August 2018 – Astronomy Now

Watch asteroid 2015 FP118 fly by Earth in early September

31 August 2018 Ade Ashford

Shortly after 11am BST on Monday, 3 September, an 800-metre-wide space rock with the catchy name 2015 FP118 hurtles past Earth some 12¼ times the average distance of the Moon. On subsequent nights we show you how to track it down with backyard telescopes of 10-inch (25-cm) aperture and larger.

VISTA captures huge Carina Nebula in all its infrared glory

29 August 2018 Astronomy Now

The European Observatory’s VISTA telescope captured this remarkably detailed view of the spectacular Carina Nebula, showing the vast star-forming region in infrared light with countless suns blazing through thin clouds of gas and dust, including the gigantic Eta Carinae binary system.

New Horizons catches sight of Kuiper Belt target ‘Ultima Thule’

29 August 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has finally caught sight of its post-Pluto target, a Kuiper Belt body nicknamed Ultima Thule. If all goes well, New Horizons will make a close flyby of the distant body on 1 January.

Surprisingly rapid magnetic field reversals pose risks to Earth

28 August 2018 Astronomy Now

About 100,000 years ago, Earth’s magnetic field reversed polarity in just two centuries or so, a surprisingly rapid reversal that, if it happened today, could cost trillions in damage to power and communications systems, researchers say.

See bright Comet 21P’s close brush with conspicuous Capella

27 August 2018 Ade Ashford

If you’ve never seen a comet, there’s currently a bright example visible in the late evening about to make a close approach to the 6th brightest star in the night sky on the UK night of 2–3 September. We show you how to find Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner around the time it passes within a degree of prominent star Capella.

Meteorite data indicate Jupiter underwent distinct growth phases

27 August 2018 Astronomy Now

Analysis of isotopes in meteorites shows Jupiter underwent distinct growth phases, rapidly accreting small particles to build a core and then slowing as it pulled in larger planetesimals that generated enough heat to slow gas accretion.

The Hubble Space Telescope looks into the heart of M13

26 August 2018 Astronomy Now

The great globular cluster in Hercules, M13, was first noted by western astronomers in 1714 when Edmund Halley described it as a “little patch” that “shews it self to the naked Eye.” The Hubble Space Telescope takes it to another level.

OSIRIS-REx captures its first images of asteroid Bennu

25 August 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has captured its first images of asteroid Bennu at a range of 2.2 million kilometres (4.1 million miles); the probe will slip into orbit around Bennu on New Year’s Eve to kick off a sample-return mission

The Milky Way arches over La Silla Observatory

23 August 2018 Astronomy Now

The Milky Way arcs above ESO’s La Silla Observatory in this spectacular panorama demonstrating the extraordinarily clear, dark sky enjoyed by astronomers at one of the premier viewing sites in the world. This image captures the disk of the galaxy, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and Jupiter.

See the Moon meet the Red Planet on the UK night of 23 August

23 August 2018 Ade Ashford

Mars may be almost four weeks past opposition, but it’s still an imposing sight low in the southern sky around local midnight. But if you are in any doubt about identifying the Red Planet, the waxing gibbous Moon acts as a convenient celestial guide late into the UK night of Thursday, 23 August. See both the Moon and the Red Planet in the same field of view of low-power binoculars.