space

Topic description and stories

Artist's impression of a collision between the Milky Way and a massive dwarf

̽��ֱ��Gaia Sausage: the major collision that changed the Milky Way

04 Jul 2018

An international team of astronomers has discovered an ancient and dramatic head-on collision between the Milky Way and a smaller object, dubbed ‘the...

Artistic simulation of WASP127b, Credit: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

Multiple metals – and possible signs of water – found in unique exoplanet

31 May 2018

An international team of researchers have identified ‘fingerprints’ of multiple metals in one of the least dense exoplanets ever found.

Gaia’s sky in colour – equirectangular projection , Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC

Gaia creates richest star map of our Galaxy – and beyond

25 Apr 2018

̽��ֱ��European Space Agency’s Gaia mission has produced the richest star catalogue to date, including high-precision measurements of nearly 1.7 billion...

Zero gravity graphene, Credit: Graphene Flagship

Zero gravity graphene promises success in space

31 Jan 2018

In a series of experiments conducted last month, Cambridge researchers experienced weightlessness testing graphene’s application in space.

Astronomers detect ‘whirlpool’ movement in earliest galaxies

10 Jan 2018

Astronomers have looked back to a time soon after the Big Bang, and have discovered swirling gas in some of the earliest galaxies to have formed in...

Artistic impression of a habitable planet near a pulsar (right)

Habitable planets could exist around pulsars

19 Dec 2017

It is theoretically possible that habitable planets exist around pulsars - spinning neutron stars that emit short, quick pulses of radiation...

Credit: Amanda Smith, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge

Smallest-ever star discovered by astronomers

12 Jul 2017

A star about the size of Saturn – the smallest ever measured – has been identified by astronomers.

Fastest stars in the Milky Way are ‘runaways’ from another galaxy

05 Jul 2017

A group of astronomers have shown that the fastest-moving stars in our galaxy – which are travelling so fast that they can escape the Milky Way – are...

Cambridge celebrates Stephen Hawking’s 75th birthday

03 Jul 2017

Some of the biggest names in science took part in a special public event yesterday (2 July) to celebrate the life and work of Stephen Hawking, on the...