Archive – Page 328 – Astronomy Now

Dawn Ceres Arrival News Briefing

3 March 2015 Astronomy Now

NASA holds a news conference at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to preview the arrival of the Dawn probe at Dwarf Planet Ceres.

Wind-distorted wave creates huge Y-shaped features in Venusian clouds

3 March 2015 Astronomy Now

When observed in the ultraviolet, Venus’ atmosphere is covered by dark Y-shaped structures whose origin and evolution has been a mystery since their discovery more than half a century ago. Now astronomers in Spain and Portugal have described the mechanism that sustains this phenomenon.

NASA spacecraft nears historic arrival at dwarf planet Ceres

2 March 2015 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has returned new images captured on approach to entering orbit around Ceres on Friday, March 6th — the first mission to successfully visit a dwarf planet.

An old-looking, dusty galaxy in a young universe

2 March 2015 Astronomy Now

One of the most distant galaxies ever observed, A1689-zD1, has provided astronomers with the first detection of dust in such a remote star-forming system and tantalising evidence for the rapid evolution of galaxies after the Big Bang.

The Moon meets Jupiter in the evening sky

2 March 2015 Ade Ashford

The waxing gibbous Moon passes close by the Solar System’s largest planet, Jupiter, on the nights of March 2nd and 3rd. Jupiter was at opposition last month, but it’s still big, bright and offers much to see in a telescope.

MUSE looks deeper into the universe than Hubble in 3-D

2 March 2015 Astronomy Now

The MUSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope has given astronomers the best ever three-dimensional view of the deep universe. The new observations of the Hubble Deep Field South reveal the distances, motions and other properties of far more galaxies than ever before in this tiny piece of the sky.

Life ‘not as we know it’ possible on Saturn’s moon Titan

1 March 2015 Astronomy Now

Liquid water is a requirement for life on Earth, but on much colder worlds life might exist beyond the bounds of water-based chemistry. Researchers at Cornell University offer a template for life that could thrive in the cryogenic seas of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.

See Comet Lovejoy in Cassiopeia throughout March

1 March 2015 Ade Ashford

Now that the Moon has returned to evening skies, observers have to wait a little longer to view Comet Lovejoy in a dark sky. Fortunately, it’s a circumpolar object for observers in the British Isles, near the familiar W-shaped constellation asterism of Cassiopeia during March.

Hubble’s Universe: Greatest Discoveries and Latest Images

28 February 2015 Astronomy Now

Any book dealing with the greatest discoveries of Hubble is likely to be subjective but most of the iconic images are covered here.

Curiosity rover drills rock sample at Mount Sharp

28 February 2015 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has used its drill to collect sample powder from inside a rock target called “Telegraph Peak.” Examining rock samples like these will help scientists understand how the ancient wet environment of Mars dried up.