New Scientist - Space
In-depth reporting on space exploration and emerging space technologies
The Century-Long Hunt for the Gigantic Meteorite that Vanished
In 1916 French Captain Gaston Ripert reported a colossal iron meteorite—dubbed the “iron of God”—spanning roughly 100 metres in Mauritania’s Sahara dunes. The claim sparked a century of expeditions, yet none could verify the object's existence. Recently, twin brothers—an astrophysicist and an engineer—have applied contemporary remote‑sensing techniques to pinpoint the likely site. Their effort revives hopes of finally locating what could be the world’s largest meteorite.
Was 2025 the Year We Found Signs of Past Life on Mars?
In 2025 NASA’s Perseverance rover uncovered millimeter‑scale “leopard spots” on Martian rocks, patterns that on Earth are linked to fossilized microbes. The rover cached these rock and regolith samples for future retrieval, marking the most compelling geological hint of past...
The Best Space Pictures of 2025, From Supernovae to Moon Landings
The 2025 roundup of space photography showcases a rare double‑detonating supernova captured by ESO’s Very Large Telescope, a historic private moon landing, and a striking lunar eclipse. The supernova, a white‑dwarf that siphoned helium from a companion, exploded roughly 300 years...
The Essential Guide to Proving We’ve Found Alien Life
The article outlines a practical framework for confirming extraterrestrial life, ranging from atmospheric biosignatures on exoplanets to fossilized microbes on Mars and technosignatures such as laser pulses. It reviews historical false alarms—like the 1996 Martian meteorite claim and the recent...
Black Hole Stars Really Do Exist in the Early Universe
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified a population of compact, red, star‑like objects in the first billion years of cosmic history. New research shows these “little red dots” are actually black holes surrounded by massive, glowing gas...
Two Asteroids Crashed Around a Nearby Star, Solving a Cosmic Mystery
Astronomers using Hubble have captured two fresh dust clouds around the nearby star Fomalhaut, each created by the collision of ~60‑km asteroids. The new source, designated Fomalhaut cs2, replaces the previously debated Fomalhaut b, which likely was an older dust...
Chance of a Devastating Asteroid Impact Briefly Spiked in 2025
Astronomers detected asteroid 2024 YR4, a 40‑90 metre object, in late 2024 and initially estimated a 1‑in‑83 chance of striking Earth in 2032. As observations refined its orbit in early 2025, the impact probability rose to a peak of 1‑in‑32 in February. Continued tracking later...