Archive – Page 103 – Astronomy Now

Hubble shoots a Wild Duck (the cluster, that is)

29 March 2019 Astronomy Now

Stars in the Wild Duck Cluster, a favourite target for amateur astronomers, sparkle like jewels on black velvet in this view from the Hubble Space Telescope, showing the remarkably rich cluster’s colourful components with crystalline clarity.

See the Red Planet’s encounter with the Seven Sisters at dusk

26 March 2019 Ade Ashford

On 31 March at 4am BST, Mars passes just 3.1 degrees south of the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters open star cluster in the constellation of Taurus. The Red Planet sets before midnight as seen from the UK, so you should look to the west as darkness falls. Mars and the Pleiades lie within the same field of view of typical 10×50 binoculars from 28 March through 1 April 2019.

See the waning Moon meet Jupiter and Saturn at dawn, 27–29 March

25 March 2019 Ade Ashford

For lunar and planetary enthusiasts, the only naked-eye planet of the evening sky is distant and tiny Mars in the constellation of Taurus. But if you’re prepared to be an early riser, the dawn sky is where you’ll find two of the solar system’s heavyweights, Jupiter and Saturn, getting up close with the Moon on 27 and 29 March, respectively.

Visualizing the chaos near the Milky Way’s central black hole

24 March 2019 Astronomy Now

A 360-dergree visualization of the Milky Way’s core from the perspective of its central supermassive black hole shows the chaotic motion of nearby stars and gas clouds.

A deep infrared view of the Orion Nebula from the Very Large Telescope

24 March 2019 Astronomy Now

A deep infrared view of the Orion Nebula reveals an abundance of faint brown dwarfs and an unexpected number of planetary-mass objects, key elements in studies of star formation and the environments that produce them.

Rumors of a quasar’s death may have been premature

21 March 2019 Astronomy Now

A voracious quasar at the heart of a galaxy 1.1 billion light years away is blowing huge bubbles in space, giving the host galaxy the shape of a teacup.

Asteroid Bennu surprises with rocky surface and activity

20 March 2019 Astronomy Now

The OSIRIS-REx sample-return spacecraft is finding one surprise after another orbiting asteroid Bennu, including unexpected “ejection events.”

Ultima Thule answers – and raises – questions about early solar system

19 March 2019 Astronomy Now

Data from the New Horizons flyby of the Kuiper Belt body Ultima Thule on New Year’s Day sheds new light on processes at work during the solar system’s birth.

Astronomers find 83 quasars already shining in early universe

18 March 2019 Astronomy Now

Astronomers studying light from the extremely early universe have discovered 83 quasars, indicating supermassive black holes were commonplace early on.

A parting panorama from the Opportunity Mars rover

18 March 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Mars Opportunity Rover was completing a 360-degree panorama of its surroundings on the inner slope of Endeavour Crater when a global dust storm silenced the spacecraft after nearly 15 years of operation on the red planet. The final panorama is made up of 354 images stitched together for a fitting farewell vista.