Archive – Page 42 – Astronomy Now

Observe far-flung Neptune at its best

13 September 2021 Mark Armstrong

Distant planet Neptune is now positioned at its best for 2021 as it reaches opposition on on 14 September, when the Sun, Earth and Neptune line up.

Follow asteroid Pallas while at its best for 2021

9 September 2021 Mark Armstrong

Asteroid Pallas, the second asteroid to be discovered and one of the so-called ‘big four’ asteroids, is at its best for 2021 and is well placed for observation from UK shores.

NASA, ESA target 18 December for long-awaited James Webb launch

8 September 2021 Astronomy Now

NASA and ESA are targeting 18 December for the long-awaited launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.

See brilliant planet Venus encounter a slender Moon

7 September 2021 Mark Armstrong

Don’t mission your chance to see Venus and a slender Moon, the two brightest objects in the night sky, come together for a few days this week.

Hubble images a colourful globular cluster in Sagittarius

6 September 2021 Astronomy Now

M22, M13, Omega Centauri and other densely-populated globular clusters get most of the attention, but even sparsely-populated globulars provide rich fodder for the Hubble Space Telescope.

After an initial failure, Perseverance collects Martian rock sample

6 September 2021 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover successfully captured its first rock sample from the floor of Jezero Crater after an initial failure.

Watch as the Moon blots out bright stars

31 August 2021 Mark Armstrong

Watching a bright star disappearing or reappearing from occultation behind the Moon’s limb is always an exciting observation to make. This week there are back-to-back events involving two of the brightest stars to be occulted this year.

The mesmerizing outskirts of NGC 4603 – a key galaxy in Hubble’s ‘key project’

30 August 2021 Astronomy Now

The spiral arms of galaxy NGC 4603 are home to multiple Cepheid variable stars, “standard candles” that helped astronomers pin down the age of the universe in one of the Hubble Space Telescope’s first major projects.

In major milestone, James Webb Space Telescope testing complete

30 August 2021 Astronomy Now

Engineers have completed testing of the James Webb Space Telescope and are preparing the observatory for shipment to Kourou, French Guiana, for launch.

Fastest-moving asteroid flies closer to Sun than Mercury

23 August 2021 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have found an asteroid, or possibly an extinct comet, in a high-stress orbit carrying it closer to the Sun than any other body in the solar system.