Japan’s coolest secret… Ten ways to enjoy the mesmerising – and often snowy – island of Hokkaido

All eyes are on Japan this year as it hosts the Rugby World Cup in September and the next G20 meeting in June, and readies itself for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  But visitors who want to explore beyond the obvious tourist attractions should consider Hokkaido. The wild north island is a peaceful enclave of stunning nature … Read more

Kink in the Milky Way’s disc could have been created by an ongoing collision

The Milky Way has a ‘kink’ or warp in its disc that ‘wobbles like a spinning top’ and it could have been created by an ongoing collision with a nearby dwarf galaxy. Observations from the European Space Agency Gaia mission helped scientists from the Turin Astrophysical Observatory track the warp as it orbits the galactic … Read more