News – Page 74 – Astronomy Now

New Horizons wakes up for New Year’s Day flyby

5 June 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s New Horizons probe, three years outbound from Pluto, has woken from electronic hibernation, healthy and on course for a New Year’s Day flyby of an even more remote Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule.

‘Planet Nine’ may not be needed to explain strange orbits

5 June 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers are searching for a presumed “Planet Nine” in the extreme outer solar system whose gravity could explain unusual orbits of several remote bodies. New research suggests Planet Nine may not be necessary.

Small asteroid tracked to atmospheric impact and breakup

4 June 2018 Astronomy Now

Detection of a small boulder-size asteroid hurtling toward Earth 2 June served as a real-world test of the advance warning systems in place to find, track and characterise potentially threatening bodies.

Dawn spacecraft dropping to record low altitude at Ceres

2 June 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is in the process of dropping into its final, lowest-ever orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres, allowing it to make repeated passes within 50 kilometres (30 miles) of the surface.

Colliding neutron stars likely formed low-mass black hole

1 June 2018 Astronomy Now

Colliding neutron stars generated headlines last year after the detection of gravitational waves sweeping through the solar system. Follow-on X-ray observations indicate the cataclysmic merger formed a record low-mass black hole.

Is at least some dark matter electrically charged? Maybe

31 May 2018 Astronomy Now

The nature of dark matter, which makes up most of the material in the universe, is a profound mystery. But if at least a fraction of dark matter particles have a tiny electrical charge, it could help explain the early evolution of the cosmos, astronomers say.

When black holes devour stars, it all depends on how you look at it

30 May 2018 Astronomy Now

Black holes devouring nearby stars generate a variety of effects, but a new model suggests what is seen on Earth depends on the hole’s orientation and the viewing angle. Surveys are planned to search for more such tidal disruption events.

Shake, rattle and roll: stress tests for ESA’s ExoMars rover

29 May 2018 Astronomy Now

A structural test model of ESA’s ExoMars landing begins three months of testing this week to make sure the spacecraft can withstand the vibrations of launch, atmospheric entry and landing along with the temperature extremes it will face on the surface.

Dutch MeerLICHT telescope on the lookout for exploding stars

28 May 2018 Astronomy Now

A new optical telescope featuring a 100-megapixel camera will work in concert with a large radio telescope to precisely locate supernovas and other transient high-energy events that show up across multiple wavelenghts.

With fuel running low, Kepler begins 18th observing campaign

27 May 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope began its 18th observing campaign on 12 May, an 82-day run focusing on star clusters, galaxies and a handful of solar system bodies as the spacecraft nears the end of its life. Among its targets is 99942 Apophis, an asteroid expected to pass close by Earth in 2029.