News – Astronomy Now

X (rays) mark the spot where mid-size black hole devours passing star

19 June 2018 Astronomy Now

In the most clear-cut observation yet, ESA and NASA X-ray telescopes spot the telltale flare of an elusive intermediate-mass black hole devouring a passing star in the outskirts of a galaxy 740 million light years away

Dust clouds may explain emissions from active galactic nuclei

18 June 2018 Astronomy Now

Changes in the light emerging from active galactic nuclei, powered by supermassive black holes, may be explained by clouds of intervening dust that can dim and redden the radiation, eliminating the need for more exotic explanations.

New experiment to probe dark matter interactions

17 June 2018 Astronomy Now

A new experiment is proposed to measure dark matter interactions with normal matter, using ultra-precise observations of a binary pulsar to search for signs of a possible “fifth force” acting across the cosmos.

Astronomers ‘see’ aftermath of black hole lunching on doomed star

15 June 2018 Astronomy Now

For the first time, astronomers have directly witnessed the aftermath of a black hole consuming a nearby star, imaging the formation and expansion of a high-speed jet of material ejected in the maelstrom.

Three planets found around dust-shrouded star

14 June 2018 Astronomy Now

By measuring the motion of carbon monoxide molecules in a protoplanetary disc, two teams of astronomers have found three planets lurking in the rings of dust around a star just a few million years old.

NASA managers hopeful Opportunity will survive its trial by dust

13 June 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA managers are optimistic the agency’s Opportunity Mars rover will survive a huge dust storm that is preventing sunlight from recharging the robot’s solar arrays, knocking it out of contact with Earth.

Ageing Mars rover halts research, powers down in heavy dust storm

12 June 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Opportunity Mars rover is powered down. science operations on hold, in a bid to weather a huge dust storm that is blocking the sunlight needed to re-charge the robot’s batteries and keep it from freezing.

Diamond dust may be source of unusual emissions

11 June 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have detected microwave emissions from three protoplanetary disks that apparently are generated by vast clouds of tiny, spinning nanodiamonds, tiny motes of carbon found in star-forming regions

Curiosity rover finds more evidence of Martian habitability

8 June 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has detected a wide range of organic compounds on the red planet along with signs of seasonal variations in background methane levels, a possible indicator of biological activity.

Mystery objects whizzing about in Milky Way’s core

8 June 2018 Astronomy Now

Spectrographic data indicates several unusual compact dusty objects are circling the supermassive black hole at the core of the Milky Way, the possible result of stellar mergers triggered by the hole’s titanic gravity.