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The 12 August solar eclipse remains a major celestial event, with UK views ranging from 90% to 95% coverage in the south‑west. Observers are urged to use eclipse glasses and safe viewing methods as authorities emphasize ongoing safety measures. A separate lunar eclipse and the Perseids meteor shower are also confirmed for August, shaping travel and viewing plans.
Astronomers have detected helium escaping from LHS 1140b, a rocky 'super-Earth' 48 light-years away that orbits in its star's habitable zone. The finding has confirmed an atmosphere around a habitable-zone rocky exoplanet for the first time and has been published in Science; teams used ground-based infrared spectroscopy and modelling.
Durham researchers using supercomputer simulations show that a head‑on collision with Gaia Sausage likely caused a dramatic reorientation of the Milky Way’s disc, a process scientists describe as a “disc flip.” The event would have reshaped the galaxy’s spokes, bulge and halo, potentially altering the Solar System’s ancient path.