January 2019 – Page 2 – Astronomy Now

A dying star’s brief moment of glory

22 January 2019 Astronomy Now

The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope captured a dramatic view of the colourful clouds of gas blown away from a red giant in the process of becoming a compact, slowly-cooling dwarf star.

See a dawn triple conjunction and a lunar occultation on 31 January

22 January 2019 Ade Ashford

Skywatchers in the UK and Western Europe should look low to the south-southeast an hour before sunrise on 31 January to see a beautiful naked-eye conjunction of Venus, the old crescent Moon and Jupiter, all within a span of 8½ degrees. But if you have a telescope and live in just the right place, you can also see the Moon hide a double star.

Watch Venus and Jupiter get close in the dawn sky on 22 January

21 January 2019 Ade Ashford

Observers in Western Europe with a clear view to the south-southeast at nautical dawn can watch the changing configuration two prominent naked-eye planets over the next few mornings, culminating in a beautiful close conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on 22 January 2019.

A recent uptick in impact events on the Moon and on Earth

20 January 2019 Astronomy Now

Data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter indicate the number of impact events on the Moon nearly tripled over the past 290 million years.

Juno captures Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and a smaller rival

18 January 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Juno spacecraft continues capturing stunning view of Jupiter and its turbulent atmosphere, including this spectacular shot of the Great Red Spot and a small companion storm in the planet’s southern hemisphere.

Cassini data shows Saturn’s rings likely a recent phenomenon

18 January 2019 Astronomy Now

Analysis of data collected near the end of the Cassini spacecraft’s mission to Saturn indicate the planet’s spectacular rings are a relatively recent phenomenon.

A viewing guide to the totally eclipsed supermoon of 21 January

17 January 2019 Ade Ashford

While you may not relish the prospect of waking up in the small hours most Monday mornings, observers in the British Isles and Western Europe will want to set their alarms no later than 5am GMT on 21 January to see this month’s showstopper celestial event — a total lunar eclipse of an unusually close ‘supermoon’. The total lunar eclipse is also visible in its entirety (weather permitting) from the Americas.

Month: January 2019