The main image shows the full extent of this 1% cutout, a combination of photometry from the VISible instrument (VIS, with wavelength range 550–900 nm) and the Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP, here using the Y and H bands). Spanning 132 square degrees of sky, this cutout is located south of the celestial equator, close to the Large Magellanic Cloud in projection. Perhaps the most impressive

In October 2024, two spacecrafts were successfully launched towards different bodies: Europa, a prime astrobiological target, and Dimorphos, the first test of planetary defence. Joined in their exploration by other missions, they are perfect examples of intra-agency synergy to enhance our knowledge of the Solar System.

The 94 erupting novae detected in the HST survey were combined with 41 archival HST detections to provide a distribution across M87. An image of the galaxy was divided into ten equal wedges and the number of novae in each was counted (see image, with the cyan and pink histograms indicating the tally in each wedge in the most recent and combined surveys, respectively). Twenty-five novae were found to

Axion and axion-like particles are considered candidates of dark matter but their detection remains elusive. They can possibly be generated in the solar interior by Primakoff scattering — interactions of photons with strong electromagnetic field. In a recent work, the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) collaboration reports new limits on the coupling constant between axions and photons obtained with

The recent suggestion that a z = 8.3 strongly lensed galaxy system — known as the Firefly Sparkle and observed with JWST earlier this year — is likely the progenitor of a Milky-Way-like galaxy has highlighted the need for detailed, self-consistent modelling of our Galaxy that can connect its present-day properties to those expected at much earlier stages of its life. Elka Rusta and colleagues use semi-analytic

The elemental composition of planets is commonly related to their star’s abundances, as they both come from the same reservoir during formation. However, it is estimated that 10–15% of rocky exoplanets have unusually high densities. Zifan Lin and co-authors investigate the hypothesis that these planets are fossil cores of giant planets after they have been stripped bare of their envelope and remained

The emission captured by these ALMA 338 GHz observations is generated by supersonic shocks excited by large convection cells abutting the stellar photosphere. The bright parts of each bubble correspond to hot gas rising through the stellar convective zone, moving towards us, and the darker regions between bubbles are due to sinking cool gas. According to mixing length theory (a method for parameterizing

Is Mars exploration stalling? The unused 2022 and 2024 launch windows send some warning signs. A revitalized approach could orient a new phase of exploration and complement the long-awaited sample return process.

The recent discovery that the massive elliptical galaxy NGC 1277, located in the Perseus cluster, has less than 5% dark matter within five effective radii has motivated questions about whether such an object can form in a ΛCDM universe. Ana Contreras-Santos and colleagues demonstrate the existence of comparable dark matter deficient satellite ellipticals in simulations, and chart their evolutionary

The contamination of optical astronomical images with bright trails from satellite megaconstellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink has been well documented. Radio interference from the same satellites is also a significant issue, because although they transmit data at designated frequencies in the range 10.7–12.7 GHz, the satellites’ electronics have been observed to leak into lower-frequency bands used

Before JWST, there was Hubble: with the good coverage of its Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) in the near infrared (0.8–1.7 µm), it was the reference telescope for the characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres. JWST has a wider wavelength range and higher precision than Hubble, but how much of that effectively translates into better results, and which is the main improving factor? Chloe Fisher, Jake Taylor

Gravitational-wave detectors, such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), are sensitive to very small changes in the displacement of spacetime. In a recent work, Wenxuan Jia and colleagues have shown that a reduction in the noise level of a LIGO detector three decibels below the standard quantum limit (SQL) can be achieved for a certain frequency range by using frequency-independent

Nature Astronomy is a selective journal whose editors examine submissions for advances in scientific understanding, robustly supported conclusions and broad relevance. Here we expound upon these criteria to help authors maximize their publication chances.

Adam Carnall’s BAGPIPES code grew out of necessity and has since developed into a widely used tool for fitting the spectra and photometry of galaxies, especially in the JWST era.