WELCOME

THE FINAL ISSUE

The Andromeda Galaxy glows rosy red in a gorgeous new image

© NASA The rosy-red structures of a nearby

Hubble spies a very sparkly mini-galaxy

© NASA New images released by NASA’s Hubble

Perseverance begins an ambitious ascent up a Mars crater rim

© NASA NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has started

The Triangulum Galaxy shines in a new Hubble image

© NASA A nearby galaxy is shining with

A sprinkling of cosmic dust may have helped kick-start life on Earth

Cosmic dust accumulating on Earth could have provided

Starliner astronauts on why their craft returned to Earth without them

Boeing’s Starliner capsule might have been able to

Iron winds and molten metal rain ravage a hellish hot Jupiter exoplanet

WASP-76 b is a burning world with molten

A tiny NASA satellite detects its first massive gamma-ray burst

BurstCube was deployed into orbit on 18 April

NASA’s Juno probe spots a massive new volcano on Jupiter’s moon Io

A comparison of JunoCam data from February 2024

A long -lost moon could explain Mars’ weird shape and extreme terrain

Artist’s impression of Mars and its moons Phobos

THE FINAL FRONTIER

Beyond the reach of the Sun is a fascinating region of the cosmos that we’re only just beginning to explore

KANKOH-MARU

This ambitious reusable spacecraft will be capable of taking 50 people to and from orbit

MARS LEAKS FASTER WHEN IT’S CLOSER TO THE SUN

The Red Planet has lost enough water to space to form a global ocean hundreds of kilometres deep

NASA’S SOLAR SAIL SUCCESSFULLY SPREADS ITS WINGS IN SPACE

Spacecraft data has confirmed successful deployment of the futuristic technology

15STUNNING STAR CLUSTERS

These beautiful stellar groupings are spattered across the cosmos

AI IS REVEALING THE UNIVERSE’S ORIGINAL ‘SETTINGS’

Astronomers used artificial intelligence to calculate the five cosmological parameters that describe the entire universe in computer simulations with unprecedented precision

HOW TO BEAT LIGHT POLLUTION

Thought it was impossible to observe the wonders of the night sky from towns and cities? Think again. Follow our tips and tricks on successfully observing through sky glow

SURPRISING CLUE ABOUT VENUS’ PAST FOUND IN ITS ATMOSPHERE

The secret lies in the ratio of two specific elements

ZOMBIE STARS +10 OTHER TERRIFYING SPACE OBJECTS

All About Space reveals the scariest stars, planets and galaxies lurking in the corners of our universe

JAPANESE COMPANY TO DEORBIT A BIG HUNK OF SPACE JUNK BY 2029

The mission will target an outof-control rocket stage

WHERE ARE ALL THE SPIRAL GALAXIES?

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

NASA’S DART ASTEROID IMPACT PROBABLY WON’T SPARK METEOR SHOWERS ON EARTH

However, there might be some activity visible from the Red Planet

Ask Space

Although some planets have dozens of moons, Mercury

SETI SEARCHES FOR ALIEN LIFE IN OVER 1,000 GALAXIES USING UNEXPLORED RADIO FREQUENCIES

Although no aliens were found, the results have helped constrain expectations of possible alien transmitter power

“It was a difficult mission… we were the first to see Mir”

Having served as both the first female pilot and first female commander of NASA’s Space Shuttle, Collins boosted the involvement of women in space exploration to a whole new level

WHAT’S IN THE SKY?

What to look out for during this observing period

PLANETARIUM

THIS MONTH’S PLANETS

The second planet from the Sun makes for an impressive evening target

POSIDONIUS CRATER

Observe one of the Moon’s most recognisable asteroid impact craters this month

NAKED EYE AND BINOCULAR TARGETS

A blue supergiant, a dark rift and the famous ‘Double Double’ are on display

AUTUMN’S FADING GALAXIES

Winter is coming, but autumn’s deep-sky treasures can still be enjoyed through your telescope

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

You no longer need to stay up late to enjoy a whole host of night-sky objects

SKY-WATCHER EXPLORER 130

A Newtonian reflector that’s versatile, affordable and optically impressive with an equatorial mount to view Solar System objects, double stars and deep-sky targets

IN THE SHOPS: SOLAR SYSTEM

The best telescopes for viewing Solar System planets

SHANNON LUCID

The only American woman to stay on Mir