News – Page 26 – Astronomy Now

Globular cluster’s remnants suggest a ‘lost generation’

30 July 2020 Astronomy Now

Astronomers find a spread-out stream of stars that may be the remnant of a lost generation of globular clusters.

Innovative balloon-borne telescope promises rich infrared reward

26 July 2020 Astronomy Now

JPL engineers are designing a large, lightweight infrared telescope that will fly 40 kilometres above Antarctica before parachuting back to Earth.

Two Mars missions launched, one more – Perseverance – to go

24 July 2020 Astronomy Now

With UAE and Chinese Mars probes now on their way to the red planet, all eyes are on NASA’s Perseverance.

China launches robotic mission to orbit, land, and drive on Mars

23 July 2020 Stephen Clark

A heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket propelled China’s first Mars landing mission toward the Red Planet on Thursday after launching from a seaside spaceport on Hainan Island, the second of three international Mars probes expected to depart planet Earth this month.

VLT captures view of two large exoplanets orbiting young Sun-like star

22 July 2020 Astronomy Now

ESO’s Very Large Telescope has captured the first ever view of two giant exoplanets orbiting a young Sun-like star 300 light years from Earth.

NASA again delays launch of James Webb Space Telescope

21 July 2020 Astronomy Now

NASA is delaying launch of the James Webb Space Telescope for another seven months, in part due to the coronavirus

United Arab Emirates successfully sends its first mission toward Mars

20 July 2020 Astronomy Now

Riding a Japanese rocket, the Arab world’s first interplanetary probe departed planet Earth on Sunday to begin a seven-month journey to Mars on a dual mission of scientific exploration and proving the mettle of the UAE’s growing space programme.

Solar Probe finds small flares – ‘campfires’ – that may help heat the corona

16 July 2020 Astronomy Now

The first images from the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft provide spectacular close-range views of the sun.

Astronomers catch the afterglow of a short gamma ray burst

14 July 2020 Astronomy Now

Astronomers catch the faint afterglow of an extremely remote short gamma ray burst, raising new questions about stellar evolution.

Innovative Japanese telescope spots red dwarf superflare in Leo

14 July 2020 Astronomy Now

Japanese telescope spots a dozen flares on a red dwarf star in Leo, including a powerful superflare.