On Friday 13 April 2029, something will happen that has not happened in recorded human history. A rock roughly 375 metres across, wide enough to swallow several city blocks and heavy enough to reshape a coastline if it ever hit, will slide past Earth at a distance of just 32,000 kilometres. Closer than the satellites … Read more
On the night of 18 February, engineers at the Space Telescope Science Institute pointed the James Webb Space Telescope at an almost empty patch of sky and waited. They were looking for a rock roughly 60 metres across, hurtling through the void many millions of kilometres from Earth. At that distance, in Webb’s narrow field … Read more
Europe’s newest guardian against cosmic threats has begun its watch. The European Space Agency’s Flyeye telescope achieved “first light” in late May, marking a pivotal moment for planetary defense as it started scanning the heavens for potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids and comets. Unlike traditional telescopes that peer through a narrow window, this innovative system captures … Read more
On March 12, 2025, ESA’s Hera spacecraft pulled off something pretty special—a rare close flyby of Mars and its tiny moon Deimos. The spacecraft flew just 5,000 kilometers above the Martian surface and skimmed within 300 kilometers of Deimos. During the pass, Hera’s Asteroid Framing Camera captured stunning footage, later enhanced with color to highlight known surface features. The result? A rare and breathtaking look at these two distant worlds.