUNCH PAD

YOUR FIRST CONTACT WITH THE UNIVERSE

SPACE FORCE PLANS TO SEND A PATROL PROBE OUT PAST THE MOON

IN COOPERATION WITH The US military is planning

VENUS’ EXTREME SURFACE HEAT DRIVES SWIRLING WINDS IN UPPER ATMOSPHERE

Venus captured by NASA’s Mariner 10 spacecraft ©

NEW SKY MAP SHOWCASES MORE THAN 4 MILLION GALAXIES AND OTHER OBJECTS

The LOFAR ‘superterp’. Part of the core

NASA’S ARTEMIS 1 MOON MISSION WON’T LAUNCH UNTIL MAY

A close-up view of NASA’s Artemis 1

THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE WILL MAP HALF A MILLION EARLY GALAXIES

Artist’s impression of Webb in space ©

STRANGELY TILTED BLACK HOLE CHALLENGES FORMATION THEORIES

Artist’s impression of the X-ray binary system containing

SECRETS OF BLACK HOLES

PLACES WHERE THE LAWS OF PHYSICS ARE PUSHED TO THE EXTREME

DISTANT TARGET ANALYSIS

When it comes to protecting Earth from impacts, it’s crucial to know what asteroids are made of. NASA is working on a device to find out

“BILLIONS OF THEM PASS THROUGH US EVERY SECOND”

The nuclear physicist and ESET Science Award laureate reveals what tantalising information neutrinos can tell us about the cosmos

NEW ATOMIC CLOCK LOSES JUST ONE SECOND EVERY 300 BILLION YEARS

The device could help hunt dark matter or search for gravitational waves

GREATEST SPACE MYSTERIES

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE, ACCORDING TO ASTROPHYSICISTS, PLANETARY SCIENTISTS AND ASTRONOMERS

RYUGU SAMPLES REVEAL ASTEROID’S INNER WORKINGS

Pieces of rock from the asteroid Ryugu splashed down on Earth in 2020

DID MARS’ DEEP INTERIOR CAUSE A LOSS OF ITS ATMOSPHERE?

A new study gives insight into how the Red Planet’s magnetic field faded away

THE MOON-LANDING HOAX

WHY DOES THE THEORY STILL LIVE ON? ALL ABOUT SPACE DEBUNKS A HOAX THAT RAGES AMONG CONSPIRACY THEORISTS EVER SINCE NEIL ARMSTRONG AND BUZZ ALDRIN LANDED ON THE LUNAR SURFACE

HOW DID EARTH GET ITS WATER?

Moon rocks suggest that the water might have been here all along

KILLER UNIVERSE

RELATIVELY SAFE IN OUR PROTECTIVE BUBBLE, SOME FORCES COULD END LIFE ON EARTH FOREVER. IS THE COSMOS OUT TO GET US?

VERY LARGE TELESCOPE FINDS NEW SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE

Scientists spotted the supermassive black hole hiding inside thick cosmic dust

HOW MANY STARS ARE THERE IN THE UNIVERSE?

WITH A FLEET OF MISSIONS SCOURING THE COSMOS, WILL IT EVER BE POSSIBLE TO COME TO AN ESTIMATE?

How do black holes form?

ASK space Our experts answer your questions There

PLANET PROFILE URANUS

The ice giant that’s shrouded in mystery has fascinated explorers for decades

What’s in the sky?

In this issue…

PLANETARIUM 7 APRil 2022

Illumination percentage Planet positions All rise and set

THIS MONTH’S PLANETS

A planetary parade featuring Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn is something spectacular to look out for in the dawn sky

HELL

Finding this fascinating crater isn’t as hard as its name suggests

NAKED EYE & BINOCULAR TARGETS

The early spring sky offers bright stars and some challenging deep-sky objects

Night-sky jewels of the Hunting Dogs and the Great Bear

Spring has arrived, and with it a wealth of deep-sky objects on which to turn your telescope

THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

Spring lets you look out of the plane of the Milky Way, while ​some bright stars of winter still linger

ASTROSHOTS OF THE MONTH

Get featured in All About Space by sending your astrophotography images to space@spaceanswers.com

CANON 10x42L IS WP BINOCULAR

An outstanding choice for super-steady stargazing thanks to fabulous image stabilisation, a waterproof design and large objective lenses

IN THE SHOPS

The latest books, apps, software, tech and accessories for space and astronomy fans alike

EDWIN EUGENE “BUZZ” ALDRIN

Serving as the Lunar Module pilot, the US astronaut was the second person on the Moon