The alien world that’s being vaporised by a death ray
A Mercury-sized exoplanet is being blown apart like a dandelion – and magnetic hotspots on its star could make things worse
Is NASA doing enough to look for alien life?
A new study says Hubble's successor could spot alien life on three new exoplanets. Should NASA be doing more? Or is it right to focus on other priorities?
Ocean worlds could host life under layers of high-pressure ice
Models of ice formation at high pressure suggest there could be habitable liquid water at the bottom of incredibly deep alien oceans
Massive exoplanet’s close dance is making its star spin faster
Astronomers have discovered a massive planet on an orbit close enough to speed up the rotation of its star
Bloated baby black holes spotted in the distant universe
Two blobs detected in the distant, ancient universe may be the seeds of the supermassive black holes that now dominate every galaxy
Bloated baby black holes spotted in the distant universe
Two blobs detected in the distant, ancient universe may be the seeds of the supermassive black holes that now dominate every galaxy
Identity-crisis comet may really be closest asteroid to the sun
Observations of a supposed comet that skirts close to the sun reveal it doesn't really act like one – so may be a different kind of space rock altogether
Unnamed dwarf planet may be third largest in the solar system
A body known only as 2007 OR10 has been given a boost by recent space telescope observations that peg it smaller than only Pluto and Eris
Kepler doubles exoplanet population with 1284 new planets
The new planet haul is the biggest yet, bringing the number of confirmed worlds outside our solar system over 3200 - and edges us closer to knowing how many stars host other Earths
Super-salty Turkish lakes may hold key to spotting life on Mars
A new survey of extreme microbes living in salty and alkaline lakes could yield "fingerprints" that help detect the biological origin of rocks on Mars