October 2021 – Astronomy Now

Looking into the dusty shroud of a dying star

31 October 2021 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope provides an intriguing Halloween view of the dusty shroud enveloping a carbon-rich star burning through the last of its nuclear fuel.

Can you spot Venus’ brilliant evening star?

28 October 2021 Mark Armstrong

Venus has been blazing brilliant as an ‘evening star’ since around late May. On 29 October Venus finally pulls out to greatest eastern elongation from the Sun, signalling a welcome gradual improvement in its visibility.

The curious incident of the star that wasn’t there

24 October 2021 Astronomy Now

Astronomers find a white dwarf with a presumed Jupiter analog, evidence at least some planets can survive a star’s transition to red giant and white dwarf.

Here comes the sunspot!

24 October 2021 Mark Armstrong

A major new sunspot has just rotated into view at the south-eastern limb area of the Sun’s photosphere. Officially designated sunspot AR2887, it was first seen peeping around the Sun’s limb on 22 October.

See Mercury at its morning best

23 October 2021 Mark Armstrong

Mercury reaches greatest elongation west of the Sun on 25 October, providing an opportunity to observe the elusive innermost planet’s best showing of the year before sunrise.

Mars rover captures sharp view of Jezero Crater in stunning mosaic

21 October 2021 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Perseverance rover provides a razor-sharp mosaic showing its view across the floor of Jezero Crater, including remnants of a delta where water once flowed into a broad lake that may have provided a habitable environment for microbial life.

Orionids marred by the Moon

21 October 2021 Mark Armstrong

The Orionid meteor shower peaks on 21/22 October. Unfortunately the shower will be severely affected by glare from a near-full Moon. Orionids often leave persistent trains, or trails, so its brightest meteors might slice through the glare.

Exoplanet collision likely stripped away a terrestrial world’s atmosphere

21 October 2021 Astronomy Now

Researchers observe what may be the aftermath of a titanic collision in a solar system 95 light years away that stripped the atmosphere from a terrestrial planet.

Webb telescope unboxed after shipment to Guiana Space Center

20 October 2021 Stephen Clark

Engineers removed the James Webb Space Telescope from its intercontinental shipping container in South America last week, and kicked off a final pre-launch comprehensive electrical systems test ahead of blastoff in December on an Ariane 5 rocket.

NASA asteroid explorer leaves planet Earth on Atlas 5 rocket

16 October 2021 Stephen Clark

Bound for a pristine population of ancient asteroids, a NASA science probe named Lucy took off from Cape Canaveral before dawn Saturday and rocketed into space on top of an Atlas 5 launcher to begin a 12-year, $981 million mission seeking out clues about the early solar system.