Astronomy Now – Page 18

A stunning vista from the Curiosity Mars rover captures changing environment

20 August 2021 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Curiosity rover beams back a stunning panorama from the slopes of Mount Sharp showing signs of transition between past and present environments.

Everything you need to know about planet Venus

18 August 2021 Astronomy Now

The second planet from the Sun, Venus is often described as Earth’s evil twin, with a climate that has dramatically diverged from Earth’s.

Everything You Need to Know About Planet Mercury

18 August 2021 Astronomy Now

The innermost planet, Mercury, may be the smallest in the Solar System, but it’s also home to some big surprises.

M61, a face-on titan of the Virgo galaxy cluster, reveals its star-studded structure

17 August 2021 Astronomy Now

One of the largest members of the Virgo galaxy cluster, M61 presents a spectacular face-on view of densely populated spiral arms and a brilliant stellar nucleus hosting a supermassive black hole.

Sodium jets may explain asteroid Phaethon’s comet-like brightening

17 August 2021 Astronomy Now

When does an asteroid behave like a comet? Perhaps when sub-surface sodium heats up and fizzes into space during a close pass by the Sun.

Ripples in innermost rings show Saturn’s ‘fuzzy’ core wobbles

16 August 2021 Astronomy Now

Ripples in Saturn’s innermost rings indicate the planet’s core is a thick “soup” of material that sloshes about slightly, creating detectable gravitational fluctuations.

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.

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.