An artist's impression of Japan’s Hayabusa2 space mission touching down on the surface of the asteroid 1998 KY26. New observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed that 1998 KY26 is just 11 m wide, almost three times smaller than previously thought, and is spinning once every 5 minutes, which is much faster than expected. The image above shows an updated size comparison between the asteroid and spacecraft.

Can spacecraft Hayabusa2 touchdown? New study reveals space mission’s target asteroid is tinier and faster than thought

Virgo

Ten years after the discovery, gravitational waves verify Stephen Hawking’s Black Hole Area Theorem

Credit University of Surrey, Matt Orkney, Andrew Pontzen & Ethan Taylor

Simulations solve centuries-old cosmic mystery – and discover new class of ancient star systems

Figure 1: An artist’s impression of a dust-shrouded quasar in the early Universe. (Credit: NAOJ)

Supermassive Black Holes Shrouded by Dust in Early Universe

Massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Of the stars studied, seventy percent (the red diamonds) appear to accelerate and decelerate. This indicates the presence of a partner. (c) ESO/Sana et al.

Massive stars in metal-poor environment often have close partners

DESI has made the largest 3D map of our universe to date and uses it to study dark energy. Earth is at the center in this animation, and every dot is a galaxy. Credits: DESI collaboration and KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. Proctor.

DESI Collaboration to receive 2026 Berkeley Prize awarded by the American Astronomical Society

Persones mirant eclipsi

The countdown begins for the total solar eclipse of 2026 in Catalonia

Global map of light pollution in Catalonia.

First global map of light pollution in Catalonia developed using advanced modeling

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are powerful flashes of energetic gamma-rays lasting from less than a second to several minutes. They release a tremendous amount of energy in this short time making them the most powerful events in the Universe. They are thought to be mostly associated with the explosion of stars that collapse into black holes. In the explosion, two jets of very fast-moving material are ejected, as depicted in this artist’s illustration. If a jet happens to be aimed at Earth, we see a brief but powe

Record-breaking Gamma-Ray burst provides new clues on cosmic jets

ICCUB Scientific director, Licia Verde, accepts the 20225-2031 María de Maeztu accreditation

ICCUB receives 2024 María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence Accreditation

3I/ATLAS – This diagram shows the path of the interstellar comet 3IATLAS as it passes through the solar system. It will reach its closest point to the Sun in October.

UA and ICCUB participate in the first scientific article on the discovery of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS

L'acte central de l'any AssumpcióCatalà, primera professora astrònoma l'Estat, reflexiona sobre dones i ciència

The central event of the year Assumpció Català, the first female astronomy professor in the State, reflects on the situation of women in science

Bose-Einstein graviton condensates

A bold leap in understanding the origins of the Universe: Scientists propose a new model for Cosmic Inflation