Archive – Page 47 – Astronomy Now

Astronomers spot two stars locked in supernova death spiral

13 July 2021 Astronomy Now

Astronomers spot a teardrop-shaped star indicating the distorting presence of a white dwarf as the two spiral toward a supernova blast.

Mars and Venus cosy up close

10 July 2021 Mark Armstrong

Soon after sunset on Monday (12 July) there’s an opportunity to see a close encounter between Venus and Mars with a crescent Moon nearby.

Hubble captures a colourful cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud

3 July 2021 Astronomy Now

As engineers work to resolve a computer glitch aboard the Hubble Space Telescope, its images, like this one of NGC 330, are a reminder of the spectacular views the observatory has provided for the past three decades.

Smallest, most massive white dwarf on verge of collapse to neutron star

2 July 2021 Astronomy Now

Astronomers find smallest, most massive white dwarf, possibly on threshold to evolve into a neutron star.

Gravity waves show black hole-neutron star mergers

30 June 2021 Astronomy Now

Gravitational wave detectors confirm two instances of black holes consuming neutron stars in cataclysmic mergers.

Supermassive black hole triggers blazing ring of star formation around galactic core

24 June 2021 Astronomy Now

A supermassive black hole at the heart of galaxy NGC 1097 powers a brilliant nuclear ring of run-away star formation as imaged by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope.

Earth detectable, in theory, from more than 2,000 nearby star systems

24 June 2021 Astronomy Now

More than 2,000 star systems found within 326 light years that have been or will be in position to detect Earth as it transits the Sun.

A galactic mystery: The case of the missing dark matter

23 June 2021 Astronomy Now

Astronomers find an unusual “oddball” galaxy with much less dark matter that would be expected based on current ideas about galaxy formation.

NASA optimistic about Hubble repair, but more time needed

20 June 2021 Astronomy Now

NASA managers are optimistic about fixing a computer glitch and restoring the Hubble Space Telescope to operation, but say it could take several weeks.

Nova in Hercules fades sharply

18 June 2021 Mark Armstrong

The nova spotted in the constellation Hercules on 12 June has faded dramatically but should still be easily visible through a small telescope.