Astronomie

Im Mai 2012 wird zum ersten Mal in der Geschichte das Raumschiff eines privatwirtschaftlichen Unternehmens zur Internationalen Raumstation (ISS) fliegen.

Rasch kürzere Nächte, Mitternachtssonne in Lappland

Vollmond - der grösste des Jahres - ist am 6. Mai 2012, Neumond am 21. Mai.

Venus verabschiedet sich als heller "Abendstern". Mars und Saturn bis tief in die Nacht am Himmel.

Komet C/2009 P1 (Garradd) noch teleskopisch beobachtbar.

Löwe, Jungfrau, Bootes stehen mit ihren Galaxien und Kugelsternhaufen hoch im Süden.

Morgen Montag ist Neumond. Der helle "Abendstern" ist der Planet Venus. Saturn um 23 Uhr 33º hoch im Süden. Während der ganzen recht kurzen Nacht herrschen gute Bedingungen für die Deep-Sky-Beobachtung.

The asteroid-tracking NEOWISE mission reveals that twice as many asteroids as previously thought are on low-inclination orbits that could hit our planet

A pulsar with twice the sun's mass could challenge Einstein's theory of general relativity: but such a dense object is near impossible, according to his work

Sharp-edged rings of dust around stars are not necessarily carved by planets, as was thought, but can take shape on their own

Vesta thought its days as the solar system's punching bag were over – then along came two bullies that are solely responsible for a whole class of meteorite

Supernovae leave glowing embers behind – see some of the most beautiful remnants of exploding stars in our gallery

New Scientist visits Death Valley to find out how human geologists read Earth's past in its present – and how the rover Curiosity will apply those tricks on Mars

Our star is moving through a cloud of interstellar gas too slowly to create a "sonic boom" that would shield the solar system from some galactic cosmic rays

Half the universe's supernovae explode without a trace. Stuart Clark trails the neutrino sleuths looking for the faintest of clues

Docking with the ISS would be a first for a commercial craft – and a key milestone for making space flight cheaper and more innovative

An experimental, entrepreneurial spirit may be just what space exploration needs

Two decades ago, Maurice Ward invented a fireproof substance that outperformed all known materials. Why wouldn't he reveal its secret, asks Richard Fisher

Like baby birds that push their fellow hatchlings out of the nest, giant exoplanets circling their host stars seem to have suspiciously few neighbours

Pebbles could knock an Earth-bound asteroid off course without cracking it into pieces still dangerous in size