Space
Listen to the sounds and music of space
spaceYou can now hear the sounds of space, according to a NASA project that has assigned musical notes and instruments to the goings-on of two supernovas and a colliding cluster of galaxies
Asteroid sample lands safely in South Australia
spaceIn a mission described as perfect, a capsule containing a sample of an asteroid that could help unlock some of the mysteries about life on Earth has landed in the South Australian outback
Aussie telescope maps new atlas of the Universe
spaceIn under two weeks the CSIRO’s world-leading radio telescope in Western Australia has created a Google Maps-like atlas or map of our Universe, in the meantime discovering many new galaxies
Latest
China launches mission to the Moon
China has launched a spacecraft to collect rocks from the Moon for the first time in more than 40 years. It’s the country’s boldest space mission yet and could lead to a future crewed lunar landing
Asteroid could be Moon’s long-lost twin
A huge space rock hidden behind Mars could be a chunk of the Moon, broken off in a cosmic collision
Astronomers find source of fast radio burst
Scientists — with the help of antennae made from actual cake tins — have solved the mystery of what causes fast radio bursts of energy that zip and zigzag through the universe
Plentiful water found on surface of Moon
NASA has announced the discovery of surface water on the Moon in more places and in larger quantities than expected, providing drinking water and rocket fuel for future astronaut base camps
Signal troubles on Earth? Move to the Moon
If you’re struggling with dodgy phone or internet, there’s a chance you’ll soon be better off on the Moon as NASA awards Nokia the job of building the first lunar mobile network
NASA attempts to snatch asteroid rubble
UPDATED After almost two years circling the asteroid Bennu hundreds of millions of kilometres away, a NASA spacecraft has attempted to collect a sample from the treacherous, boulder-packed surface
Record fast flight to International Space Station
A new crew has arrived at the International Space Station in less time than it takes to catch a plane flight from one side of Australia to the other
Australia agrees to new rules for the Moon
Eight countries have agreed to NASA’s new set of Moon rules — banning fighting and littering — based on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, by which celestial bodies can’t be owned by one country
Starman in a Tesla Roadster car flies past Mars
Elon Musk’s car has just passed Mars after he blasted it into space in 2018. Elsewhere in the solar system, an object thought to be an asteroid is likely a junk NASA rocket wandering since 1966
The planets better suited for life than Earth
Scientists have discovered 24 “superhabitable” planets that are older, larger, warmer and wetter than Earth, making them ideal for life
NASA tests Moon suits for 2024 Artemis mission
Picking up Moon rocks, fixing a lunar lander and planting an American flag are some of the tasks NASA testers are doing in the new space suits at the bottom of a deep swimming pool
See our neighbour Mars up close in the night sky
Mars is the closest it will be to Earth for the next 15 years — just 62.1 million kilometres away — and you should be able to easily spot it without a telescope above Australia throughout October
Titanium toilet blasts off to space station
Astronauts on the ISS are about to test NASA’s first new space toilet in decades — a $32 million titanium toilet more suitable for women — before its eventual use on the Moon
Venus clouds show signs of possible life
We know humans couldn’t survive the heat and huge pressure on Venus, our closest neighbour. But some form of alien life could be producing an Earth-like gas astronomers have found in its clouds
Scan of 10.3 million stars doesn’t find aliens – yet
In the broadest search for extraterrestrial life ever completed, scientists have looked for aliens in a scan of more than 10 million stars using a radio telescope in Western Australia
Mighty mice keep muscles in space
As humans get ready for long trips to Mars, scientists are working on how to keep them strong and healthy by studying astronaut mice with big muscles sent to the International Space Station
Biggest black hole collision ever detected
Adelaide scientists are part of the international team celebrating the discovery of the most massive black hole collision and merger ever detected and which happened almost 7 billion years ago
Human-sized wormholes are possible
Scientists have used quantum mechanics and maths to show that gateways connecting two points in space and time and big enough and stable enough for human travel are theoretically possible
Chirps from space reach Earth again
More mysterious Fast Radio Bursts have made it to Earth from a galaxy three billion light-years away but researchers still don’t know what they are and why they’re coming here
World-first parachute jump from solar plane
Inventors working to one day fly a solar-powered plane to the edge of space have performed the first jump and free fall from an electric aircraft
Spaceship heading for Australian Outback
Japan’s space agency will land a capsule carrying samples from a 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid called Ryugu in the South Australian Outback later this year
Ocean world discovered between Mars and Jupiter
A NASA mission has discovered a saltwater ocean world in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Until now, freezing dwarf planet Ceres was thought to be a barren space rock
NASA to drop harmful space nicknames
The US space agency will stop using the nicknames of some cosmic objects — such as NGC 2392, the “Eskimo Nebula” — in an effort to address discrimination and inequality
Penguin poop images from space reveal new Antarctic colonies
New satellite images of emperor penguin droppings have revealed a surprising number of colonies in Antarctica, where the flightless birds are under threat from global warming
How the Martian ice age shaped the red planet
Mars was once covered in ice sheets that carved out thousands of giant valleys in the same way as on Earth, challenging previous theories of Mars as a warm, wet planet covered in oceans
Virgin Galactic reveals space cabin design
For $350,000, passengers flying to space on a 90-minute Virgin Galactic joy ride will be able to see themselves floating weightless against the backdrop of the Earth below
China’s Mars mission blasts off
It’s getting busy on the way to Mars, with China joining the United Arab Emirates to launch a mission to the red planet and NASA preparing to send off its Perseverance rover
Scientists find active volcanoes on Venus
New research has discovered 37 active or recently active volcanic structures on Venus, evidence that our hot, toxic neighbour isn’t the dormant planet we thought it was
Mars mission headlines big week in space news
UAE launched its first mission to Mars on Monday as it strives to reduce the country’s reliance on selling oil. On the ISS, NASA astronauts complete a space walk and prepare to head home
Tassie time lapse of our Milky Way galaxy
A beginner astrophotographer has braved Tasmania’s freezing winter nights to capture the Milky Way’s dance across the night sky in some of the state’s most picturesque locations
Race is on to reach the Red Planet
Traffic is about to get busy on the interplanetary route between Earth and Mars as three rival missions leave Earth during July in time for the next Earth-Mars Close Approach in October
NASA needs inventors to design a new space toilet
As part of its planning for a 2024 mission to the Moon, NASA has launched a competition offering almost $30,000 for the design of a space toilet that works in lunar gravity
Get set for a ‘Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse
Northern Australia is about to be treated to a special kind of solar eclipse, when the Moon moves in front of the Sun and blocks our view of the centre of our star. Here’s how to see it happen
36 alien races could live in Milky Way
Astronomers now believe there are 36 advanced alien civilisations living in the Milky Way and able to send radio signals, assuming that intelligent life on other planets is similar to humans
Discovery of Earth-like habitable planet
An exoplanet that orbits a star just like our Sun could be the most similar to Earth ever found, which has scientists thinking it could liveable.
Origami-inspired home for life on the Moon
Architects who designed a foldable origami habitat called Lunark for humans for living on the Moon and other harsh environments are preparing to test it out later this year
What it takes to become an astronaut
The SpaceX launch of two NASA astronauts is getting a lot of people excited about space travel. But becoming an astronaut requires much more than just enthusiasm. Here’s how to succeed
Big asteroids zooming ‘close’ by Earth
Four asteroids have zoomed past Earth this week at 80,000kmh, one thought to be about 44m wide. NASA had put them all on its ‘close approach’ list, but there’s no risk they’ll crash into us
Astronauts into orbit on history-making space flight
UPDATED Two NASA astronauts have launched in a SpaceX rocket and arrived safely at the ISS, the first time in nearly a decade that the US has launched astronauts into orbit from the US
Astronomers watch birth of a new planet
For the first time, astronomers have watched what they believe was the birth of a new planet, seen within a huge disk of gas and dust surrounding a newly formed star bigger than our Sun
Human urine could help make concrete on Moon
Scientists have found that urea, the main chemical ingredient in urine, would make a good lunar concrete for building a Moon base, reducing the need to launch supplies from Earth
Astronomers find closest black hole to Earth
Two stars dancing in the night sky and visible without a telescope have led astronomers to find a black hole so close to Earth it’s “just around the corner” in space terms
Football-sized chunk of the Moon for sale
One of the largest Moon rocks on Earth is up for sale, probably chipped off the surface of the Moon by a collision with an asteroid or comet and then plunging down in the Sahara Desert
Halley’s comet dust trail lights up night sky
Ancient debris from Halley’s comet will zoom across the night sky this week, creating the eta Aquariid meteor shower with up to 20 meteors an hour to watch out for
Aussie helps build ‘time machine’ to study Big Bang
An Australian-made radio telescope is preparing to look back 13 billion years in time to the Big Bang and discover the secrets of our universe. It will be the closest thing we have to a time machine
Best pictures to celebrate Hubble’s happy birthday
The Hubble Space Telescope has reached its 30th year in orbit and we’re celebrating with a look at some of Hubble’s best photos of our incredible universe. Which is your favourite?
Lyrid meteor shower to light up the night sky
One of the world’s oldest meteor showers is taking place again in our night sky this week. You will be able to see the glorious Lyrid meteor shower at its best tonight at your place
NASA reveals high-resolution photos of the Sun
A space telescope has taken the most detailed photos of the Sun, revealing surface spots filled with plasma strands hundreds of kilometres long and as hot as a million degrees Celsius
Mystery of Death Valley’s sliding stones
NASA has sparked renewed interest in the mystery of Death Valley’s sailing stones that seemingly move on their own across the desert with no human or animal help and no obvious explanation
Astronauts recall flawed Apollo 13 mission
It is 50 years since the near-disastrous Apollo 13 mission and though younger generations may think of it as a failure, its astronauts and others regard it as NASA’s finest achievement
NASA reveals camp plans for life on the Moon
NASA is making plans for humans to live on the Moon and has revealed its early thinking on where a base camp should be built and how astronauts would travel on the lunar surface
Big old meteorite rediscovered in basement
The massive 4.5 billion-year-old Huckitta meteorite from the NT, hidden from the public in a basement in SA for more than 20 years, is about to be rediscovered by a new generation
Mars InSight lander hits itself with shovel
NASA engineers are confident they’ve fixed the Mars InSight lander by telling it to hit itself with its shovel after its 38cm digging mole became stuck in the soil on the Martian surface
Aussie-made food on the menu for astronauts
Australian scientists are cooking up astronaut food to send to space for a year before testing how tasty it is using an electronic nose and tongue in preparation for Moon and Mars missions
NASA wants your help to dig on the Moon
NASA has challenged the public to design a better robot to dig on the Moon. The space agency has been working on a model but believes it can be improved and wants bright citizens to help them
Clam tells story of prehistoric Earth and moon
A fossilised mollusc alive alongside the last of the dinosaurs 70 million years ago has shown scientists that a day on Earth once lasted only 23-and-a-half hours
NASA on mission to strike gold in space in 2022
Space agency NASA has asked billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX to help explore a nearby asteroid called 16 Psyche that contains enough gold to make everyone on Earth a billionaire
Biggest explosion ever seen in universe
Australian scientists have helped US astronomers discover the biggest explosion ever seen in the universe — and it came from a supermassive black hole
Scorching hot planet heading for destruction
Astronomers have discovered a planet where temperatures frequently hit 1000C, that has an 18-hour year and that will likely soon be destroyed when it spirals into its star or tidal forces tear it apart
Space tourists to go into super-high orbit in 2021
Up to four tourists could launch into a super-high space orbit in an autonomous SpaceX capsule by the end of next year, with ticket prices expected to be in the millions of dollars
Bird’s-eye view of our beautiful planet Earth
Google has added 1000 new images to Earth View – a collection of the most beautiful landscapes from Google Earth. And a farmer’s marriage proposal makes it onto Google Maps
‘Snowman’ space rock may have sparked life
Scientists believe a space rock shaped like a snowman that formed 4.6 billion years ago may have sparked life on Earth. It is the farthest, most primitive object we’ve ever explored in the solar system
Record set for longest stay in space by a woman
NASA astronaut Christina Koch has landed safely back on Earth after setting a new record for the longest stay in space by a woman
First-ever close-up of the Sun
Scientists have released the first photographs of the Sun from the new solar telescope in Hawaii, showing churning plasma that looks like a sea of gold nuggets, each as big as France
Space inventions for Earthlings
Many of the inventions that make modern life on Earth safer, more efficient and more fun come from NASA or from a company helping NASA solve a space problem
Worms and mice at International Space Station
Astronauts on the International Space Station have taken delivery of super-muscled mice, pest-killing worms and a robot that can sense how the astronauts are feeling
NASA’s totally unexpected Sun surprise
NASA’s Parker spacecraft has reported back that the Sun is sending out sudden, violent bursts of solar wind so powerful that the magnetic field flips itself in the opposite direction
Astronauts’ blood flows backwards in space
NASA doctors have made the surprising discovery that astronauts’ blood sometimes flows in reverse, with major implications for space tourism and trips to Mars
Black hole spits out speeding star
Australian scientists have identified a star spat out and flung into infinity by our galaxy’s supermassive black hole. The star is travelling at six million kmh, 10 times the speed of most stars
Baking choc-chip cookies in space
Astronauts on the International Space Station are getting a special delivery: an oven for baking choc-chip cookies. The dough is already up there waiting to be cooked and eaten
Sun goes all spooky for Halloween
NASA gets into the Halloween spirit by releasing a spooky image of the Sun looking like a jack-o’-lantern PLUS Check out the kooky canines and creepy cats
Mars rover sends selfie back to Earth
NASA’s Curiosity robot is hard at work on the surface of Mars, taking selfies and conducting chemistry experiments in the portable lab inside its belly
Meteor shower lights up the night sky
Fireballs from Halley’s comet are lighting up the Australian night sky this week as the Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak, putting on a show we can see without a telescope
Female astronauts make “herstory” on a spacewalk
NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir have completed a seven-hour spacewalk to do important repairs, leaving the four male astronauts back in the ISS
Out-there plan for 13-minute journey to Mars
A NASA scientist has designed a rocket that could reach close to the speed of light without using any fuel, going to the Moon in just over a second and putting distant stars within reach
Astronomers find 20 new Saturn moons
Scientists have found 20 new moons around Saturn, giving the ringed planet a total of 82. The finds put Saturn ahead of Jupiter’s 79 moons — though none as massive as Ganymede
Space burgers coming right up!
Astronauts have grown beef in a laboratory up on the International Space Station by 3D printing meat from cells harvested on Earth and sent up into orbit on a rocket
PM promises Australia will help US land on Mars
During an official state visit with US President Donald Trump, PM Scott Morrison has revealed our new national space agency will help NASA in its mission to land on the moon and Mars
Water found on super-Earth called K2-18b
Scientists have discovered water on a distant super-Earth known as K2-18b, which has temperatures suitable for life. It’s the first time water vapour has been detected on an exoplanet
Time capsule of the day the dinosaurs died
For the first time, scientists have a clear picture of the day the giant asteroid crashed into Earth, wiping out dinosaurs with fires, tsunamis and a sky full of vaporised rock
Pack your bags for a space holiday
Designs have been revealed for the Von Braun Rotating Space Station, a low-orbit, wheel-shaped hotel for 100 space tourists a week that could be open for guests by 2025
Space telescope spies massive storm on Jupiter
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has taken an amazing new photo of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, a massive storm wider than the Earth, with furious winds reaching speeds of up to 684kmh
Herd of Earth’s toughest animals left on Moon
Thousands of cuddly looking animals called tardigrades — sometimes called “moss pigs” or “water bears” — have been left on the Moon by a lunar lander that crashed on impact
New planet in “Goldilocks” zone could support life
Astronomers have found a new solar system with three new planets, one of which is in the “Goldilocks” zone — not too hot and not too cold but just right to support life
Moon landing remembered on rare 50c coin
The Royal Australian Mint has released a special coin series to celebrate 50 years since Neil Armstrong took “one giant leap for mankind” onto the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969
Moon germs, last meals and other Apollo 11 stories
It’s time for incredible revelations, reunions and replays as the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and moon landing
Dying was not Armstrong’s biggest fear
Never-before-heard audio tapes reveal Neil Armstrong’s biggest fear ahead of the Apollo 11 trip wasn’t dying on the moon. It was failure to complete the mission and damaging the US’s reputation
NASA to send dragonfly to Saturn’s moon Titan
Using a drone called Dragonfly, NASA will have a good look around Titan to see if microbial life or even humans could live on Saturn’s large, icy moon
Lost and found moon landing tapes sold
UPDATED A student working at NASA in the 1970s bought a heap of junk film and carried it around for 43 years before discovering it was the only surviving original film of the moon landing
NASA prepares to open historic moon vault
Scientists are practising with mock equipment and pretend rocks and dirt for the day they open the vaults containing treasures collected on the moon 50 years ago
Jupiter, the brilliant jewel in our night sky
It’s time to rug up and look up at the night sky for a spectacular view of Jupiter, our solar system’s biggest planet. It’s as close as it gets to Earth and you don’t need a telescope to see it
NASA welcomes holiday-makers to space
The International Space Station is about to become the latest holiday destination with the first tourists blasting off next year. A ticket will cost about $83 million, air included
How to purchase the moon landing inquiry kit
It is 50 years since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon. Learn all about this historic event and the space race in our digital inquiry kit
The moon, its history, and impact on our lives
The moon is our nearest neighbour in space. We look at its birth, its surface, its history, its eight phases and how it has helped keep our daily lives on track since ancient times
Early space exploration and the race to be first
In the early days of space exploration, the US and Russia sent rockets, animals and finally humans into the great unknown of our universe in the search for answers about what exists out there
Three ordinary men who made extraordinary history
The trio that led the Apollo 11 mission were Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins — three brave astronauts willing to risk their lives for space exploration
Weird and wacky training to mimic the lunar conditions
The astronauts were prepared to handle any problem imaginable on their moon mission. But trying to find ways to copy conditions on the lunar surface meant using some strange training techniques
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