Archive – Page 349 – Astronomy Now

Curiosity Mars rover finds mineral match with orbiter

5 November 2014 Astronomy Now

Reddish rock powder from the first hole drilled into a Martian mountain by the Curiosity rover has yielded the mission’s first confirmation of a mineral mapped from orbit.

Philae’s comet landing site named Agilkia

4 November 2014 Astronomy Now

With just over a week to go before touchdown, the landing site for Rosetta’s Philae probe has been named Agilkia, after an island on the Nile River in southern Egypt.

Astronomers solve puzzle about bizarre object at the centre of our galaxy

4 November 2014 Astronomy Now

The mystery about a thin, bizarre object in the centre of the Milky Way headed toward our galaxy’s enormous black hole has been solved by astronomers using the Keck Observatory.

Explore Scientific high resolution coma corrector

4 November 2014 Steve Ringwood

This Explore Scientific high resolution coma corrector is suitable for both visual and photographic use.

Hubble sees a galaxy on the edge

3 November 2014 Astronomy Now

This spectacular edge-on view of the galaxy NGC4762, and a number of other distant galaxies, was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Taurid meteors put on celestial fireworks show this month

3 November 2014 Mark Armstrong

The Taurids meteor shower is active throughout November with a double radiant and a double peak. Observers can usually expect around 10 meteors per hour from dark sky locations.

Rosetta shifts into higher orbit to dispatch Philae lander on 12 November

1 November 2014 Astronomy Now

The European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe has shifted into a higher orbit around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in readiness for the release of its Philae lander on 12 November.

Curiosity rover shows off its tattoo

1 November 2014 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured an image of the ‘tattoo’ on its arm, with the rocks at the base of Mount Sharp as a backdrop.

Ghosts on the Moon at Halloween

31 October 2014 Astronomy Now

Peter Grego gets into the Halloween spirit by picking out some ghostly craters to thrill those treating themselves to an evening of lunar gazing.

Cassini sees sunny seas on Titan

31 October 2014 Astronomy Now

This near-infrared, colour mosaic from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft shows the sun glinting off of Titan’s north polar seas.