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Einstein was right about the way matter plunges into black holes

For the first time, astronomers have observed the area right at the edge of a black hole where matter stops orbiting and plunges straight in at near light speed

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Black hole in deep space

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We are about to hear echoes in the fabric of space for the first time

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We are about to hear echoes in the fabric of space for the first time

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How could we give boring blobby galaxies a new, exciting shape?

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Mystery of 'impossible' star resolved by three-body solution

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the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern lights, putting on a show over Achmelvich beach, Sutherland, in the Highlands of Scotland, UK.

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How to see tonight's northern lights – the strongest in 20 years

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Dozens of stars show signs of hosting advanced alien civilisations

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A slice through the largest 3D map of our universe to date

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Invisible 'dark radiation' may explain a big problem with dark energy

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An image of Mars

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Mars is blasting plasma out of its atmosphere into space

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This enchanting spiral galaxy can be found in the constellation of Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Star-studded NGC 3972 lies about 65 million light-years away from Earth, meaning that the light that we see now left it 65 million years ago, just when the dinosaurs became extinct. NGC 3972 has had its fair share of dramatic events. In 2011 astronomers observed the explosion of a Type Ia supernova in the galaxy (not visible in this image). These dazzling objects all peak at the same brightness, and are brilliant enough to be seen over large distances. NGC 3972 also contains many pulsating stars called Cepheid variables. These stars change their brightness at a rate matched closely to their intrinsic luminosity, making them ideal cosmic lighthouses for measuring accurate distances to relatively nearby galaxies. Astronomers search for Cepheid variables in nearby galaxies that also contain a Type Ia supernova so they can compare the true brightness of both types of stars. That brightness information is used to calibrate the luminosity of Type Ia supernovae in far-flung galaxies so that astronomers can calculate the galaxies' distances from Earth. Once astronomers know accurate distances to galaxies near and far, they can determine and refine the expansion rate of the universe. This image was taken in 2015 with Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3, as part of a project to improve the precision of the Hubble constant ? a figure that describes the expansion rate of the universe. Text: European Space Agency

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Has the biggest problem in cosmology finally been solved?

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Boeing's Starliner spacecraft

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Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft launch delayed due to rocket fault

Two astronauts will have to wait to set off for the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, following a problem with the Atlas V rocket that caused the mission to be aborted before launch

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China is sending its Chang’e 6 spacecraft to the far side of the moon

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path of fast radio burst FRB 181112

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Mysterious space signals may come from a dead star with a planet

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A view of a supernova explosion with its bright light and shockwave visible; Shutterstock ID 2298465659; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

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Kill the sun! How wild thought experiments drive scientific discovery

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Running around a 'wall of death' could keep moon settlers fit

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