OSIRIS-REx spacecraft zooms by Earth on its way to an asteroid
On its way to collect dust samples from the asteroid Bennu, NASA’S OSIRIS-REx spaceship will slingshot around Earth, passing 17,000 kilometres above Antarctica
Infamous three-body problem has over a thousand new solutions
A long-standing maths puzzle has 1223 new solutions, more than doubling the number of possible paths three objects can take as they orbit one another
Brown dwarfs have strong magnetic fields just like real stars
Failed stars called brown dwarfs straddle the line between big planets and small stars. An observation of a magnetic field puts another tick in the star column
Cassini takes last look at the ring patterns made by mini moons
These unusual patterns in Saturn's rings give us clues to what happens when planets are born, and may help us understand how our solar system formed
Cassini’s 10 best pictures from its 13-year voyage around Saturn
On 15 September, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will crash into Saturn, ending its mission with a bang. New Scientist looks back at 10 of its best images
Slingshot around Titan is the beginning of the end for Cassini
The Cassini spacecraft is passing by Titan on its final nosedive into Saturn. Plenty has been revealed about Saturn’s largest moon on Cassini’s 20-year mission
Low-oxygen dwarf galaxy shows us how the early universe looked
A star factory with the lowest oxygen level ever seen in such a galaxy could help us understand how the elements were distributed after the big bang
The sun just belched out the strongest solar flare in 12 years
If your GPS has been acting funny, take it up with the sun. Our star has released the most powerful solar flare since 2005
Some TRAPPIST-1 planets may have the right conditions for water
Water on the planets nearest the TRAPPIST-1 star would be destroyed by UV radiation but it could survive on the cooler worlds in the habitable zone
Weird ancient burst of light in the sky turns out to be a nova
Six centuries ago, Korean astronomers recorded a bright spot in the night sky. A 25-year hunt for that star has settled a debate about how classical novae behave