Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Color pictures taken from Martian orbit feature the landing spots for two of NASA's dearly departed probes on the Red Planet. Can you spot them?

There are two interesting meet-ups in space for skywatchers this week: close encounters between the moon, several planets and stars.

The giant black hole at the center of our galaxy may be snacking on asteroids.

The most detailed image yet of the well-known Carina nebula has been caught by a European telescope, unveiling previously hidden features of an exquisite star nursery.

The Vega rocket will blast off from French Guiana on Monday, an inaugural flight aimed at giving Europe a vehicle for scientific satellite missions, the first new rocket Europe has developed since the mid-1990s.