Planets
Space dust from 4.2bn-year-old asteroid could hold key to preventing cataclysmic collisions with Earth
Rubble pile asteroid is almost as old as the solar system, a sign that it can withstand great shocks and may be difficult to destroy, research suggests
Donna Lu
24, Jan, 2023 @8:57 AM
Will we ever set up an outpost on another planet?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts
20, Nov, 2022 @2:00 PM
How to see tonight’s blood moon total lunar eclipse from Australia and New Zealand
Moon will take on a red hue as light reaching it passes through dust in the Earth’s atmosphere
Tanya Hill for the Conversation
07, Nov, 2022 @10:39 PM
Starwatch: opposition is a chance to see Uranus with the naked eye
Earth will be directly between the sun and Uranus this week, making our solar system’s seventh planet appear brighter than usual
Stuart Clark
07, Nov, 2022 @5:45 AM
Webb telescope zooms in on planet beyond our solar system
The team observed carbon dioxide on a hot gas giant called Wasp-39b, about 700 light years away
Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
25, Aug, 2022 @4:11 PM
Oh my days! Midnight comes a fraction sooner as Earth spins faster
Analysis: Reflecting a recent trend, 29 June was the shortest day on our planet since the 1960s. What’s going on?
Ian Sample Science editor
01, Aug, 2022 @1:54 PM
Starwatch: Mars guides way to spotting Uranus
Seventh planet technically visible as pale blue dot with help of binoculars
Stuart Clark
01, Aug, 2022 @4:00 AM
Journey to the mystery planet: why Uranus is the new target for space exploration
The last time a probe visited the distant ice giant was in 1986, yet learning more about this cold world could tell us a lot about the galaxy
Robin McKie
16, Jul, 2022 @3:00 PM
Rare sight for amateur astronomers as five planets align
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible in order of their distance from the sun from Friday
Ian Sample Science editor
02, Jun, 2022 @6:00 AM
Pluto’s peaks are ice volcanoes, scientists conclude
Existence of volcanoes makes idea that dwarf planet is inert ball of ice look increasingly improbable
Linda Geddes Science correspondent
29, Mar, 2022 @3:00 PM
Starwatch: where to look to spot the elusive Mercury
Small rocky planet is relatively high in the sky these days, and this is a good chance to see it
Stuart Clark
10, Jan, 2022 @6:00 AM
Out of this world: did Earth’s water come from icy comets and grains of space dust?
New British research backs theory that parched planet’s water all came from extraterrestrial source
Robin McKie Science editor
11, Dec, 2021 @5:00 PM
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