Archive – Page 119 – Astronomy Now

A dust-strewn starscape wins Insight photography award

28 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Italian photographer Mario Cogo captured this view of the Corona Australis dust complex with a six-hour exposure under a dark sky in Namibia, winning first place in the “Stars and Nebulae” category of the 2018 Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.

It looks like volcanic activity on Mars – but it’s not

27 October 2018 Astronomy Now

A long cloud streaming away from a martian volcano gives the appearance of volcanic activity, but scientists say it’s actually a cloud caused by wind moving past the volcano’s leeward side, a familiar phenomenon on the red planet.

A swarm of robots assembled to detect effects of dark energy

27 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers, engineers and students are busy building a complex instrument that will be used with the 4-metre Mayall Telescope to probe the nature of dark energy by collecting the spectra of millions of galaxies.

A mesmerising – and award winning – image of the Sun in eclipse

26 October 2018 Astronomy Now

French photographer Nicolas Lefaudeux captured this remarkable view of the August 2017 solar eclipse from Unity, Oregon, showing the mesmerising streamers of the Sun’s corona extending outward more than 30 solar radii. The photo won first prize in the “Our Sun” category of the 2018 Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.

Using pulsars to precisely weigh planets and asteroids

26 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Ultra-precise signals from millisecond pulsars are being used to help astronomers more accurately measure the masses of bodies in Earth’s solar system, a technique that is remarkably sensitive to small changes.

A dusty and ‘mysterious galaxy’ wins photo contest recognition

25 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Taking top honours in the galaxy division of the 2018 Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, Steven Mohr’s image of NGC 3521 shows a gem embedded in vast clouds of gas, dust and stray stars glowing far out into the surrounding space.

As New Horizons closes in on Ultima Thule, scientists propose a Pluto orbiter

25 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Three years outbound from Pluto, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is homing in on a Kuiper Belt object dubbed Ultima Thule for a dramatic New Year’s Day flyby, the first by any space probe in the extreme outer solar system.

Slow-motion neutron star challenges theoretical predictions

24 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers using the LOFAR radio telescope have discovered the slowest-spinning pulsar yet detected, a highly magnetized stellar remnant that takes more than 23 seconds to complete one revolution.

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year winner announced

24 October 2018 Astronomy Now

American photographer Brad Goldpaint’s image of the Milky Way arcing above a rocky canyon in Utah won the top prize at this year’s Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition organised by the Royal Observatory Greenwhich. Goldpaint’s photo and others in the competition are on display at the National Maritime Museum.

Spitzer images the Cat’s Paw Nebula in all its infrared glory

23 October 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope captures a spectacular view of the Cat’s Paw Nebula some 5,000 light years away, showing vast clouds of gas warmed by hot young stars creating huge reddish bubbles that may someday burst into the surrounding space.