Astronomy Now – Page 242

Hubble’s high-definition panoramic view of the Andromeda Galaxy

13 January 2015 Astronomy Now

A large swathe of the Andromeda Galaxy, our galactic next-door neighbour, is mapped in unprecedented detail in the largest NASA Hubble Space Telescope image ever assembled.

NASA’s Mars Rover Opportunity scales new heights

11 January 2015 Astronomy Now

Despite ongoing problems with its flash memory, Opportunity reached the summit of “Cape Tribulation” on the rim of Endeavour Crater during its 3,894th Martian day, pausing to photograph the stunning vista.

Scientists pinpoint Saturn with exquisite accuracy

9 January 2015 Astronomy Now

Researchers have paired the continent-wide Very Large Baseline Array radio telescope system with NASA’s Cassini spacecraft to determine the position of Saturn and its moons to within two miles — at a range of nearly a billion miles.

NASA’s unprecedented look at superstar Eta Carinae

8 January 2015 Astronomy Now

Eta Carinae is the most luminous and massive stellar system within 10,000 light-years of Earth. A long-term study led by astronomers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center used satellites, ground-based telescopes and theoretical modelling to produce the most comprehensive picture of Eta Carinae to date.

Hubble Revisits the Iconic ‘Pillars of Creation’

5 January 2015 Astronomy Now

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the Hubble Space Telescope has revisited the famous “Pillars of Creation”, providing astronomers with a sharper and wider view.

Dark energy explained by relativistic time dilation?

5 January 2015 Astronomy Now

Dark energy is proposed to drive the accelerated expansion of the universe, but a new study suggests that changing how we think about time dilation in relation to gravity as predicted by Albert Einstein can provide an alternate explanation.

Ten years ago Cassini imaged Saturn’s moon Iapetus

31 December 2014 Astronomy Now

A decade ago, the Cassini probe made a New Year’s Eve close approach to Saturn’s moon Iapetus and captured astonishing views of its remarkable surface.

Polar scars on Saturn’s moon Mimas

29 December 2014 Astronomy Now

This image from the Cassini probe of Saturn’s moon Mimas shows the scars of numerous impacts near the north pole.

Four billion-year-old meteorite reveals climate of ancient Mars

27 December 2014 Astronomy Now

Recovered from an Antarctic ice field exactly 30 years ago, a 4 billion-year-old Martian meteorite named ALH84001 reveals a detailed record of the Red Planet’s climate, back when water likely washed across its surface.

Hubble sees the beautiful side of galaxy IC 335

25 December 2014 Astronomy Now

Located in the Fornax Galaxy Cluster some 60 million light-years from Earth, IC 335 is an edge-on lenticular system — an intermediate state in galaxy morphological classification schemes between true spiral and elliptical galaxies.