March 2020 – Page 2 – Astronomy Now

Analysis shows black hole images feature data-rich substructure

20 March 2020 Astronomy Now

Theoretical analysis suggests higher-resolution images of nested photon rings will provide a direct measure of a black hole’s size and spin.

Star Epsilon (ε) Tauri plays hide and seek with the crescent Moon on 29 March

19 March 2020 Ade Ashford

On Sunday, 29 March around civil dusk, observers throughout the British Isles with suitably steadied binoculars and small telescopes can watch naked-eye star Epsilon (ε) Tauri disappear behind the darkened hemisphere of the almost 5-day-old waxing crescent Moon, reappearing again slightly more than an hour later. Here’s our where and when guide to viewing it.

New research pins down the size of ultra-dense neutron stars

17 March 2020 Astronomy Now

A new analysis shows a typical neutron star crams 1.4 times the mass of the Sun into a sphere just 22 kilometres (14 miles) across.

A massive middle-age star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud

16 March 2020 Astronomy Now

Massive middle age star clusters like NGC 339 resemble more common globulars, but they are much younger and it’s not yet known how they might be related. This remarkably detailed view comes from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Forecast for extreme exoplanet: windy and hot, with a chance of iron

16 March 2020 Astronomy Now

Iron vapour in the atmosphere of a particularly hellish exoplanet condenses on the somewhat cooler night side and falls as a rain of iron droplets.

ESA, Roscosmos delay launch of ExoMars 2020 lander to late 2022

12 March 2020 Astronomy Now

ESA and Roscosmos have delayed launch of the ExoMars 2020 lander and rover from July to late 2022 to resolve technical issues.

Fossil shows days were a half hour shorter during age of dinosaurs

12 March 2020 Astronomy Now

Studying growth rings in a fossilised clam shell, scientists found the length of a day 70 million years ago was a half hour shorter than today.

See the old Moon join a dawn planetary parade, 18–19 March

11 March 2020 Ade Ashford

If you’re an early riser in the British Isles, let the waning crescent Moon be your guide to three naked-eye planets – Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – at dawn on 18 and 19 March 2020. This celestial conjunction occurs in the constellation of Sagittarius where you can see all four Solar System bodies within the span of a fist at arm’s length. Look for attractive binocular conjunctions too.

Cosmic dust up may best explain dimming of Betelgeuse

8 March 2020 Astronomy Now

Taking the temperature of Betelgeuse, astronomers say the supergiant’s recent dimming likely caused by thrown-off gas obscuring the view.

ESO studies impact of mega-satellite constellations on astronomy

5 March 2020 Astronomy Now

A new study by the European Southern Observatory provides a preliminary look at the potential astronomical impact of mega-satellite constellations.