Black holes with magnetic field ‘hair’ shed it in loops of hot plasma

When black holes are born with magnetic fields, simulations show they shed those fields quickly, in accordance with the predictions of the no-hair theorem

10h

Comet’s dust trail could rain down on Venus this December

A comet approaching the sun from the outer solar system might sweep a trail of dust particles over the planet Venus when it swings into the inner reaches of our planetary neighbourhood this December

1d

X-rays can echo and bend around the back of supermassive black holes

Flashes of X-rays have been spotted echoing from behind a supermassive black hole, confirming one of the predictions of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity

5d

Part of the Apollo 11 spacecraft may still be in orbit around the moon

A discarded part of the Apollo 11 spacecraft that helped return astronauts from the first visit to the lunar surface may still be in orbit around the moon, rather than having crash-landed as once thought

5d

Stars sped up by black holes may outshine supernovae when they collide

Some stars orbiting supermassive black holes are expected to move close to the speed of light, and when they collide they may release more energy than the brightest supernovae

1w

Who counts as an astronaut? Not Jeff Bezos, say new US rules

The US Federal Aviation Administration has updated its rules on who counts as a commercial astronaut, making it tougher for space tourists to earn official astronaut wings

2w

The eternal debate about the eternal inflation of the universe

The idea that the universe is continually inflating isn’t confirmed – but there are still some misconceptions about it, writes Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

2w

Astronomers may have spotted a distant alien moon being born

Astronomers have spotted a disc of debris around a distant planet called PDS 70 c, and it is massive enough that the young exoplanet might be in the process of forming exomoons

2w

World’s first commercial deep-space communications antenna opens in UK

The world’s first commercial deep-space communications antenna – at the Goonhilly Earth Station in the UK - has begun work by receiving images from ESA’s Mars Express mission

2w

How is gold made? The mysterious cosmic origins of heavy elements

We have long struggled to figure out where heavy elements like gold come from. Now we have seen them being forged in neutron star collisions – and fresh clues suggest a role for the universe's first stars

2w