Archive – Page 120 – Astronomy Now

Final NASA workshop considers Mars 2020 landing sites

15 October 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA is staging a fourth and final workshop to debate four proposed landing sites for the agency’s Mars 2020 rover. A decision on where to target the rover is expected by the end of the year.

Chandra X-ray Observatory to resume observations after gyro swap

15 October 2018 William Harwood

The Chandra X-ray Observatory should be out of ‘safe mode’ and back in operation soon after engineers traced a recent problem to one of the telescopes gyroscopes. A backup has been activated that should resolve the matter.

Up close and personal with ‘Pulsar in a Box’ simulation

14 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Computer simulations are giving astronomers a detailed view showing how the electric and magnetic fields surrounding fast-spinning pulsars spew out electrons and positrons, accelerating them to near light speed in a complex interplay that dominates the nearby environment.

Opaque voids in early universe tied to galaxy scarcity

14 October 2018 Astronomy Now

New research indicates vast voids in the extremely early universe did not contain large amounts of gas, blocking light from background galaxies. They actually contain little mass, with fewer nearby galaxies than expected.

Chandra X-ray Observatory joins Hubble in protective safe mode

12 October 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory entered protective safe mode 10 October, the second of NASA’s “Great Observatories” to be sidelined in one week by a technical issue. Engineers are studying telemetry to pinpoint the problem.

The Great Horsehead Nebula and its neglected neighbour

12 October 2018 Astronomy Now

A stunning view of the Horsehead Nebula and NGC 2023, a reflection nebula some four light years in diameter, is shortlisted in this year’s Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition organised by the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

Astronomers see birth of rare binary neutron star

12 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have found an “ultra-stripped supernova” that created a second neutron star in a tight binary system, matching theoretical predictions for how such binaries are formed in otherwise disruptive blasts.

ALMA helps solve an astronomical cold case

10 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers say an apparent nova that appeared in the constellation Cygnus 348 years ago likely was caused by a collision between a compact white dwarf and a ‘failed star’ known as a brown dwarf.

Hubble Space Telescope sidelined by gyro problem

9 October 2018 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope has been sidelined in the wake of problems with two of its four remaining gyroscopes. Engineers are hopeful they can restore one of the units to operation. If not, backup plans are in place.

XMM-Newton captures a massive galaxy cluster aglow in X-rays

8 October 2018 Astronomy Now

ESA’s XMM-Newton X-ray telescope is mapping galaxy clusters across the universe, helping astronomers better understand their distribution, structure and evolution.