Archive – Page 115 – Astronomy Now

Scientists bid Kepler probe final goodnight and farewell

18 November 2018 Astronomy Now

Flight controllers sent a final set of commands to the exoplanet-hunting Kepler spacecraft, shutting the spacecraft down after it finally ran out of propellant, ending a spectacular mission.

Juno images Io rising over the immense limb of Jupiter

18 November 2018 Astronomy Now

Last week, we posted a dramatic view of Jupiter’s churning clouds as recently seen by NASA’s Juno orbiter. Here is another mesmerising JunoCam view of the solar system’s largest planet with the volcanically tortured moon Io rising above the horizon in the black of space.

See the Leonid meteor shower peak on 18 November

17 November 2018 Ade Ashford

The Leonid shower is well known for fast meteors, the brightest of which can leave persistent trains that appear to hang in the air for several seconds. This year’s maximum is predicted for 1am GMT on Sunday, 18 November. With a 9-day-old waxing gibbous Moon setting around the time of the shower’s peak in the UK, prospects are good.

Super-Earth found orbiting Barnard’s Star just six light years away

14 November 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers analysing 20 years of data precisely charting the position of Barnard’s Star some six light years away have discovered the second closest exoplanet to Earth.

Gravity waves marked birth of merged hypermassive neutron star

14 November 2018 Astronomy Now

Detailed analysis of gravitational wave data collected last year indicating the merger of two neutron stars shows the result was a single massive neutron star, not a black hole.

Juno orbiter captures another stunning view of Jupiter

14 November 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Juno spacecraft recently completed its 16th close flyby of Jupiter, capturing more stunning views of the giant planet’s turbulent atmosphere with anticyclonic storms and bright white “pop-up” clouds.

Gaia data reveals previously unseen ‘ghost’ galaxy near Milky Way

13 November 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers sifting through the treasure trove of data from the Gaia spacecraft have discovered a large but exceedingly dim dwarf galaxy lurking near the outskirts of the Milky Way.

Parker Solar Probe in good shape after close approach to Sun

13 November 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe came through its first close encounter with the sun on 5 November in excellent condition after braving extreme temperatures and radiation studying the solar corona.

Catch Venus near bright star Spica in the dawn sky

12 November 2018 Ade Ashford

Find a location that offers you an unobstructed view of the southeast about an hour before sunrise in the UK over the next week to see dazzling Venus close to the horizon. Look carefully at the planet around 6:30am GMT on 15 November and you’ll see it close to first-magnitude Spica, Virgo’s brightest star.

Hot magnetosphere around white dwarf explains mystery

9 November 2018 Astronomy Now

For the first time, a powerful magnetosphere has been detected around a white dwarf, providing a mechanism that explains a long-standing mystery.