News – Astronomy Now

OSIRIS-REx is looking for a few good citizen scientists

23 May 2019 Astronomy Now

OSIRIS-REx scientists are asking citizen scientists to help map and count rocks on asteroid Bennu to aid in picking a sample selection site.

Scientists spot buried remnants of polar ice sheets on Mars

22 May 2019 Astronomy Now

Researchers have found remnants of ancient ice sheets buried up to a mile below Mars’ northern polar cap, a record of seasonal climate change on the red planet.

Huge early impact may explain Moon’s different hemispheres

21 May 2019 Astronomy Now

New research suggests differences between the Moon’s near and farside may be the result of a collision with a dwarf planet early in the solar system’s history.

Maps of Moon’s south pole provide context for astronaut visits

20 May 2019 Astronomy Now

A new atlas showing permanently shadowed areas near the Moon’s south pole shows possible targets of opportunity for ice-seeking astronauts.

Lunar orbiter pinpoints Israeli Beresheet crash site

17 May 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s eagle-eyed Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted the site where the Israeli Beresheet lander crashed to the Moon’s surface in April.

Precision ground tracking critical to Gaia mapping

15 May 2019 Astronomy Now

High-precision tracking by ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope and others improves the accuracy of ESA’s galaxy-mapping Gaia spacecraft.

Re-analysis of Apollo seismic data indicates Moon still active

14 May 2019 Astronomy Now

A re-analysis of Apollo seismic data, along with ongoing observations by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, indicate the Moon is still tectonically active.

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover coming together at JPL

13 May 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover is taking shape at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where engineers are integrating key components.

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.