Archive – Page 45 – Astronomy Now

Targeted rock, not Mars rover, to blame for failed sample collection try

12 August 2021 Astronomy Now

NASA engineers say the Perseverance Mars rover’s failed attempt collect a borehole sample was due to the nature of the targeted rock, not a problem with the rover.

Superflares may be less threatening than originally thought

11 August 2021 Astronomy Now

Superflares from red dwarf stars, long thought to be a threat to orbiting exoplanets, may not be as dangerous as previously thought, researchers say.

RS Ophiuchi in a rare outburst to naked-eye visibility

10 August 2021 Mark Armstrong

RS Ophiuchi, the most famous recurrent nova and one of just seven such systems, has gone into a very rare outburst, rising rapidly brightness 600-fold in just a day from magnitude +12 to around +5.

Catch some Perseid shooting stars!

9 August 2021 Mark Armstrong

It’s that time of the year again! The Perseid meteor shower, which peaks this week, is highly-anticipated by observers hoping to enjoy the spectacular sight of multiple meteors raining down during mild summer nights.

Dinosaur-killing impactor likely came from outer asteroid belt

9 August 2021 Astronomy Now

Modelling suggests the impactor believed to have triggered the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs likely originated in the outer asteroid belt.

Rings around a black hole from X-ray echoes off interstellar dust

8 August 2021 Astronomy Now

An X-ray outburst from a binary black hole system creates spectacular “light echoes” as the radiation bounces off intervening dust clouds, shedding light on the hole’s activity and the nature of the smoke-like dust grains.

Engineers troubleshoot Mars rover sample collection failure

7 August 2021 Astronomy Now

Engineers are assessing an initial, unsuccessful attempt by the Perseverance Mars rover to collect its first rock sample from the floor of Jezero Crater.

Erosion in a Martian crater carves buttes and stair-like layers

4 August 2021 Astronomy Now

The powerful HiRISE camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captures an intriguing view of eroded rock formations on a crater floor carved billions of years ago.

Jupiter’s high temperature traced to planet’s powerful auroras

4 August 2021 Astronomy Now

A 50-year-old mystery solved: a detailed analysis shows Jupiter’s intense auroras heat the atmosphere on a global scale.

See Saturn at its best for the year

30 July 2021 Mark Armstrong

Saturn, often described as the jewel in the Solar System’s crown, comes to opposition on the night of 1/2 August in one of the highlights of the observing year.