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An artist's impression of the European Space Agency's PLATO spacecraft.
Exoplanet-hunting telescope to begin search for another Earth in 2026
Europe's next big space mission - a telescope that will hunt for Earth-like rocky planets outside of our solar system - is on course to launch at the end of 2026. PLATO, or PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars, is being built to find nearby...
In this image, the person on the left (Scarlett Johansson) is real, while the person on the right is AI-generated.
Want to spot a deepfake? Look for the stars in their eyes
In an era when the creation of artificial intelligence (AI) images is at the fingertips of the masses, the ability to detect fake pictures – particularly deepfakes of people – is becoming increasingly important. So what if you could tell just by...
Radio image of the S-shaped precessing jet launched by the neutron star in Circinus X-1.
'Garden sprinkler-like' jet seen shooting out of neutron star
A strange 'garden sprinkler-like' jet coming from a neutron star has been pictured for the first time. The S-shaped structure is created as the jet changes direction due to the wobbling of the disc of hot gas around the star – a process called...
An artist’s impression of the nearest brown dwarf to Earth.
Scorching storms on distant worlds revealed in new detail
Astronomers have created the most detailed weather report so far for two distant worlds beyond our own solar system. The international study – the first of its kind – reveals the extreme atmospheric conditions on the celestial objects, which are...
This artist's concept shows a pulsar, which is like a lighthouse, as its light appears in regular pulses as it rotates.
How astronomers are using pulsars to observe evidence of dark matter
Tantalising evidence of potential dark matter objects has been detected with the help of the Universe’s ‘timekeepers’. These pulsars – neutron stars which rotate and emit lighthouse-like beams of radio waves that rapidly sweep through space – were...
Simulation of a galaxy’s ‘heart and lungs’ at work inset on an artist's impression of bi-polar jets of gas originating from a supermassive black hole at the centre of a galaxy.
How the 'heart and lungs' of a galaxy extend its life
Galaxies avoid an early death because they have a "heart and lungs" which effectively regulate their "breathing" and prevent them growing out of control, a new study suggests. If they didn't, the Universe would have aged much faster than it has and...
Dr Jesse Coburn (left), Dr Georgina Dransfield and Dr Lawrence Jones are the winners of the 2023 Thesis Prizes.
Solar Orbiter expert among trio of 2023 Thesis Prize winners
The Royal Astronomical Society is pleased to announce the winners of its prizes for the best PhD theses completed in the UK in 2023. Prizes are awarded annually: the Michael Penston Prize for the best thesis in astronomy and astrophysics, the Keith...
Clockwise, from top left, an image from the James Webb Space Telescope, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, quantum technologies and Luke Jerram's Mirror Moon artwork.
Touch the Moon and wow at Webb at Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition
From feeling every crater of the Moon on a new piece of artwork to learning about NASA’s cutting-edge study of alien planets, there is plenty for astronomy enthusiasts to enjoy at the Royal Society’s annual Summer Science Exhibition next month...
Dr Heloise Stevance
AI astronomer wins 2024 Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship
An astrophysicist spearheading the creation of a virtual assistant to help find exploding stars and hungry black holes has been named as the winner of the 2024 Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship. Dr Heloise Stevance, of the University of Oxford, is...
MNRAS Student Prize information
MNRAS Student Prize
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS) is delighted to announce a new annual student prize for the best paper published in the journal by a student scientist. The winner will receive a cash prize and a certificate of recognition...
King Charles III and Queen Camilla
King Charles III accepts RAS patronage
We are pleased to announce that King Charles III has accepted the patronage of the Royal Astronomical Society, continuing an unbroken tradition dating back almost 200 years. Buckingham Palace said it was "a great pleasure to share the news" to mark...
An artist's impression of the newly-discovered, Earth-like exoplanet Gliese 12 b.
Rare 'exo-Venus' with Earth-like temperature discovered
Astronomers have made the rare and tantalising discovery of an Earth-like exoplanet 40 light-years away that may be just a little warmer than our own world. The potentially-habitable planet, named Gliese 12 b, orbits its host star every 12.8 days, is...