April 2021 – Astronomy Now

Ingenuity Mars ‘copter makes historic first flight on red planet

19 April 2021 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter completes a successful test flight, becoming the first aircraft to fly in the atmosphere of another world. Four more flights are planned.

Mars helicopter software update sets stage for Monday test flight

11 April 2021 Astronomy Now

NASA reschedules Mars helicopter flight for Monday, 19 April, after developing software fix for a computer timing issue.

A multi-instrument view of M61, showcasing its luminous heart and winding arms

11 April 2021 Astronomy Now

Discovered in 1779, M61 serves as a brilliant subject for ground- and space-based telescopes alike, with spiral arms bursting with young stars and a luminous core harboring a supermassive black hole.

Astronomers spot merging galaxies hosting dual quasars

7 April 2021 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have spotted two pairs of quasars in the cores of merging galaxies just a few billion years after the birth of the cosmos, shedding light on galactic evolution.

Like a proud parent, Perseverance Mars rover snaps a selfie with Ingenuity drone

7 April 2021 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover snapped a selfie showing the robot geologist and the diminutive Ingenuity helicopter on the surface of the red planet as engineers ready the drone for an initial 90 second test flight.

Ingenuity drone released from Perseverance Mars rover in preparation for test flight

2 April 2021 Astronomy Now

The Ingenuity Mars drone has been released from the belly of the Perseverance rover and is now standing alone on the surface in preparation for a long-awaited “Wright brothers moment” in the red planet’s ultra-thin atmosphere.

RAS warns of growing light pollution as satellite fleets expand

1 April 2021 Astronomy Now

Growing fleets of satellites in low-Earth orbit threaten to increase overall skyglow, a new study concludes, raising the prospect of light pollution across large areas.

InSight lander detects two more sizeable marsquakes

1 April 2021 Astronomy Now

An ultra-sensitive seismometer deployed by the Mars InSight lander has detected two more sizable marsquakes, data helping scientists map the planet’s interior.