November 2020 – Astronomy Now

An expanding bubble of ionised gas gives rise to star birth

30 November 2020 Astronomy Now

Passing shockwaves from expanding clouds of ionised gas trigger the collapse of interstellar gas and dust clouds, forming stellar nurseries.

SOFIA opens a surprising window on quasars and galactic evolution

30 November 2020 Astronomy Now

Researchers using the airborne SOFIA infrared observatory have found a quasar where star formation has managed to continue despite a torrent of radiation.

Mars rover data indicates ancient megafloods across Gale Crater

24 November 2020 Astronomy Now

Stratigraphy in Gale Crater on Mars indicates the effects of megafloods in the distant past, most likely caused by the heat released in a major impact.

Hubble Space Telescope tracks the rise and fall of a brilliant supernova

24 November 2020 Astronomy Now

Across a gulf of 70 million light years, the brilliant flare of an exploding star shines like a beacon in the outer reaches of a spiral galaxy, providing tell-tale clues about the expansion rate of the universe.

Radioactive elements may be key to exoplanet habitability

22 November 2020 Astronomy Now

The amount of radioactive elements in the core of a rocky exoplanet may be a critical factor in determining its habitability.

Iconic Arecibo Observatory, too unsafe to repair, faces demolition

19 November 2020 Astronomy Now

Engineers conclude the Arecibo Observatory’s 900-ton receiver is too unstable to repair in the wake of a second support cable failure, prompting decision to decommission the facility.

See Comet ATLAS in the evening sky

18 November 2020 Mark Armstrong

Comet C/2020 M3 (ATLAS) is now in the late-evening sky among the bright stars of Orion and is bright enough to be viewed through a pair of binoculars from a dark-sky site.

Arecibo Observatory suffers additional damage from second cable failure

8 November 2020 Astronomy Now

The Arecibo Observatory, off-line due to a support cable failure, has suffered additional damage from a second cable break.

Milky Way magnetar likely source of fast radio burst

6 November 2020 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have detected the first fast radio burst ever seen in the Milky Way and say it likely was generated by a magnetar.

Voyager 2 hears from Earth after months-long antenna overhaul

4 November 2020 Astronomy Now

Amid a year-long upgrade, the only antenna able to ‘talk’ to Voyager 2 gets back in touch with distant spacecraft