News – Page 62 – Astronomy Now

As New Horizons closes in on Ultima Thule, scientists propose a Pluto orbiter

25 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Three years outbound from Pluto, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is homing in on a Kuiper Belt object dubbed Ultima Thule for a dramatic New Year’s Day flyby, the first by any space probe in the extreme outer solar system.

Slow-motion neutron star challenges theoretical predictions

24 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers using the LOFAR radio telescope have discovered the slowest-spinning pulsar yet detected, a highly magnetized stellar remnant that takes more than 23 seconds to complete one revolution.

ALMA takes Europa’s temperature; heat signatures not seen at plume sites

23 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have created a thermal map of Jupiter’s moon Europa, showing temperature variations across its surface. But another team has found no signs of hot spots where suspected plumes are located.

NASA prepares Hubble for return to service after gyro work

23 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Engineers have cleared a problem with one of the Hubble Space Telescope’s critical gyroscopes and plan to return the observatory to normal science operations after final tests to verify healthy performance.

Ariane 5 launches two satellites on 7-year voyage to Mercury

21 October 2018 William Harwood

A powerful European Ariane 5 rocket blasted off from French Guiana late Friday and boosted a pair of satellites into space for a seven-year plunge into the inner solar system, a voyage requiring seven planetary flybys to slow down enough in the sun’s gravitational clutches to slip into orbit around hellish Mercury.

Red dwarf superflares pose threats to exoplanet atmospheres

19 October 2018 Astronomy Now

New observations indicate young red dwarf stars are much more likely to experience extremely powerful flares, possibly affecting exoplanet habitability.

Gamma ray burst sheds light on gravity wave event

18 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers studying the aftermath of a gamma ray burst say it may represent a new class of events that generate powerful, short-lived jets of energetic particles.

Infant galactic supercluster found in early universe

18 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have found a proto-supercluster of galaxies in the very early universe, the most massive structure yet found in the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang.

How did a very young star end up with four gas giants?

15 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have discovered evidence of three more gas giant worlds orbiting a star already known to host a ‘hot Jupiter’ in an extremely close orbit. The observations raise new questions about how solar systems form.

Final NASA workshop considers Mars 2020 landing sites

15 October 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA is staging a fourth and final workshop to debate four proposed landing sites for the agency’s Mars 2020 rover. A decision on where to target the rover is expected by the end of the year.