World Explained · Space and astronomy
How a magnetar can make empty space act differently
A magnetar's field can change how polarized X-rays travel through the quantum vacuum. IXPE measured the light's polarization—not empty space itself.
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Space and astronomy articles
Every published story filed under Space and astronomy, newest first. Each one passed the same source, image and editorial checks.
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World Explained · Space and astronomy
How can NASA's Swift observatory resume science after its boost plan changed?
NASA's Swift observatory has restarted its ultraviolet/optical and X-ray telescopes. The mechanism is a careful drag tradeoff, not a completed orbit rescue.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How clouds between the stars may have changed Earth's climate
A dense interstellar cloud could have squeezed the Sun's protective heliosphere inside Earth's orbit. Here's what the models and geological clues do—and do not—show.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How NASA's Curiosity rover gained a kilometre on Mars
NASA says Curiosity has gained 1 kilometre in elevation on Mount Sharp. Its 323-image Mastcam panorama shows the terrain—and the limits of that evidence.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How Webb sees millions of stars inside the dusty Cigar Galaxy
Webb's infrared view brings millions of stars into M82's dusty Cigar Galaxy. Here is what the image establishes about the starburst—and where the wind's trigger remains open.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
Why NASA's Roman observatory travels inside a rocket fairing
NASA's Roman observatory is sealed inside a Falcon Heavy fairing before launch. Here is what the shell protects during ascent—and what it cannot do after separation.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How will NASA Psyche determine what a metal-rich asteroid is made of?
NASA's Psyche will combine images, elemental spectra, magnetic signals and gravity tracking to test what the unusual asteroid contains.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How NASA tests what a lunar lander's plume does to the Moon
NASA's lunar plume tests use a vacuum chamber, simulated regolith and cameras to measure how exhaust moves the surface—before a future landing has to face it.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How Pandora separates a star's light from an exoplanet atmosphere
NASA's Pandora satellite pairs visible starlight with near-infrared spectra to separate host-star activity from exoplanet atmosphere signals.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How will six small satellites listen for the Sun's radio storms?
NASA's SunRISE will combine six small spacecraft as one radio interferometer to locate solar radio bursts linked to space-weather particle storms.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How astronomers measure a comet outburst
Comet 220P brightened dramatically in 2026. Here is how astronomers compare brightness, coma and tails to identify an outburst without guessing its cause.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How three spacecraft will map a pristine comet in 3D
ESA's Comet Interceptor will release two probes around a future comet. This is how simultaneous viewpoints could turn a fast flyby into a 3D profile.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How BepiColombo will arrive at Mercury after an eight-year cruise
BepiColombo will not fly straight to Mercury. Its planned arrival uses a composite spacecraft, final separation and staged burns to place two orbiters around the hot planet.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How Webb found dust and water close to the Milky Way's central black hole
Webb's infrared spectrum found oxygen-rich dust and water absorption signs around IRS 3, a dying star near Sagittarius A*. What the evidence does, and does not, show.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
Inside Carina's Treasure Chest: how JWST maps a hidden star cluster
Webb's Carina image is an infrared map of a dusty star-forming globule. Here is what its structure shows, and what the glow cannot prove.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How Webb's infrared eyes reveal the Lion Nebula's dusty structure
Webb's NIRCam and MIRI show why the same dying-star nebula changes across infrared wavelengths, and what its processed colours can and cannot prove.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How could a spacecraft raise an observatory's orbit?
Raising an observatory's orbit takes carefully timed velocity changes and a safe rendezvous. NASA's Swift mission shows why the mechanics and status must stay separate.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How can a satellite's re-entry help engineers learn how spacecraft break apart in the atmosphere?
ESA's Cluster re-entries show why a planned observation can improve breakup models without turning a future atmospheric event into a guaranteed experiment.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How can LRO turn a lunar rocket impact into a crater measurement?
NASA's Falcon 9 lunar impact shows how trajectory predictions, timed spacecraft images and changing light turn a hidden event into evidence.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
What would count as evidence that liquid recently existed on Pluto's surface?
New Horizons images show dark patterns at Pluto's Sputnik Planitia, but a peer-reviewed hypothesis is not a direct liquid sample. Here is how the evidence fits together.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How will ESA’s Ariel use exoplanet light to compare atmospheres?
ESA’s planned Ariel mission will compare infrared light in transits and eclipses. Learn how this could reveal atmospheric patterns—without treating a future survey as a result.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How could NASA’s Dragonfly explore different Titan landscapes?
NASA plans to send Dragonfly, a rotorcraft, across Titan after a 2028 launch. Here is why flying could connect separated landscapes—and what the mission cannot show yet.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How would ESA’s proposed Plasma Observatory watch magnetic activity at several scales?
ESA has proposed a seven-spacecraft Plasma Observatory to compare magnetic activity around Earth at several scales. The mission is still awaiting a formal decision.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How will Smile watch the solar wind collide with Earth’s magnetic bubble?
Smile combines X-ray, ultraviolet, particle and magnetic measurements to watch the solar wind meet Earth’s magnetic shield. Its science campaign follows commissioning.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
How do TRACERS satellites measure magnetic reconnection above Earth?
NASA’s TRACERS satellites compare rapid passes through Earth’s polar cusp to test how magnetic reconnection changes. One spacecraft’s limits still shape what the mission can prove.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
Why does Rubin Observatory survey the sky in repeated colours?
Rubin revisits the southern sky through six filters. The repeated measurements turn a position on a map into evidence of changing brightness or motion.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
Why did one solar radio burst keep going for 19 days?
A 19-day Type IV burst came from electrons held in magnetic fields. Spacecraft saw it in stages as rotation changed their view, while its exact longevity remains unsettled.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
London will see a 91% eclipse at 7:13 p.m. — but it will not be total
London's maximum eclipse on 12 August 2026 is 91%, but the remaining bright crescent means it is a partial eclipse. The Moon's narrow inner shadow falls elsewhere.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
Far-apart radio antennas can act like one much wider telescope
Radio interferometry compares tiny arrival-time and phase differences between antennas. Baselines sharpen detail, while a correlator turns paired signals into an image.
World Explained · Space and astronomy
A lunar eclipse turns red because Earth bends sunset light into its shadow
Earth blocks direct sunlight during a lunar eclipse, but its atmosphere filters and bends red-orange light into the shadow, faintly illuminating the Moon.
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