News – Page 39 – Astronomy Now

Heavy element creation confirmed in neutron star merger

29 October 2019 Astronomy Now

For the first time, astronomers have identified a specific heavy element – strontium – created in the wake of a cataclysmic neutron star merger.

VLT images suggest fourth-largest asteroid may be a dwarf planet

29 October 2019 Astronomy Now

New observations of the asteroid Hygiea reveal a nearly spherical shape, indicating the body meets the basic qualifications for dwarf-planet status.

Mars 2020 rover stands on its own in pre-launch milestone

27 October 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s 2020 Mars rover has been stood up on its six wheels for the first time in a major milestone on the road to launch next year and landing in Jezero Crater in 2021.

“Tension” increases with different measurement of Hubble constant

24 October 2019 Astronomy Now

The first use of adaptive optics to measure the Hubble constant appears to confirm a discrepancy in cosmologists’ understanding of how fast the universe is expanding.

British-built solar probe shipping to Florida launch site before Brexit

24 October 2019 Stephen Clark

The European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft — assembled in Britain and set for liftoff in February — has completed environmental testing in Germany and is scheduled to ride a cargo plane to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin launch preparations 31 October, several weeks earlier than planned to avoid complications stemming from Brexit.

Telltale signs of a planetary collision in binary star system

24 October 2019 Astronomy Now

Relatively warm clouds of dust swirling around a binary star system may be the result of a cataclysmic collision between two rocky exoplanets.

Supercomputer up to challenge of Square Kilometre Array

23 October 2019 Astronomy Now

Researchers use one of the world’s most powerful computers to make sure they will be able to process a “data deluge” from the Square Kilometre Array.

Huge galaxy found lurking in early Universe may be ‘missing link’

23 October 2019 Astronomy Now

Astronomers find evidence for a large galaxy lurking behind obscuring dust clouds that may be a “missing link” in galactic evolution.

Panel recommends planetary protection policy reassessment

20 October 2019 Astronomy Now

An independent review board recommends that NASA reassess its planetary protection protocols to reflect current technology and planned missions.

Orbiter spots InSight on Mars as heat probe resumes hammering

17 October 2019 Astronomy Now

After months of troubleshooting, engineers say the InSight Mars lander’s German temperature probe has resumed its hammering into the martian surface.