July 2018 – Page 4 – Astronomy Now

Cataclysmic collision re-shaped Milky Way in distant past

4 July 2018 Astronomy Now

A head-on collision between the Milky Way and a smaller body dubbed the “Sausage” galaxy eight to 10 billion years ago had a profound effect on the structure and evolution of Earth’s home in space, astronomers say.

NuSTAR X-ray telescope shows Eta Carinae source of cosmic rays

4 July 2018 Astronomy Now

The origins of high-energy cosmic rays are difficult to trace because of the effects of magnetic fields, but data from NASA’s NuSTAR X-ray telescope indicates the massive binary star Eta Carinae is one likely source.

Dawn zooms in on Ceres’ enigmatic Occator Crater

2 July 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is now in an orbit around the asteroid Ceres that carries it as close as 35 kilometres (22 miles), giving researchers a bird’s eye view of enigmatic Occator Crater and its famously bright deposits of sodium carbonate.

Astronomers catch new planet in the process of forming

2 July 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have managed to spot a new planet in the process of forming in a dusty disk surrounding a hot young star. It is the first definitive observation of its kind, opening a new window in exoplanet research.

Astronomers detect magnetic field in remains of supernova 1987A

1 July 2018 Astronomy Now

Supernova 1987A is one of the most studied stellar explosions in history and more than 30 years after the blast, astronomers have detected a magnetic field 50,000 times weaker than a refrigerator magnet.