Archive – Page 352 – Astronomy Now

Amateur astronomers have ringside seats for cometary close encounter

18 October 2014 Mark Armstrong

Amateur astronomers around the globe have a ringside seat as Comet 2013 A1 (Siding Spring) hurtles through space en route to an incredibly close encounter with the planet Mars on Sunday, 19 October.

Mars probes will hide from comet dust

17 October 2014 Keith Cooper

This Sunday, a comet will come closer to Mars than any other comet has ever been seen to approach a planet without actually hitting it, sending our assorted spacecraft orbiting the red planet running for cover.

Mars versus the comet

17 October 2014 Keith Cooper

A flotilla of spacecraft orbiting Mars will be turning their instruments in two directions – one towards Comet Siding Spring, and the other towards Mars itself, to find out what happens when a planetary atmosphere brushes against the fuzzy atmosphere of a comet.

Comet Siding Spring Animation

16 October 2014 Astronomy Now

This animation shows Comet Siding Spring’s path as it comes within 132,000 kilometres (82,000 miles) of Mars on 19 October 2014.

Rosetta captures a ‘selfie’ with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

15 October 2014 Astronomy Now

The camera on Rosetta’s Philae lander has snapped a ‘selfie’ with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in the distance about 16 km away. The image was taken on 7 October and also captures the side of the Rosetta spacecraft and one of the 14 metre-long solar wings. Two images with different exposure times were combined to bring out the faint details in this very high contrast situation. The comet’s active ‘neck’ region is clearly visible, with streams of dust and gas extending away from the surface. Image: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA.

Mighty Jupiter meets the Moon in the early morning

15 October 2014 Mark Armstrong

The coming together of a bright planet with a thin crescent Moon is an event well worth seeing, even if you have to set the alarm clock for an early wake up.

Good Morning Mercury

14 October 2014 Astronomy Now

Forget about Mercury’s evening appearance in the first half of this month – it is its morning apparition towards the end of October and into November that is the cause of celebration.

Dwarf Planet Eris at Opposition

14 October 2014 Astronomy Now

The trans-Neptunian dwarf planet Eris, discovered in 2005, comes to opposition in October. This distant, deep-frozen little world is within the reach of amateur CCD imagers.

Ultra-bright pulsar is an X-ray mystery

13 October 2014 Keith Cooper

Blinding bursts of X-rays are coming from a supercharged pulsar lying in a galaxy 10 million light years away, more powerful than any pulsar ever seen before. The discovery, by NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, challenges what we thought we knew about these extreme objects.

NASA Science Briefing: Comet Siding Spring at Mars

13 October 2014 Astronomy Now

NASA holds a news conference to discuss the close encounter of Comet Siding Spring with Mars. On October 19, 2014, the comet will pass 139,500 kilometers (88,000 miles) from the red planet.