Crisp cold nights, a touch of frost on the ground and the lure of a cosy fire might conspire to keep us indoors in December, but it really is worth popping your head outside, even for a few minutes, to soak in the wonders of the night sky.

Building blocks of life may have been found in a ring of red dust surrounding a distant star.

NASA scientists have discovered what may be one of the youngest planets known to man.