May 2018 – Page 5 – Astronomy Now

See the Moon get close to Saturn and Mars in the early morning sky

4 May 2018 Ade Ashford

Although Jupiter close to opposition may be stealing the other naked-eye planets’ thunder, there’s lots more to see if you’re an early riser on the weekend of 5–6 May. About an hour before sunrise finds Mars and Saturn less than the span of an outstretched hand at arm’s length apart in the UK southern sky, with the waning gibbous Moon acting as a convenient guide to each planet on successive mornings.

Solar Dynamics Observatory captures magnetic spectacle

4 May 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory routinely sends back stunning images of the sun, including this view of a currently active region showing a tapestry of magnetic field lines shining in ultraviolet light.

Managers clear InSight for launch after heat shield review

3 May 2018 Stephen Clark

NASA officials have determined that the robotic InSight lander is ready for its mission to Mars after concluding that the probe should not suffer the same flaw that led to a crack in a heat shield undergoing tests for the space agency’s Mars 2020 rover.

Gaia takes a fingerprint of the Large Magellanic Cloud

3 May 2018 William Harwood

The European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft collected proper motion data for several million stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to the Milky Way, allowing astronomers to visualize its rotation in a unique fingerprint-like pattern.

Stephen Hawking’s final thoughts about the big bang

2 May 2018 Astronomy Now

In a paper billed as Stephen Hawking’s final theory on the origin of the universe, the famed physicist and co-author Thomas Hertog argue that the widely held concept of “eternal inflation” is incorrect.

Mars orbiter sees bedrock on the floor of an ancient crater

2 May 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captures a spectacular enhanced colour image of an ancient crater on the red planet showing rippling sand dunes and eroded bedrock.

Old IMAX projectors simulate Sun in key test for Parker Solar Probe

1 May 2018 Astronomy Now

Scientists used four vintage IMAX projectors to simulate the blazing light from the Sun that a key instrument on NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will experience when flying closer to Earth’s star than any other spacecraft.

Cassini’s view of Saturn’s rings still dazzling

1 May 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft plunged into the atmosphere of Saturn in 2017, concluding a hugely successful mission to explore the planet, its rings and icy moons. The spacecraft’s close-up images of Saturn’s ring system likely will remain unmatched for decades to come.

Jupiter’s 9 May opposition and a month of Jovian events visible from the UK

1 May 2018 Ade Ashford

With the opposition of Jupiter occurring on 9 May, now is the time to ensure that your telescope is clean and collimated (aligned) to deliver the sharpest images of the solar system’s largest planet at its best. We tell you when and how to view Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and a wealth of Galilean moon phenomena throughout May 2018.