News – Astronomy Now

NASA’s Europa Clipper approved for development

20 August 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA formally approves development of the Europa Clipper, a spacecraft intended to explore Jupiter’s icy moon Europa in search of clues about a potentially habitable sub-surface ocean.

Black hole gobbles neutron star, belches gravity waves

19 August 2019 Astronomy Now

Gravity waves detected 14 August indicate the apparent destruction of a neutron star being ripped apart by a black hole, researchers say

A supernova that may shed light on how the first stars died

18 August 2019 Astronomy Now

Astronomers find an apparent pair-instability supernova, a titanic blast that may shed light on how the first stars ended their lives in a metal-poor cosmos.

A core-warping impact in Jupiter’s past?

17 August 2019 Astronomy Now

Researchers a collision between Jupiter and a still-forming planet at the dawn of the solar system best explains data suggesting the gas giant’s core is less dense than expected.

Persistence – and adaptive optics – track Io volcanoes

16 August 2019 Astronomy Now

Using adaptive optics, researchers have been monitoring Jupiter’s tortured moon Io for the past five years, gaining new insights into its persistent volcanism.

Analysis shows 1-in-6 stars may host Earth-size planets

16 August 2019 Astronomy Now

A new analysis shows roughly Earth-size planets in habitable-zone orbits can likely be found around one in six relatively nearby Sun-like stars.

Parker Solar Probe heading for third close pass by Sun

14 August 2019 Astronomy Now

The Parker Solar Probe, racing toward its third close pass by the Sun, is working better than expected collecting data about the solar wind and the hot corona.

ESA assesses ExoMars parachute tears

13 August 2019 Astronomy Now

With launch a year away, engineers are working to overcome problems with the ExoMars 2020 parachute system.

OSIRIS-REx candidate sample collection sites identified

13 August 2019 Astronomy Now

Researchers with NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission have selected four possible sample collection sites on the asteroid Bennu. The team plans to narrow that down to two in December.

Observatories resume operations amid protests

12 August 2019 Astronomy Now

After a month-long shutdown due to protests and demonstrations, observatories in Hawaii hope to resume observations.