Science & Environment

BBC On Christmas Eve, an autonomous spacecraft flew past the Sun, closer than any human-made object before it. Swooping through the atmosphere, Nasa’s Parker Solar Probe was on a mission to discover more about the Sun, including how it affects space weather at Earth. This was a landmark moment for humanity – but one without any human directly involved, as …

An Indian-made rocket has blasted off from a site north of Chennai, carrying two satellites which will test space-docking. Docking is crucial for manned travel to the Moon or supporting a space station. Announcing “the successful accomplishment” of the launch, Indian Space Research Organisation chief Sreedhara Somanath said the rocket had “placed the satellites in the right orbit”. India hopes …

BBC/Tony Jolliffe Astronomers are poised to catch a star that only shines about once every 80 years On a cold February night in 1946, a 15-year-old schoolboy made a surprising discovery as he peered out of his bedroom window. Michael Woodman, a keen amateur astronomer from Newport, had stayed up late waiting for his father to come home when he …

Hasan Jedi/Getty Images Successive heatwaves added to the many pressures faced by the almost two million people displaced by the conflict in Gaza Climate change has brought record-breaking heat this year, and with it extreme weather, from hurricanes to month-long droughts. This year is expected to be the hottest on record, and new research shows that people around the world …

Reuters A “chopsticks” rocket catch by Elon Musk’s SpaceX was among the highlights of 2024 A total solar eclipse seen by millions, a lost jungle city discovered by accident and hope for the almost extinct northern white rhino – science has given us a lot to get excited about this year. One of the biggest news stories was about making …