Archive – Page 122 – Astronomy Now

Ancient Mars could have supported sub-surface biosphere

24 September 2018 Astronomy Now

A new study indicates Mars had more than enough sub-surface hydrogen, from the breakdown of water due to radioactive decay, to support a global microbial biosphere that could have persisted for hundreds of millions of years.

Japan’s Hayabusa2 lands two rovers on asteroid Ryugu

24 September 2018 Astronomy Now

Japan’s Hayabusa2 sample return spacecraft successfully deployed two small landers that dropped to the surface of an astroid known as Ryugu and then began hopping about in a major milestone for the ambitious mission.

Star-hop your way to viewing planets Uranus and Neptune at their best

23 September 2018 Ade Ashford

Clear nights of early Northern Hemisphere autumn offer ideal opportunities to track down the two outermost planets of the solar system, Uranus and Neptune. What’s more, you don’t need a big telescope to find them. We show you how to locate these gas giants using binoculars. The Moon also passes close to Neptune on 20 October.

Astronomers use novel technique to probe stellar rotation

21 September 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have measured differential rotation in 13 Sun-like stars where equatorial zones rotate faster than higher latitudes, a phenomenon thought to play a major role in the generation of sunspots and magnetic fields.

Seeing matter sucked into a black hole at 30 percent lightspeed

20 September 2018 Astronomy Now

For the first time, astronomers have observed dust being sucked directly into a supermassive black hole, evidence of “chaotic accretion” that may have helped supermassive holes rapidly gain mass in the early universe.

NASA troubleshooting data transmission glitch with Curiosity Mars rover

19 September 2018 Astronomy Now

Engineers are troubleshooting a data transmission glitch aboard the Curiosity Mars rover that has interrupted science operations. They are studying real-time telemetry, which is not affected, to diagnose the problem.

Hubble sees unusual features around ‘magnificent seven’ neutron star

19 September 2018 Astronomy Now

Beams from rotating neutron stars – pulsars – are normally seen in X-rays, gamma rays and radio waves. The Hubble Space Telescope has now seen unusual infrared emissions, possibly from “pulsar winds” or surrounding dust.

Phoenix dwarf galaxy, rocked by supernova blasts

19 September 2018 Astronomy Now

The Phoenix dwarf galaxy defies easy classification, without enough mass to form new stars but. But gas ejected from supernova blasts indicates star formation in the recent past with the possibility of more int the future.

Exoplanet found orbiting Mr. Spock’s home star

19 September 2018 Astronomy Now

An automated telescope has found a super-Earth orbiting the star 40 Eridani A, famous to Star Trek fans as Science Officer Spock’s home star. It is twice the size of Earth and completes an orbit every 42 days.

Large Magellanic Cloud may be result of past galactic merger

18 September 2018 Astronomy Now

Computer simulations indicated the Large Cloud of Magellan may have merged with another luminous galaxy three to five billion years ago, a scenario that explains unusual stellar motions and ages.