CATEGORIES

“WE CAN BE AMAZING IF WE WANT TO BE”

Turner takes us behind the scenes of his docuseries Among the Stars, available now on Disney+

MEDIEVAL DUELS

In 1386, two Frenchmen fought a duel in a field outside Paris, each seeking to bury his blade in the other's body. One combatant had been accused of raping the other's wife, a charge he denied vehemently. After an initial verdict of innocence was returned, the accuser demanded a trial by combat. The judgment was now God's alone... ...who would be chosen to die?

ROYAL The duke of duplicity

SARAH GRISTWOOD on a new profile of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson that casts them in a distinctly unflattering light

FIVE BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT...Going to church in the Middle Ages

From social interaction to confessing your sins, Nicholas Orme reveals why the church HistoryExtra played such a central role in medieval life PODCAST INTERVIEW BY DAVID MUSGROVE

Dark forces

MARION GIBSON praises a retelling of a 17th-century witchcraft trial that never loses sight of the women at its heart, nor the social and economic factors that contributed to their plight

The worlds first superhero

When Alexander the Great died at the age of 32, his transformation into multicultural icon was only just beginning. Edmund Richardson chronicles the Macedonian king’s remarkable afterlife as the original global A-lister

America's Fall Guy

King George III has long been cast as the crazed despot who squandered America. Yet, argues Andrew Roberts, this grim characterisation is the result not of hard facts but a historical stitch-up

“IT IS STARTLINGLY CLEAR THAT THERE IS NO PLANET B”

The ESA’s first British astronaut reveals how space travel will develop, what life is like on board the ISS and why we need to protect our planet

WHAT LIT UP THE SKY IN 1054?

The Crab Nebula was formed by a supernova, and astronomers now think they know which type caused it

Water Vapour Detected On Huge Jupiter Moon Ganymede For The First Time

This could be a trend for icy bodies throughout the Solar System and beyond

Could We Hunt For Gravitational Waves From The Moon?

Such an observatory could unlock the cosmos’ secrets

The end of empires

RICHARD J EVANS lauds an innovative work that re-examines the Second World War in the context of global imperial ambitions

Let's cherish this shining light of the great Bronze Age civilisations

THE TAMILS’ GLITTERING CULTURAL UNIVERSE

War between friends

CORMAC O GRADA commends an ambitious attempt to objectively examine the conflict that pitted Irish people against each other in the wake of the bloody War of Independence

Prejudice on the pitch

The racist abuse experienced by some of England’s black footballers after the team’s defeat in the Euro 2020 championship final in July thrust the issue of racism in the sport back into the spotlight. MATTHEW TAYLOR charts the causes and consequences of more than a century of discrimination

HIDDEN HISTORIES

EMMA DABIRI explores lesser-known stories from our past

INTERVIEW: HELEN CARR & SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB

A new book edited by Helen Carr and Suzannah Lipscomb marks the 60th anniversary of EH Carr's What Is History? by asking that question a new for the 21st century

How George V won the war

The First World War ushered many European monarchies to extinction. But not in Britain. Heather Jones reveals how – through canny PR and genuine compassion for the troops – the royal family emerged from the conflict stronger than ever.

Golden girls

SIAN EVANS recommends an entertaining introduction to the adventures of independently wealthy women in Britain over the past four centuries

The Kings And Queens Of Hearts

Sarah Gristwood reveals how the Tudor monarchs exploited the medieval obsession with courtly love – a romantic creed inspired by the idea of valiant knights risking their lives to woo fair ladies – to further their own agendas

The (Surprisingly) Modern Middle Ages

From devastating climate change to deadly pandemics, the challenges that kept our medieval ancestors awake at night weren’t so different from those preoccupying us today, says Dan Jones

NEWLY FOUND MEGA COMET MAY BE THE LARGEST SEEN IN RECORDED HISTORY

The comet is truly a behemoth, beating other known comets thousandfold

Bigger and Bigger

The scale of the universe is so vast that it can be hard to grasp. One of the best ways to comprehend it is by starting on a relatively small scale with our home planet, Earth, and working outwards

Planet Profile Jupiter

The largest planet has a lot to tell us

STEVEN FREELAND: “WE ARE AT A CROSSROADS WHEN IT COMES TO SPACE”

Steven Freeland speaks to All About Space about the importance of space law, the future of space travel and who is liable when something goes wrong

OTHER-WORLD GREENHOUSES

To settle on another planet we will need to grow plants there, but how?

This month's planets

Track down the ringed giant in the evening sky throughout the warmer months – you’ll be glad that you did

NASA Wants To Change The Way It Protects Astronauts From Radiation

With long-term missions in the pipeline, safety is paramount

In the shops

The latest books, apps, software, tech and accessories for space and astronomy fans alike

Félicette: THE INSIDE STORY OF A SPACE CAT

What happened when a feline was blasted off into space?