Well, it’s still a planet of sorts. Since 2006 Pluto has been classified by the International Astronomical Union as a ‘dwarf planet’. In recent decades, powerful telescopes have enabled astronomers to discover several Pluto-sized objects beyond Neptune’s orbit, and there are probably lots more out there. So, either they had to expand the list of planets (which would mean you’d have to remember a lot more for your science exams) or it was time to come up with an official definition of what counts as a planet. After some ...

Time to check out some of the awesome features you'll find in this month's How It Works ahead of the on sale date – you lucky devils. Superfast broadband So, we all rely on broadband for our insatiable internet habits, and as with many things in life, we’re also demanding a faster, more efficient service. In this month’s cover feature you’ll learn how broadband speeds are being maximised. You can also find out what superfast broadband can be ...

Check out this short video from NASA showing the final stage of the Atlantis shuttle's docking procedure with the International Space Station. After 25 years of service, NASA's Atlantis space shuttle is currently on its last mission, a 12-day operation to deliver a Russian docking and storage module. The space shuttle system is scheduled to be retired from service in 2010 after a total of 134 launches. Over its operational lifespan its missions have included launching numerous satellites ...

Three spacecraft orbiting the Sun and 3 million miles apart are to fire lazer beams at each other across the emptiness of space in order to finally prove whether Einstein's theory of general relativity is true or not. The physicists running the mission – which is a joint venture between NASA and the ESA – hope that in doing so they will be able to prove or disprove the existence of gravitational waves, a phenomenon predicted in Einstein's famous theory. The lazer beams will be fired between the spacecraft, ...

Check this out! [youtube][/youtube] This is the fantastic new footage released by NASA today from its Solar Dynamics Observatory, the most advanced satellite ever created to study the Sun. The video shows the Sun in an unprecedented level of clarity and even shows a massive eruption of material bursting out from its surface. Richard Fisher, director of the heliophysics division at NASA, said, "SDO will change our understanding of the Sun and its processes, which affect our lives and ...

Planes in the UK have been grounded due to a massive cloud of volcanic ash drifting across the North Atlantic – but why take such drastic measures? The cloud currently drifting at altitudes of up to 11km over the UK consists of extremely fine rock, mineral and volcanic glass particles. The cloud formed because molten rock contains dissolved gases that expand and escape from the volcano in a violent explosion that shatters the solid rock into minuscule bits of dust. The finest particles ascend high into the Earth's atmosphere where they ...

A fast-paced video about NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory The Solar Dynamics Observatory is the new NASA mission launched in February this year that will produce images of the Sun that are ten times greater quality than HD. Check out this energetic video that offers a sneak peek of the mission and its people.

Amazing NASA images of the British Isles blanketed in snow Image courtesy of NASA The Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (or MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite captured this incredibly chilling image of Great Britain on 7 January as most areas experienced freezing temperatures of -10C on the coldest night of the winter so far. Isolated areas were even subjected to lows of -22C in the Scottish Highlands. Snowfall followed by freezing temperatures left areas dangerously icy, resulting in widespread chaos ...