Billion-galaxy map now even bigger

When the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched on Christmas Day 2021, astronomers hoped it would revolutionise our understanding of the early stages of the Universe. And they were right. Almost a

Driving up dusty mountain roads flanked by cacti and colourful bursts of wildflowers, it’s hard to imagine these quiet peaks in the Chilean Andes are home to some of the most sophisticated astronomica

VICTOR M BLANCO 4-METER TELESCOPE, 9 JULY 2025 This is NGC 6188, an emission nebula 4,000 lightyears from Earth, known as the Fighting Dragons of Ara because of its resemblance to two dragons preparin

Alíz Kovács-Zöldi considers…

Imagine an early human out on the savannah, stepping away from the evening fire, glancing up at the dark sky and being totally captivated by the tiny, twinkling sparks dotted everywhere. Eyes wide, he

Star and deep-sky catalogues are crucial resources for making sense of the night sky. There are a lot of them, though – so many, in fact, that you almost need a catalogue of catalogues to keep track o