Space

Our place in the Universe is but the tiniest speck on the map of all known matter. We're out there, floating around in the big, wide mystery that is space.

Solar system. Artwork of the eight planets orbiting the Sun (upper centre), as seen from the orbit of Saturn (lower left). The orbits of the planets are shown as blue lines. Distances and sizes are not to scale. In their order from the Sun, the planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars (the small, rocky inner planets), Jupiter (centre right), Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune (the outer gas giant planets). The latter two are at upper left. In August 2006, Pluto (not shown) became a Dwarf planet. The asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter) is also seen, and the Milky Way galaxy is in the background.

The Solar System How do we know how it formed?

Neutron stars locked in 'fiercely tight' orbit could explain Universe's biggest mysteries © William Gonzalez/Andy Torres/Arecibo Observatory/University of Central Florida

Neutron stars locked in ‘fiercely tight’ orbit could explain Universe’s biggest mysteries

Dr Jacob Bleacher: Why do we need to go back to the Moon? © NASA

Dr Jacob Bleacher Why do we need to go back to the Moon?

Black holes: how did we discover these 'dark stars'? © Getty Images

Black holes What are they and how did we discover them?

Jupiter-like exoplanet orbits its star in only 18 hours © University of Warwick/Mark Garlick/PA

Naked gas giant offers first ever glimpse of a planetary core

An artist's impression of the WASP-148 planetary system © Institut d astrophysique de Paris/Dr Mark A Garlick

Giant exoplanets found to orbit star in ‘gravitational dance’

Conspiracies and FBI secrets: Why we love UFOs © Getty Images

Conspiracies and FBI secrets Why we love UFOs

How do I find the Summer Triangle this month? © Getty Images

How do I find the Summer Triangle this month?

Mars 2020: NASA delays Perseverance rover launch again © NASA/JPL-Caltech

Mars 2020 NASA delays Perseverance rover launch again

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10 friendly alien invasion films that will have you welcoming our bug-eyed overlords

Wanted dead or alive: 'Monster star' vanishes without a trace © L Calçada/ESO/PA

Wanted dead or alive: ‘Monster star’ vanishes without a trace

Space balloon to ferry passengers into the stratosphere © Space Perspective

Space balloon to ferry passengers into the stratosphere

Comet 67P/C-G, known as the “rubber duck” taken by Rosetta’s NavCam © ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

Comets and asteroids 5 things you (probably) didn't know

Artist’s impression of the multiplanetary system of newly discovered super-Earths orbiting nearby red dwarf Gliese 887 © Mark Garlick

Exoplanets Two "super Earths" discovered orbiting nearby star

Black holes: Flash of light seen from possible collision (An artist’s impression of a supermassive black hole and its surrounding disc of gas © Robert Hurt/Caltech/PA)

Flash of light seen from possible black hole collision