July 2023 – Astronomy Now

Razor-sharp test images show Euclid’s instruments performing as expected

31 July 2023 Astronomy Now

The Euclid space telescope has reached its operational orbit and initial test images show the probe’s two instruments are operating in fine fashion as they’re fine tuned for science observations.

NASA loses touch with Voyager 2; waits for craft to ‘phone home’

31 July 2023 Astronomy Now

Flight controllers mistakenly commanded Voyager 2 to point slightly away from Earth, interrupting communications, but the spacecraft is expected to reset itself in October.

Cygnus’ famous stellar duo: 61 Cyg and SS Cyg

31 July 2023 Mark Armstrong

Amongst its embarrassment of deep-sky riches, mighty Cygnus, the Swan, hosts two famous stars, the dwarf nova variable star SS Cygni and the binary 61 Cygni.

Messier 14: An Ophiuchus globular

24 July 2023 Mark Armstrong

Messier 14 (NGC 6402) is one of Ophiuchus’ seven Messier-tagged globular clusters, which are incredibly dense balls of stars that can provide striking viewing.

Asymmetric magnetic fields may explain two-faced white dwarf

20 July 2023 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have found what amounts to a two-faced white dwarf with one side dominated by hydrogen and the other by helium in what could be a transition from one phase to another.

ALMA spots exoplanet and possible sibling sharing same orbit

19 July 2023 Astronomy Now

Trojan planets – two worlds sharing the same orbit around their star – are possible in theory, but none have been found. Now, the ALMA radio telescope array may have done just that.

Hubble probes merging galaxy clusters combining to form powerful gravitational lenses

19 July 2023 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope searches for massive galactic clusters to learn more about gravitational lensing, the distortion and magnification of light from background, more distant bodies caused by a cluster’s enormous gravity.

Telling the difference between earthly radio ‘noise’ and signals from ET

17 July 2023 Astronomy Now

Researchers develop a technique for making sure signals from ET are legitimate and not the result of earthly radio interference.

NASA celebrates Webb science anniversary with mesmerising new image

12 July 2023 William Harwood

NASA marks the first anniversary of Webb science observations with a spectacular look into a nearby stellar nursery where 50 young sun-like stars are lighting up their surroundings.

ESO reports good progress building the Extremely Large Telescope

11 July 2023 Astronomy Now

ESO’s aptly named Extremely Large Telescope is now roughly halfway complete, with its dome quickly rising in Chile and the telescope coming together in Europe.