Space exploration is full of possibilities, especially when searching for signs of life. But the reality is complex. What lies behind the many decisions that have to be taken to design and run a space exploration mission?

Have you ever looked up into the night sky at the red planet and wanted to know more? Now here’s your chance to explore Mars.

Rocks hurtling through space shape the surface of the moons and planets as collide – and now you can use your skill and knowledge to make your own mark. Can you cover a target percentage of a planet or a moon’s surface with impact craters – by choosing meteroids based on size, make-up and speed and aiming them at your chosen target.

In March 2021, several rare meteorite fragments were found in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire. We celebrate this amazing discovery with a mini documentary and other FREE resources on meteorites…  

From robotic telescopes to an asteroid pretending to be a moon on Mars, here are four articles about asteroids.

How does Gaia detect any dangerous Earth-crossing asteroids? 

Discover how scientists have calculated the exact volume of the noise created at the birth of the Universe with this video

Find out how you'd pass the time on Mercury  - where a single day lasts two years

Is it possible to make your own black hole? DIY experts take note with this animation 

Would we have tides if we had no Moon? Is a ‘supermoon’ an important event? Can moons have moons? Enjoy this short animation.

Find out more about the Moon’s state of synchronous rotation

As the only planetary body everyone is familiar with seeing in the sky, the Moon has long been an object of fascination and speculation. This free course will teach you about the nearest planetary body to Earth: the missions to the Moon, the basic facts of its composition, the cratering on its surface, and the ancient eruptions that flooded many...

This free course, An introduction to exoplanets, introduces our galaxy's population of planets, and some of their many surprises. It explains the methods used by astronomers to study exoplanets, and provides a general introduction to the methods of scientific inquiry. The course culminates in discussion of life elsewhere in our Galaxy.

This free course shows you how to navigate the night sky, and introduces the wide variety of objects it contains. You will develop a hands-on understanding of telescopic observations using the Open University’s own robotic telescope facility COAST sited on the island of Tenerife. Supported by your own measurements we illustrate how stars...

This free course, Galaxies, stars and planets, is a general introduction, including scale of the universe from the very large to the very small; orbits and gravity; the Solar System; the Sun and other stars; galaxies and the composition of astronomical objects.