News – Astronomy Now

12 October 2024

Observers across the UK treated to brilliant display of aurora borealis

11 October 2024 Astronomy Now

Observers the length and breadth of the United Kingdom were treated to a brilliant display of the aurora borealis overnight on Thursday/Friday, 10/11 October 2024, during an extremely strong geomagnetic storm.

JWST captures zooms in on the ‘mane’ of the iconic Horsehead Nebula

30 April 2024 Astronomy Now

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured the sharpest infrared images to date of a zoomed-in portion of one of the most distinctive objects in our skies, the Horsehead Nebula.

NASA’s Voyager 1 probe calls home after five months

25 April 2024 Astronomy Now

For the first time in five months, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is returning usable data about the health and status of its onboard engineering systems. The next step is to enable the spacecraft to begin returning science data again. The probe and its twin, Voyager 2, are the only spacecraft to depart the Solar System and fly in interstellar space.

Commercial lunar lander returns America to the Moon

22 February 2024 Astronomy Now

A lander built by the Houston-based company Intuitive Machines touched down near the Moon’s South Pole on Thursday. It was the first lunar landing by a US spacecraft in more than 50 years and the first commercially-operated vehicle to successfully reach the surface.

First colour images from Euclid space telescope get rave reviews

7 November 2023 Astronomy Now

The initial colour images from ESA’s Euclid space telescope demonstrate its ability to capture wide-angle views that will shed light on the nature of dark energy and dark matter.

The Great Square of Pegasus: heralding autumn

11 September 2023 Mark Armstrong

Longer autumnal nights are taking over from more balmy late-summer evening. Behold the grand appearance in September’s late-evening southern sky of the Great Square of Pegasus

New comet predicted to brighten rapidly as it sprints Sunwards

18 August 2023 Mark Armstrong

Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is a brand new comet discovered by on August 11 by Hideo Nishimura of Japan. In its one and only visit to the Solar System, it may reach magnitude +2 when at perihelion in September.

NASA picks up faint carrier signal from Voyager 2

2 August 2023 Astronomy Now

NASA picks up faint carrier signal from Voyager 2, indicating the spacecraft is still functioning after antenna misalignment.

Razor-sharp test images show Euclid’s instruments performing as expected

31 July 2023 Astronomy Now

The Euclid space telescope has reached its operational orbit and initial test images show the probe’s two instruments are operating in fine fashion as they’re fine tuned for science observations.

NASA loses touch with Voyager 2; waits for craft to ‘phone home’

31 July 2023 Astronomy Now

Flight controllers mistakenly commanded Voyager 2 to point slightly away from Earth, interrupting communications, but the spacecraft is expected to reset itself in October.