News – Page 48 – Astronomy Now

Lunar orbiter pinpoints Israeli Beresheet crash site

17 May 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s eagle-eyed Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted the site where the Israeli Beresheet lander crashed to the Moon’s surface in April.

Precision ground tracking critical to Gaia mapping

15 May 2019 Astronomy Now

High-precision tracking by ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope and others improves the accuracy of ESA’s galaxy-mapping Gaia spacecraft.

Re-analysis of Apollo seismic data indicates Moon still active

14 May 2019 Astronomy Now

A re-analysis of Apollo seismic data, along with ongoing observations by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, indicate the Moon is still tectonically active.

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover coming together at JPL

13 May 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover is taking shape at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where engineers are integrating key components.

New study hints at early galaxies lighting up cosmos

9 May 2019 Astronomy Now

Deep field observations by the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes reveal many ancient galaxies shining brighter than expected, possibly providing energy to help turn the cosmos transparent.

Spitzer Space Telescope puts M87’s black hole in context

8 May 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope puts iconic black hole image in context, showing what amounts to a wide-angle view capturing jets spewing away from M87.

Black hole sports warped accretion disc, fast-moving jets

7 May 2019 Astronomy Now

Detailed studies of outbursts from a black hole binary reveal a warped accretion disc that triggers skewed polar jets.

Astronomers eager to study asteroid during 2029 close flyby of Earth

6 May 2019 Astronomy Now

Scientists are already planning campaigns to observe the near Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis when it whips past Earth in April 2029.

Upgraded LIGO and Virgo stations observe multiple gravity wave events

5 May 2019 Astronomy Now

The LIGO and Virgo gravity wave observatories, recently upgraded to improve sensitivity, have detected five black hole and neutron star mergers in a single month.

Rock that hit Moon during lunar eclipse likely impacted at 61,000 kph

30 April 2019 Astronomy Now

A detailed analysis of the flash produced when a meteoroid crashed into the surface of the Moon during January’s lunar eclipse shows the body likely gouged a crater up to 15 metres (49 feet) across.