WELCOME

ISSUE 157

A massive icy crater stares up at a Mars orbiter

© ESA A massive impact crater dominates a

A dusty galaxy looks like a cosmic net in a new Hubble photo

A new Hubble image highlights the intricacies of

An enchanting new Hubble image reveals an infant star’s sparkle

© NASA Have you ever wondered what our

‘God’s Hand’ interstellar cloud reaches for the stars

© CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA The Dark Energy Camera (DECam) has

The Pentagon wants the commercial space reserve to support military satellites in orbit

The US Department of Defense is developing a

Something strange is happening with Earth’s magnetic field’s tail

You may not know this, but Earth’s magnetic

India’s ambitious second Mars mission will include a rover, helicopter, sky crane and supersonic parachute

India is preparing to launch a family of

The solar storm frenzy of May 2024 was strong enough to affect the deep sea

Aurorae were seen across the world thanks to

The Milk y Way’s halo is filled with ‘magnetic doughnuts’ as wide as 100,000 light years

There’s still much to learn about our home

Stars give tiny planets a gravitational ‘squeeze’ to strip away their atmospheres

Artist’s impression of a small, close-orbiting planet ©

STARQUAKES

STARS ARE PLAYING A COSMIC CONCERTO THAT CAN REVEAL THE DEEP SECRETS OF THEIR INTERIORS

PROJECT DRAGONFLY

The innovative laser sail technology that could propel us to interstellar space

“It feels like magic”

The first Canadian to walk in space tells us about his life in Earth orbit, his music and photography and why he broke into a space station with an army knife

DOES A COSMIC ‘GLITCH’ IN GRAVITY CHALLENGE ALBERT EINSTEIN’S GREATEST THEORY?

Gravity changes once you reach a cosmic scale

LONG AGO, A LAKE ON MARS MAY HAVE BEEN SPRAWLING WITH MICROBES

Curiosity discovered manganese oxide in bedrock in a Martian region that may have been a shoreline billions of years ago

THE TEN BEST IMAGES TAKEN FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

The orbiting laboratory has a unique view of Earth and its surroundings

DID WEBB REALLY FIND LIFE BEYOND EARTH? SCIENTISTS AREN’T SO SURE

Reports of life signs detected in the atmosphere of the potential ocean world K2-18 b may have been premature

CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Alongside Earth, our planetary neighbourhood is changing, but it’s not for the better…

NASA’S CHANDRA SPOTS A SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE ERUPTING IN THE MILKY WAY’S HEART

Even quiet black holes like Sagittarius A* need to vent sometimes

UNIVERSE BEFORE TIME

Could the existence of a mirror-image cosmos before the Big Bang solve some of the biggest mysteries in astronomy?

APOPHIS WILL COME TO EARTH IN 2029, AND IT COULD MEET SOME TINY SPACECRAFT

Scientists have unveiled three concepts for tiny spacecraft that could voyage from Earth to meet the asteroid in April 2029

IS THERE ANOTHER PLANET BEYOND NEPTUNE?

There are now five lines of evidence suggesting the existence of Planet Nine

CHINA’S CHANG’E 6 PROBE HAS A BIG LUNAR MYSTERY TO SOLVE

The material Chang’e 6 will bring back will be the first samples from the lunar far side

What’s the difference between a globular cluster and an open cluster?

Globular cluster NGC 6380 lies approximately 35,000 light

How do we know that the Milky Way is a spiral galaxy?

We can learn a lot about the Milky

What would happen if Earth began rotating in the opposite direction?

Earth’s rotation affects weather patterns across the planet

Why do comets orbit the Sun in an elliptical path?

The laws of gravitational motion determine a comet’s

What is Hoag’s Object?

Hoag’s Object spans around 100,000 light years and

Can galaxies die?

Galactic mergers can give rise to new galaxies

What’s the most sunsets you could see on Earth in one day?

Concorde planes would have been able to keep

WHAT’S IN THE SKY?

What to look out for during this observing period

PLANETARIUM

THIS MONTH’S PLANETS

Most of the planets are tricky targets this month, but our guide will help you locate them

HELL

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

NAKED EYE AND BINOCULAR TARGETS

The summer Milky Way offers a plethora of objects

STELLAR TREASURES OF THE ARCHER AND SCORPION

Summer skies are stuffed full of amazing objects for your telescope – if you’re prepared to stay up late

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

Bright and faint magnitude targets are on offer for astronomers armed with the right equipment

CELESTRON SK YMASTER PRO 20x80

This binocular offers a massive aperture, interchangeable eyecups and incredible deep-sky views

BEST TELESCOPE MOUNTS OF 2024

Sky-Watcher EQ5 Deluxe Mount and Tripod Cost: £329

HUGH L. DRYDEN

He built NASA into the world’s greatest space agency