News – Page 64 – Astronomy Now

First evidence of ‘exomoon’ found in Kepler data

3 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers reviewing data collected by the planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft have found evidence for a large exomoon orbiting a gas giant 8,000 light years away. If confirmed, it would mark the first detection of a moon in another solar system.

Hayabusa2 drops European MASCOT lander onto asteroid Ryugu

3 October 2018 Astronomy Now

A small lander built by the German and French space agencies tumbled to a successful low-gravity landing on the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu after release from Japan’s Hayabusa2 sample return spacecraft.

Extreme dwarf planet – ‘The Goblin’ – influenced by Planet X?

2 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers searching the outer solar system for signs of a super Earth-size world beyond Pluto have found another small body in an orbit consistent with the presumed gravitational influence of the presumed Planet X.

Where are they? Searching for laser beams from ET

2 October 2018 Astronomy Now

A mostly student-run project is studying the Andromeda Galaxy, taking repeated before-and-after photos with relatively small telescopes in hopes of detecting any civilizations using powerful lasers to signal their presence.

Vast clouds of hydrogen aglow in early cosmos

1 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Vast clouds of atomic hydrogen in the early universe glow an ultraviolet blue in unexpected results indicating Lyman-alpha emissions across the entire sky.

Galaxies leave a trail as they plunge into massive cluster

28 September 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory captures a detailed view showing a small group of galaxies being pulled into a massive galactic cluster trailing a long stream of hot gas in their wake.

Tracking ‘Oumuamua back to its home star – a major challenge

26 September 2018 Astronomy Now

Researchers analyzing the trajectory and behavior of ‘Oumuamua, an interstellar body passing through Earth’s solar system, have identified four candidate stars where the unusual comet-like body might have originated.

Mars’ moon Phobos may be a chip off the old block

26 September 2018 Astronomy Now

Re-evaluating data collected 20 years ago by NASA’s now retired Mars Global Surveyor, researchers say the martian moon Phobos could have originated in the aftermath of a titanic planetary collision that blasted surface material into space.

Mars orbiter photographs still-silent Opportunity rover

25 September 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted the Opportunity rover on the surface of the red planet where it remains out of contact with Earth in the wake of a global dust storm in June.

Cassini data show dust storms blowing across Titan

24 September 2018 Astronomy Now

Researchers studying the atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan using archived data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft have spotted infrared signatures of what appear to be giant dust storm blowing across the large moon’s surface.