360Discovering the universe
From Greenwich to black holes and the Webb telescope. 18 moments, oldest first.
- 167522 June 1675
The Royal Observatory is founded at Greenwich
On 22 June 1675, King Charles II of England signed a warrant to build an observatory at Greenwich, near London, to chart the stars and help sailors find their longitude at sea. John Flamsteed became the first Astronomer Royal. Two centuries later, the line through Greenwich became the world's Prime Meridian, longitude zero.
- 178113 March 1781
William Herschel discovers Uranus
On 13 March 1781, the musician and amateur astronomer William Herschel spotted a faint disc through his home-made telescope in Bath, England. It was a new planet, Uranus, the first discovered with a telescope and the first unknown to ancient astronomers. It doubled the known size of the solar system.
- 199024 April 1990
The Hubble Space Telescope is launched
On 24 April 1990, the space shuttle Discovery carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit, and astronauts released it the next day. Above the blurring atmosphere, Hubble could see further and more sharply than telescopes on the ground. A flaw in its mirror was fixed by astronauts in 1993, and it has since made more than 1.5 million observations.
- 201910 April 2019
Astronomers reveal the first picture of a black hole
On 10 April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope team released the first image of a black hole: a glowing ring around a dark shadow at the centre of the galaxy M87, about 55 million light-years away. It is about 6.5 billion times the mass of the Sun. Eight radio observatories worked together as one Earth-sized telescope.
- 202125 December 2021
The James Webb Space Telescope is launched
On 25 December 2021, an Ariane 5 rocket launched the James Webb Space Telescope from Kourou, French Guiana. Built by NASA with the European and Canadian space agencies, it unfolded a 6.5 m gold-coated mirror on its way to a point 1.5 million km from Earth. Its first images, in July 2022, showed the early universe in astonishing detail.
- 20272 August 2027 · Predicted
The century's longest total solar eclipse on land
On 2 August 2027, the Moon will completely cover the Sun along a path crossing Spain, North Africa, Egypt and western Saudi Arabia, including Jeddah and Makkah. Near Luxor in Egypt, totality will last about six minutes and 23 seconds, the longest total eclipse on land this century.
- 202822 July 2028 · Predicted
A total solar eclipse crosses Australia and New Zealand
On 22 July 2028, the Moon's shadow crosses Australia from the Kimberley in the northwest to Sydney in the southeast, then passes over New Zealand's South Island. Along the path, day will turn to twilight for several minutes. Sydney will see its first total solar eclipse in more than 150 years.
- 202913 April 2029 · Predicted
Asteroid Apophis passes close to Earth
On 13 April 2029, the asteroid Apophis, about 340 metres wide, will pass about 32,000 kilometres above Earth's surface, closer than many satellites. It poses no danger. It will be visible without a telescope from parts of Europe, Africa and Asia, and a NASA spacecraft will study it afterwards.
- 203222 December 2032 · Predicted
Asteroid 2024 YR4 passes close to the Moon
On 22 December 2032, asteroid 2024 YR4, about 60 m wide, will pass about 21,000 km from the Moon's surface. Soon after its discovery, it briefly had a small chance of hitting Earth, which was ruled out in 2025. In March 2026, James Webb Space Telescope observations also ruled out a Moon impact. It poses no danger.
- 20352 September 2035 · Predicted
A total solar eclipse crosses China, Korea and Japan
On 2 September 2035, a total solar eclipse will sweep across northern China, including near Beijing, then the Korean Peninsula and central Japan, before heading out over the Pacific. Hundreds of millions of people live close to the path of totality.
- 204512 August 2045 · Predicted
A great total solar eclipse crosses the United States
On 12 August 2045, a total solar eclipse will cross the United States from northern California to Florida, then continue over the Caribbean and South America. At its longest, the Sun will be hidden for more than six minutes, one of the longest total eclipses seen from the US.
- 2061Mid-2061 · Predicted
Halley's Comet returns
Halley's Comet, which returns about every 76 years, will next pass closest to the Sun in mid-2061. Edmond Halley first predicted its return using Newton's laws in the 1700s. Its last visit was in 1986, so for many people alive today, 2061 will be their first chance to see it.
- 207522 June 2075 · Anniversary
400 years of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich
On 22 June 2075, it will be 400 years since King Charles II founded the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. The line of longitude zero, the Prime Meridian, still runs through it, and the world's time zones are still counted from it.
- 211710–11 December 2117 · Predicted
Venus crosses the face of the Sun
On 10 and 11 December 2117, Venus will pass directly between Earth and the Sun, appearing as a small black dot crossing the Sun's disc. These transits come in pairs more than a century apart. The last was in 2012, and the next after 2117 will be in December 2125.
- 21342134 · Predicted
Halley's Comet returns again
After its 2061 visit, Halley's Comet will return again around 2134. Astronomers expect it to pass much closer to Earth than in 1986, which could make it a brighter sight in the night sky.
- 2178Around 2178 · Predicted
Pluto completes its first orbit since its discovery
Pluto takes about 248 Earth years to travel once around the Sun. Discovered in February 1930, it will complete its first full orbit since its discovery around 2178, returning to roughly the same point in the sky where Clyde Tombaugh first spotted it.
- 218616 July 2186 · Predicted
The longest total solar eclipse for thousands of years
On 16 July 2186, a total solar eclipse will darken the sky for up to about seven minutes and 29 seconds, near the coast of South America. Astronomers calculate it will be one of the longest total eclipses in thousands of years, close to the maximum length possible.
- 228728 August 2287 · Predicted
Mars comes closer to Earth than in nearly 60,000 years
In August 2003, Mars came closer to Earth than at any time in nearly 60,000 years. Astronomers calculate that this record will be beaten on 28 August 2287, when Mars will be slightly closer still and shine brightly in the night sky.