Archive – Page 70 – Astronomy Now

Cosmic reads: four great books that explore the Universe we live in

3 April 2020 Keith Cooper

Astronomy Now reviews four great books that explore the nature of the Universe we live in.

TS-Optics Photoline 60mm, f/6 FPL53 apochromatic refractor

3 April 2020 Ade Ashford

Ade Ashford reviews TS-Optics’ versatile grab-and-go 60mm f/6 photo-visual telescope.

Get ready for Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) in the northern spring sky!

2 April 2020 Ade Ashford

Comet C/2019 Y4 was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on 28 December last year and brightened 6000-fold in just two months to attain magnitude +7.5 on 1 April. Alas, the comet’s nucleus has now fragmented, dashing hopes for a conspicuous naked-eye spectacle in the constellation of Perseus. Here’s our telescopic observing guide.

The Milky Way’s central bulge offers a jewel box packed with glittering stars

2 April 2020 Astronomy Now

Looking into the bulge of the Milky Way, the Hubble Space Telescope reveals a dynamic sea of stars made up of different generations, velocities and histories.

Intermediate mass ‘missing link’ black hole identified

2 April 2020 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope provides strong evidence that a presumed tidal disruption event was caused by an intermediate-mass black hole.

Look out for asteroid Juno at opposition

2 April 2020 Mark Armstrong

One of the largest objects in the Asteroid Belt, (3) Juno, comes to opposition on 2 April, when it lies directly opposite the Sun as seen from Earth, and is at its brightest – albeit still only visible through telescopes.

Scientists plan for BepiColombo fly-by despite coronavirus limitations

30 March 2020 Keith Cooper

Scientists are still preparing for the crucial fly-by of Earth by the joint European–Japanese BepiColombo mission to Mercury on 10 April, despite the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc.

Planet Venus photobombs the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) 1–5 April

29 March 2020 Ade Ashford

As April 2020 opens, dazzling Venus at dusk is drawing ever closer to the magnificent Pleiades (Seven Sisters) in the constellation of Taurus. The brightest planet makes its closest approach to this famous open star cluster on the UK night of 3 April, when typical 10×50 binoculars and small telescopes will deliver memorable views around 9pm BST.

Using Earth templates to hunt for life-supporting exoplanets

29 March 2020 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have put together spectral templates of Earth at key points in its evolution to help next-generation telescopes identify similar exoplanets.

Hubble anniversary events impacted by COVID-19 pandemic

29 March 2020 Astronomy Now

Events marking the 30th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope’s launch on 24 April 1990 are being rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.