Archive – Page 331 – Astronomy Now

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.

Astronomers find newborn stars at the edge of the Galaxy

28 February 2015 Astronomy Now

Using survey images from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, astronomers have discovered two clusters of stars forming thousands of light-years below the galactic disc — a stellar nursery in what seems to be the middle of nowhere.

Calm regions protect organic molecules around a supermassive black hole

27 February 2015 Astronomy Now

Researchers using the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) have discovered zones where certain organic molecules somehow endure the intense X-rays and ultraviolet radiation near the supermassive black hole at the centre of galaxy Messier 77.

Jupiter set to enthral observers on the night of February 26th

26 February 2015 Ade Ashford

Currently the third brightest celestial object in the night sky of the British Isles after the Moon and Venus, Jupiter presents a cornucopia of phenomena for observers with medium to large telescopes tonight.

Are volcanoes responsible for twin bright spots on Ceres?

26 February 2015 Astronomy Now

As NASA’s Dawn spacecraft heads for its historic rendezvous with dwarf planet Ceres next week, further mysteries unfold on the small world. Now seen in higher resolution, a volcano-like bright spot has a nearby companion.