News – Page 72 – Astronomy Now

30 July 2026

Kepler spacecraft, nearly out of fuel, suspends exoplanet search

9 July 2018 Astronomy Now

The Kepler spacecraft, nearly out of fuel, has suspended its search for exoplanets pending the downlink of stored data. Flight controllers hope to resume observations in August for as long as the dwindling propellant holds out.

Computer simulations confirm massive impact knocked Uranus off kilter

6 July 2018 Astronomy Now

Supercomputer simulations confirm a cataclysmic impact with a body at least twice the size of Earth knocked Uranus on its side during the solar system’s formation, possibly explaining the evolution of its rings and moons.

Yet another test for general relativity; yet another “A” for Einstein

5 July 2018 Astronomy Now

In yet another success for Einstein’s theory of general relativity, astronomers studying the motions of a triple star system have again confirmed that objects fall at the same rate regardless of mass or composition.

Cataclysmic collision re-shaped Milky Way in distant past

4 July 2018 Astronomy Now

A head-on collision between the Milky Way and a smaller body dubbed the “Sausage” galaxy eight to 10 billion years ago had a profound effect on the structure and evolution of Earth’s home in space, astronomers say.

NuSTAR X-ray telescope shows Eta Carinae source of cosmic rays

4 July 2018 Astronomy Now

The origins of high-energy cosmic rays are difficult to trace because of the effects of magnetic fields, but data from NASA’s NuSTAR X-ray telescope indicates the massive binary star Eta Carinae is one likely source.

Dawn zooms in on Ceres’ enigmatic Occator Crater

2 July 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is now in an orbit around the asteroid Ceres that carries it as close as 35 kilometres (22 miles), giving researchers a bird’s eye view of enigmatic Occator Crater and its famously bright deposits of sodium carbonate.

Astronomers catch new planet in the process of forming

2 July 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have managed to spot a new planet in the process of forming in a dusty disk surrounding a hot young star. It is the first definitive observation of its kind, opening a new window in exoplanet research.

Astronomers detect magnetic field in remains of supernova 1987A

1 July 2018 Astronomy Now

Supernova 1987A is one of the most studied stellar explosions in history and more than 30 years after the blast, astronomers have detected a magnetic field 50,000 times weaker than a refrigerator magnet.

Complex organics spewing from sub-surface ocean on Enceladus

29 June 2018 Astronomy Now

The late, great Cassini spacecraft detected geysers spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus, evidence of a vast sub-surface ocean. Now, researchers have found complex organic compounds in the icy plumes.

NASA again delays launch of James Webb Space Telescope

28 June 2018 Astronomy Now

An independent review board has recommended, with NASA concurrence, a 10-month delay for launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, to March 2021, to allow time to address a host of technical and managerial issues.