Archive – Page 61 – Astronomy Now

Iconic Arecibo Observatory undergoing detailed structural inspections

11 September 2020 Astronomy Now

The Arecibo Observatory remains off line pending results of detailed structural and safety analyses needed to clear the way for repairs.

Japan’s MMX Mars probe will carry 8K “Super Hi-Vision Camera”

11 September 2020 Astronomy Now

Japan’s planned Martian Moons eXploration mission will carry an ultra-high resolution 8K camera system to the red planet.

Previewing the Sun’s fate: a white dwarf blazing in the colourful shroud of a planetary nebula

10 September 2020 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope’s view of a colourful planetary nebula 4,000 light years away previews the fate of the Sun, showing a hot white dwarf illuminating the blown-off outer layers of its atmosphere.

Shotgun-like meteoroid impacts and thermal stress trigger asteroid ejections

9 September 2020 Astronomy Now

Small rocks seen spewing into space from the asteroid Bennu likely were ejected due to thermal stress and shotgun-like meteoroid impacts.

Survey finds no detectable alien radio signals across 10 million stars

8 September 2020 Astronomy Now

Australian researchers find no detectable alien radio emissions across at least 10 million stars

Chandra shows off multiwavelength “treasure chest of cosmic delights”

7 September 2020 Astronomy Now

Multiwavelength astronomy offers a fresh look at familiar and unfamiliar targets alike.

A familiar face-on spiral hosts stars galore and a supermassive black hole

7 September 2020 Astronomy Now

The spiral galaxy M61, mistaken for a comet by Charles Messier in 1779, is an anchor tenant of the Virgo galaxy cluster, a beehive of rapid star birth.

Triple star system features mis-aligned planet-forming dust rings

4 September 2020 Astronomy Now

A star system in Orion features a warped protoplanetary disc that could indicate the presence of an unseen planet – a first for a triple star system.

Gravitational wave observatories detect biggest black hole merger yet

2 September 2020 Astronomy Now

Gravity waves indicate the birth of an elusive intermediate-mass black hole, raising fresh questions about the gap between stellar and supermassive black holes.

Of supernova remnants and stellar nurseries in the Large Magellanic Cloud

2 September 2020 Astronomy Now

One of the Large Magellanic Cloud’s lesser known regions, NGC 2035, shows off a stellar nursery in vast clouds of gas and dust along side a colourful supernova remnant in this close-up view from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope.