News – Page 22 – Astronomy Now

Radioactive elements may be key to exoplanet habitability

22 November 2020 Astronomy Now

The amount of radioactive elements in the core of a rocky exoplanet may be a critical factor in determining its habitability.

Iconic Arecibo Observatory, too unsafe to repair, faces demolition

19 November 2020 Astronomy Now

Engineers conclude the Arecibo Observatory’s 900-ton receiver is too unstable to repair in the wake of a second support cable failure, prompting decision to decommission the facility.

Arecibo Observatory suffers additional damage from second cable failure

8 November 2020 Astronomy Now

The Arecibo Observatory, off-line due to a support cable failure, has suffered additional damage from a second cable break.

Milky Way magnetar likely source of fast radio burst

6 November 2020 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have detected the first fast radio burst ever seen in the Milky Way and say it likely was generated by a magnetar.

Voyager 2 hears from Earth after months-long antenna overhaul

4 November 2020 Astronomy Now

Amid a year-long upgrade, the only antenna able to ‘talk’ to Voyager 2 gets back in touch with distant spacecraft

Red dwarfs may be more hazardous to one’s health than previously thought

30 October 2020 Astronomy Now

Observations of Barnard’s Star, a nearby red dwarf, suggest planets orbiting the galaxy’s most commonplace stars may be challenging for life.

Growing up fast in the very early universe

27 October 2020 Astronomy Now

A survey of 118 young galaxies found many at a more mature stage in their evolution than astronomers were expecting

Adding impetus to Artemis, water found on sunlit surface of the Moon

26 October 2020 Astronomy Now

In a surprise, infrared observations of the Moon have found unambiguous signatures of water molecules across sunlit regions of the lunar surface.

OSIRIS-REx captures treasure trove of samples from asteroid Bennu

25 October 2020 Astronomy Now

OSIRIS-REx was so successful capturing samples from the surface of asteroid Bennu that engineers moved up plans to stow the material for return to Earth.

Live coverage: OSIRIS-REx descending toward asteroid Bennu for sampling run

20 October 2020 Stephen Clark

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has begun its descent toward a touch and go landing on asteroid Bennu at 11:12 p.m. BST (2212 GMT) Tuesday. The craft will attempt to collect samples from the asteroid’s gravely surface for return to Earth in 2023 for scientists to search for clues about the origins and evolution of the Solar System.