News – Page 38 – Astronomy Now

21 August 2026

A titanic burst of star formation in Milky Way’s recent past

17 December 2019 Astronomy Now

Peering into the heart of the Milky Way with a powerful infrared camera, astronomers see evidence for a titanic burst of star formation in the relatively recent past.

OSIRIS-REx sample collection site selected on asteroid Bennu

16 December 2019 Astronomy Now

Mission planners with NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft have selected a challenging but scientifically rich sample collection site on the asteroid Bennu.

Seeing beyond the horizon of a space-warping pulsar

15 December 2019 Astronomy Now

The NICER telescope array aboard the International Space Station has made the most accurate measurements yet of a pulsar’s mass and size.

Water vapor common among exoplanets, but less than expected

12 December 2019 Astronomy Now

A five-year study shows water is a relatively common component of exoplanet atmospheres, but the observed abundances are less than expected, researchers say.

Quantum “vacuum squeezers” improve sensitivity of gravity wave detectors

9 December 2019 Astronomy Now

Exotic technology improves the sensitivity of gravity wave detectors, allowing researchers in the U.S. and Europe to “see” more high-energy events

In a first, astronomers find traces of a planet orbiting a white dwarf

7 December 2019 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have found evidence of a Neptune-class ice giant orbiting a white dwarf, its atmosphere stripped away by intense ultraviolet radiation.

Record-setting ultra-massive black hole found at heart of galaxy cluster

5 December 2019 Astronomy Now

The central elliptical galaxy in a cluster 700 million light years away harbours a record-setting black hole with the mass of 40 billion Suns.

Scientists conclude planets possible around supermassive black holes

2 December 2019 Astronomy Now

Astronomers theorize supermassive black holes at the hearts of many if not all large galaxies could host thousands of large planets out to distances up to 10 light years.

Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov sports 160,000-kilometre-long tail

27 November 2019 Astronomy Now

As interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov nears its closest point to the Sun on 8 December, a long tail of icy debris has formed stretching some 160,000 kilometres.

Earth’s magnetic field ‘sings’ during energetic solar storms

26 November 2019 Astronomy Now

Data from the European Space Agency’s Cluster satellites allow scientists to listen in as solar storms interact with Earth’s magnetic field.