New Scientist - Space

1. NASA’s Mars helicopter was grounded in 2024 after surprise success
   The Ingenuity autonomous helicopter surpassed all expectations to fly dozens of missions over several years on the Red Planet, only stopping this year when an accident damaged one of its rotors
2. The best space images from 2024
   This year has delivered some awe-inspiring imagery of space, from the James Webb Space Telescope’s stunning shots of faraway stars and galaxies to images of the skies taken from here on planet Earth
3. 2024 review: Stunning JWST images that reveal the beauty of space
   In 2024 the James Webb Space Telescope released stunning new images of the beauty of space, here are the best
4. Earth had a temporary mini-moon that was a chunk of the real moon
   An asteroid orbiting near our planet that temporarily became our second moon seems to have come from the actual moon, hinting that a hidden population of lunar rocks is drifting in space
5. Saturn’s rings may be far older than we thought
   The age of the rings that encircle Saturn is under dispute thanks to calculations that show they could have been formed billions – rather than millions – of years ago
6. The sun may spit out giant solar flares more often than we thought
   A survey of more than 56,000 sun-like stars reveals that “superflares” that are linked to bursts of radiation which play havoc with electronics on Earth may happen every 100 to 200 years and we may be overdue one
7. Parker Solar Probe will soon go deeper into the sun than ever before
   On 24 December, the Parker Solar Probe will be the closest human-made object ever to a star, taking unprecedented measurements of the sun
8. Our bumper science quiz of the year 2024
   From a fish with a tiny brain to the world’s oldest cheese, we have reported on plenty of strange and unusual science discoveries this year. Challenge yourself and see what you can remember in this fiendish set of questions from our quizmaster Bethan Ackerley
9. Is this the world’s toughest word search? We dare you to try it
   We challenge you to find the scientific terms in this monster of a puzzle – and we’re not even telling you exactly what they are
10. Dazzling auroras lit up the skies in 2024 and we may see more in 2025
    The northern lights, or aurora borealis, came strangely far south this year and there may be more of the same while the sun is experiencing a solar maximum