Archive – Astronomy Now

Hubble captures a ‘jellyfish’ swimming through a remote galactic cluster

26 March 2023 Astronomy Now

Facing headwinds on a galactic scale creates jellyfish-like tendrils that represent star formation in extreme conditions.

A simpler, more mundane explanation for ‘Oumuamua’s strange behaviour

23 March 2023 Astronomy Now

The unusual acceleration of the interstellar body ‘Oumuamua most likely was caused by the outgassing of trapped hydrogen gas, researchers say.

A sea of blazing stars in a galactic spiral of gas, dust and starbirth

23 March 2023 Astronomy Now

M83, known as the Southern Pinwheel, is a majestic barred spiral some 15 million light years away, one of the closest examples of its kind to Earth’s Milky Way.

Japanese Hakuto-R moon lander slips into lunar orbit

22 March 2023 Astronomy Now

The first privately-developed lunar lander – Hakuto-R – successfully braked into orbit around the moon after a three-month voyage; landing on tap in April.

Analysis of Magellan data shows apparent volcanic activity on Venus

21 March 2023 Astronomy Now

Data captured by NASA’s Magellan Venus probe in 1991 shows what appears to be lava flows from an active vent on the side of a huge volcano known as Maat Mons.

JWST captures rare glimpse of Wolf-Rayet star on the way to death by supernova

21 March 2023 Astronomy Now

James Webb captures a detailed infrared image of a Wolf Rayet star as its outer atmosphere is blown off in a brief transition before an eventual supernova explosion.

An Owl and a Ghost

20 March 2023 Mark Armstrong

The Owl Nebula, Messier 97 in Ursa Major, is springtime’s best planetary nebula, but the Ghost of Jupiter, NGC 3242 in Hydra, is well worth busting a gut to observe too.

NGC 2903 in Leo: the best galaxy not in Messier’s list?

15 March 2023 Mark Armstrong

Leo hosts five galaxies with Messier status but, inexplicably, the fantastic spiral NGC 2903 is not one of them.

Messier 81: the Great Bear’s grand-design spiral galaxy

13 March 2023 Mark Armstrong

Messier 81 in Ursa Major is an enticing target for visual observers and imagers alike, making it one of the best deep-sky attractions of the entire sky.

Venus and Jupiter’s spectacular early-evening coming-together

27 February 2023 Mark Armstrong

Venus and Jupiter are a marvellous sight soon after sunset on 1 March, when they lie just over a full Moon’s diameter apart. .