Latest News
Our pick of the latest physics stories from around the world wide web.
UK astronaut chosen for ISS mission
20/05/2013
UK astronaut Tim Peake has been chosen for a mission aboard the ISS in 2015.
Hardware problem on Kepler
16/05/2013
The second of four flywheels on NASA's Kepler telescope is not working leaving the telescope in safe mode.
Traces of water in moon rock strengthen link between Earth and Moon
10/05/2013
Water found in moon rock strengthens theory that moon was made from the Earth.
Herschel Powers Down
03/05/2013
After running out of helium coolant the Herschel telescope is powering down.
ITER design decision confirmed
29/04/2013
A critical part of the ITER's designs was finally approved, although the project is still behind schedule.
LHC data continues dark mattter puzzle
26/04/2013
Latest data from the LHC still leaves questions unanswered about the prevalence of matter over antimatter.
Antares has successful test flight
22/04/2013
A new rocket built by a commercial company has been successfully tested.
Most Earth-like exoplanets so far
19/04/2013
Kepler has found 3 new exoplanets that are super-Earth sized and could have water.
Gamma ray camera captures first image
15/04/2013
A new gamma ray camera has captured its first image.
Saturns rings rain changes atmosphere
12/04/2013
Rain from Saturn's rings has been found to alter regions of electrons in the atmosphere.
NASA gives go ahead to new planet hunter satellite
08/04/2013
NASA has announced the next satellite to search for Earth-like exoplanet.
Melt water changing arctic ice cover
02/04/2013
A new study indicates melt water is changing how much sea ice is frozen during autumn and winter.
Synchrotron helps develop new way to make vaccines
28/03/2013
The Diamond synchrotron has helped to develop a new way to make vaccines which should be safer and more effective.
NASA suspends education and outreach work
25/03/2013
Due to budget cuts NASA is suspending education and outreach work.
Planck reveals new map of the universe
22/03/2013
The Planck mission has revealed it's new map of the cosmic microwave background.
LHC confirms discovery of the Higgs
15/03/2013
More data from the LHC has shored up the discovery of the Higgs boson announced in July 2012.
Kepler detects 50 planets that could have life
12/03/2013
A meeting in London recently announced that Kepler has discovered 3000 planets, 50 of which may be capable of harbouring life.
Mars rover powers down for solar flare.
07/03/2013
After the troubles with Curiosity's computer, the rover is being powered down for a solar flare heading for Mars.
Meteorite hits Russia. Then asteroid passes by.
18/02/2013
A meteorite has exploded over Russia, while a asteroid passed within 17,000 miles of the Earth
LHC to switch off for two years
15/02/2013
The LHC will be switched off to allow repairs and upgrades to the particle collider.
Asteroid set to make close pass
08/02/2013
An asteroid is set to come within 18,000 miles of the Earth, the closest object in 15 years of monitoring.
Curiosity hammers rock
04/02/2013
Curiosity has used its drill bit to hammer into a rock, revealing a fresh surface.
Iran sends monkey into space
01/02/2013
Iran has released video footage of the returned monkey that they sent into space.
Magnetic braid thought to cause corona's extreme temperatures
28/01/2013
Images have been taken the support the idea that magnetic braids causing the extreme temperatures in the sun's corona.
Dung beetles find their bearings using the Milky Way
25/01/2013
A new study shows that dung beetles use the milky way to find their bearings.
Giant quasar group found
21/01/2013
A giant quasar group has been discovered. It is 3 times as big as the biggest object in the universe and challenges Einstein's cosmological principle.
Inflatable space capsule to be tested
18/01/2013
A lightweight space capsule is being developed to be tested in 2015 on the ISS that could lead to a wave of new designs.
Galaxies collide to make biggest spiral galaxy
14/01/2013
The largest spiral galaxy has been imaged, and is expected to have results from a collision between two galaxies.
Billions of Earth-sized planets in our galaxy
11/01/2013
Results from the Kepler satellite show 1 in 6 stars have a earth-sized planet in orbit.
New type of Martian meteorite found
07/01/2013
A Martian, meteorite different to any previously found, has been uncovered in Morocco.
Two satellites to crash into the moon
14/12/2012
Two NASA satellites are going to be crashed into the moon to study its interior.
Sir Patrick Moore dies
10/12/2012
Astronomer and TV personality Sir Patrick Moore has passed away, aged 89.
Full scale of Moon bumps shown
06/12/2012
The Grail mission has released a detailed map of the moon showing the extent of the bombardment experienced by the moon.
Shrinking ice caps confirmed
03/12/2012
Researchers have used results from the past 20 years to confirm that some areas of the polar ice caps are melting.
Ice found on Mercury
30/11/2012
Ice has been detected in the craters on Mercury by the MESSENGER satellite.
A new partner for ExoMars
26/11/2012
Russian Federation Space Agency is teaming up with ESA to work on the ExoMars mission.
Curiosity has made a big discovery but NASA won't tell yet
23/11/2012
Curiosity has made a discovery that is one for the history books but NASA are double checking first before revealing it.
Higg Boson is plain vanilla Higgs
19/11/2012
Latest finding from the LHC at CERN indicate the Higgs Boson found is the standard model Higgs.
Quasars highlight the role of dark energy in the formation of the universe.
13/11/2012
Scientists have studied the evolution of quasars to find out new details about dark energy.
New exoplanet with Earth like climate
09/11/2012
A new super Earth sized exoplanet has been discovered which could have a climate similar to the Earth's.
'No methane yet' says Curiosity
05/11/2012
Curiosity has found no evidence of methane on the surface of Mars so far
Curiosity samples soil with x-rays
31/10/2012
The first sample of Mars was analysised by Curiosity's x-ray diffraction tool CheMin.
Widespread warning as Hurricane Sandy approaches US east coast.
29/10/2012
Hurricane Sandy is predicted to cause "life threatening" damage as it heads towards the east coast of the USA
