Archive – Page 16 – Astronomy Now

Make eyes at Messier 64, the Black Eye Galaxy

15 May 2023 Mark Armstrong

There are so many bright galaxies to choose from in springtime, but one you definitely shouldn’t miss is the marvellous ‘Black Eye Galaxy’, or Messier 64.

A record-setting explosion as a supermassive black hole gorges on gas

15 May 2023 Astronomy Now

A supermassive black hole gorging on surrounding gas produces the brightest ongoing explosion yet observed.

Globular cluster mystery may be explained by short-lived ultra-massive suns

13 May 2023 Astronomy Now

Webb telescope observations indicate super-massive stars in an infant galaxy that may explain the elemental abundances in globular clusters.

Hubble Space Telescope probes a massive light-bending galaxy cluster

13 May 2023 Astronomy Now

Galaxy clusters serve as gravitational zoom lenses for the Hubble Space Telescope, magnifying the light from more remote background galaxies to shed light on the nature of such lenses and the distribution of dark matter.

Jammed radar boom on Jupiter-bound Juice probe finally freed

12 May 2023 Astronomy Now

After weeks of troubleshooting, ESA engineers finally free a jammed radar antenna boom on the Jupiter-bound Juice probe.

NASA developing a robotic snake to slither on – and into – icy moons

11 May 2023 Astronomy Now

To explore hard-to-reach places on other worlds, NASA is developing a slithering snake-like robot to boldly go where traditional rovers cannot.

Catch the rays from the Sunflower Galaxy

10 May 2023 Mark Armstrong

Messier 63 (NGC 5055), the Sunflower Galaxy in Canes Venatici, sits comfortably with its reputation as one of the great galaxies visible in the night sky at springtime.

Water, water everywhere, including the icy moons of Uranus

10 May 2023 Astronomy Now

A re-analysis of Voyager data, along with computer modelling, suggests four of Uranus’ moons may harbour oceans beneath their icy crusts.

A luminous Seyfert galaxy and its active black hole-driven nucleus

10 May 2023 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope captures a textbook example of a luminous Seyfert galaxy and its active galactic nucleus along with details of the galaxy’s structure.

Mizar and Alcor: The Great Bear’s famous naked-eye double

9 May 2023 Mark Armstrong

Not only of surpassing interest historically, zeta Ursae Majoris (UMa), or Mizar, the middle star in Ursa Major’s famous Plough asterism, is also one of the finest double stars in the sky for a small telescope.