Astronomy Now – Page 61

OSIRIS-REx images show asteroid Bennu’s rubble pile appearance

13 May 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is busy mapping the asteroid Bennu, revealing a remarkably fractured surface littered with countless rocks of varying sizes giving it the appearance of a jumbled rubble pile in space.

New study hints at early galaxies lighting up cosmos

9 May 2019 Astronomy Now

Deep field observations by the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes reveal many ancient galaxies shining brighter than expected, possibly providing energy to help turn the cosmos transparent.

Spitzer Space Telescope puts M87’s black hole in context

8 May 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope puts iconic black hole image in context, showing what amounts to a wide-angle view capturing jets spewing away from M87.

Black hole sports warped accretion disc, fast-moving jets

7 May 2019 Astronomy Now

Detailed studies of outbursts from a black hole binary reveal a warped accretion disc that triggers skewed polar jets.

Astronomers eager to study asteroid during 2029 close flyby of Earth

6 May 2019 Astronomy Now

Scientists are already planning campaigns to observe the near Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis when it whips past Earth in April 2029.

Hubble mosaic merges 7,500 observations into stunning legacy ‘deep field’

5 May 2019 Astronomy Now

A new “deep field” image by the Hubble Space Telescope combines 7,500 images collected during earlier deep exposures to produce a stunning image of an area roughly the size of the full Moon that contains more than 250,000 galaxies.

Upgraded LIGO and Virgo stations observe multiple gravity wave events

5 May 2019 Astronomy Now

The LIGO and Virgo gravity wave observatories, recently upgraded to improve sensitivity, have detected five black hole and neutron star mergers in a single month.

Rock that hit Moon during lunar eclipse likely impacted at 61,000 kph

30 April 2019 Astronomy Now

A detailed analysis of the flash produced when a meteoroid crashed into the surface of the Moon during January’s lunar eclipse shows the body likely gouged a crater up to 15 metres (49 feet) across.

ALMA focuses on factors influencing star birth in nearby galaxies

30 April 2019 Astronomy Now

The Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array, or ALMA, is in the process of studying stellar nurseries in nearby galaxies to learn more about the factors influencing rates of star formation and the roles a host galaxy’s overall structure and dynamics might play.

Hubble constant mismatch no fluke; new physics may be needed

27 April 2019 Astronomy Now

More precise observations of pulsating Cepheid variable stars confirms a major discrepancy in values of the Hubble constant.