Archive – Astronomy Now

InSight lander detects most powerful marsquake yet

25 September 2021 Astronomy Now

The InSight Mars lander detects three powerful marsquakes in one month, shedding new light on the planet’s interior.

X (rays) mark the spot where a black hole ate a star

23 September 2021 Astronomy Now

An elusive intermediate-mass black hole blamed for star’s destruction in tidal disruption event.

Study suggests Mars too small for long-term habitability

22 September 2021 Astronomy Now

Researchers find a correlation between a rocky planet’s size and its ability to retain enough water for habitability.

VIPER rover targets Nobile Crater at Moon’s south pole

21 September 2021 Astronomy Now

NASA targets Nobile Crater near the Moon’s south pole for the ice-hunting VIPER rover.

Hubble images showcase two faces of a luminous blue variable

19 September 2021 Astronomy Now

Vast clouds of gas and dust shrouding the luminous blue variable star AG Carinae are revealed in all their subtle glory in new views from the Hubble Space Telescope that reprise the observatory’s 21st anniversary image.

Observe far-flung Neptune at its best

13 September 2021 Mark Armstrong

Distant planet Neptune is now positioned at its best for 2021 as it reaches opposition on on 14 September, when the Sun, Earth and Neptune line up.

Follow asteroid Pallas while at its best for 2021

9 September 2021 Mark Armstrong

Asteroid Pallas, the second asteroid to be discovered and one of the so-called ‘big four’ asteroids, is at its best for 2021 and is well placed for observation from UK shores.

NASA, ESA target 18 December for long-awaited James Webb launch

8 September 2021 Astronomy Now

NASA and ESA are targeting 18 December for the long-awaited launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.

See brilliant planet Venus encounter a slender Moon

7 September 2021 Mark Armstrong

Don’t mission your chance to see Venus and a slender Moon, the two brightest objects in the night sky, come together for a few days this week.

Hubble images a colourful globular cluster in Sagittarius

6 September 2021 Astronomy Now

M22, M13, Omega Centauri and other densely-populated globular clusters get most of the attention, but even sparsely-populated globulars provide rich fodder for the Hubble Space Telescope.