News – Page 23 – Astronomy Now

21 August 2026

Dramatic video shows catastrophic collapse of Arecibo instrument platform

3 December 2020 Astronomy Now

U.S. National Science Foundation releases dramatic video showing dramatic collapse of Arecibo Observatory’s 900-ton instrument platform onto the radio telescope’s huge dish antenna.

SOFIA opens a surprising window on quasars and galactic evolution

30 November 2020 Astronomy Now

Researchers using the airborne SOFIA infrared observatory have found a quasar where star formation has managed to continue despite a torrent of radiation.

Mars rover data indicates ancient megafloods across Gale Crater

24 November 2020 Astronomy Now

Stratigraphy in Gale Crater on Mars indicates the effects of megafloods in the distant past, most likely caused by the heat released in a major impact.

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