compiled by Arlene & David Kaplan

Mysterious ‘whirlpool’ appears in the night sky above Hawaii An observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii captured footage of a flying spiral making its way through the night sky in the early morning hours of 18 January. Scientist believe the phenomenon is connected to the launch of a SpaceX satellite…more

Asteroid 2023 BU: Space rock passes closer than some satellites Now it’s over, we can say it: a biggish asteroid passed by Earth a short while ago. About the size of a minibus, the space rock, known as 2023 BU, whipped over the southern tip of South America just before 00:30am GMT…more

Earth’s Inner Core: A Shifting, Spinning Mystery’s Latest Twist Imagine Earth’s inner core — the dense center of our planet — as a heavy, metal ballerina. This iron-rich dancer is capable of pirouetting at ever-changing speeds. That core may be on the cusp of a big shift…more

A New View of the Most Explosive Moon in the Solar System Io, the third largest of Jupiter’s moons, is caught in a pressurized, explosive dance. Orbiting near Ganymede and Europa, two of the other largest Jovian moons, and the planet itself, Io’s mineral composition is constantly pulled and pushed by gravity, creating frictional heat deep inside the moon. …more

Where is Physics Headed (and How Soon Do We Get There)? The future belongs to those who prepare for it, as scientists who petition federal agencies like NASA and the Department of Energy for research funds know all too well. The price of big-ticket instruments like a space telescope or particle accelerator can be as high as $10 billion…more

Yorkshire Dales: Dark sky sites set for added protection measures Strict new light pollution rules have been proposed to help protect some of the darkest skies in England. Harrogate Borough Council wants to bring in fresh controls for all new outside lights in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)…more

Are We Living in a Computer Simulation, and Can We Hack It? If you could change the laws of nature, what would you change? Maybe it’s that pesky speed-of-light limit on cosmic travel — not to mention war, pestilence and the eventual asteroid that has Earth’s name on it. Maybe you would like the ability to go back in time —…more

Winchcombe meteorite: Is this the UK’s most important fireball? A PhD student looking into what scientists regard as the most important space rock ever to be recovered in the UK has said: “It’s pretty exciting”. Niamh Topping, 23, is in her first year at the University of Leicester, studying water and rock reactions in the early solar system…more

Europe’s mission to Jupiter’s icy moons ready for launch Europe is about to undertake one of its grandest ever space missions, to explore the icy moons of Jupiter. The Juice satellite is going through final testing in Toulouse, France, after which it will be shipped to the launch site in South America…more

JCan humanity’s new giant leap into space succeed?ames Hugely technically challenging and costly goals have been touted, not least the aim of people living and working on other worlds, possibly within ten years – but in a divided world where international good will is scarce, are they realistic?Nasa’s return to the Moon has begun with its Artemis programme…more