Ancient explosion was a rare supernova

New model suggests Hawking radiation is speeding cosmic decay Scientists have long predicted that the Universe’s lifetime is effectively forever – specifically, 101100 years. But now scientists from R

On 23 July 1999, Space Shuttle Columbia launched its heaviest-ever payload: the Chandra X-ray Observatory, a new flagship telescope for NASA. It is the world’s most powerful X-ray telescope, capable o

Neutron stars can suffer quakes far more powerful than anything on Earth

Galaxies come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They can be broadly classified as spiral, elliptical or irregular, but each of these still leaves plenty of scope for variety. Take, for instance, the s

Stephenson 1 is a cluster that deserves to be better known. Delta (δ) Lyrae is a very wide (10-arcminute) and bright (mag. +4.3 and + 5.6) double star with a stunning colour contrast. It’s not a true

You’re woken in the middle of the night by an urgent phone call. An asteroid is headed straight for Earth and it’s your job to find out if it’ll strike the planet and rain destruction down upon us all